Battambang and the backwaters

We left Siem Reap on Tuesday, the leisurely way - a 10 hour boat ride across Tonle Sap Lake. The lake appeals to the geographer in me as the river connecting it to the Mekong flows both ways - down stream to the sea in the dry season and then upstream as the lake fills up from the over flowing Mekong in the wet season! It is also a hive of life - floating villages, all manner of fishing boats and birds. Entire communities float along the shore, rising and falling with the seasons. We saw floating schools, shops, mechanics, hairdressers, restaurants and even a crocodile farm. Needless to we got pretty snappy happy, particularly with all the beautiful Cambodian faces smiling as we went past.

As we arrived into Battambang we passed groups of kids enjoying bath time in the river - all had to shout and wave frantically at our arrival. I'm sure they see tourists all the time, but it didn't stop their enthusiasm.

Arriving in Battambang reminded me a bit of arriving off the boat at the Thai islands. We were bombarded by tuk-tuk drivers. All claiming to be the "best looking", "best" or "cheapest" driver. All were offering to take us to our hotel for free. The intention, of course, is to get you signed up for their tour the following day. All in good humour though!

We were picked up by a friendly guy called Dong. He turned out to be a great guide who wanted to tell us all about his country as much as we were interested. He was also a Chelsea supporter, so he and Olly had some banter about Chelsea's game against Barcelona on Wednesday night.

Dong picked us up from our hotel at 9 on Wednesday for a tour of the sights around Battambang. These included:

• The Bamboo Train: A bamboo raft sat on train tracks with a powerful lawn mower engine which hurtled us at break neck speed through paddy fields and villages. It reminded us more of a roller coaster with zero safety features than a train. It was originally used to transport rice from the countryside to town. Now it's a tourist attraction - but a fun one! Whenever we came head on with another 'train' one contraption had to be dismantled to allow the other one to pass. Hilarious!

• Cambodia's only winery. Not bad!
• Numerous loud, colourful weddings taking place in roadside tents.
• An impressive temple located up a leg breaking 359 steps, surrounded by signs reading "danger, landmines!"
• A tree full of fruit bats.
• And the Killing Caves, a somber and quite unbelievable place. Originally a temple and sacred caves, the Khmer Rouge turned this limestone escarpment into a prison and site of mass torture and killing. Our young guide hardly blinked when she told us that over 10,000 people were killed by being thrown from the cliffs into the cave below. It is truly admirable how positive and forward looking most Cambodians are considering the horrific things that happened here just 40 years ago.

Thursday was a more chilled day. We went for a walk around town and then to the circus in the evening. The show, put on by students of a charity arts school called Phare Ponleu Selpak, was amazing! They're inLondon in July. We'd highly recommend it.

Friday was a mission of a bus journey. First to Phnom Penh, and then onto Sihanoukville on the coast. We feel a bit like we've arrived at the Costa del Sol - beach bars, loads of restaurants and streets lined with guesthouses. There are also some less savoury sights here, mainly involving plump middle age westerners with Cambodian girls. Also some amusing, pretty unconvincing lady boys lining the beach looking to pick up a client. We're out of here tomorrow to more unspoilt beaches and islands. We've been enjoying the fresh fish and backpacker bars though.

We're hearing stories of pristine white sand beach islands two hours away. Sounds tempting...

Jo x

Angkor Wat - Ancient temples

Firstly..Angkor What is actually just a pub on the imaginatively named Pub Street in a town in north west Cambodia called Siem Reap, this happens to be close to Angkor wat,

Next to the Wat though, is the city Angkor Thom, which is a bit more Tomb raider especially the Bayon which is covered in 54 carved heads of the God King.

There are loads of Ancient temples and structures in the area and you'd probably get bored of seeing them long before you'd run out of new ones. We've spent 3 days here and have decided that that's enough temples for a while. The most impressive temples we discovered today whilst cycling around the jungle roads; were built by the 7th King in the 10th centuary, such as the tree temple - where Tomb Raider was filmed.

It has been fun here and it feels great to be in South East Asia instead of India; the food, the people, the weather - all fantastic.

Olly

Border Crossing #1: Bangkok to Siem Reap, Cambodia

On Friday we prepared ourselves for the notoriously 'difficult' border crossing from Thailand to Cambodia via Poipet - described in the Lonely Planet as the armpit of Cambodia - and virtually impossible to leave without becoming victim to one scam or another.

Our early start on Friday morning was somewhat hampered by an impromptu drinking session the night before - brought on by a Thai singer, who could have passed for Brian Adams if we'd been blindfolded, and a 'small' bottle of Samsong.

So, with groggy heads we set of to the bus station - which turned out to be far smarter, well organised and more luxurious than either of us were expecting. By 9:30 we were on an a/c bus (complete with free drinking water, apple rolls and coffee granules (no hot water though!?)) headed for the Thai border. We made friends with a Canadian couple, Duncan and Heather, from Toronto and agreed to stick together to beat the touts.

However, much to Olly and Duncan's disappointment there was no need for macho shows of ruthless bargaining or striding away from touts. A smiling tuk tuk driver pointed us in the direction of the border crossing (although she clearly wanted to drive us the 1km herself). To get to the border we had to walk through a market full of military uniform (we wondered if we should be buying some for the journey ahead), Thai food stalls (including a whole stall of fried insects) and pretty much whatever else you can think of.

No-man’s land was a surreal playground for the rich – at least five giant casinos crammed into the 500m space between Thailand and Cambodia. By the time we reached the crossing I was sweating so much I could hardly fill in the immigration form. I’ve never experienced water falling from my face quite like that before. I think I ended up with bits of tissue stuck to my face in an effort to dry my nose.

We ignored offers for “cheap” money change as we emerged into a relatively peaceful Cambodia. A transfer bus and a mini bus for ourselves and 6 other friendly travelers (at less than the recommended price) and we were off to Siem Reap. We arrived at Popular Guesthouse, just after 6pm ready for a shower!

First impressions of Cambodia....

• Within a few hundred meters of Thailand you notice the comparative poverty –wooden huts, fewer cars, more dust... but the people are smiling and incredibly welcoming.
• There are fewer people here - and very few of them look old. No doubt the consequence of recent history.
• The money is confusing – Cambodian Riels, US$ and Thai Baht all used at the same time, in one transaction if possible.

Jo

Thai touchdown

Hopes were raised for a first class upgrade. We waited in Heathrow hoping that Olly's friend could bump us up to first class. It was a slim chance which sadly didn't payoff. However we did have three seats to ourselves.

I slept for most of the flight whilst Olly drank red wine and watched movies.

We landed at a Bangkok airport which neither of us recognised - very sleek and modern and slightly reminiscent of the millennium dome. A swift, very smart taxi ride in a bright lime and green taxi - where have all the old mercs gone?? - and we arrived at Lamphu Tree House. We're close to the Khan San road, but tucked away next to the Bangkok Moat. The hotel comes complete with leafy dining area and swimming pool. Well done Olly! Shame about the construction work on the floor above though!

Here's Olly sampling the delights of Khao San Road...

I think he's just pleased not to be eating curry anymore!

Khao San road has also changed remarkably. Bamboo Guest Houses and shabby shops have been replaced by neon night clubs and bars. Rambuttri Road seems to be the new place to hang out.

Tomorrow we're off on an adventure involving two buses and several tuk tuks to Siam Reap in Cambodia. It promises to be a sweaty ride!

Jo

Part Two: 12 hours to take off

Right... that's enough of the rain and clouds in the UK - back to the sunshine!

In 12 hours we will be heading off of the second part of our JOlly adventures. After some considerable peer pressure and threats from being deleted from birthday lists, we've caved in... so welcome to our blog.

For those who have not yet been bestowed with a full sense of jealousy, we're now off to Bangkok and the delights of South East Asia.

Stay tuned...

And if you can't wait for our next post, take a look at some photos of our adventures in India.