Cambodia: Phnom Penh to Kampot

I arrived in Cambodia ten days ago, knowing something (I visited here briefly about ten years ago to go to the temples of Angkor) but having so much more to learn. My first impression was from the bus- as we drove through northern Cambodia over the border from Laos- and it was one of beauty, the emerald green rice fields, floating villages, people going about their daily business and a stunning sunset (see picture).
My first destination was Phnom Penh, the bustling capital city of nearly two million people. The majority are Khmers, with between 10 and 20 per cent of Cham, Chinese or Vietnamese origin and the prevailing religion is Buddhism. The average life expectancy is just 62.
The Khmers have been to hell and back in their recent history (more about that in a moment) but you wouldn't know it as this must surely be the most 'smiley' people in SE Asia?!
Having hooked up with a group of people we decided to take a shared tuk tuk on day one to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek where most of the detainees of the notorious S-21 prison were bludgeoned to death to avoid wasting precious bullets. It's hard to imagine when visiting this memorial to the victims today that such horrors unfolded here in my lifetime.
For those of you who don't know here is a brief resume of the recent history of Cambodia. I am just old enough to remember Pol Pot and his murderous regime ( I was at primary school when Blue Peter did a save Kampuchea appeal and Cambodian 'jokes' were doing the rounds) and I had seen the Killing Fields (the film based on the memoirs of American journalist Sydney Schanberg and his Cambodian assistant Pran) and as a history teacher I knew the basics. In the early 1970s Cambodia was embroiled in a civil war largely brought on by American bombing of the country during the Vietnam war (it wanted to destroy Communist bases and support being chanelled through Cambodia by the Viet Cong). Lon Nol was the American-backed leader of the country after the King fled in 1970 but at the same time the notorious Khmer Rouge were on the rise and eventually gained control of the country on 17th April 1975 when they entered Phnom Penh. They then attempted one of the most radical restructurings of society ever attempted which led to the death through murder and starvation of up to 2 million people (about one quarter of the population). This is the worst Holocaust in History in terms of numbers. The country was renamed Democratic Kampuchea  and the goal of the Khmer Rouge was to turn the country into a socialist rural agrarian-based co-operative. Within days of taking power the population of cities were force marched into the countryside to work as slaves for 12-15 hours per day living on starvation rations. Reading the Killing Fields novel, one of the main characters discovers tonnes of rice being sent to China to trade for weapons whilst the population were given barely enough to keep them alive. Money was destroyed, Buddhism and education abolished, entertainment wiped out. The whole professional elite almost wiped out. The state of your hands (rough hands were the sign of working on the land) could sign your death warrant along with if you wore glasses or spoke a foreign language. Students, teachers, lawyers, intellectuals were largely eradicated -most ended up at S-21 (a former school which was turned into a brutal detention centre -come prison)-where thousands met the most brutal end. In the book the Killing Fields it is revealed that in the 1979 census, out of 100,000 students only 5300 survived along with 207 teachers and 7 journalists!
I visited Tuol Sleng museum (S21) where you can still see the rooms and instruments of torture that were used in former classrooms (I found the sight of a blackboard most chilling) and perhaps the most disturbing is the room upon room of photographs of the victims (they were all photographed as they arrived), black and white haunting images of men, women and children- some defiant,some blank, most surely unaware of the fate that lay ahead- many of which looked remarkably contemporary, so similar to the faces of the people I had seen on the streets outside. I found it an incredibly moving experience, even for me who teaches the Holocaust to children through History lessons at home. The number of travellers who have said to me that young people at home should know about what happened here, something I can, in a small way,  do something about in my own practice going forward.,
If anyone is interested, I will put a link on here to some of the many books about the story of Pol Pot and his regime and the remarkable stories that have come out of the period.

But being in Cambodia has been an absolute blast too. I just can't get enough of the place and its people. The riverside in Phnom Penh is awesome- so much going on as the sun sets. Dance classes, boys playing football, people taking boat trips along the Tonle Sap, numerous bars, restaurants and cafes and of course, the crazy traffic, all make for a fun few hours people watching. The markets too are worth visiting- especially the food section. I never tire of seeing the fruits and meat sections (even though I don't eat meat!).

From Phnom Penh I took a bus to Kampot. Michael and Bahar (people I met in Burma) were there so I arranged to meet up with them, staying at a place called Les Manguiers. Kampot is a small town on the Mekong, very close to the coast and with a charm of its own. Low key and not an obviously tourist town, you can lose yourself here for a few days- and I certainly did! Les Manguiers was in a beautiful spot on the river, with its own decks for sunbathing and hammocks for snoozing. I had a perfect few days of relaxation, did lots of cycling (the town is about 4km away), reading, kayaking (the Green Cathedral through the mangroves was amazing) and eating great in house food. The staff are wonderful and the sunsets mind blowing. It was pretty much the best place I've stayed in the whole trip for location. Alot of ex pats and NGOs make the pilgrimage to Kampot on weekends so chatting to people over dinner was interesting. I met Sarah, an intern lawyer, working on the UN-backed trials of former Khmer Rouge that are currently taking place and many others doing volunteer/ UN type work. The people you meet is part of the experience too and so far I've met some great people, some of whom I will keep in touch with. From here its back to Phnom Penh for another reunion!

Pictures included: the victims of the Khmer Rouge, a scene from S21, my view from the bus, the Killing Fields memorial and a wonderful sunset from Les Manguires.

Laos, Laos: my travels continued

Since my last blog, I've left Laos and entered Cambodia. I left you in Luang Prabang (amazing town on the Mekong) and after that took an overnight bus to the capital, Vientiane. After asking what the difference between a VIP and Express bus, I was informed the VIP had a toilet. When I was squatting down outside the bus in the middle of the night, I reflected on this...Met a lovely American girl (Cascade) and we had a giggle over the journey. We met up later for drinks too. Vientiane is a bussling capital city although tiny compared to Bangkok and Phnom Penh with less than a quarter of a million people.There was little to do in terms of places to visit but it has some great restaurants, a mixture of traditional Laos, French and International, cafes and shops. I spent a few days just wandering the city (there is a Pagoda and the Laos version of the Arc de Triomphe), sampling the lovely food and had two days just relaxing by the pool of a very posh colonial era hotel, the Settha Palace.(see attached pictures). I felt I needed to recharge my batteries and this was a perfect way to do that. I met up with the English girls, Gemma and Mary, for dinner one evening and they too joined me at the pool on the second day.... From Vientiane my next destination was 4000 Islands, towards the Cambodian border where the Mekong is at its widest.The journey was not without incident as usual (the coach- an overnight sleeper- with actual double bunkbeds) ended up leaving slightly later than the planned 8pm departure. Settled in with my bedmate (!) for the night (yes, you are expected to sleep next to a random stranger!), a German girl who is also travelling alone. The original bus could not be fixed so 4 hours or so after we had got on, we were moved to another sleeper bus. However, an hour or so later we had still to move. We were then moved onto a third bus which had ordinary seats. No one seemed to know why this had happened until two Israeli guys informed us that the company were refusing to pay for the sleeper bus. A mutiny ensued with everyone getting back on the sleeper (as this is what we had paid for) and finally, 6 and a half hours later, we finally left Vientiane! The transfer to 4000 Islands is from a town called Pakse. We were understandibly many hours late and had missed the connection, so had an unplanned night in the town. It was pleasant, not too many visitors, and despite the torrential monsoon rain for most of the afternoon evening, I had a nice time. The cafe where we had dinner was busy and one of the staff informed us that in taking over 2 million kip (about 200USD), it was their most successful day since opening...

An early start the next day for the 3 hour minibus following by boat transfer to the tropical island, Don Det  Despite the weather (still raining) you couldn't help be amazed by this place. Totally slow paced, stunning countryside, driving on the back of a motor scooter through emerald green rice fields passing doe-eyed water buffalo and not alot else, you get the picture..There was little to do other than laze in hammocks (we did- picture attached) and explore the beauty of the place.You really felt that you saw the locals in their natural habitat, mainly farming, and the small amount of tourism there is (although I think that will change now the island has 24 hour electricity, and I saw a number of building projects underway). Wherever we walked children would follow and everyone wanted to say hello.There is a dark side too, as you see real poverty at close quarters. Laos is one of the worlds' 20 poorest countries although it is well on is way to escaping this status in the next few years. This has come at a price, by being China's new best friend, it muscles in on Laos'natural resources in return for building roads and stadiums. A huge area of land in Vientiane has been leased to China to allow 50,000 migrant workers to to come and settle a satellite town.

I spent two days and nights on Don Det and would have loved to have stayed longer but after two weeks in Laos, Cambodia is beckoning....

The pictures I have used are: the kidney-shaped pool at the Settha Hotel, Vientiane; a common sight in Don Det,a water buffalo and bicycle; the hammocks outside our room at Mekong Dream (we were the only ones staying there so had their exclusive use!); a view from the boat and some of the many Laos children happy to pose for a photo.

Laos, Laos-Luang Prabang to Vientiane

Ok, when I last posted I was just entering Laos from the Thai border. I came in via a short ride across the Mekong to Huay Xai and from there it was a 12 hour bus journey to Luang Prabang. A locals bus again and not without incident (as usual). The roads in Laos are dire and there was little chance to sleep other than in fits and starts as it was so bumpy. At one point I awoke to find we had stopped and asked one of the few travellers on the bus what was happening. We decided to go and find out, only to discover they were trying to change a wheel on the bus from the light of a couple of mobile phones! My maglite came to the rescue.. A while later a further stop as the police had blocked the road due to an accident. They appeared to be spraying circle on the road -CSI Laos? - but luckily no one was badly hurt and we were soon on our way again...
I arrived in Luang Parabang just as the town was coming to life. Walking around to find somewhere to stay I could see it seemed pretty smart. I couldn't believe it when after I had checked in and been for breakfast I saw Chelsea crossing the road. They were hiring bikes so I joined them and we cycled a few kilometers to a nearby waterfall.
Luang Prabang borders the Mekong and its setting is dramatic in itself. Add to this beautiful cafes and restaurants with a mixture of traditional and fusion food, funky bars (Utopia was a particular favourite) gleaming Wat and crumbling French villas and you get an idea of the magic of the place. I grew to love it especially after allowing myself a few days to explore (both by bike and on foot) and I agree with the Lonely Planet that it will 'linger in the imagination long after the visit'.
I spent one day cycling around the various temples, another doing a Laos cookery course (more about that in my upcoming food blog) and a trek to local villages through stunning scenery. I even took a couple of days to venture further north to a place called Nong Khiaw which reminded me of Halong Bay in Vietnam. Although I only spent a night there it was a memorable one (not least by the fact that I had to pull a leech off my leg in the shower, found the biggest spider EVER on my bed and had a disturbed night wrapped for dear life in my mozzie net listening to the cockcroaches scurrying across the floor!) and the highlight was the slowboat back to Luang through what is often viwed as the most dramatic scentery in the whole of Laos.
I've been lucky on this trip to meet so many people so far and Laos has been no exception. English girls Gemma, Mary, Rachel and myself had dinner together for a couple of nights, enjoyed cocktails in the cool ambience of Utopia and even managed a very dodgy Laos disco! Last night on my way to Vientiane, I met lovely American Cascade. Our meeting is a story in itself.  When booking my overnight bus for Vientiane, I noticed there was VIP and Express. What's the difference other than 30'000 kip Toilet came the reply. I reflected on this as I squatted by the side of what can loosely be described as a road in the pitch black somewhere en route to Vientiane. Next to me was the only other Westerner on the bus. We introduced ourselves...

The pics I've included here, from the top: a view from Luang Prabang, a temple,the ingredients we used on the Laos cookery class, three views from Nong Khiaw (including two from my balcony) and, lastly, local Hmong children on my trek in Luang.

Bye bye, Chiang Mai

Well, what can I say about Chiang Mai other than it's one cool place. It has all the bits I love about Thailand (amazing food, temples, lovely people, chilled vibe) and alot less of the bits I don't like (ie. the hassle). I spent 5 days in the end and have to say didn't really do that much other than spend time with friends, go out for amazing food (Pregos with Mark who lives in Chiang Mai was a particular favourite, along with Blue Diamond, a gorgeous wholefood cafe which did amazing curries and salads and which I expected to be exclusively veggie but sadly wasn't), hang out by the pool, do a bit of shopping (actually bought Christmas pressies for my family and dispatched them back to the UK!) and generally just enjoy not rushing around. My accommodation was the fab SK II which was more of a hotel, and the room I shared with two German girls Hanh and Kati, cost the grand total of 500 Baht per night (about 10 pounds) for the 3 of us! It had a pool and a rooftop sun terrace, bar area and very friendly and helpful staff. The room was huge too- felt like I really got to spread out which you can't do when you stay in dorms.
All the things people normally come to Chiang Mai for I missed out on- trekking, elephant rides and sanctuaries, cooking, meditation or massage courses and thai boxing. But I just felt like I wanted a rest after Burma which was pretty full on and being with the Aussies and our friend Nick coming up for his birthday was the main focus. I did manage to get in a couple of cheeky massages though!
My final night was great. Dinner with an interesting American guy Hanh had met in China, watching the Man U game (they are crazy about English football all over Asia) and finishing the night with Mark at a local bar, Yokka Dok, where the staff were dressed in the most amazing outfits and where we were treated to cabaret by the lady boys! Only in Thailand...

The pictures I've included show Chelsea navigating through the flooded waters of the night market area. Some of the worse monsoon rains in decades have affected large parts of Thailand and Cambodia. The day before Chelsea and Jim had gone to Subway only to find the whole area submerged in water and they waded up to thrir thighs. As you can see it wasn't quite so bad the following day.

The other pictures are of a magnificent white temple in Chiang Rai which we passed on the way to the Thai-Laos border.

And now to Laos.