Into Laos - 4000 Islands

Sprawling across the wide Mekong river just across the Lao Cambodia border sits the tranquil 4000 islands. Our bus dropped us at the village where the boat runs to Don Det, the most popular destination for backpackers. Dodging a few water pistols and a mild hosepipe soaking, Lao new year still in full swing, we loaded into a longtail and struck out into the current under torch light.

We were greated the other side by a group of 18 something naked british backpackers who had gone for a swim loading their clothes onto a boat which had subsequently departed. Having been in the water for a while we donated one a sarong to go and find some more clothes and we went in search of a hostel.

Along with Nat and Kay, who we had met on the bus we eventually managed to source some rooms from the drunken celebrating backpacker staff, a crazy french lady just about managing to show us a room and agree a price.

We awoke the next morning and decided to move to the quieter Don Khon, me starting to succumb to a throat infection. I assume due to my immune system taking a blasting from the stomach bug. Poor Em was also now well stricken with the stomach thing so our time on the islands was slightly marred by this however it proved a reasonable place to recuperate. Em managing to source me some antibiotics from the 8 year old pharmacists manning a wooden cabinet acting as the village pharmacy which put me right after an unpleasant couple of days.

On a more positive note the islands, aside from the Don Det backpacker area are a relaxed delight. Laid back and friendly people with absolutely no hassles. With various maladies in full swing we didn't manage to make the most of them, kayaking, tubing and mekong dolphin spotting key attractions. We did rent bikes and take a pleasant, and gentle, cycle to the nearby waterfalls. Impressive cascades even in the dry season. Some hefty thunderstorms heralding the upcoming change to wet.

With new year still ongoing we were also treated to a slightly peculiar and popular pastime. Each individual village homestead seemed to take it in turns to fire up a huge and crackly PA system to blast iffy pop and random shouting across the peaceful river setting.

Accommodation was reasonably priced riverside bungalows, with obligatory hammocks in situ, coming in at 60,000 kip per night ($7.5 US).

Difficulties aside however Lao had already revealed a key part of it's attraction, a laid  back and friendly people, amidst a beautiful countryside.

Angkor Wat

The big draw, Cambodias jewel in the crown, and number 1 tourist attraction are the Angkor temples. A source of immense national pride, even featuring on the flag, and representing a time when the Khmer people ruled the roost in a large swathe of SE Asia. Angkor Wat is actually just one temple of the many Angkor era temples, albeit the largest individual building and nowadays almost analogous with the area in the mind of the tourist.

We arrived after a 5 hour bus journey and more Cambodian karaoke pop at the bus companies terminal. Rather shamefully, in an effort to extract more money from the tourist, the big bus companies are in cahouts with tuk tuk cartels to make sure nobody slips through the net and all foreigners pay extortionate fees. Cheerfully suggesting we'll walk usually brings the price down considerably.

We stayed at the Mad Monkey hostel. Slightly overpriced really but clean, friendly and with a bar/restaurant offering tasty and generous portions. Sometimes it is nice to pay a little more to network a bit with other backpackers.

Day 1 we got our bearings and made plans for the coming days. Em also had the opportunity to visit the numerous shops and markets with me worriedly skulking in the background fretting about budgets. We also found ourselves a tuk tuk driver. We deliberately knocked back any pushy ones who harrassed us, very common in Siem Reap.

Wut, our driver, agreed to pick us up for a civilised 8.30am. After collecting our visitor passes, $40, and rumour has it most of this is whisked off to prop up the national coffers, we headed off to see the Ruolos group. The oldest of the main complexes dating back to the 8/9th centuries and built by king doo dah the 1st or some such (lost track of who built what) a good place to start according to the guide. Basically leaving the big guns until last avoids serious underwhelment of doing the reverse.

The older temples feature more prominent use of bricks for construction, the other two materials being xxxxx, a coarse bubbly and friable rock, and sandstone. The first two mediums requiring rendering for decoration with moldings etc. the latter much easier to sculpt into the many reliefs and forms Angkor is famous for.

After the roulos group we whisked over to explore the Eastern temples. What was quite impressive was the variety, from jungle face towers, to Mayan esque pyramids, a good introduction to the place.

Day 2 saw us rise at 5am and a wacky races style journey for Sunrise at Angkor Wat. Wut expertly whisked us past slower tuk tuks and tour buses, an endless column of blinking lights on the road to Angkor. Our foolish expectations of a serene and moving experience were dashed as we joined the thousands jostling for positions in front of the muddy pool to Angkor Wats west. A damp squib of a sunrise followed, the sun not visible for 15 mins or so after sunrise time, a light disk in a grey cloudy sky. We wandered off quickly to explore the temple itself before the hoards had finished their coffees.

I've been mildly underwhelmed by some of the worlds great archeological sites from Pompeii to Delphi to Stone Henge and can now place Angkor Wat to that list. It's not that they aren't fantastic places, they are and should be on every traveller with a vague interest in histories list. It's just that the efforts to preserve them, present them to tourists a certain way, and of course endless busloads of Chinese and Russian tourists, have dampened the magic.

Unless you get your timing just right it's really hard to enjoy the best areas in peace, sit and contemplate the ruins, and things that happened there. You are continously buffeted by waves of snap happy punters, dodgy touts trying to sell you guided tours or impoverished urchins keen to sell you yet another set of postcards.

The management of sites is sometimes heavily to blame IMO. Ta Prohm, the famous Tomb Raider temple a key example, yes the juxtaposition of immense strangler figs and temples slowly being torn apart is spectacular but with wooden walkways, handrails, litter bins, scaffolds (to prevent further destruction) and sign posts having sprung up even in front of the most photogenic spots you don't find yourself saying 'wow that's amazing', more 'sod, why's that blasted handrail just there'.

Sometimes, slightly selfishly I like it when they accept something won't be there forever and allow you to enjoy something. Accepting that your presence will perhaps contribute to its slow destruction. Petra was perhaps the best example where it is possible to just wander off up random ancient staircases and have areas to yourself, for contemplation or even just a different viewpoint to the postcard norm.

An obvious choice but perhaps my favourite was the Bayon. Central to Angkor Thom this maze like temple features huge smiling faces on every side of every tower, pretty much, in my mind this would be a better choice for sunrise, albeit you wouldn't see the sunrise itself, in the hope that the hordes would all be otherwise engaged at Angkor Wat. Whilst rammed to the gills with tourists this was still a jaw dropping piece of architecture.

Jumping off on another rant it's one other aspect that perhaps means once is enough for me for Cambodia, glad to have visited, both impressed and saddened by the people and their history and definitely recommended to visit. However the feeling of being a walking ATM gets wearing. Every man, women and child on the tourist trail expert at wheedling, or downright pleading for the extra dollar or five wherever possible. And yes whilst we are far wealthier than the average local, and bought our fair share of postcards and tat, if we gave a metaphorical dollar to everyone that asked the travel budget would soon be gone.

Where you wander slightly off the main tourist path, the friendly passing children in towns where tourism isn't the key breadwinner, the chance conversation with the filling lady at the petrol station as she fills the tuk tuk etc. all reveal a much friendlier less shark like Cambodian to whom friendliness isn't just a technique for wallet raiding.

Well after 5 days due to some issues with Khmer new year transport, although this meant I caught the 3rd F1 race, off to Laos. 15hrs of Cambodian pop and a 5am start await.

Battambang and a bamboo train

Cambodia's second largest city, Battambang's atmosphere is the contrary to what you would expect after the craziness of Phnom Penh. Laid back and sleepy with quiet streets and low rise architecture it feels more market town then metropolis.

With my stomach still on the mend however a good place for a couple of days recuperation and a gentle tour of the main sites.

Most tourists visit three main attractions with the biggest draw being the famous bamboo railway. This ingenious use of old narrow guage french railway tracks was a useful form of transport for people and goods across the remaining rail network although seems more of a tourist concern nowadays. The stretch run for tourists controlled by a queuing system and police and attracting a $5 fee for the hour return trip.

The trains are simple but effective in constructuon. Essentially two axles placed on the track with a bamboo tray sitting on top.  A drive belt being looped between pullys on the rear axle and a tiny petrol engine bolted to the bamboo. This means the whole train can be lifted off the track in approximately 20 seconds to allow a train passing the other way through.

The trains rattle along at a fair lick, 20-30mph and rules for who gets off the track in a head on situation pretty much seem to follow some basic rules. Firstly load of each train, the less people and goods the easier to get out the way, secondly number of trains in each direction, one would make way for two, and finally in an even contest direction of travel. With only two of us aboard we ended up making way every time, about 8 times. A fun journey however.

The second stop for the day was the Angkor era temple of Banan. Necessitating a steep slog uphill you are afforded a great view of the surrounding countryside. The crumbling temple remains follow the 5 tower structure common to this era, and Angkor Wat itself, with some nice carvings still in places.

The final stop was to the killing caves. Like many of the killing fields throughout the country now shrines to the dead. The caves themselves beautiful limestone caverns which had the executed thrown in. A drop of perhaps 60ft in the main cave, which as well as a shrine of bones features a large reclining buddha, carefully washed and maintained by a local monk. The smiling buddha in some ways incongruous with the bloody history of the place but perfectly adding a calm and reverent air.

With the big Cambodian draw of Angkor Wat next on the list, we booked our bus and headed north east to Siem Reap.

Phnom Penh

The journey by bus to Phnom Penh proved longer then expected and not a lot of fun as I started to become slightly feverish. However we made it ok and after a bit of haggling with the swarm of pushy tuk tuk drivers at the bus station headed for our first hotel in the Monivong West area. Tbh we were not particularly keen on this area despite guidebook recommendations and opted to move the next day. We found the central area near the national monument more pleasant.

After an afternoon feeling grotty, fever and headache, I felt up for a stroll to find a restaurant and we ended up at the well known Romdeng. Run by a charity called Friends the restaurant trains street children for the hospitality industry and offered super service and lovely food. Although suffering a bit the fish Amok, a Khmer curry, was excellent. Em's salad choice was generously portioned and very tasty.

The next day brought a twist to my ailment, fever fully abating, but being replaced with digestive issues. This was later potentially diagnosed as Cryptosporidiosis with a trusty bit of internet self diagnosis, and with an Aussie doctor friend we met agreeing this could be a possibility. Likely place of infection being the jungle trek which supported likely incubation timescales and also discovering my water purification tablets used on jungle water do not prevent this. With rehydration and recuperation the key to recovery we would take it fairly easy for the next few days. This parasitic bug typically passing after several days.

After a gentle start for obvious reasons we visited both the Grand Palace and Silver Pagoda. Whilst slightly less impressive than the Thai equivalent the palace was still a spectacular piece of architecture. The Silver Pagoda's key differentiator its solid silver floor tiles. Expecting gleaming solid bars, in reality these felt a little more like an industrial tin floor beneath the feet. It was here we met Steve, the aussie doctor, and Lorna who we enjoyed drinks and dinner with, the next couple of days. Albeit taking it a bit gentle on the food for me knowing eating still produced abdominal pains and more nightly trips to the porcelain bicycle.

We also had the pleasure of meeting up again with our Irish friend Jamie from earlier in the trip. The next day we jumped in a tuk tuk together with Jamie and his friend Patrick, $15 for the day's hire, and made the necessary but sobering trip to the killing fields and S-21 prison.

These two grim and historic sites are inextricably linked. When the Khmer Rouge fought its way to power in 1975 it began a brutal programme of restrucuring the country into an agricultural based cooperative. This extreme maoist ideology resulting in the death of 1-3 million Cambodians. Amoung these 20,000 being detained and tortured in S-21 before night time transportation to Cheong Ek killing field and a brutal death.

Our first stop was the killing field. Strangely serene this national monument to the atrocities includes a memorial pagoda displaying tiered shelves of victims bones unearthed from the mass graves on site. A sober and reflective site which takes the visitor on an excellent audio tour of the sites graves and workings. In places bones surface in the path beneath your feet and remind of the recency and brutality of all that happened here. An essential visit revealing the nations deep scars and attempts to reconcile and heal albeit not a lot of fun.

The afternoon saw us back in town at S-21. A school prior to the Khmer Rouge ascendancy, prison would be a slight misnomer. S-21 was more  torture centre where political prisoners and others were held whilst confessions were extracted. It's a strange feeling place. The layout and wide stairwells consistent with schools the world over you could imagine childrens voices echoing up the stair wells. However stepping into the first rooms you encounter the true horror of the place.

With a single original photo blown up on the wall of a classroom you are presented with a steel bed and shackles in the centre. The photo illustrating the position of the dead final prisoners found chained to these beds. Killed just before the captors fled advancing Vietnamese liberation fighters.

Victims passing through the complex were kept in brick or wooden cells in another school block. In other blocks all were photographed and confessions archived. Reading some of these confessions was eerie. All were extracted repeatedly under torture until they hit the right note with the prison authorities, usually admitting treasonous activities against the wonderful regime.

One that particularly struck a cord was of Australian David Lloyd Scott. Alongside other westerners Scott, 32 years old, was in a sailing yacht which strayed into Democratic Kampuchea waters. Arrested, tortured and murdered under the pretence that he and the rest of the crew were CIA spys.

Whilst every victim of the Khmer Rouge regime is just as tragic the fact that it is so easy to relate to someone like yourself in some way made his story hit hard. The rest of the crew including Brit John Dawson Dewhurst all met the same cruel fate. Young guys on an adventure sucked into something unimaginably awful.

Also notable was the disregard held for the the innocence of children. Brutal treatment and death were not withheld, with the regime extolling the removal of the roots as well as the grass of opposition.

Trials are still ongoing for some members of the regime. One of the saddest things surrounding this whole dark chapter in the worlds history is how little the international community did to prevent the killing and even assist in the fall of the regime. The UN even affording the Khmer Rouge the Cambodian seat in the UN. Geopolitics and national interests over riding humanity. It was the Vietnamese army who finally brought about the fall of the regime in 1979 although pockets of Khmer Rouge fighters lived on in the jungles in the west well into the nineties.

Next stop Battambang.

Sinoukeville - Cambodia's diving capital

Sinoukeville is holidaying Cambodia's primary beach spot. With sweeping beaches and a well developed tourist infrastructure it's a town heavily shaped by tourism. And it's not all good, the touristy strip around Serendipity beach is not somewhere you visit for a touch of tropical paradise but offers a big night out. Lines of rickety establishments, squeezing ever closer, and a litter strewn beach.

Around Serendipity are the concentration of Cambodias dive shops, and offshore the true tropical paradises of the surrounding islands offer the real draw.

We chose to stay down at Otres beach. A $4 tuk tuk ride from Serendipity, far quieter and cleaner. After a scout about we ended up in Done right bungalows. Little concrete igloos remeniscent of the opening scenes in Star Wars. Light and airy and featuring friendly and chatty staff a great option. Food here was also tasty and in generous portions, with tasty Swedish dishes alongside local fare, due to Swedish owners. You even got a portion of Lingonberry to go with the rosti which made us happy. Small things after two months of rice.

After a few days of relaxing here, including some additional hammock time we decided to sample some Cambodian Scuba. After serious deliberation Em decided to join the dive trip but only as a snorkler. She is contemplating the full Open Water Padi course but wanted a bit more time to consider. We chose an overnight trip with 5 dives for me and some good snorkeling for Em. Scuba nation was our choice of operator, Cambodia's oldest, and with a good reputation.

The trip itself proved excellent. Not knowing how Cambodia's diving would measure up I was pleasantly suprised. Dives were fairly shallow, 5-16m, but packed in great condition corals, huge barrel sponges and a profusion of marine life. With a mild current running most dives had a pleasant drift feel, the shallow depth, and lack of effort required allowing long 1hr plus dives covering a lot of ground. Notable marine life presences for me included some not spotted on my Thai dives, many blue spotted rays and Barracuda. A big pair of 1.5m lenght particularly impressive. A coral cat shark was also a new sight for me.

Em also spotted some barracuda snorkelling as well as a wealth of new fish for her including inquisative bat fish and friendly remora which would detach from the boat and latch onto a diver or snorkeller. Tickly and a bit of a suprise when you didn't expect something to suddenly latch to your back.

I was also lucky to get a night dive in. As the only certified diver on the boat, I was joined by the instructor and a dive master. With a stong current now racing through this was challenging to start, juggling a torch and just trying to stay close to the guys in the current for the first 5 minutes. After flying over the edge of the reef at a rate of knots trying not to get urchined, the spiny critters were everywhere, like cartoon sea mines waiting for the unwary, we ducked around the point of the island and into slack water. A great dive. Phosporescence and small shrimp everywhere.

Overall whilst Cambodian diving would probably not rank with the worlds best it is certainly well comparable with Thailand, perhaps the more flung Similan islands diving aside, with better condition reefs, fewer divers and less overfishing impact. Vis was a perfectly acceptable 6-10m. As a bonus it was also slightly cheaper than Thailand.

With diving over with it was now time to say goodbye to the sea and beaches and strike out inland. With the hot season in full swing a cooling dip will definately be missed.

Koh Kong, border scams, beaches and a few more leeches

Our journey to Cambodia began with an early start and mini bus to the Cambodian border from Koh Chang. After a longer than expected 4hr ride to the border due to a undetermined boat issue we arrived at Hat Lek. Steeling ourselves for the onslaught of dodgy touts and scams the guidebook assured us were prevelent we stamped out of Thailand and into no mans land.

Swerving the first unecessary service offered, that of wheeling our bags 100m over the border, we strode quickly past the Quarantine office, a bona fida scam, with a firm no and into immigration. Despite being situated next to the immigration office the authorities seem quite happy for tourists to pay the fee for an unnecessary quarantine form and health check.

The immigration office is of course not much ber, despite the official tourist visa costing $20, routinely extorting 12-1400 hunded thai baht for a visa (£30 to £35). Despite the stern faced police women telling the previous person in the queue "Thai Baht only" we managed to get away with a $25 fee which felt like a minor result. Extra costs 3 and 4 semi dodged (3 is for a tout to fill in the visa form on your behalf).

Feeling pleased at not having our wallets totally emptied however we tripped at the last hurdle, not incurring cost, but falling for the oldest trick in the book, and one we had both read about. Our friendly tuk tuk driver with excellent English and unpushy demeanor, telling us the hotel we intended to used had closed, and dropping us a block away at another, the Apex Hotel. We had a look at the rooms and to be fair they were clean, air conditioned, with en suite, TV, hotel pool and reasonable rates we checked in. Needless to say we kicked ourselves later when we strode past our normally functioning original intended hotel however were not too bothered.

Activities in Koh Kong center around two key attractions, trips to unspoilt Koh Kong island and Jungle treks in the southern Cardomans. We arranged both through Cambodia Eco tours. Koh Kong town itself offering little for the tourist, more a dusty collection of streets and local commerce insulated from the sea by a swathe of ramshackle fisherman's stilted houses and boats.

The island trip was slightly disappointing, not due to the tour company specifically, but due to rubbish on the beach, and not very good snorkelling, however was still an enjoyable trip, the staff both friendly and bbq'ing an excellent barracuda lunch for us on the beach. A pit stop at the large mangrove forest adjacent to Koh Kong on the return journey was nice to see, however the tourist walkway was in a state of disrepair and lacking informative signing or information.

The second trip, an overnight jungle trek in the Southern Cardomens was lots of fun and well worth it although we have a feeling the area of jungle trekked was a small corner of the forest, more chosen for easy access than flora and fauna. Our twisty path never affording viewpoints of the mountains although offering a rarely trodden feel, plenty of Indiana Jones esque leech excitement and dense jungle feel. The highlight was also a night spent in hammocks next to a small waterfall, the jungle noises coming alive around us, and waterfall pool offering a cooling dip after a hot day's trekking.

The Cardamons are still largely little trodden, offering a refuge to dwindling bands of Khmer rouge fighters as recently as the nineties. A place would definitely recommend, slightly regretting not detouring to Chi Fat, a village deeper in the forest which offers more spectacular trekking, boat rides and authentic Cambodian village experience.

Our next stop was to be Sinoukeville, centre of Cambodia's beach attractions, and after shopping around a $7 and 4 hour bus ride way, again through the helpful Mr Ritthy at Cambodian Eco tours.

Of note Cambodian tuk tuks differ significantly from Thai. Whilst Thai ones are of a one piece construction and quite light and nippy the cambodian ones are basically  large motorcycle trailors. Slower and heavier than the Thai equivalent, typically using 125 or 150cc rattly old fashioned looking bikes of indeterminate origin.

Koh Chang and a beach wedding

Accessible in a short hop from the mainland Koh Chang is situated in Thailand's south eastern corner and Thailand's second largest island. A mountainous and jungly island, with a selection of nice beaches to choose from. We stayed at White Sand Beach, the main wedding party in the beaches main resort and wedding venue, us opting for the cheaper Pens Bungalows 200m up the beach, and approximately 5% of the cost.

With the key focus of our visit being the wedding, not sure how many of those will attend in Thai fisherman's trousers, we didn't do much touring of the island, happy to enjoy some proper down time. Congrats to Sam and Nina and thanks for having us for the big day.

Our next stop Cambodia and specifically Koh Kong, but first to negotiate the Hat Lek - Cham Yeam border crossing, renowned for hidden fees and scams.