Results tagged “Cambodia”

I travel to Phnom Penh the following morning and spend lunch chatting with a gentleman fifty years my senior. He was one of the only Germans living in Israel back in the sixties (illegally), has hitchhiked from the Middle East to Nepal, is on to his 22nd passport and knows a lot about everywhere in the world, including Kamchatka (a town in the Russian far east that I hope to visit some day).

In the afternoon, I succumb to the guidebook craze and purchase the latest Vietnam/Laos/Cambodia Lonely Planet for 4USD, mostly to figure out where I’m crossing back into Vietnam.

I take a photo of a mother monkey with its baby. The mother is not happy and bites me when I turn around. B*tch!

In the evening, I have one of my less fortunate moments of the trip; I am robbed by a pack of women pickpockets. After my Saigon motorbike experience, I’ve been avoiding motor bikes and tuk tuks along the trip; walking back to the guest house after dinner, I manage to find myself walking down one of the streets littered with working girls. Two of them approach me and grab my hand trying to lead me to follow them, then another two grab my other hand, another three grab onto my body and I’m now walking along, dragging seven women with me. Next thing you know, they all disperse. I do find this to be a rather hilarious experience and want to write up a post about the differences between how Cambodian and Vietnamese girls  try and get your business.

I stop laughing half an hour later when I find my wallet stolen and return to find the girls have disappeared. Fortunately, one of the locals gives me a lift to my guesthouse, another lets me use the internet in his bar.

A big thank you to Natalie and Stephen for helping me out getting my stolen cards cancelled (true friends indeed). I vow to leave for Siem Reap in the morning and never return to Phnom Penh.

On the bus to Siem Reap, I’m chatting with a couple of Canadian girls about their travels and read some of my lonely planet guide book (turns out you can get them for $1-$2 USD).

I don’t know the way to the Siem Reap guest houses, so I tag along with a small group, two British girls, two British guys and a Chinese guy who’s currently an expat in Phnom Penh.

Kirsty & Carly have travelled south-east Asia and have six months on their world trip and have both spent time volunteering in Africa. Matt & Miles have also been travelling for a couple of months, guitars in hand – I miss playing.

Xuan is working for an organisation that allows students the opportunity to get work experience abroad.

We head down to the temples the following morning to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat (along with several hundred other people who’ve read the guidebook).

Our Tuk-Tuk driver had the shits with the price organised and the early start to the day and sarcastically dares Miles to climb on the roof of the Tuk-Tuk. Miles obliges and the driver is pissed thinking the roof is damaged, he curses “fucking British tourists” and we have a bit of a laugh.

The other Tuk-Tuk driver is much friendlier and allows the guys to drive the Tuk-Tuk around. Big mistake! The friendly Cambodian police write him up for breaking the law and the guys pay the imposed “fine”.

We also see some temples, many photos in the gallery.

Carly, Miles, myself, Xuan, Mat and Kirsty.

Sunrise over Angkor Wat.

Posing at Bayon temple.

One of the many kids selling trinkets (two flutes, $1USD).