Siem Reap

Day 59: Siem Reap, Cambodia
So I finally escaped the gravometric pull of Bangkok and made it out of town, better late than never because sometimes you can't control these situations. All energy flows according to the whims of The Great Magnet and only a fool would defy Him.
Having said that, in summary, Bangkok:
1) is relatively expensive compared to most other Asian cities
2) is a great city to party in
3) is similar to a casino where there are no clocks or natural light for the expressed purpose of making you lose track of time
I did buy some nice suits though for my job interviews* when I get back to Australia however I was seriously tempted to have one made out of blue velvet.
Why?
Because in Bangkok, you can get one, top quality, for the price of one month's gym fees.
So I'm glad I got there when I am being more realistic about my travel budget and not at the start of the trip.
Oh yeah, instead of going off onto these random tangents all the time I'm now going to put an asterisk next to the section which I would have otherwise diverged at, and run the tangent at the bottom when I have more time or when I have finished going through what I wanted to on the post. Sort of like footnotes...
So jumped on the Skytrain (aka Monorail) about 11am yesterday and made my way to the end of the line where I caught a cab to the Moe Chit bus terminal**. From there got onto the bus to Arayaprathet which is close to the border, which is about a 6 hour trip. When I got to Aranyaprathet I got a tuk-tuk*** to the Thai/Cambodia border, stupidly let the driver take me to a 'Visa Agency' where I paid double what the border would have charged me for a Cambodian Visa. I must have money to burn, or maybe more dollars than sense....
Crossed the border without fuss then got in a cab from Poipet (next to the border) to Siem Reap (US$35) and made it into town by 8pm****, I had a few guest houses I wanted to check out but the cab driver had other ideas and after 9 hours driving I couldn't be stuffed looking around and stayed at the place he recommended.
These posts on travel days are so boring.
Maybe because travel days are boring.


*Still undecided about timings on the work front but will be definitely be back in Oz for a mate's wedding mid November
**After downloading about 6 hours of podcasts for the trip (Hamish & Andy, Adam Corolla, Merrick and Rosso, Scott Dooley, Sunday Night Saffran)
***A motorbike with a carriage attached, will post a photo in the near future
****Forgot what tangent I was going off on here.....

Shanghaied in Bangkok

Day 56: Bangkok, Thailand
Well here I am, still in Bangkok after almost a week now, due to the unfortunate path of destruction caused by Cyclone Ketsana alot of Laos and Cambodia is underwater at the moment and if I wanted to spend a few days in the mud I would go to the Glastonbury Fetival, at least I could see some great music while I am at it.
I think I mentioned that Bangkok is quite expensive compared with most of the other places I have been, the account is ever dwindling but am expecting my security deposit refund (now 2 months overdue and counting) any day now so hopefully I am not begging on the side of the road this time next week...

Just kidding, oh yea of little faith! There are top men working on it ('Who?' 'TOP MEN!').
I don't know why I keep using that reference from Raiders of the Lost Ark, no-one has ever got it yet...
And besides, the Weighted Stubby Holder, now to be known as The Beerbell, could still come through, there has been no interest yet but it's early days, after all, did you know that a certain British writer named John Creasley received 774 rejections for his first book attempt before he found an editor who would put him into print?
That book has now sold over 30 million copies and counting, and John Creasley is also known as Dr Seuss.

Aaah, these tangents again.....
Not even going to bother going on about my theory on Deja Vu, although it did occur to me to bring it up just before, hopefully off to Cambodia and the magnificent Angkor Wat this week then up into Laos, wish me luck that there will be no more natural disasters like the ones that have followed me through Asia so far (Indo= Earthquake, Philippines= Flood, Vietnam= Typhoon).
Fingers crossed.

Bangkok Again

Day 52: Bangkok, Thailand
So I didn't make it to the monastary, everything was way too rushed to find the forest in the middle of Thailand where the retreat takes place so have just spent the last few days chilling in Bangkok. I made friends with a really cool Thai girl who works at the Lamp Shop around the corner, her English isn't 100% so for the first few times when she told me about her work I thought it wasd a restaurant or something that sold Lamb Chops. When I worked out that it was a job in a Lamp Shop and not selling Lamb Chops I had a bit of a giggle and tried to explain why I thought that was funny but eventually just had to let it go and chock it up to lost in translation.

So since I got in from Vietnam I have just been recovering from my cold by eating lots of healthy food and drinks, as far as that goes Thailand is the place to be. I've posted before on how nutritious the Thai diet is but in addition to that the spicy stuff like the Tom Yam variations are great for cleaning out the sinuses and probably doesn't do the immune system too much harm either.

Was right as rain (I'll get to the rain later) by Wednesday so headed out with my new friends to hit the clubs of Bangkok. Bangkok has a very seedy reputation in regards to it's nightlife, don't get me wrong there is that side of it around the place but there is also a really cool nightclub scene going on as well. Generally the evenings have consisted of meeting up around 9pm after everyone has finished work and having some dinner before heading out to a few of the pubs and clubs around town and drinking and dancing until dawn before doing it again the next day. Unfortunately for me I am the only male in the group so I am always being dragged to the dance floor so by the time morning time comes around I am well and truly buggered, but that's okay because I guess I can count it as a cardio workout as I haven't really been doing any exercise apart from arm curls when I raise a drink to my lips (which again, I will get to later).

Oh yeah, the rain.

Everyone was heading home the other night from one of the trendier clubs in Bangkok called Bed Supperclub where you sit on beds instead of at tables (conceptually too hard to explain, their website is here if you want a look), I had just got my second wind so thought I would have One Last Drink before I headed home for bed (from Bed to bed? blah). Asked the cabbie where there would still be somewhere open and he took me to this place near my guest house and dropped me off. When I popped my head inside it became clear this was a 'Ladybar', the cabbie obviously gets commission for dropping people off there, so i resigned myself that I would not be getting my One Last Drink tonight and headed home instead through the street towards home. The rain is absolutely fierce at the moment after the typhoon which has devastated Manilla, Vietnam and Cambodia so it's really hard to get around, in one of the alleyways there was this little makeshift bar at the side with a few Thais sitting around gambling (gambling is highly illegal in Thailand) so I sat there and had a drink while waiting for a break in the weather. I think I must have lived in Asia too long now as drinking at a makeshift bar/gambling den in a Bangkok alleyway at 4am doesn't really set off any alarm bells for me anymore, and rightly so because after about half an hour I was joined by a couple of other travellers and we ended up drinking until the sun came up. But the rain still didn't stop so I got home completely drenched.

Unfortunately Bangkok is not cheap, I really have to get out of here real soon before I spend all my money.

Or invent something!

Went out last night with a few Warriors boys who are staying in Bangkok and saw a waitress struggling with two massive steins of beer she was delivering to a table. Got me thinking about whether you could attach weights to a drink holder in order to get some exercise while you are having a few drinks.
I pondered the idea again this morning at breakfast and sketched out a prototype:

Could be onto something here, if I can get this one happening it could mean extending my travels indefinitely.

Investors please feel free to contact me at bencameron616@yahoo.com, all offers will be considered.

Last Day In Saigon

Day 49: Ho Chi Minh City
Was really looking forward to my last day in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon to it's mates) because today's agenda included a trip to the ChiChi Tunnels (where the Viet Cong staged their underground campaign) and finishing off with a chance to shoot and M16 on the rifle range.
I've shot a few different handguns in my time but never a machine gun, especially one with a rate of fire up to 950 rounds per minute, 20 inch barrel and a range of half a mile, developing countries are the only place you will ever get the chance to wield such devastating weaponry without signing on at your local army recruitment office for a two year stint.
All for the price of a hot dinner back home....
I had already rebooked my afternoon flight to accomodate this, the tour finished at 2pm so I changed it to the final flight of the day which was 6pm so I could take my sweet time on the range but still have plenty of time for the cab ride if the traffic was heavy.
Then it happened...
First a sniffle.
Then a cough.
I was falling sick again.
For someone who usually gets sick once every three years the averages were beginning to level out as I have now been sick twice in two months, I can only put it down to being off my usual supplements and catching too many planes. On a side note, it can be advantageous to get on to a plane when you are coughing and spluttering, sure fire way to get a row of seats to yourself. Unfortunately when you get to the other end they will have all the thermo sensors to check for H1N1 so you have to take the flight in shorts, slippers and a singlet to cool your body temperature down or else you will be spending a few days in quarrantine.
Which is not great for your body when you are in a feverish condition...
To make a long story short I cancelled the trip to the range and tunnels and ended up going to the War Museum instead (formerly know as the War Crimes Museum), and looking through the exhibits.
The exhibit covers the effects of Agent Orange on the populace of Vietnam (to this day still), atrocities committed by US Soldiers during the war and the general suffering endured by civilians in the region. Pretty harrowing stuff to say the least.

After about an hour in there looking at all that stuff I really didn't give a shit about shooting that stupid gun anymore.

Peace.

Mekong Delta

Day 48: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Today I went to the Mekong Delta.
We cruised along the river in a big canoe.
When two boats had to pass alongside each other it there wasn't much room....I stopped at a village to take some photosI sat at the side of the road for half an hour trying to get a picture of some Vietnamese villagers walking past in their hats while the flag flew in the breeze behind them...
There wasn't really anything else to do out there.

Good Morning Vietnam

Day 47: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Veet-nam!
Wasn't sure how I was going to like Vietnam, a lot of travellers warn against it but I am having a great time over here and apart from the rip off taxi in from the airport I have nothing but praise for this fair city of Indochina. Will try to recount how I ended up here in 500 words or less because I am really keen to get off the keyboard and back into Saigon for my last night on the town.
Seriously though, I have got to start taking some notes because trying to recollect more than a few days on the road without some form of written assistance makes my brain bleed, if I get some times or dates wrong please extend me some understanding...
Ah yes.
Left Chang Mai on Wednesday afternoon for the beautiful Thai city of Bangkok, which is not actually it's real name, dontcha know? Im back over there on Tuesday before my 2 week sojourn to the monastary so will post again on this wonderful city then. Needless to say, I love the Thailand and have found the Thai people the most friendly, centered and down to earth people I have ever met, it must be some thing in the water over there because everyone is so happy, from the bartenders to the guys digging ditches on the side of the road. I only spent one night in Bangkok (cue music NOW) but found Bangkok as welcoming as all Thai cities I have been in, caught up with a few Malaysian Warriors that are based over there now and had a lovely game of pool and an early night for an early flight the next day.And that's the last time I am booking a flight before 8am.
Was so tired that when I got into Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon) at 10am the next day all I wanted to do was go back to bed, which I promptly did when I checked in at the guest house at the other end of the trip.
Saigon is cheap! Just had a massive diner or bbq pork ribs, ceasar salad and 3 marguaritas for the princely sum of 240,000 dong.
That's about 2 American Dollars (AUS2.50 or MYR7.50).
Not bad.
The main event for Vietnam was the Grand Final day yesterday, which despite a valiant effort the Saints managed to lose, much to the heartbreak of all assembled.
Made it down to the Cage pub for the Vietnam Swans Grand Final day, not so cheap here though at US$50 which only included beer, wine and soft drink but was a great atmosphere to watch the game with all the other Aussie expats. Met heaps of people and after the game went off with a few crew to another place on the other side of town for more drinks, by the time I got home was completely hammered and looked at my watch to see the time...
8pm.
Well that's what happens when you start drinking at 10am in the morning.

I think the Vietnamese found the whole event very confusing...
Still can't get Khe San out of my head, will give it a until Friday before getting professional help.

Cliffhanging in Chang Mai

Day 44: Chang Mai, Thailand

I think Chang Mai takes the cake as far as adventure sports goes.

To be perfectly honest, there's not a hell of alot to do in the city, it's all really a jumping off point for all the activities that take place around the mountains and forests outside of the town. You have your pick of rock climbing where you can go out for the day or for a whole week, hiking through the jungle and up cliff faces where you find them, white water rafting (currently at level 3), jungle trekking to meet native tribes in the jungle or a combination of all of teh above. Of course all the ATV biking and zip lining sort of stuff that they have any where there is mud and forest, as well as the paintball and zorb ball options.

As with all my recent trips, time is short and I have Chang Mai firmly marked as a place I need to come back and spend more time at, I did manage a few days rock climbing though which was the main objective of this short journey which I only decided on at short notice after leaving Bali, but such is life when you try and take in a whole continent in 80 days.

Did I mention that Chang Mai is incredibly cheap?

I got a 2 day climbing trip for 1500 baht (MYR150/AUS50) which was unbelievable after how much Bali and Philippines cost for any sort of trip, the room I am staying in is just 400baht (MYR40/AUS13) per night and is in a relly nice, quiet part of town. There's a massive big common area with all sorts of hammocks and lounges and a rooftop chill out area with a great view of the local streets, they also organise tours and trips from there which makes it quite easy to while away the hours in comfort between activities. Theres a tiger park just outside of town where you can have your picture taken with a full grown tiger but from what I have heard the thing is so out of it's head on tranquilisers that I don't think I'll bother to go after all.

A bit sore today after the climbing, there was a bit of rain about so we went to this cavern about an hour out of town. The thing about rockclimbing is that it requires alot of forearm and calf strength, which take a while to build up. Managed a few good climbs, out of them all there was only one I couldn't get to the top of, then we stopped in at a little Lanna restaurant outside of the town. I always try to get the guides to have a drink whenever possible, it's become a bit of a game with me and a few other travellers that I've met to see how pissed we can get them because they always try to keep up with us drink for drink, dangerous when you are drinking with English or Australian travellers. Met a really cool girl from Japan who is celebrating her honeymoon alone because her husband won't take the time off from work and is spending a month in Thailand, travelling between cities and I'm embarrased to say actually completed the last climb I couldn't. I love the Japanese and there sense of adventure, they are always up for whatever is going down. In Perth when I was in my early twenties me and a few friends who worked at the same pub used to share a house and we had a spare room that we rented out to save on the bills, we went through alot of housemates because they couldn't live in such a crazy environment. Eventually we had a few Japanese guys come through and stay who didn't mind the noise, constant stream of visitors and weird hours that were kept in the house.
And that's why I love Japanese people.
Sayonara.