Sun, sea and sokha in SnookyVille!

Sihanoukville, Cambodia

After the hustle and bustle of Siem Reap and Phnom Penh we headed south west to Sihanoukville to soak up some sun, sea and beach life... After paying the higher bus fare we were waiting in anticipation of a superior mode of transport, but no, in rolled the 1960's Indian wagon with the garish orange curtains that never fail to send a chill up my spine! After 5 hours (not the four that was printed) we arrived in SnookyVille...

We checked in to the newly opened Panda Guesthouse http://www.hostels.com/hostels/sihanoukville/panda-guesthouse/67894 it was clean, comfortable and the food was so reasonably priced and absolutely fantastic! The owner Patrick made a real effort with us throughout our stay, even inviting us down for a local whiskey on the last night...

On our first day the monsoon season was in full swing so we decided to not let the torrential rain get the better of us and take a walk on one of the beaches... Yet another amazingggg poncho with little 'Angry Birds' printed all over it, no one had to tell me i looked good that day, i just knew...

After dinner we headed out on the town which is geared towards backpackers. Throughout our travels  i have been given a well overdue ego boost, it seems like everyone wants to be my friend, everywhere i go 'hey lady, come get a foot rub', 'hey lady, u look pretty in my dress', 'hey lady, you wanna get high' it's just nice to be appreciated :)

We got invited into a bar 'Utopia' where it is a necessity to drink your complimentary shot on arrival from two stoned girls at the entrance. It seemed to be an RnB club with a Jamaican guy walking around with a mic randomly saying 'yeh' 'uhhh' 'wha wha wha'... During a pool competition we got acquainted with an Estonian girl who took us on to a few other pubs to secure our free drinks (she seemed to know the circuit...) That's when the night really started...

This was Karen and her new best friend Beyonce apparently... Oh Karen!

The next day we awoke feeling well rested, energetic and buzzing about what the day had in store, NOT! It wasn't raining so we knew this would have to be our designated beach day! After purchasing our family sized water bottle we headed off to Sokha Beach...

Even a hangover couldn't dampen our spirits when we walked onto this beach. Clean white soft sands, warm clear ocean, being waited on by resort staff and having a whole beach to ourselves... Blissssss. The other beaches are free but we felt $10 wasn't too excessive to experience the best beach in the area.

We spent our last day chilling out at a little private movie house while it rained outside, €5 dollars for two state of the art pirated films... Also we sought shelter from any type of UV light after the roasting we had successfully obtained on Sokha.

Later that evening before getting a 16hr night bus to Ho Chi Mhin we strolled down by the dock and enjoyed the sunset. Sihanoukville had been exactly what we wanted it to be, a choice mix of relaxing, calm, crazy and beautiful....

Next stop Ho Chi Mhin City and the Vietnam Coast...

Keeping it 'Riel' in Cambodia...

Siem Reap, Cambodia

A 7.30am bus departing Morchita Bus Station took us 5hrs to the Thai/Cambodian Boarder. Straight off we knew something was up. It's widely publicised on different websites to watch out for touts trying to sell you dodge visas. What didn't help was that our bus driver and what seemed like the whole town were in on the scam. We had been dropped at a building that clearly wasn't the Boarder Agency but were the touts hang out to fool you into buying their visas. Our savior came in the form of a Brazilian girl called Max who regularly made the trip to renew her visa. She took us under her wing and showed us how to get to where we needed to go. From Poipet we got a free Government Bus to the bus station and met a lovely Dutch couple Lonika & Vincent that we took a 3hr Taxi with to Siem Reap.

We stayed in the Golden Takeo Guesthouse http://www.goldentakeoguesthouse.com which was fantastic. Great value for money, very clean and the staff were a delight. Prom was very helpful, organised our Tuktuk to the Temples, into town, our bus to Phnom Penh and offered great advice on what to do. A true gent...

Sunday was our day to explore the infamous Temples of Siem Reap, Lara Croft ain't got nothing on us (well apart from the obvious...)

The ruins of Angkor are located amid forests and farmland. The Temples number over 1,000, with the largest being Angkor Wat, said to be the world's largest single religious monument.

and then 6,247 miles from home, guess who we randomly run into...

Newry's finest Miss Aine Smyth and her 3 mates... Emma & Seana from Tyrone and Belfast born Catherine... Now affectionately known as the Northern Ireland 4 :)

This was our little unauthorised tour guide Sangy, she was 7yrs old, had good English, was a real charmer and a shrewd business woman - €3 for 15mins!

It's heartbreaking to see so many children desperately trying to sell you little bits/bobs or begging... Saying no is very difficult... I bought some postcards and a fridge magnet from this little boy.

We ended our Temple Tour by hiking up to the highest Temple to see the sun set on what had been a very long but memorable day...

It would have been rude to let such an epic day end like that so we redevouzed with the NI 4 in Temple Bar that night on Pub Street (main entertainment area in Siem Reap).

All very civilised of course...

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The next morning we were up early again to get our 7hr bus to Phnom Penh, as you can imagine i was feeling fresh, invigorated and ready for what the day had to throw at me ughhhhhh :-/ The bus resembled a 1950's wagon, the journey consisted of ridiculously loud Cambodian music videos/films, constant rocking around from the dirt track road and to top it off the woman sitting in the seat beside us was eating a bag of freaking BUGS!

We arrived in late to our hostel 'Eighty8 Backpackers' http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/The-88-Backpackers-Phnom-Penh/Phnom-Penh/48940?sc_sau=sfab&sc_pos=4 the staff are friendly and it's very clean. It's a quick stop visit in Phnom Penh so yet again we were up early to see the sights.

First stop was The Killing Fields located in the village of Choeung Ek 15km from the City. It really is sickening to think that such an atrocity happened just 32 years ago. Before our trip we were ignorant to what really happened in Cambodia in the 70's, it is truly horrifying to think that 2.2m innocent people were slaughtered by the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot's regime. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_Fields

For €5 you take an audio tour around the site.

These earthy pits are were innocent Cambodian's executed bodies were buried. Well over 100 burial pits lie but only eighty were exhumed. Choeung Ek was but one of the 343 'killing fields'. In all 19,440 mass graves have been identified.

One of the most disturbing sites was Chankiri Tree that stood beside a pit. Children/infants were killed by having there heads smashed against this tree. The rationale was 'to stop them growing up and taking revenge for their parents deaths.' You can see an array of coloured bracelets hanging from the trunk and around the outside of the pit as a sign of respect for the dead.

A Buddhist memorial called the Stupa houses the remains of the excavated bodies...

After the rawness of the Killing Fields we traveled back into the city to were the majority of the executed victims had been transported from, the S-21 Prison.

The site is a former High School which was used as a notorious security prison.

Although the day was completely overwhelming with a range of intense emotions these two visits are a must when visiting Cambodia.It gives you some sort of idea how an entire generation was wiped out over 3/4 years by a  fanatical regime and how the Cambodian people have had to start again and rebuild their lives.

We finished off our day with some local Khmer Cuisine and a walk along the Riverside.

Next stop Sihanoukville for some relaxation - beach bum style...

Sin City of Asia...

Bangkok, Thailand

After 2 hours by bus we finally reached Bangkok. A further 45mins by Taxi took us to the Rambuttri Village Plaza for just 150 Bhat / £3. www.booking.com/Rambuttri-Village-Plaza The hotel is in a prime location, 5min walk to the popular backpacker area the Khao San Road and close by to the major sights, plus it has a roof top swimming pool, bonus! That night we hit the Khao San Road to get a feel for the area, bars, restaurants, street vendors line both sides of the road as backpackers from different parts of the world walk up and down with that same sense of anticipation to what the night ahead may bring in a place were anything can happen... >>> If you look very closely below you can see one of these crazed travelers!

On our second day in Asia's 'Sin Ciy' we were up early to sight see. We hired a TukTuk for 4hours for 120 Baht / £2.40 to bring us to the various sights we had circled off on our map...

First stop Wat Intharawihan, the main feature is the 32 meter high, 2 meter wide standing Buddha that took 60 years to complete and id decorated in glass mosaics and 24 carat gold.

Next stop Wat Benchamabophit also known as the Marple Temple.

In between are next stop are TukTuk driver took it upon himself to drive us to two tailor shops and a Jewelers to browse. After the first tailor shop experience in which we had no interest in being sized for a new suit we explained we didn't want to go to anymore. He explained 'I bring you, you look, i get coupon for bring you. If you buy i get 5 coupon, tank you please...' We made him a deal that we would 'convincingly' browse if he threw in a stop at the Tourist Center to get info on Cambodia, he agreed...

Our last stop of the day was the Grand Palace, a complex of building at the heart of Bangkok. Including the Temple of the famed Emerald Buddha. (It is forbidden to take any photos/videos of the Emerald Buddah)

Another area that uncovered legs/arms are forbidden, que another fetch wrap!

   

That night we got some street food and hit the Khao San Road. A few Singhas later we were 'persuaded' to grab a random TukTuk by our driver Sean. 'You see ping pong show, yes, pop...'  I guesssss it was similar to a magicians performance, only it wasn't a rabbit being pulled out of the hat... Nothing more to report here!

Last day in Bangkok we chilled at the roof top swimming pool, just before the thunder/lightning and torrential rain hit! We then made our way to our last sight on the list Wat Pho also known as Temple of the reclining Buddha. 15m high and 43m long. There are also 108 bronze bowls in the corridor that we walked along and dropped coins into as it is believed to bring good fortune. 

In a few short days we got a lot fitted in during our stay in Bangkok. Next stop Cambodia and a 7hr journey ahead of us...

Paddys leave Pattaya...

Pattaya, Thailand

Our last two days in Pattaya were spent cramming in the 'must see' sights and trying to put a plan together for the next two months... On Tuesday i met with Dennis and his good friend from G. M Tour and Travel http://webfare.gmtour.com who were very helpful in helping me plot out a route around Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore... Unfortunately, Karen was struck down (to put it dramatically) with a little stomach bug so was unable to attend this informative meeting. This put me under a little more pressure than usual and this was the result below... Panic scribbling!

That night we hit the infamous 'Walking Street' with Declan, after walking a min of 10m we began to agree that filming for the Hangover 2 should definitely have happened in Pattaya on Walking Street. Bright lights, GoGo bars galore, loud music, street trading/entertainment and just general sin, it was quite the experience!  'F#*k off f#*kin Russians' is now one of our new catchphrases as we heard a drunken guy shout it at myself and Karen crossing the street - classic!

In the concrete neon jungle that is 'Walking Street' one tree remains that has never been touched due to religious beliefs that it is a sacred tree.Ribbons are tied round the tree which is meant to bring luck, also the local police are positioned at the tree to maintain its safety.

A lovely Italian meal with great home brewed German beer in Hopf  followed with some fabulous serenading by the famous Enzo. But that was far too civilised for our last night in Pattaya, it wouldn't have been complete without a little cabaret from the Lady Boys in the Malibu Show! A particular highlight was when i was dragged up to dance to a Shakira number with the Tina Turner impersonator, joyous rapture :)

Our time in Pattaya was relatively short but we were very lucky to have such great hosts in Dennis and Declan. The Metro Apartments were ideal accommodation to start off our travels with such friendly staff, very comfortable/clean rooms, prime location and all around good craic in the bar area every evening... Thanks a million guys, we really appreciated it :)  http://www.metro-apartments-pattaya.com http://metropattaya.blogspot.com

                        

Four days on and our first chapter has come to an end and what a great opening chapter it has been. Pattaya is everything and more that you would expect from a Thai adventure. Great street food, a great buzz, bright lights, GoGo bars a plenty, lady drinks, lady boys, the Sanctuary of Truth, Walking Street, F#*kin Russians apparently and much much more... Well worth a visit :)

Next stop Bangkok (dear god...)