Scooters in Kampot Cham

We arrived in the afternoon at our next town along the Mekong river. Kampot Cham is the third largest city in Cambodia. However I wouldn't class this as a city. The area is off the tourist route and so has little to offer In terms of infrastructure. We loved this. It felt like a proper Cambodian town with cows roaming the streets and local markets and shops selling to the locals. It was definately cheaper here, as we found out when  buying fruit and petrol off the locals.

On our first day we arrived and we're starving. After checking into our hotel on the rivers edge, which has a huge balcony overlooking the river and sun set, we hit up one of the only restaurants open on the river front.

Here we met some of the nicest Cambodian people on our trip so far. They told us all the local places to go and how to get around including a hand written map. They even offered to rent us a scooter at a discounted rate. We spent £3 renting the scooter for the day. The owner even showed me how to ride it. With map in hand a my scooter skills being better than expected, we headed out into the Cambodian countryside.

The road rules are a little different here than what I'm used to. For a start everything is on the opposite side of the road. Always need to remember to have the road on my right and side! However this isn't always the case as the locals will drive on the left if it is quicker for them to do so! The general rule is to give way to bigger vehicles.  With buses ruling the roads. There arn't many cars to worry about and the scooters allow for easy movement between other traffic. The saving grace here is that the speed limits are so slow that you struggle to get over 25kph. Traffic is fun as it comes to a standstill when multiple people are heading in different directions, so roundabouts and cross roads are done at a snails pace with no indicators! I go with the local
rule that I'm heading in this direction and others will move around me. Suprisingly this organised chaos works very well, and we have yet to see any road incidents in Asia.

Once out of the city we head out to the countryside to see some mountains, temples and killing fields. Our first stop is an old watch tower looking over the city. Situated on the rivers edge it looks across the city and stands tall over the hand built houses below. Inside the tower is a near vertical staircase that takes you to the top. With only one bannister I was starting to get a bit of vertigo having only gone up the first set of stairs. Safe to say we didn't make it to the top, especially when the see through gaps in the stairs got bigger!

After taking a few photos we hit up a few temples in between two mountains, locally named man and women hill. The temple hosted loads of monkeys that were scrapping over food and causing mischief.  We could see the mountains on either side which hosted the killing fields for the local area. Covered in deep forest and mines we decided not to treck through.

We still had the scooter for the rest of the afternoon so drove along the rivers edge and out into the countryside. The houses got smaller and looked more rustic in the way they were built with local materials. We passed a few local schools and temples. The locals were very friendly as we drove through their villages, they waved and smiled and asked where we were from.

As the afternoon came to an end the petrol tank drained empty and the rain came down. We decided to head back and hand the scooter into our restaurant where we grabbed some dinner. We are packing our bags tonight as we heading on to our final stretch and destinantion in Cambodia. We are getting a bus to Siam Reap tomorrow and will be spending two days in the famous Angkor Wat temples.

Along the Mekong in Kampot

After a short 2 hour bus journey we found ourselves in the quaint river town of Kampot. We decided to do something different with our accommodation here and instead of the usual hostels we hit up a hippy set of bungalows on the rivers edge.

We had a garden bungalow that consisted of a bed, a thatched roof and a huge mosquito net. Our bed was above a pond and set amongst plants and trees. The bar and common area was afloat on the river and was super chilled all day and into the evening. There was a much older crowd here, with a lot of people having a mid life crisis as apposed to my quarter. The drugs on use here was pretty visible with everyone taking chilling out to the max! I even felt a bit over dressed with my western brands so changed into my hippy vest tops and embraced the growing of my beard over the next few days.

With time being so short in Cambodia we are having to cram a lot into two weeks. We had one and a half days to explore the town and local area. In the first afternoon we hit up the small town centre. Not a lot going on here other than fishing on the river. A lady at our hostel told us to hit up a cinema that shows Cambodian films and documentaries on its tragic past.  We booked ourself in to see the killing fields film, based on the true stories of two journalists, its worth a watch.

Our second day started early with breakfast on the river. We then caught a tour around the local Bankor mountain. We visited some old buildings up in the mountain where fighting took place between the Khemer Rouge and the Vietnamese.  Up in the mountainous building's clouds would roll in and cover the land so you couldn't see more than 30 ft in front of you. 

Once the clouds disappeared you are left with a fantastic view of the town and sorounding forest area, where gorilla fighting and mine plantation took place up until 1998.

That evening we took a sun set cruise up the Mekong river. We saw the local fishing boats come in as the sun disappeared behind the mountainous landscape. With another early start tomorrow we chilled by the river with a few beers as the communal air thickened with the taste of green smoke.

Coastal life in Cambodia

After leaving the capital early this morning we have arrived at the southern coastal town of Sihanoukville  bus only took 5 hours with only a few hair raising moments with local traffic. All part of the experience I guess.

Unfortunately we seemed to have hit a monsoon today, as it has not stopped raining since we awoke in the capital. As you can imagen the beach isn't the best place to be in the rain. The waves were choppy but we still ventured in to take a wave battering from the sea.

Along with the rain, our journey from the bus station to our beach resulted in us being dropped off at the wrong place. With no hostel and reluctant to get another tuk tuk we picked a local dorm near to where we dropped off. It's a shame as we had decided to stay on Otres beach, which is the nicer of those on offer. Still our accommodation was cheap and only a short walk to the bars and restaurants on the beach front.

In the evening the rain stopped so we had dinner and drinks on the beach as we watched locals and tourists set off fireworks and lanterns into the sea and nights sky.

The next day, not being deterred by yesterday's failure to get to the beach, we rented bikes and cycled a few miles down the road to Otres beach. After getting lost and doing a complete circle in the mangrove swamps we managed to find the beach. Here it is less crowded with no fireworks and hardly any people trying to flog sun glasses and braclets. The sun showed it's face in between showers so it made the day worthwhile as we enjoyed a few beers in the sun.

The evening consisted of dinner and drinks on the beach as we packed to head off to our third destination in 5 days.

Welcome to Cambodia

As our bus crossed the border we touched down in Cambodia. The landscape looks the same with broken roads and lush green fields as far as the eye could see. However as our journey continued we began to see that Cambodia was considerably poorer than its neighbour Vietnam. Dirt roads and abandoned half built buildings cut across the farming landscape.

As we approched the capital Phon Phem things started to look better. Tarmac on the roads and multi storey buildings became the norm. Our journey had begun as we checked into our hostel Mad Monkeys.

For those unaware of Cambodias past, it is an unforgiving mixture of mass genocide, deadily and unrealistic societical views wrapped up in a war torn region with wide spread poverty and political instability. 

To find out about Cambodias tragic past we visited a number of chilling museums. Our first stop was the killing fields. As we drove a tuk tuk out of the capital the roads became bumpy and the dust cloud grew stronger. As we emerged we could see the gates and entrance to the mass genocide ground. This was the final resting spot to thousands of Cambodia people. The leader at the time was killing off anyone who imposed his regime, had western influences, or simply lived in a city.

As we walked around the killing fields we were presented with mass graves where the rags, teeth and bones of men, women and children were left after their execution at the hands of the Khmer Rouge.

The audio guide told of the terrible ways in which innocent people were killed using farming instruments or even just battered against trees. In total 3 million died at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. That's 1 in 4 of the population at the time...

As we left left the fields in silence we headed over to the notorious S21 prison.  This used to be a school but had been turned into a prison and torture chamber. As we walked through the school gates the prison is how it was left 30 or so years ago. Barb wire and blood on the walls and floor. The prison showcased very graphic photos of the torture that went on within these walls. In the individual cells you could see the blood stains on the walls and floor. You could sense the torture and pain that went on in these rooms. Only 7 people survived the torment that went on inside S21.

An emotional day to say the least. And to know this only happened a few decades ago makes it all the more real. With anyone over 30 in Cambodia having some direct involvement in the tragic yars under the Khmer Rouge rule. 

Despite the tragic past Cambodia has grown stronger and built itself up from its knees. With this we visited the Kings Palace, pogoda and markets to see how life was being rebuilt. The streets are busy and there is a definate city buzz as tuk tuks and scooters zig zag you across the city. The city is dirty and polluted, however the people and culture make this place an interesting and great place to stay. Down on the river by the night markets we ate with Cambodia families sampling some of their home cooked cuisine. 

Safe to say it's been an eye opener, but has only enthralled my desire to learn more about the past and explore this great country. Our next stop is by bus to the coastal town of Sihanoukville.

Sam's Vietnam highlights

Two months into our travels and i am still loving rice, my backpack seems to be getting heavier and I have my first ever tan line. 

We have now visited all of our planned destinations in Vietnam and my favourite place is Hanoi. This is because its so cultured and has such a buzzing vibe. Closely behind is Nah Trang because the beach is the best we have seen so far and this place was really fun. Ho Chi Minh city is also a favourite as there is a lot of cool stuff to do here. 

Hue is an interesting place, somewhere i would reccomend to visit on holiday but not to stay for long. I found a stall here where the owner was selling medals found in the jungle from the war. I felt very educated as he told me all about the Vietnam war. 

Hoi An is a really pretty french town but there wasnt much to do here. The tradition here is tailor made clothes and suits so i got a maxi dress made for me. I chose the style and colour of my fabric then the woman measured me. The dress cost me 580,000 dong which is a about £13. 

Mui Ne was really relaxing and our hostel was such good value. I would say it was here where we stayed in one of our best hostels. It was right on the beach and we had a balcony. The tour we did in a jeep to the fairy stream and sand dunes was also really fun and a good day out.

My highlights of Vietnam so far are:

- jet skiing in Nah trang. 

Me and Cj, each have a £200 kitty to organise activities for each other with over the next 9 months. Its a little competition for us to see who can be the most creative with our surprises. Plus it gets us doing lots of new things. This was my first activity for Cj. 

- hanoi night life

Its the only destination where there are been a proper club and we met loads of cool people here.

- moped ride in Hoi An

Every one leaves the sunflower hotel at 1:30am to go to the club (thats really just a bar) and we get on the back of the local mopeds to get there. This was so fun and also slightly worrying as the mopeds all separate from each other and steer down very dark lanes away from the club. Turned out this was just because of the curfue.  

- Vinepearl water park in Nah Trang

- perfume river dragon boat in Hue and the grandma that lived on the boat. She loves banter.

- the selfie stick in the sand dunes in Mui ne. See the pics on Cj's blog post.

- Morning  glory (its a vegetable)

I am definitely going to find out where     to buy this at home. 

- Mekong Delta tour in Ho Chi Minh city.

Cj and i have decided that we are not big fans of these tours for tourists. They just don't feel like the best way to see a place of wonder as they are always very structured and forced. But unfortunately, unless you want to pay hundreds of pounds for someone to show you these places, its the cheapest way to see them. This tour was good as there was a lot of activities involved but we just wanted to see more of the mekong delta. We boarded a long boat and sailed to the islands surrounding the delta. We learnt how to make proper honey tea, ate some Vietnamese tropical fruits, rowed in a long boat through the small delta rivers and cycled around the coconut island where we had lunch. 

-Ho Chi Minh city walking tour

There is a city tour here that costs 200dong, we decided to use the tour route but do it ourselves for free. It was a good day and we saw some amazing things but what we didn't realise was that the tour has a coach. So we ended up walking about 10 miles around the city this day. I didn't actually mind as we saw so much more walking around but Cj wore flop flops which meant he was in pain by the end. 

This was the route

-China town and market

- war museum (this was really fascinating)

-the palace

-Notre dam cathedral

- post office (it is huge)

Tomorrow we are heading to Cambodia on a 6 hour bus journey. 

To Vung Tau or not to Vung Tau...

...that really was the question. As we near the end of our month in Vietnam, the question on our minds is if it is worth heading to Vung Tau. This coastal city is a couple of hours from Saigon, our final destination. With a few days to spare we decided to head over to the domestic tourist hot spot to see what the hype was all about.

Sadly the place didnt live up to the "googled" hype. After making the short journey from Mui Ne on another local bus we arrive in what feels like a town that time forgot. For a city there is no one here. We counted about 10 western faces in three days. A proper vietnamese experience I hear you say? Well unfortunately the place was a bit dirty. The beach is pretty much non existent with large rocks and boulders blocking any sort of beach fun.

Our first hotel was something out of a horror film. The place was abandoned so the huge corridors and grounds gave off a very eery feel. Our room unfortunately already had someone in there. A family of cockroaches made the first nights sleep quite tense. I managed to capture three of them under glasses. But ran out after this, out came the flip flop! This coupled with the dirt in the room and the midgies, who absolutely loved feasted on my legs, made our stay in this hotel very short. In the morning I cut our stay short and checked us onto a better hotel that had a sister resort and pool we could use.

With the place being a bit of a domestic tourist hotspot the prices reflected that. Food seemed to be more but didnt reflect any increase in quality.

When it came to attractions there didnt seem to many. We took full advantgae of the pool which no one else used. We hit up a vietnamese cinema, making a change to UK prices, all in with popcorn 4 quid. Bargin.

Today we are on another local bus heading to Saigon Otherwise known as Ho Chi Mi City. I've heard good things. We are both looking forward to getting back on the backpacker trail before our adventure takes us into Cambodia.

Morning in Múi Ne

I am writing this post at the crack of dawn as we wait for our bus to take us from Múi Ne to the costal town of Vung Tau. My last three posts were all written on a bus, this bus however is slightly more "local"; no aircon, seats in the aisle and a driver that speaks no English. Lucky for us its much cooler today as we woke up to a thunder storm.

So how was Múi Ne? Its by far the quietest place we have visited in Vietnam. The place is built around a small fishing village and stretch of beach. The coast line has been littered with large resorts however none were full, with tourists being quite scarce in the town. There is not much to do here other than their half day tour of the town and local area. For five dollas we rented a jeep and drove around the town stopping off at the fairy river and waterfall, fishing  village and red and white sand dunes.

We walked up the fairy river bear foot all the way to the waterfall.  Not the best we've seen as we now see ourselves becoming waterfall snobs! Still the silt river gave the old flip flop feet a good scrub!

The red and white sand dunes were huge. Mountains of sand broke up the coastal lansdscape. They created epic views down the coast, casting shadows down the road. Quad bikes zipped through the dunes as people attempted to slide down on plastic sledges. The coloir of the dubes was a rich golden and firey red the grains so small it felt like silk under foot. Safe to say the selfie stick came out for this landscape!

The fishing village floats out in the bay. Hundreds of local fishing longboats line up with the days freshest catch. The waves were quite choppy here and the coast is a good place for wind surfing.

With the local fishing village supplying the village the restaurant's on the sea front cook up some of the best fish dishes ive ever had. The taste of their grilled fish on the sea front with a view down the beach is something else.

Great place to chill out in the sleep village Mui Ne cracking food a the Saigon beers seems to be getting cheaper the further south we head!