Hanoi

Given the distance and the time that would need to be burned on a bus we looked at flying from Dalat to Hanoi and working our way back down again it. The cost was little more than the bus when you factor in junk food stops so flight it is. 

When we landed in Hanoi we opted for the shuttle bus as opposed to the considerably more expensive taxi option. It was packed but fine for the short transfer and dropped us only 1.5km from our hotel, thank god for GPS eh. As we arrived in the early evening, quick shower and out for food, a drink and a wander. Hanoi is a very busy city with cars, buses and many many bikes milling about again raising the question, how do they not kill eachother? The old quarter of town is really busy and set around a beautiful lake with a clever (yet mainly ignored) one way system around it.

We found an "Irish bar" for food and drink and unfortunately like most but not all of these bars we've encountered on our travels resembles Ireland in only two major things: massively over priced and bugger all Irish working there! (Somewhat inflammatory, admittedly yes......... but the sad truth none the less!)

The next day we headed for the Musuem of Ethnology, being advised that a No.14 local bus would take us within 5 minutes walk this again seemed the more cost effective sensible option but for one very important factor. Where can you get on the bus? This was a question none of the working locals we asked seemed to know or probably understand as everyone had the same smile and utter lack of response. After an hour walking up and down the same street finding stops for every other bus except 14 we at the point of giving up ventured into a travel agent to be told it stops just outside and the sign had disappeared some time ago!

The Musuem was a very interesting and worthwhile visit spending most of the day here learning about the different 'tribes' of Vietnamese people, their customs, languages, clothing and rituals. Also all the different types of houses they lived in including very detailed scale models inside and full scale replicas outside. It certainly made a pleasant change from the museums about the war.

Having wandered around exploring the narrow streets of old town we both came to the same question, why do they put all the shoe shops together, all the hat shops together etc? It was only later we learned that the translation of the street names equated to the wares normally sold on it, shoes sold on Shoe street and hats on Hat street and so on. Everyday is a learning day eh! Having plenty of time in Hanoi we strolled around the Hoan Kiem lake which is apparently home to a giant ancient turtle, Cu Rua. Unfortunately we didn't manage to spot him between refusing vendors offering everything and anything for "cheap price for you, you my friend".

We spent most evenings here drinking cheap beer in street bars, that had tiny little plastic stools about a foot high. The size of the seating means that you can fit so many more people in a much smaller area of footpath and also apparently is a "tax related thing" presumably as they're made of plastic.

We decided whilst here to visit the Hoa Lo Prson aka "The Hanoi Hilton" where captured or downed American pilots were held during the war. This place was also home to many Vietnamese men women and children deemed to be supporting the wrong side mostly incorrectly in any case. Most of the prison has been demolished now with only a small area left with examples of the cells showing the horrible conditions the Vietnamese people were held in. In stark contrast to this there were many images of American soldiers seemingly enjoying themselves playing basketball, board games, music and even decorating a Christmas tree. This is the prison where the former US presidential candidate John McCain was taken after being rescued by Vietnamese locals having been downed by anti aircraft fire. Apparently Mr McCain's version of the events that took place at the 'Hanoi Hilton' differ considerably from that of other US soldiers accounts as well as that which the many afore mentioned images portray. You can research yourself to establish who you would be inclined to believe.

We also managed to fit in a show at the water puppet theatre. Having never previously heard of this genre of puppetry I was curious in any case. With similar seating to any other theatre I have been to, the major difference being the stage. To the left the musicians were positioned above the water where the puppets performed. The show depicted traditional Vietnamese life which we could understand to an extent given it was all in Vietnamese but interesting none the less. I'm still scratching my head as to how they do it!

The next obvious stop after Hanoi was Halong Bay, something we both really wanted to do but we didn't know where our what to book. We really wanted to do the overnight trip for two nights but research had made us nervous about the condition of the boats, stories of rats running around etc. We finally settled on a two day, one night trip thinking one night of horror would be better than having to endure two if we were unlucky. We booked it through our hotel, another safe guard, we had to come back to the hotel before heading on to Hue so thought they'd be less inclined to send us on a rubbish trip for fear of ruining their trip advisor ratings, something that's very important to hotels in Vietnam. 

Our other dilemma before leaving for Halong bay was how to get to Hue. We looked into all our options and found we had none. It was a sleeper bus or nothing. After our last experience in Cambodia we were hoping to avoid another one but we had no choice, it was either book the sleeper bus or skip it and fly straight to Hoi An so we booked it reasoning that it couldn't be as bad as last time. Roads are in better condition than in Cambodia and the buses are much more comfortable. With our plans made for the next few days we packed up ready for our pick up the following morning.

Dalat

Leaving Mui Ne via bus for Dalat we had expected a five hour bus journey to knowing that this would be different to our previous stops based on its location inland and up in the mountains. I for one had vastly under estimated just how high up in the mountains however as the bus just seemed to climb and climb winding it's way up the heavily pot holed roads with my ears actually popping before we had even reached the highest part of the road. Finally we started to level off and actually reached Dalat in at the expected time albeit to a dark and drizzling Dalat.

We jumped in a taxi for the short spin to the hostel and checked in although the young chap seemed surprised to see three of us however just carried on and showed us to our room with two beds before asking if we could do him a favour!! Basically there had been some error with bookings and this was the only room he had left so having brought us up the stairs with our bags he asked if we could please share for one night?  with little other option and it not being any real drama we agreed before a weather dictated change of clothes we heading out for dinner. Very sadly Linda received a call with tragic news just after dinner so we returned to the hostel to organise a return asap so unfortunately we say goodbye to Linda in sad circumstances. RIP Matt Ryan.

We'd had quite a late night that night so myself and Shane had a slow start to the day. We headed towards the centre for some breakfast/lunch but only made it to the bank before the heavens opened. We hadn't seen rain in almost a month and this one shower which lasted about half an hour certainly made up for that! The temperature here only got to 28 degrees but it rained everyday.

Once the rain passed and we were fed and watered we had a wonder round the town which was really nice. Set around a large lake you could see how it could be quite picturesque in the sun. Having orientated ourselves we headed to the crazy house and crazy it is.

It's like something from Alice in wonderland, almost creepy but interesting. It was originally started as a personal project but was opened to the public in 1990 and operates as a hotel with ten rooms each based on a particular animal which is still being added to with the rather eccentric 74 year old Vietnamese lady architect's house in the centre. The whole project is based on illustrations rather than traditional architects drawings and the work has been completed by local craftsmen rather than professional builders. It is a bewildering maze of narrow paths and stairways all the way through the property and often crossing each other either through, over or under. You do need to be pretty sprightly and have reasonable balance for this as some of the paths reach heights of 35 feet up with the sides being little more than 2 feet high meaning "health and safety experts" in western society would have shut this place a long time ago. The pathways are constructed with narrow.gauge steel and concrete and made to look like tree branches up high and tree roots lower down, it is remarkably well done as from 3 feet away you would find it difficult to say they were not.as they appeared. Such a wonderful mind coupled with extraordinary vision and indeed finances have produced this truly marvellous feat of construction.

Having previously received a dinner invitation from the manager of the hostel we tried to prepare ourselves for every eventuality, not knowing whether it would be in his home with his family or a nearby restaurant as the only clue we were given was that it would be genuine Vietnamese food. We appeared at reception at the given time and were somewhat relieved to meet other guests waiting there also. What we had not realised was the manager regularly invites many of his guests for dinner, the idea being that he will guide them all to local 'street food restaurants' to have traditional cheap food and also so that the guests from many different countries can chat and get to know eachother a little. In my opinion a genuinely thoughtful and clever thing for a hostel manager to do.

As there were a number of other guests with bikes and mopeds it was decided we should all go by moto, so with a first name introduction those of us that didn't have bikes were riding pillion and off we went. It was later on we learned that three of the guys (A Brit, a Canadian and a Dutch guy 18 & 19yrs old) who did not know each other at all had met in Saigon whilst purchasing their bikes and as they all intended riding all the way to Hanoi that they might as well go together. None of them had ever ridden never mind owned a bike prior to purchase, they knew nothing of their rather tired steeds stress and did not even have any basic mechanical knowledge but we're all eager to learn. (Note: It is very popular when travelling Vietnam to buy 'back packers bikes' normally very tired 100cc motorbikes that have been to the moon and back. They generally cost $250-$300 dollars and the idea being you sell it to another back packer when you've driven south to North, vice-versa or just can't take it anymore!)

Dinner was interesting, you didn't really know what you were getting just point to what you like the look of and try it! Thankfully it was all vegetarian and pretty good really costing a massive £1.20 per head. We then mounted up and headed for dessert at another location which was fried banana and tapioca, looked horrific (anyone that's seen the film 'There's something about Mary' could probably guess!!) but again pretty tasty. After dropping the bikes at the hostel we headed for a quick beer and chat before bed.

The next day we took a cable car up further into the mountains to see the Truyen Lam lake and Truc Lam Pagoda. The cable car was pretty new and fully enclosed much to my relief. The scenery was spectacular providing views to the city on the way up, mountains and tiny villages at the peak and the lake on the brief but steep descent on the other side.

When we got back we went for a quick lunch deciding that we would rent a moto to see some more of the city and around the lake. As our passport and driving licence were back at the hotel this was not possible however a hair brained notion and 5 minutes later we're on a tandem bicycle! Now I'm not sure if anyone reading this has ever had the experience of a tandem before but my advice for what it's worth; run away, run away quickly! No sooner had we wobbled 100yards when the heaven's opened and rain torrents pounded on top of us, off the bike and into a restaurant to climb into the plastic ponchos which we had cleverly, just in case purchased previously however with the road resembling a white water rafting course we decided to wait out the worst of it.

After about an hour or so all that was left was a light drizzle and much of the rain water now dispersed with the exception of some visible road floods we decided to brave it again. Having gotten somewhat of a rhythm going we headed for the railway station. Besides the fact that it was about 2km uphill it really wasn't worth the effort or continuous swearing and nervous, hysterical laughter that got us there, the best part about it was the return was downhill! This was also a cause of much swearing as the wet had not assisted the already less than reliable braking ability of our very own in line missile even invoking the fleeting thought that at least Geri won't see it coming when we crash through the crossroads at the bottom into the side of a rigid lorry! Having mercifully survived the descent we carried on around the lake through the floods to the impressive, well watered FlowerGardens. On exiting this our 'tandem thought was to return to the rental shop to return this wretched machine and go back to the hostel for a hot shower, beer and dry clothes.

Dinner was a repeat of last night's affair with some of the same and some new participants. Again guessing what the food was but carrying on regardless and ultimately enjoying the food and company before returning to the hostel to pack up and get ready to move on again in morning.

Mui Ne

Our bus to Mui Me was another sleeper bus, not quite as luxurious as the one we'd gotten to Saigon but quite comfortable and for once it only took the 5 hours we were told it would. It picked us up pretty much at the end of our alley and dropped us to the end of our alley in Mui Ne, the easiest journey so far, no tuk tuk drivers or taxis to contend with. 

The hotel was up a fairly steep hill but was worth the climb. They upgraded our rooms a fairly standard thing I think when they're not full and they were lovely and included everything even a hairdryer and safe which we rarely get. Large double bed, aircon, ceiling fan and a mini bar which was reasonably priced. There were three hotels Mui Ne hills 1, 2 and 3 each with their own pool and a restaurant with a beautiful pool and Jacuzzi. 

It was lunch time so we dropped our bags and headed to the restaurant for some lunch and our welcome drink where we met the owner Erik. Erik gave us the low down on the area, how to get to the beach without upsetting the Russian resorts, things to do, and where the night life was etc. 

I couldn't wait to get in the pool and with the electricity just gone for the afternoon (not a regular thing we're told) I headed for the pool after lunch to cool down and chill out. The electricity finally came back around 5.30 but only long enough to have a shower which left us rummaging around in the dark trying to get dressed. I stayed in the dark for a nap and Linda and Shane went to scope out the area and find somewhere to eat. 

An hour and half later with no hope of sleep without the aircon I went in search of the lads and we had dinner and a few beers which we hoped would make us sleep despite the heat. We arrived back to the hotel at about 10 as everywhere seemed to be closing in the hopes of a drink in the restaurant by the pool only to find in closed which left us back in our rooms to sweat the night away in the dark until the electricity finally returned around 2. 

The next morning Erik was very apologetic about the power situation and provided breakfast free of charge for the inconvenience. After breakfast before the real heat we headed to the beach for an hour. The beach was nothing spectacular, Kep was much nicer and the water here was a bit cooler, only Linda braved it while myself and Shane looked on from a hotel bar. 

With the heat rising we headed back to the hotel where we sat by the pool until 5.30 that evening reading, swimming, eating and drinking, you need some down time sometimes with all this traveling and we just couldn't resist the chilled atmosphere here. Once again we just had a chance to shower before the power went again! Very irritating, it doesn't happen very often my foot! That's why a lot of places had generators! 

With no power we'd no option but to head for dinner and a few beers. The power had returned while we we're at dinner so we found a bar with some live music but the night once again was cut short with yet another power cut! 

We made our way back to the hotel via the shop for some beer and sat on the balcony over looking the pool and waited for the power to return. Thankfully it returned about 11.30 when we promptly hit the sack in the hopes of being sleep if it went again.

After such a lazy day the day before we booked a tour for the afternoon so after a morning swim and an early lunch off we went in an open jeep with a driver who had no English but knew exactly where we were going. The first stop was the fairy stream and waterfall. 

At the 'entrance' to the stream we were met by a group of entrepreneurs who couldn't speak English but were charging 5,000 dong (about 7 pence) for what we weren't sure but we paid it anyway figuring they needed it more than we did and off we went. Later we figured out they were charging to keep your shoes while you walked through the stream to the waterfall, we paid and kept our shoes doh! 

It was a 1.5km walk through the stream to the waterfall. The waterfall I have to say at the end was a bit of a disappointment but the scenery through the stream was fantastic. The stream is only a couple of inches deep for the most part but gets about knee high near the waterfall and its quite warm. 

Having completed what we thought was going to be the most strenuous part of the tour during the hottest part of the day we arrived back at the jeep grateful for its cover and on we went to our next stop the fishing village. This was a bit of a let down to be honest. We stopped at the side of the road and walked down the steps to a mass of fishing boats tied up and not a lot going on so we didn't stop long.

On we went to the white sand dunes, what Mui Ne is famous for along with the red sand dunes which we'll get to later. These were about half an hour away which gave us a rest from the sun to gather ourselves again. Thankfully after a bit of a bumpy ride we arrive and its cooler being 3.30 in the afternoon. Surprisingly the sand isn't too hot to walk on and we were glad we didn't opt to hire a quad to navigate the dunes, while is was very hard work walking up the dunes at least we hadn't paid for a quad to end up getting stuck and walking anyway. After some hard work we finally got to the top where yet another entrepreneur was offering a plastic sheet for you slide down the side but the catch was you had to bring it back up. Myself and Linda opted out cleverly thinking we still had the red sand dunes to go but Shane had a go and even made it back up, I think if it was me I would have left the sheet at the bottom! After a rest at the top we eventually walked back down, its no easier walking down a sand dunes than it is up! 

Back in the jeep for the drive back to the last stop, the red sand dunes for sunset. These were about 40 minutes away which we were again grateful for. It had been a cloudy afternoon so we weren't expecting a great sunset but despite this Shane got some great photos of the colours in the sky. These were an even harder climb than the white dunes and no where near as rewarding, we had to climb up and down the dunes for a decent view.

Both the dunes would really give you a sense of the sheer torture it would be to be stuck in a desert, every time you think you're getting to the top there's just more dunes! Although a very beautiful sight and a treat to experience you could really see the novelty wearing off quick.

Suitably worn out and starving we got back to the hotel and headed straight to the restaurant enjoying a quick swim while waiting for dinner. Fed and water we'd a quick shower and headed to the same bar as the night before for some live music and a few drinks. 

The next morning we'd time for a swim before checking out and heading for our bus. Next stop Dalat.

Vietnam: Saigon

Our trip from Kampot to Saigon was a long one but probably one of the more comfortable ones we've had when we finally got going. Our pick up was to be at 9.30 but as we've come to expect it didn't arrive until 10.15 and it was a tuk tuk which already had two other people in it along with their backpacks! I'm not sure how, but we managed to fit at the drivers insistence bags an' all. We didn't go far, only to the otherside of town where we'd to wait for a mini van to take us to the Vietnamese border an hour away. Our sardine can  (mini van) arrived with roughly 20 hot and bothered 'sardines' along with their backpacks stuffed inside and there was 6 of us waiting to board! Thankfully some of the passengers unfolded themselves and were off loaded at Kampot as their final destination. It was a tight squeeze but it was only until the remaining passengers were dropped at Kep a short drive away. 

After the drop off at Kep we headed to the border and the crossing was very straight forward. The bus driver took our passports and dealt with the officials while we waited patiently in the heat before heading to the town of Hat Tien for our coach. The coach was a real surprise, a sleeper bus but much more luxurious than what we'd experienced in Cambodia. It had three rows of single seats which reclined almost completely without hampering the person behind you and two bunks, it even had WiFi! 

8 hours later at about 10 at night we finally arrived at the main bus station in Ho Chi Minh/Saigon to get a shuttle into the city and then a taxi to our hotel which was down an alley. It all sounds very complicated but it was very easy really, we thought we'd get lost trying to find the hotel but the numering of the alleys does make it fairly easy. Our taxi driver had no English so we just asked him to drop us in District 1, thankfully where he stopped was a very short walk to our alley. 

Our first impression of the city was that it was a party town. We stayed in the centre and were thankful to be down an alley away from the loud music at night. The streets were packed with both locals and tourists with many sitting on the foot paths drinking beer. We wadded through the crowds for a bite to eat before hitting the sack ready to explore the city the next day.

We headed out early the next morning in the scorching heat to the independence palace which was a short walk away. On the way we walked through several parks,  Tao Dan Park being the largest, once you move away from the main bar and restaurant area the city is quite green and we were thankful for the shade offered by the trees through the parks. Walking through the parks we came across several out door gyms similar to the one we came across in Phnom Penh, its obviously a common thing on this side of the world. 

We'd obviously become a little too relaxed in Kampot and were promptly reminded on our way to the palace what it's like being back in the city again. A very friendly coconut seller with his shoulder shop (a bamboo with baskets on either end carried across the shoulders) got the better of us. He approached and placed the bamboo across Shane's shoulder and told me take a photo, we quickly realised he was going to ask for money and were willing to tip but he insisted we buy two coconuts. You buy fresh coconuts everywhere here for the coconut milk which neither of us are very fond of but lesson learnt and we moved onto the palace.

Independence Palace also known as Reunification Palace is a very modern building and not at all what you'd expect. It's very 1960's American, with meeting rooms on the ground floor, reception rooms on the first and various entertainment rooms on the second including a cinema and on the top floor it even has a nightclub and heli pad. While the whole building is quite airy and the meeting rooms and reception rooms are quite grand the most interesting part was the bunker. It's just like you see in war movies with the telecommunications centre with several telephones lined up and the war room with all the maps on the wall. The last part of the visit was the replica tanks which stormed the palace on 30th April 1975 and a replica of the fighter jet that dropped the bombs on the palace.

We'd spent almost 4 hours in the palace and weren't able for much after this so headed for the hotel only to end up speaking to some Vietnamese students in the park. Students hang around the park and approach tourists and ask them if they can spare some time to chat to them so they can practise their English and learn about other cultures. The group we spoke with do this about 3 times a week and were all between the ages of 18 and 23. They were quite prepared, they ask where you're from and have laminates of each country which show a map of the country with various land marks on a couple of pictures of things they associate with that country which wasn't the most accurate to be honest and didn't show the typical things Ireland is associated with. 

The map and the land marks wasn't too bad but we didn't recognise the pictures. One showed a castle surrounded by water which meant nothing to us and another showed men in kilts. We explained what a kilt was and that it was more of a Scottish thing and asked if they'd ever heard of Guinness and they hadn't. It was difficult to try and explain that Guinness was a stout, on this side of the world beer is the main alcoholic drink apart from spirits, they don't even have cider but they took a note and were going to look into it later. Before you ask no we didn't mention leprechauns, we didn't even think of it to be fair. They asked us about our relegion and what we did for a living and what the main industries were in Ireland and they were surprised that fishing isn't a bigger industry. I think they'd assumed because we're an island fishing would be the main industry. One of them thought we even hunted dolphin! I'm not sure where they got this information but we were quick to put them right. 

In return for our time they told us a bit about Vietnam and the city, providing us with a map which they marked with the best restaurants and main tourist attractions. After about an hour thet gave us each a Vietnamese scarf as a thank you for talking to them and after a quick photo we left for some dinner before the night market that night.

The following day was a  bit of a waste, we went on two wild goose chases or even three depending on your out look. We'd intended on visiting the war remnants museum but decided as we were in a large city we'd see if we could get my phone fixed. Address of the Nokia service centre in hand off we went on foot. We did find what we're fairly sure was the correct address having checked we were in the right place with some locals but there was no sign of Nokia service centre, we walked the block and eventually have up and headed back to the main part of town for an early lunch.

The museum wasn't open for the afternoon until 1.30 so we thought we'd browse through the market on the way and go and have a look in the Puma outlet store which we thought wasn't far from the museum as Shane was in need of some decent trainers. We walked and we walked and we walked and eventually found it after about 40 minutes of being on the correct street. It was on the opposite end and in no way worth the effort particularly in the heat! 

In the hopes of getting something from the day we headed back to go to the museum only to arrive and it be closed, due to a power cut. Shane at this point very hot and tired would not accept "just closed" as a suitable response so requested the security guy who couldn't speak much English to get someone to come out and explain why they were closed.

We wrote off the day and decided after all the walking we deserved a cold beer and found a bar and had an early one before heading back to the hotel to meet Linda that night who was flying in from Hoi An.

After a catch up over dinner we'd a fairly early night in the hopes of having a more successful day the next. With the three of us back together again we discussed our plan for the next few days over breakfast and decided to use the morning to organise our travel plans and hotels etc. Before heading to the war remnants museum for the afternoon. 

The museum is very one sided but more than any museum I've ever been too shows how war effects innocent people more than anything else. I was surprised to see that much of the information comes from US sources. The ground floor is an exhibit of the antiwar support from round the world, while the upper floors tell the story of the war and those effected. It doesn't just talk about the historic effects of the war but also the effect agent Orange in particular still continues to have on the current population. The last exhibit on the top floor is a collection of photographs from legendary photographers such as Larry Burrows.

At this point myself and Linda were at saturation point so we left Shane to wonder the various military machines outside and headed to a bar close by and waited for Shane.

I had to have a look at the impressive selection of war vehicles outside including a F-5A fighter jet, an A-37 Dragonfly and A-1 Skyraider attack bombers, Chinook & Huey helicopters, an M48 Patton tank as well as various other tanks, boats and artillery. (Shane)

We were pretty beat that evening so we had an early night before our bus journey to Mui Ne the next morning which was an early start.

kampot

Phnom Penh to Kampot.

We booked a bus being told roughly 3-4 hours due to depart Phnom Penh at 12:45pm and even included a pick up from the hotel. Sitting in reception waiting for our pick up debating whether it would be a tuk-tuk or another cage on a pick up. Delightfully surprised an air conditioned mini van arrived and all looked promising even arriving at the bus stop at 12:25pm asking the driver which of the buses was ours and he pointed us to the ticket desk. When we showed the young lady the tickets, she seemed unsure how to react and a conversation ensued behind the desk ending in another young lady explaining that the bus was broken and would now not leave until 2:45pm! Needless to say our reaction in the hottest part of the day was not exactly friendly but we're then informed that it's for our own good as its the air con that's broken. Being the trusting type that I am I asked the information announcer about this to be told that "yeah we cancelled that one, only 5 people, no good". Hmmm not happy but I could have gotten as mad as I wanted, it would not change the situation so we sat and had a sandwich and sweated for 3 hours before getting on the bus with ironically worse than useless air con. Finally 5 hours later we arrive in Kampot.

Kampot.
Having read small excerpts from the lonely planet guide we has been warned that this is a little place where people come to break up a longer journey, end up falling in love with it and staying longer! It didn't take too long to understand why, a relatively small place with a air of calm that was hard to describe. Set on the river, an estuary in the very south of Cambodia it was not over developed but yet had everything it needed to function well. It was the people though that made our experience here, the friendly, engaging and humorous locals along with ex-pats from all over the world seemed interested in who you are and how you are much more so than what you are or what you have.

As a standard we had learned of an Irish bar here so had to check it out, Oh Neil's. Massive shock to the system, it's actually owned by an Irish man (Neil) and even managed by another Irish man (Shannon) two very genuine gents I am delighted to have met, chatted and drank with and hope to see again. Neil gave us the low down on what to and not to do, some history and some of the future of Kampot including worth while tours and good places for food and drink. 

There was a recommended evening cruise up the river which even included a beer in the ticket price which left the bank in town at 4:30pm and had as promised a stop for a swim in the river and beautiful sunset scenery. The river was refreshing for a swim although the current deceptively strong, causing no issues at all for this very fit and strong swimmer! The boat itself was an improvised catamaran made of two boats stuck together with a restaurant & bar onboard and again very friendly and jovial staff.

We stayed here just under a week extending our stay longer than initially planned, as it was written so it was done. We rented a moti (125cc motorbike) and headed out to a few of the beauty spots dotted on the river and even the nearby town of Kep (25km). Kep is a crab and fishing village with a market selling the freshly hauled in seafood directly to locals and chefs alike. It is a very small with a stunning white sand beach which we later learned had been brought in by the lorry load to take the decreasing beach back from the sea. We even went for a dip in the water, so strange as it was luke warm, easily the nicest sea swim I've ever had.

After a few lovely days and good nights out with a few sociables included we head for Vietnam with every intention of returning to this wonderful little place.

Phnom Penh

The night bus

Dominique decided to come to Phnom Penh with us so the three of us were picked up at our hotel in a 'caged' pick-up truck and brought to the night bus. We were slightly confused by the que to get on the bus when we arrived and wondered where everyone was going to fit but it all became clear as we boarded. We'd been shown photos so had an idea of what to expect (bus seats which were fixed in a 70% reclined position) but we hadn't realised that there were two 'bunks'. We were 'downstairs' so didn't have to climb and it wasn't too bad if you knew the person you were next to otherwise you were up close and personal with a stranger! Obviously myself and Shane were fine but poor Dominique while thankfully ended up with a nice Cambodian lady had three to the two small bus seats. The lady was traveling to Phnom Penh as she usually does every Sunday night for work with her son who was about two or three which made this more than cosy and difficult to sleep although sleep was never really an option which we were to realise later.

Having settled in tired after a long day in the heat we were all ready to sleep which was just within our reach as we left the city but that's when things changed and the nightmare began. I don't even know how to describe the journey all I can say is it was terrifying!

As I said we were 'downstairs' which meant we could see nothing and the bus was pitch black so we had no idea where we were, we left the city and the main highway so we were off roading in a coach! Potholes at home have nothing on potholes here and we were just bounced around in the dark with the bottom of the bus hitting the ground repeatedly. I couldn't believe the bus was still moving it hit so hard sometimes and we could really feel it being 'downstairs'. About 4 hours in we actually hit something or at least we think we did. The bus driver stopped, said nothing and got out about 10 minutes later he got on back on with part of the front of the bus and just drove on.

Everyone on this side of the world drives like a lunatic and we've learned that this is because generally drivers are paid not by the hour but by the amount of journeys they do in a day. You get used to this on a main highway with a good surface but as we learned when we eventually arrived in Phnom Penh not all highways are in use hence our nightmare experience some are closed for repair.

Thankfully we arrived at 6am and the hotel allowed us to check in so we could finally sleep until a staff member woke us thinking we were meant to be checking out, very irritating!

We didn't do very much on the first day, we had a wonder about to get our bearings and went to the Vietnamese embassy to sort visas for the next leg and had an early night. The heat here seems to have been worse so we'd planned an early start to the palace.

The next morning we ignored the tuk tuk drivers fighting for our business outside the hotel and set off on foot for the palace on the riverfront. The riverfront is beautiful particularly in the morning. You can see yoga classes underway and it even has an outdoor gym! Its funny to see something like this outside and to see it in such good condition, if this was at home it would have been wrecked within days.

The palace is a huge walled complex just on the riverfront which is the official residence of the king. Only parts are open to the public and photography is not permitted. It's an impressive structure with its Khmer roofs and ornate guilding. Unfortunately we weren't dressed appropriately, both of us had our shoulders uncovered so this is as far as we got, and had to skip the silver pagoda.

With the heat rising we moved on to prison 21, the genocide museum, a very somber place. Originally a school which was taken over by Pol Pots forces and became one of the largest detention centres at the time of the Khmer rouge.

From the entrance the complex could easily be taken for a school, 4 buildings with a play area/garden in the middle, it's not until you get up close to each building and explore the interior that you start to see the horrors of what went on. Building A is where they found 14 people who'd been tortured to death and left to decay when the Khmer rouge fled. Each room contains the iron bed they were shackled to with a black and white photo of how they were found. Their tombs lie just outside the building in the court yard.

Building B and D house numerous photos of those detained here along with some of the survivors stories and information on the leaders of the Khmer rouge including Pol Pot. Building C which still has the barbed wire netting (to stop the prisoners commiting suicide by jumping) houses the cells. Each classroom was divided into 14 cells, some were made of bricks and others of wood, both of which are tiny. It's hard to comprehend sitting in the grounds looking at the buildings what went on here so recently and how easily the buildings turned from what I think must have been quite a progressive school into hell on earth for those who were detained here. Even more surreal to think of the world not knowing or if they did, not caring that so many men, women and children were being brutally murdered on a massive scale.

In a reflective and sombre mood we headed back to the hotel for a late lunch and some rest before dinner. Another early night was in order for a rise at dawn for the killing fields the next day.

The Choeung Ek Genocide Centre, aka "the killing fields" is about 15km outside the city so we gave in and hired one if the very eager tuk tuk driver's outside the hotel. The journey was interesting, on and off road and through some of the poorer areas reminding us of a less densely populated and much less chaotic India.

We finally arrive after a very bumpy ride to a strangely peaceful place. As part of the entrance fee an audio your is provided so everyone is left to their own thoughts as you listen to the story of what went on here. There is no real way of writing about or trying to explain the significance of this place, suffice to say it is soul touching and for anyone that does not know of this place in that time, please take some time to educate yourself as to what can happen anywhere or anytime.

We returned to Phnom Penh and our hotel to gather ourselves again and rest before walking to the riverfront via some Buddhist communities taking in the simplistic peaceful lives they lead. That night we shared our last meal with Dominique, she was off back to Thailand and had an early start the following morning and we were to head for Kampot.