-
Day 8
I woke up late again and packed, then wandered over to the Silk Bar for breakfast. I spent most of the morning there, ordering fruit shakes and catching up on my journal, then I went to see my old stomping ground at the Viengtai Hotel. Stopped at the massage parlour for a second Thai massage, this time even more enthusiastically delivered, and then set about wandering through the city.
-
Day 7
6:00am, 4:15am, 7:00am … I was in need of a lie in. So I got up at 10:30. Not a problem, I’ve already got Bangkok done and dusted from a previous trip, so I didn’t have anything I desperately needed to see. Apparently there’s a new metro system, but I was willing to bet it was pretty much the same as every other new metro system in the world.
-
Day 6
An entire day was set aside for the journey from Siem Reap to Bangkok, in neighbouring Thailand. It’s not really that far, about 300km, and the ticket seller was confident that the bus would take 8 hours. At an average speed of just 37kph (23mph), that doesn’t seem very impressive, but given the state of Cambodia’s roads, it was decidedly optimistic.
-
Day 5
Since we only had one day at Angkor, we wanted to make the best of it, so we got up at 4:15am and were ready to go by 4:45. It was still pitch dark outside when we left the guesthouse, and the tuk tuk driver who we had booked the night before was asleep in his tuk tuk. So we woke him up.
-
Day 4
The night was hot, and I slept fitfully. Switched the fan off, then back on again. I was alternately feeling hot flushes and shivers, as the stream of air from the fan hit me in waves. Eventually I managed to manhandle the fan to point in a direction that made the air move, but not directly at me, and I managed to sleep.
-
Day 3
Phnom Penh is basically known to foreigners for two primary attractions – the Tuol Sleng genocide museum, and the killing fields. These chronicle the history of one of the world’s bloodiest campaigns of violence, a genocide in which some say three million people perished at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. We headed to Tuol Sleng first.
-
Day 2
I hadn’t been away for a while, and when it was time to do it all again it wasn’t difficult to choose where to go. My sister Emily was in China for two months, and planned to finish her trip with a week in Cambodia and Thailand. I was envious and keen to try China but without really enough time to spare. I decided to book another tour with Gecko Travel to Malaysia, and join Emily for the preceding week to check out Cambodia.
-
South East Asia 2004
DayLocationSummary2London – Phnom PenhIn which the journey begins, and a sudden realisation causes the author some considerable concern3Phnom PenhIn which the horror of a brutal history is revealed, that must be remembered always, lest it be repeated4Phnom Penh – Siem ReapIn which the author discovers that water is an effective means of transport in the undeveloped land of Cambodia, and first receives sight of the majestic temples of angkor5Siem ReapIn which the majestic temples of Angkor are shown in their full glory, and the author narrowly avoids a third consecutive day of shopping6Siem Reap – BangkokDuring which the travellers complete a painfully slow journey to Bangkok7BangkokIn which the author is reunited with old friends, and bids farewell to a fellow traveller8Bangkok – PenangIn which Thailand is shown to make the usual distinction between the priceless principles of democracy and the business of politics.9PenangIn which a new traveller is introduced, who makes an unexpected admission which threatens to ruin the trip10PenangIn which the author is cautioned against the release of tortoises11PenangIn which the travellers are physically outclassed on a treacherous descent from the highest peak on the island12Penang – Banding IslandIn which the travellers encounter wild elephants13Malaysian JungleIn which certain shocking incidents in the jungle threaten the life of the Author and necessitate an immediate evacuation14Malaysian JungleIn which the travellers bear witness to a scene of devastation, and ward off swarms of predatory creatures15Banding Island – Kota BharuIn which the existence of an exhibition of the utmost triviality is exposed, and a brief history of violent conquest is presented16Kota Bharu – Perhentian IslandsDuring which the author commits a premeditated act of trespass, and an expanse of water is traversed at exceptional speed17Perhentian IslandsIn which nothing of major consequence occured18Perhentian IslandsWhich features all manner of exotic sea creatures, including giant turtles, and a selection of the author’s observations about the natives