Ho Chi Minh city (also known as Saigon) - motorbikes, bicycles, cars and more motorbikes

I've been told that everyone in Vietnam tries to be industrious for the sake of the greater community. The pace of life in this country is fairly frenetic, especially in the cities. Ho Chi Minh city is an absolute blast and I would have sorely loved to have stayed here a few more days. Firstly though, let me try and describe the traffic. I have never seen so many motorbikes in one place in all my life. Vietnam has a simple traffic system played out to perfection in HMC - the bigger the vehicle, the more right of way you have. There are very little traffic lights and people tend to ignore them anyway. You can sweep across lanes, turn back on yourself and go against the flow as long as you abide to the vehicle size/give way rule. Beeping of the horn loudly is a national pastime, far more than in Thailand or Cambodia. As a pedestrian, there is no point in waiting for a gap in the traffic - there will never be one. The way to cross the road in HMC is to step off the pavement and walk at a steady pace across it. Drivers judge your speed and go around you. Once you've taken the plunge and find you've not ended up as road kill, then you get the hang of it. I used a moto and a cyclo (rickshaw) here and at times you just have to have faith that your driver knows what he's doing. Failing that, closing your eyes at times also works! HMC has a great feel to it. More busy than Bangkok and although it seems chaotic, everything seems to fit and work. Would love to come back if I can. I'm so loving Vietnam!
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/PocketGem/VietnamHoChiMinhCity

What the Sam Hill is going on?........

In order to ease ourselves into Vietnam we've just stayed at a town called Chau Doc before heading a further 7 hours to Saigon. This is a lovely little town and our hotel had a restaurant next to the river where the various forms of river transport were going by - corker of a pic opposite!

The highlight though has been a trip to Sam Hill. A bunch of us hired some motorbikes (plus drivers) to take us up to see the sunset - cost was $2! Such an amazing, thrilling experience whizzing through the tiny streets on the back of the bike with people constantly shouting "hello" once they saw the colour of our skin. Plus superb views, a glorious sunset and Saigon beer to enjoy at the other end.
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/PocketGem/VietnamChauDoc

Grand Palace pics, Phnom Penh

Despite my reservations about Phnom Penh, I did manage to get some great photos of the residential palace - see link below. It also rained like I have never seen rain before - so I have included a couple of pics of the flooded road ouside the palace - my tuk tuk driver couldn't get to me from the other side of the road for 20 minutes..... just to make you feel better about the rain in the UK! Plus, if you are into marketing ideas, or the lack of them, you will love the shop sign I took a picture of which is for a ladies underwear shop.

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/PocketGem/CambodiaPhnomPenh#

Good Morning Vietnam!

Crossed the Cambodia/Vietnam border by foot/bus. This was a much quieter affair although being a Socialist Republic (Communist) country, I wasn't surprised when they took videos of us and rucksacks were examined. Bit of a tip on this front, Asians regard the feet as the dirtiest part of the body so I place my flipflops at the top of my rucksack to avoid too much investigation! There were no vendors on the other side jostling for our dollars, just a few trucks, and as we walked along people kept shouting "hello". When we said "hello" back, they went into peals of laughter which was very infectious! Have a good feeling about Vietnam already.

Sihanoukville, Cambodia.... a breath of fresh air..

After Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville has been a breath of fresh air and how I had hoped Cambodia would be. It's a coastal town on the edge of the Gulf of Thailand and we spent a day travelling by boat to little islands to snorkel, eat al fresco on the beaches and soak up the sun. The sea was so calm and flat as we motored along that it seemed to merge with the sky on the horizon. And it feels like you are swimming in a warm bath. Ate barbecued barracuda which tastes hugely better than it looks when it is alive - barracuda has a face that only a mother can love!

Pre-warning if it is rainy and cold in the U.K..... gorgeous beaches coming up!

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/PocketGem/CambodiaSihanoukville

Phnom Penh....the good, the bad, the ugly....and the downright evil

Now I promised to comment on the rough with the smooth and Phnom Penh, in my view, is definitely at the rough end.
The good: the food and that some people are trying to make a difference - two French guys have set up a restaurant called 'Friends' to train street kids how to cook and run a restaurant to give them work, skills and to get them off the street.
The bad: Phnom Penh is the first Asian city that I haven't taken to and the first one that I haven't felt safe in, even in a group. No doubt there will be people out there saying "You're so wrong, it's fabulous. You need to appreciate it's charm". To me, it has an 'edge' to it that's not good - people don't smile at you like other Asian cities but have a look of suspicion in their eyes. Poverty, rubbish, pollution is everywhere and there are 25k street kids roaming around. Pickpocketing and begging go hand in hand.
The ugly: They are savvy to tourism but it appears in a predatory way. When we wouldn't use his tuk tuk, one driver spat at us! It is also a bit of a shock to see a man on a motorbike, steering with one hand and holding a 8-10 month old baby with the other along with a gun held against the child's body.
The downright evil: see post on Pol Pot and the Killing Fields.

I didn't stay long enough for Phnom Penh to show me whether it had a more pleasant side to it. The atrocities of the Killing Fields is the draw but I predict this city becoming a lot more tortuous to foreign tourists in years to come.

The downright evil.......beyond comprehension

Pol Pot managed to exterminate over half the population of his own country in three and a half years - that's nearly 3.8m people. As a result, 50% of the population in Cambodia is under the age of 17. There are 129 mass graves at the Killing Fields. They have only exhumed 87 and they found 8935 corpses. The torture centre at Toul Sleng (which was a school before the Khmer Rouge took it over) is heart breaking. They took a picture of every man, woman and child (yes, they are hundreds of photos of kids too) that they tortured and killed and out of nearly 20,000 people that passed through it, only 7 survived. What I saw will haunt my memories for the rest of my days.

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/PocketGem/ToulSlengMuseumAndTheKillingFields#

Temples galore!.....Cambodia - Siam Reap

I warmed to Siam Reap straight away. There is a lot more English spoken here than I anticipated and the people are friendly and polite, although we were warned not to flash our dollars as the average monthly wage is just $70 (50 GDP). Only had 2 days here so first day was 'Temple day' as they have dozens here. A couple of shots attached here as taster and link below to the other pics. They are spectacular and although a challenge to do in a 35 degree heat (I was in a sauna on my own creation all day), well worth it. Travelled by tuk tuk everywhere, which are huge fun, yet another vehicle that 'Elf and Safety' would tut tut at. Angkor Wat is the most famous but the temple featured in the first Tomb Raider movie is also here. A further bonus was cocktails over dinner at $1.50 a pop!




http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/PocketGem/CambodiaSiamReap#

Crossing into Cambodia

Travelled by bus to the Thai/Cambodia border. Getting through border control took over an hour, by foot, in 35 degrees c and included a test for swine flu! It had the feel of the Wild West to it and, although no one was carrying livestock and the like, it kinda felt that things could kick off at any moment. Most likely by foreign tourists having to stand in a non moving queue - I thought the German opposite me in the next line was going to have apoplexy as the locals were having a chat and a catch up with their cousins, in-laws, etc who were manning the desks!
Cambodia is apparently No.13 in the top 15 poorest countries in the world, a fact that starts to grow on you as the travel further into it. Manged to get a few good photos from the bus of the village houses and countryside. We're off to the town of Siam Reap firstly to see the famous temples sited just outside.

Leaving Thailand.....so sad

I leave Thailand with lasting memories.....incredible scenary, blinding beaches, great food, more cold showers than hot, perfecting my balancing technique over a squat W.C (!), friendly people and the general slow pace of life at odds with the chaos of the cities. I left the lady boys, massage parlours and the Ping Pong spectacle (I'll leave you to work out what that is!) to the atypical tourist. But I also move on from Thailand with a little bit of my heart left behind as it's been the best place to have started my journey. Cambodia, here I come....

Koh Sumui, Phangan and Tao beaches (Thailand's Southern Islands)

A few pics of the beaches I've experienced. The last few pictures are of a few of us at a restaurant on Chaweng Beach on Koh Sumui - the tables were on the beach so your feet were in and on the sand and you had big bean bags to lie on instead of chairs! Try doing that at Porthcawl!
Just in case you feel like cursing me after seeing these, I have also got a video of the heavy soaking rain which came down just before the beach party. Too big a mb for me to upload at the moment but Steven and I will work on it and see what we can do.

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/PocketGem/KohSumuiPhanganAndTaoBeaches#

Thai Food

I can't leave Thailand without mentioning the food. Pad Thai is the dish most non Thais start with which is stir fried noodles, meat, spices and tastes superb - very easy to eat and moreish. I've had the most amazing red curries which have just been hot enough to make your lips go numb. I've managed to get a recipe for one from a Thai, so some of you may be on the receiving end when I get back! As you would imagine, the thais use a lot of rice, noodles and coconut milk but also veg, fruit and nuts so I've had some really healthy meals here. But my favourite by far has been their mangoes - oh my god, they are to die for! The most delicious, sweetest fruit I have tasted. So far removed from what we get in our UK supermarkets. The Thais eat them with sticky rice and coconut milk which together taste a bit like rice pudding. Yummy yummy yummy, I've got love in my tummy!

Just to say.....

Many thanks for all the comments (and your e-mails and text messages you have sent me). Although you may think I'm not reading them, I am, and they are making me smile/laugh! It's good to know you haven't forgotten me and are enjoying the blog, xxxx.

Khao Sok National park and elephant trek pics

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/PocketGem/KhoaSokNationalPark

Full Moon Beach Party - I think I'm getting too old to party!....

Just caught up on some sleep after staying up all night at the 'famous' Full Moon Party. I'll try and sum it up for those who may want to go one day and those who have no intention of ever going!

...If you are a parent of a naive 18-24 yar old and Thailand is the first place they have visited, then you have every right to be worried - drugs and booze were on constant supply and a fair number of people needed medical attention. We met quite a few people of that age waiting for the ferry the following day who had lost their wallets, bags, cameras, underwear and... dignity!

If, like the 50 year old Austrian who shared our taxi, you diverted from roaming through China to come to Thailand especially for the party, then we all agreed in our group, young and old, that you should have 'saddo' tattooed across your forehead and be branded a sex tourist!

But anyone in between who wanted to have a really good dance and a fairly wild but not dangerous time and happened to be in the vicinity at the time, it's a fun thing to do. Check out the glow in the dark butterfly I had painted on my back!

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/PocketGem/FullMoonParty#

Travel - Thai style....

Had a 3 hour truck journey to catch a ferry today and this was one of those times when I wished I was more of a chunky lass and I had a bit more padding around the bum area! The condition of the roads meant that the journey rivalled the wooden rollercoaster at Busch Gardens in Florida for thrills - I'm not ashamed to say that I came off that in a very shaky state as I thought that was the day I was going to meet my maker - so I ended up securing myself to the truck with one of my rucksack straps. Being open sided - the dreaded "Elf and Safety' tzars would have had a field day in the UK - I also took the advice of one of the tour tips and got myself a face mask for the inevitable dust. I think I must have resembled the rookie, slightly car sick doctor arriving at camp in an episode of MASH!

Khao Sok

Been away from t'internet for a couple of days as been in the middle of the Khao Sok national Park sleeping in tree lodges. Have had a fantastic two days........

Elephant trekking - went trekking through the jungle by elephant for about an hour and a half. My elephant was called Wen and his keeper said he was 'just lovely' - a very British description! Wen decided to take my hand with his trunk and give it a squeeze and although he could no doubt have broken every single finger on my hand with it, he seemed to know how to apply just enough pressure for a very firm trunkshake but not enough to cause any damage. I gave him lots of pineapple and banana at the end and when I turned to leave, he gave me a hefty smack on the bottom. Cheeky!

We then went on a day long longboat cruise yesterday, settling at beaches and coves for a swim before setting off again to see the scenary. My pictures do not do the scenary justice which was completely stunning and somewhat Jurassic in places. Very green and lush vegetation.

Will get the rest of the pics on shortly or Steve and I will probably put them into a little montage for you all when I leave Thailand. Must go now as off to Koh Sumui island to see its beaches and then over to Koh Phangan as we just happen to be here at the right time for the famous Full Moon party on the beach. No sleep for me tomorrow night!

The ying and yang of sleeper trains.....

Sleeper train (experience 1): Left Bangkok for 13 hour journey to southern islands by sleeper train. I expected the train conditions to be dire including squat toilets. Pleasantly surprised to find that great beer (I love Chang beer, sweet to the taste, also 6.4% ABV!), interesting people, a superb green curry and my very own private sleeping booth on hand. The Thais got their beds down at 9.30pm though and we were shamed into doing the same by 10pm! So lay in the booth, watching all the little towns go by, listening to Air's Moon Safari album until I dozed off.

Sleeper train (experience 2): The word 'sleeper' in conjunction with train is a very loose description in Thailand. If you ever want to try and sleep in a padded box over what seemed like a generator powerful enough for the whole train, one foot from the tracks for 6 hours than I can recommend it. I have a feeling more Chang beer would have helped. If you have a full days work the next day - take a plane. If, like me, you've had an average of 3 hours sleep for 4 days, feeling hyper and don't have to use your brain much, then it's all part of the fun and experience!

Weather report - monsoon style rain forecast for next 2 days. Waterproof jacket will not be up to the job I'm told!

Bangkok pictures

http://picasaweb.google.com/PocketGem/Bangkok#

First stop....Bangkok!

Bangkok doesn't politely and shyly come up to say hello - it kind of whacks you over the head and keeps yelling at you! It gets all of the senses working overtime- the sights, taste, sounds, definitely the smells from very strong dried fish to delicious aromas emanating from mini restaurants cooking food at the side of the road. It hustles, bustles, barters, hardly seems to sleep, it's brash, polite, fascinating, spiritual and chaotic! Went on a tour around the Grand Palace and bywaters - turns out it was just me on the tour so I had my very own dedicated guide called Nop and we hit it off big time. Got some great pics - my co -editor will hopefully provide a link once we've both worked out what we're doing! - but a taster attached. Off to the southern islands tomorrow. As I know the Brits are obsessed with the weather.... it's 33 degress c, very very humid and steamy!