Side-saddling

I finally mastered how to ride a motor bike side-saddle! I nearly fell off the first time but by the second time (well, probably the sixth time) I had it! No more will I lose my dignity whilst riding a motorbike in a skirt!

Rash Buddies

I forgot to mention that in Siem Reap, both Chris and I managed to get bitten all over our arms by, we think, fleas, whilst sitting on some wicker chairs in our hostel. Seeing as both of us had the ailment, we were able to complain profusely by constantly asking each other how we were doing. Sweating, which seemed to happen a lot, irritated them so we were able to get a lot of attention and sympathy for them. Brilliant. I've decided that mine were originally worse, but they cleared up quicker because I visited a pharmasicst who, after trying to sell me suncream and moisturiser, provided me with some kind of steroid cream that worked a treat. We have some beautiful photos of them.

Volunteering at SSF

SSF is an organisation to protect high-risk girls from being trafficked.

The children were beautiful. I fell in love with a thirteen year old girl called Tha. When I was writing reports, she'd sit next to me and pretend to type too. They taught me how to make banana cakes (badly) and how to dance to Cambodian hip-hop. I taught them how to make roses out of tissue and how to play snap. I can't pinpoint any words in english to describe Cambodia. It is something like impacting or hard-going, but those words don't really get it. I keep on coming back to the spanish. Cambodia is muy fuerte.

I was ill again whilst volunteering. Felt very sorry for myself. Although, back in Thailand I weighed myself on some free scales in a pharmacists. It was apparent that I've seriously been enjoying the culinary delights here. At least not eating for a week may have had one benefit.

Phnom Penh

When I finally managed to leave the hotel, I did actually visit some of Phnom Penh. Hannah and Chris departed ways with us on friday, so on thursday night we went to a roller disco. Yes, a roller disco. Filled with skilled teenage bladers, it was a hoot. Although, I was completely useless, and everyone's feet killed after a few minutes.

Amy left for Vietnam on friday as well, so I used the day to cath up on the sights that I had missed out on whilst bed-ridden. I say sights, but I don't think it is really an appropriate term for visiting a monument filled with hundreds of skulls and an ex-genocide prison. But there we are.

In the evening I headed off to Kampong Speu to volunteer. It chucked it down for an hour, causing floods all over Phnom Penh. The usual 1 hour drive took us 6 hours!

ill ill ill

We arrived in Phom Penh on Monday. We had been out for cocktails the night before for Chris's birthday, and had got the 7.30 bus out of Siem Reap. I was feeling a bit dodgy, but decided it was alcohol mixed with lack of sleep. By around 6 that evening, I thought it was something more, and at around 2 in the morning, I knew it was more. After being in the toilet for a good while (there's no need to relish details here), somewhere between the severe pain and the heat of the windowless bathroom, my eyes blacked out. I fumbled my way back to the bedroom (the bathroom was a shared bathroom, a few metres away from our bedroom), making shakey toddler steps, clinging to the wall. I managed to make it back to our door, and inside and stood there for a minute or so clutching the door-frame, not wanting to lie down but having no idea how to reach my bed or how to negotiate our strewn about luggage. Amy was woken by: "Amy, could you help me back to bed please. I can't see."

According to Amy, I looked blind. She led me to the bed and I promptly smacked my head against the wall as I had no idea which part of the bed she had plonked me down on. I lay down, legs shaking, hands numb, and unable to see. This was when I decided it was more than a hangover.

I had to stay in bed for two whole rubbish days. My biggest activity was walking downstairs to get water. Even this was a mission. Although Hannah lent me her ipod with her audiobooks of Poirot to pass the time. Unfortunately, I found out a few days later that I managed to pick the one story that was incomplete! I don't know who done it.

Things really are slipping

For the last week we've been travelling with a couple, Hannah and Chris. We met as we arrived on Don Det in Laos and literally have not been able to shake them off since. Literally, we've had a few miniscule hours apart! It is also quite funny because in Don Det our huts were next door to each other, in Ban Lung in eastern Cambodia, we shared a room, and in Siem Reap our Dorm matresses were all squashed together, making essentially one giant bed. I think they fancy us.

Anyway, we were walking through one of the temples and I noticed that my top was on inside out. When you get up at 4 am and fumble to get dressed quitely whilst not waking anyone else up, this happens. So I said allowed, "Oh my top's on inside out".
Chris, who I've known for only six days, was stood a little further away, saw a small kerfuffle, heard something about being inside out and promptly said something which I never thought someone who I'd known for that length of time say to me: "Oh Emma, you've not got your knickers back to front again have you?"

Again. I think I'm becoming a spanner.

New level of being conned

So, we were conned in India and with various Tuk Tuk and Taxi drivers along the way, but we havent had a biggie in a while. This one is quite impressive. We managed to get conned in Bangkok into paying more than twice the price for our Chinese visas, within the embassy. We made the two hour round trip to the embassy on two occasions and ended up paying more than people who go through travel agents. The guy on the front desk is apparently running his own little business. Lesson learnt.

Angkor Wat

Siem Riep was a giggle. Aside from the night market, where I made more ridiculous purchases for my completely imaginary, seems further away every day, house, getting very drunk for Chris's birthday, and having a dormitory which was essentially a wicker shed outside, there was Ankor Wat. Amazing. I didn't really think that temples like that still existed. I'll put some photos up because they can describe it better than I can. We got up at four, to see the sunrise, and then had over ten hours of hardcore templing. We were all completely templed out by the end. We also had quite possibly the best nap ever. At about 10 O'clock we were all seriously dipping, having been on the go for about 6 hours. On top of a beautiful, high temple, Hannah, Amy and I found some good rocks to nestle down in for an hour. Waking up to the view and the temple around us completely beats all other napping places, including the library, lecture theatres, embassies, Tax offices, mountainsides, beaches and Seven Eleven. It takes the prize.


Chris has the photo of us napping

Cambodia

We first went to the north eastern part of Cambodia and quickly learned a few fun things through a small amount of trial and error:

Never wee in bushes away from the road - the land is landmines R'us. Oops. I luckily still have all my limbs in tact.

The word for breakfast, which sounds something like 'I have paper' and so, consequently was the only word we remembered. That and 'Ma', which, by no stretch of the imagination, means Mother.

Always be careful when ordering eggs. It is very possible that you will be getting a half grown baby duck embryo inside. Mine just had feathers, but Amy's very definitely had a beak. It was pretty disgusting, though not to be wasteful, Hannah and i still ate some of the yolk.

When they advertise a lake as a 'Volcanic Crater Lake' this does not mean that you will see a crater filled with water, possibly some steam and feel like you're on the fringes of one of James Bond's arch nemesis's secret layer, but an old dorment volcano that, let's be honest, is now just a lake on a mountain.


That the people here are possibly the smiliest in the world.

That the people are possibly the friendliest in the world. Whilst waiting for the internet one night, I was invited to join in in a card game for about 2 hours with the staff, where I was given copious amounts of free beer.

Southern Laos

Besides a few problems getting a bus out of Bangkok, due to it being Thai new year, we headed to the Laos border last friday, and almost straight down to the Four Thousand Islands on the Mekong River (we had a short stop in the town of Pakse overnight because we had a few minor ATM issues - the electricity was out). The Islands were beautiful and very chilled. We ended up on Don Det and promptly rented bikes. Lots of cycling later (oh Sevici how I miss thee) and we'd seen some waterfalls, some dolphins, lots of beautiful scenery, all topped off by a delicious picnic - to the benefit of us, the french brought baguettes to Laos. No trains or industry, but baguettes, yes. We also made time for hiring a rubber ring and, beer in hand, having a very casual, sunset float down the Mekong. Bloomin lovely.

Leaving Thailand

Somewhere between diving, excessive walking and a massive hangover, I managed to hurt my foot. It was really sore meaning that I could only do walking stints in small doses and spent most of time on the buses in Bangkok. There were a few demonstrations going on at the time, which meant traffic jams. Really really long traffic jams. My favourite being, one Monday morning, when I got ever so slightly lost by getting the wrong bus, then I got soaked in a storm, followed by getting on the actual bus I wanted, which preceded to get stuck in traffic for three hours (I had no idea where I was so I couldn't get off!) The best bit about this, however, was the aircon on the bus, that I had had to pay extra for, for the luxury of it. Three hours on an airconditioned bus when you are sopping wet is a cold experience. I spent most of my time hugging the window in a desperate attempt to extract some warmth from the outside. Freezing.

The next few days in Bangkok were spent pottering around on my bad foot, getting more buses that got stuck in jams. Though, I still managed to eventually work my way around the city, the temples, the floating market nearby (a market on boats on a river) and do another cooking course (thank you mother and father for another part of my 21st birthday present). I made a very funky five course meal, including Thai curry. Delicious. Also, not to boast, but I now know how to make coconut milk, cream and how to grate without a grater (a skill which I wish I'd known when I lived with the boys in Cardiff - the house with no cooking tools). It also persuaded me into buying my most ridiculous purchase yet - a wicker rice steamer. It seemed essential at the time.

I've added photos to new blogs and old - how organized!

Erawan Falls

I'll write this later... After careful consideration, and a dash of laziness, I've decided that the pictures speak for themselves.

Bridge Over the River Kwai

We made it up to Bangkok and prompltly went up to Kanchanaburi for the night, where the Bridge over the River Kwai is. We stocked up on some Death Bridge knowledge in one of the museums before heading over to actually see it, so that we could have some appreciation of the scale of what went on. It was quite impressive but at the same time it was a bit weird. I didn't like the tourism around it. There were hundreds of shops and stalls where you were able to buy souvenirs. Being able to buy a replica of something which, in reality, caused the deaths of thousands of people seems a bit wrong. It's like people who want to buy a bit of china that was used on Titanic. Although, completely hypocritically, I was very snappy happy and casually walking down it, even drinking from a coconut as I went.

Standards are Slipping

It becomes apparent that your standards are slipping when phrases such as these arise:

"You know it's a good hotel when there's toilet paper"

(In a restaurant)
"That waitress kicked that rat a bit violently"

"Was the shower good?"
"Yeah, really good"
"Oh cool, does it have hot water?
"Err, no"

(After leaving a restroom)
"Do the toilets have toilet paper?"
"I don't know. I didn't look."

(On a 12 hour train journey from the bottom of Thailand to Surat Thani)
"At least it's not a long trip."

(After walking through a flood to get to our hotel and most of it is still soaked in water)
"It's quite nice".

Water Incidents

We've been having water incidents. Well, Amy was. Now there was the camera, in all it's sea-water falling over, completely broken form. Then, or rather before, we had accommodation that was super cheap because it didn't have any electricity or water, until we got back from dinner to find that, whilst the water was off, the tap was left on, and so when the water came back on we had a mini flood on our hands. Well, Amy did, as it seemed to be just her stuff. But my turn came eventually. Yesterday there was such a downpour on our walk to the ferry that everything of mine (I lost my poncho to a bus luggage storage area and I don't have a water cover and Amy does) was soaked through. The clothes, the knickers, some phrasebooks, me. And also some slightly valuable items such as my license, yellow fever certificate, and passport. I'm beginning to think that they are going to stop accepting it.

Burning

Apparently 80p factor 30 suncream is not a good investment or a bargain. You pay in burnage.

Rabies

Walking down the street in Koh Phangan, heading for some grub, Amy and I were casually discussing the shape of the moon (because that evening we were going to a half moon party and I was impressed at how half moony it really was). From about 200 metres away, completely unprovoked, two giant (if I'm honest normal sized) dogs came pelting for us, teeth bared, doing the whole vicious barking and growling thing. We ran. They went for me. I did this amazing (yes, I will boast about it) scream - somewhere between a yell, shout and terror at them and flailed my legs, completely missing them but making myself fall over. Their teeth were about an inch from my leg. I'm so lucky that the scream scared them as I was on my back and a prime target. We ran for about a kilometer before slowing down, and decided to hail a friendly man on a motorbike to take us back in-case it happened again.

The half moon party was good. Although apparently a boy said that I must be a lesbian because I was refusing to kiss anyone. Charming boy. I also ended up back in the wrong beach hut as I was insistent when a little tipsy that my friend was in my hut. The next morning when he showed me his luggage he won the argument.

Amy's Camera Incident

I would just like to point out that in India, due to us being girls alone, it being expensive and the country being essentially dry, we didn't drink. This may explain why a few whiskey cocktails with dinner (the waitress couldn't find our bill until she identified it with 'oh, the one with all the whiskey') had us a bit giddy. Followed by a small live music act and 2-4-1 daiquiris, and bumping into some friends who got us on the buckets. Having a bit of a boogie, I got a bit excited when 'Rage Against the Machine' came on. My excuse being that I hadn't heard the song since Cardiff and Fog made me like it. So excited in fact that I skidded backwards and fell over. Whilst dancing in the sea. Whilst holding Amy's camera. Whilst holding Amy's camera that was switched on because I wanted to commemorate the moment. I owe Amy a new camera.

Thailand - Koh Tao

Koh Tao was a bit of a giggle. I did my PADI there, and even though it was more expensive than I had previously thought (as the exchange rate has gone so bad) it was still very worthwhile. Because we wanted to go to the half moon party on the other Island I asked to do it in two and a bit days, instead of four, which ended up being completely to my advantage as I got a one on one course for the same price. Less time doing silly safety exercises and more time looking at fishies. Woohoo! We also got some very plush free accommodation with it that completely beat Seven Eleven's doorstep and the Hotel in Surat Thani where we slept in the hallway for free because it was full. Although doing it so quickly meant that it was quite intense and I hadn't really bargained on 7.30 starts and afternoons doing 3 hours of Nitrogen physics when we decided to have a few Thai Coladas. Though because I'm brilliant and extremely clever I still managed to get 100 percent in my theory and not kill myself whilst setting up my tank drunk.

The Rest of our Time in Malaysia

We ended up staying in KL for AGES because we were sorting out some extended Thai Visas, which it turns out we don't need anymore. Oh well, our Thai visas are prettier than other people's. We headed up to the Cameron Highlands, where I got to expand my knowledge of Tea, eat some Tea and scones (finally), not go strawberry picking because it was out of season, have a little walk through the tea plantations, which having got lost, ended up being having a little trek through the tea plantations, grazing my leg (tea plants are sturdy and unforgiving when you fall on them), to having to a hitch a ride back to the village when we found that 2 hours of trekking had brought us within 100 meters of where we started. During all of this it was also chucking it down with rain. I finally got to use my poncho!

We later slipped and slided it to the night bus to the Perhentian Islands and had our best sleeping destination as of yet. Four hours camped outside of Seven Eleven - I think this is what homeless people do. I don't need to say much about the Perhentian Islands other than the fact that they were mind-boggingly beautiful. Every photo is a postcard. Maggie and Caren had recommended a place to us and when we arrived a picture of Maggie was at reception holding a baracuda. This began four days of 'maggie, maggie, maggie' smiles and 'friend, friend, friend'. Hilarious. It also meant we got special treatment and they whizzed us off to some very cool snorkeling sights. And on our last day they drove us half way to the border and biked us to a nearby restaurant so that they could stock us up with all of the food that we had to try before leaving Malaysia. We also met a very cool dutch guy called Bram, which is apparently a very common name in Holland, but I just think is amazing. Although, I'm know trying to find him on facebook and I was so excited about his name that I've forgotten his actual surname and keep wanting to write Bram Stoker. Oh well.

We left Malysia on the 29th of March.