18th February 2010
Having explored Siem Reap on our final day we had shopped around to ensure we got the best deal on transport to Bangkok. For just $7 each we could take a bus all the way to the city.
We left Cambodia at 8am and after an extremely tight squeeze everyone managed to get on with their luggage stored at the front of the bus. We arrived at the Poipet (Thai/Cambodian) border at about 1pm after stopping for some lunch on route.
Immigration was slow but painless, no hassle at all! Such a peaceful border crossing compared to the Krong Koh Kong border just a few weeks ago! Once we had made it through immigration we simply walked with our ‘organised’ guide to the next bus on the Thai side…again hassle free!
The journey was long, taking approximately 10 hours, not 7hrs as predicted by the Cambodians!
The bus dropped us off at a familiar area of Bangkok near Koh San Road, so we walked a short distance to find a guesthouse near the Orchid Villa where we originally stayed when we first arrived. Bangkok seemed to be even busier than before, many guesthouses were full, probably because of the Chinese New Year.
The next day we got up bright and early ready to get a ‘metered taxi’ to Hualamphong Station to catch a train to the North of Thailand at 8.20am.
Tuesday, 30 March 2010
Angkor Wat , Cambodia
14th-18th February, 2010
Angkor Wat (the city pagoda), was not only the grandest of all the Khmer temples, it was also a city in its own right, built during the reign of Suryavarman II, in the fist half of the 12th century. The outer limits of Angkor Wat are set by its broad moat, faced in laterite and sandstone, including this, the total area is almost 200 hectares – a rectangle of 1.5km E-W by 1.3km N-S, the largest temple at Angkor.
Within the 82 hectares of the outer enclosure, the temple itself stands in the middle on a terrace measuring 332x258m, nearly 9 hectares. The remaining 9/10ths of the area was taken up with the city, including the royal palace, although no trace remains (thought to have been built in light materials).
Siem Reap is the perfect base to explore Angkor Wat and the other 32 temples of Angkor. For just $15 (for the three of us), we hired a tuk-tuk driver for the day. On top of this cost we also bought a pass at the official Angkor Wat ticket office. The choices were either a one day, 3 day or one week ticket, we decided to go for the 3 day pass which cost $40 each.
The old abandoned city of Angkor is absolutely huge. The Angkor region, bordering ‘The Great Lake’, had a valuable supply of water, fish and fertile soil, which is thought to have been settled since Neolithic times, as stone tools and ceramics have been found in this location (Freeman & Jacques, 2009).
The size of the city is vast and hiring a tuk-tuk driver to explore was a good move! The two tours sign posted within the city are for the traditional ‘petit circuit’ and the ‘grand circuit’. So with the help of our tuk-tuk driver we planned out a pretty good itinerary starting with Angkor Wat. Other than the obvious my favourite temple within the city was the Temple of Bayon, which has a mass of faces that are actually towers, that create a stone mountain of ascending peaks. Originally there were 49 towers but today only 37 are standing. Most are carved with four faces on each cardinal point but sometimes there are only two or three. The temple is not only complex in structure but it’s meaning too, having passed through different religious phases from Pantheon of Gods, Hindu worship and Buddhism.
Angkor Wat (the city pagoda), was not only the grandest of all the Khmer temples, it was also a city in its own right, built during the reign of Suryavarman II, in the fist half of the 12th century. The outer limits of Angkor Wat are set by its broad moat, faced in laterite and sandstone, including this, the total area is almost 200 hectares – a rectangle of 1.5km E-W by 1.3km N-S, the largest temple at Angkor.
Within the 82 hectares of the outer enclosure, the temple itself stands in the middle on a terrace measuring 332x258m, nearly 9 hectares. The remaining 9/10ths of the area was taken up with the city, including the royal palace, although no trace remains (thought to have been built in light materials).
Siem Reap is the perfect base to explore Angkor Wat and the other 32 temples of Angkor. For just $15 (for the three of us), we hired a tuk-tuk driver for the day. On top of this cost we also bought a pass at the official Angkor Wat ticket office. The choices were either a one day, 3 day or one week ticket, we decided to go for the 3 day pass which cost $40 each.
The old abandoned city of Angkor is absolutely huge. The Angkor region, bordering ‘The Great Lake’, had a valuable supply of water, fish and fertile soil, which is thought to have been settled since Neolithic times, as stone tools and ceramics have been found in this location (Freeman & Jacques, 2009).
The size of the city is vast and hiring a tuk-tuk driver to explore was a good move! The two tours sign posted within the city are for the traditional ‘petit circuit’ and the ‘grand circuit’. So with the help of our tuk-tuk driver we planned out a pretty good itinerary starting with Angkor Wat. Other than the obvious my favourite temple within the city was the Temple of Bayon, which has a mass of faces that are actually towers, that create a stone mountain of ascending peaks. Originally there were 49 towers but today only 37 are standing. Most are carved with four faces on each cardinal point but sometimes there are only two or three. The temple is not only complex in structure but it’s meaning too, having passed through different religious phases from Pantheon of Gods, Hindu worship and Buddhism.
Friday, 5 March 2010
Siem Reap
14th -18th February
Having arrived at Siem Reap bus station at 6pm we took a short tuk-tuk ride into town. We asked the driver to drop us off at Hotel 89 but unfortunately it was full so we stayed at Smilies Guesthouse just down the road. Although the accommodation and restaurant were good unfortunately to the left of the guest house was Siem Reap’s Red Light District! So going out alone at might was a big No No! But as I had two strapping lads next to me I felt pretty safe, oh and then there were Jonny and Elliott…(just joking).
The town itself is the perfect location for exploring Angkor Wat and other surrounding temples. As it stands Siem Reap is a charming town with rural qualities, such as old French shop-houses, tree-lined boulevards and a winding river. However, it has the potential to turn into the Costa del Sol of South East Asia! The gold rush is apparently still unabated and mass tourism has hit this town…so BIG changes are inevitably on the horizon.
However, the time that we spent there was great, plenty of market stall shops, one shopping mall (that had hardly anything in it!) and Pub Street, a road shut off from the traffic where you can get a great meal, watch some traditional Khmer dancing and even get a fish massage! A kind of Khao San road, but not as big.
After a few drinks and a good hearty meal we decided to stop off at a local mini mart for a bottle of water before heading back to the guesthouse. As we approached the shop a young girl grabbed hold of my arm begging me to buy her some powered milk. The town was packed, I turned to Jonny and Elliott and they looked just as bewildered as I did. She followed us into the shop and pointed to the powered milk. It didn’t feel right but on the spot I couldn’t work out whether it was right or wrong. So we bought the little girl a $5 tin of powered milk. When we got back to the hotel, Jonny and I googled ‘powered milk scam’ to see what we could find.
It turns out that the shop are usually in on the deal. A so called ‘desperate mother’ holding her baby begs tourists for powered milk, and the shop increases their prices. It is then sold back to the shop, with apparently little going back to the ‘so called mothers’.
The poverty in Cambodia at times can be overwhelming. If you are not being harassed by children selling crafts, postcards or other nick-nacks, it’s adults selling other goods such as painting, books, scarf’s etc. Then there are the beggars, some genuine, such as mine victims, others perhaps not but who really knows!
All you do know is that you cannot afford to give to everyone so you are perplexed by feelings of helplessness, guilt and exhaustion from continually being harassed, having said that the best form of begging, if you like, are the mine victims that play music. They do not harass you, they simply have a sign that explains that they need your help but would like to keep their dignity, so if you like their music then feel free to donate or buy a CD. I think for all of us the mine victims are the most harrowing, both adults and children who are still suffering the affects and after affects of years of war. Also the mothers lining the streets of Phnom Pehn, sleeping on the streets with their children begging for your help.
There are so many NGOs in this country I lost count. Aid is reaching this country but begging is still a lucrative way of earning money, particularly when teachers for example are on less than $2 a day! So I can’t really see an ending to the begging in the near future, unless the government is prepared to do something about it, which is highly unlikely.
If you have managed to cope with the poverty of Cambodia then you will be highly rewarded by their prize possession, the eighth wonder of the world…Angkor Wat!
Having arrived at Siem Reap bus station at 6pm we took a short tuk-tuk ride into town. We asked the driver to drop us off at Hotel 89 but unfortunately it was full so we stayed at Smilies Guesthouse just down the road. Although the accommodation and restaurant were good unfortunately to the left of the guest house was Siem Reap’s Red Light District! So going out alone at might was a big No No! But as I had two strapping lads next to me I felt pretty safe, oh and then there were Jonny and Elliott…(just joking).
The town itself is the perfect location for exploring Angkor Wat and other surrounding temples. As it stands Siem Reap is a charming town with rural qualities, such as old French shop-houses, tree-lined boulevards and a winding river. However, it has the potential to turn into the Costa del Sol of South East Asia! The gold rush is apparently still unabated and mass tourism has hit this town…so BIG changes are inevitably on the horizon.
However, the time that we spent there was great, plenty of market stall shops, one shopping mall (that had hardly anything in it!) and Pub Street, a road shut off from the traffic where you can get a great meal, watch some traditional Khmer dancing and even get a fish massage! A kind of Khao San road, but not as big.
After a few drinks and a good hearty meal we decided to stop off at a local mini mart for a bottle of water before heading back to the guesthouse. As we approached the shop a young girl grabbed hold of my arm begging me to buy her some powered milk. The town was packed, I turned to Jonny and Elliott and they looked just as bewildered as I did. She followed us into the shop and pointed to the powered milk. It didn’t feel right but on the spot I couldn’t work out whether it was right or wrong. So we bought the little girl a $5 tin of powered milk. When we got back to the hotel, Jonny and I googled ‘powered milk scam’ to see what we could find.
It turns out that the shop are usually in on the deal. A so called ‘desperate mother’ holding her baby begs tourists for powered milk, and the shop increases their prices. It is then sold back to the shop, with apparently little going back to the ‘so called mothers’.
The poverty in Cambodia at times can be overwhelming. If you are not being harassed by children selling crafts, postcards or other nick-nacks, it’s adults selling other goods such as painting, books, scarf’s etc. Then there are the beggars, some genuine, such as mine victims, others perhaps not but who really knows!
All you do know is that you cannot afford to give to everyone so you are perplexed by feelings of helplessness, guilt and exhaustion from continually being harassed, having said that the best form of begging, if you like, are the mine victims that play music. They do not harass you, they simply have a sign that explains that they need your help but would like to keep their dignity, so if you like their music then feel free to donate or buy a CD. I think for all of us the mine victims are the most harrowing, both adults and children who are still suffering the affects and after affects of years of war. Also the mothers lining the streets of Phnom Pehn, sleeping on the streets with their children begging for your help.
There are so many NGOs in this country I lost count. Aid is reaching this country but begging is still a lucrative way of earning money, particularly when teachers for example are on less than $2 a day! So I can’t really see an ending to the begging in the near future, unless the government is prepared to do something about it, which is highly unlikely.
If you have managed to cope with the poverty of Cambodia then you will be highly rewarded by their prize possession, the eighth wonder of the world…Angkor Wat!
Wednesday, 3 March 2010
Phnom Pehn
Phnom Pehn
Saturday 13th Feb
Today the evidence of the criminal regime is on display for both Cambodian’s and international visitors to see, making the crimes of the KR public, playing a crucial role in preventing any new Pol Pot’s from merging.
The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek is approximately 14km southwest of central Phnom Pehn. A huge stupa (religious monument) dominates the centre, serving as a memorial to the mean women and children who were executed. The Khmer Rouge killed children to prevent any backlash or revenge from family members.
Inside the stupa are almost 9,000 human skulls found during the excavations in the 1980s, along with rags and clothing. The fields themselves still have human bone and clothing poking up from the churned up ground. The fields today are peaceful and well kept, with trees dominating the area.
An experience I will never forget, nor will I ever understand.
Pol Pot died under home arrest before he faced prosecution.
After spending the afternoon in Phnom Pehn we were all ready to move on to see the lighter side of Cambodia…Angkor Wat! We purchased our $8 bus tickets at a nearby tour operator and left at 12pm to arrive at Siem Reap for 6pm.
Sunday, 14 February 2010
Bokor National Park, Cambodia
Bokor National Park, Cambodia
Thursday 11th – Friday 12th Feb
Clinging to the Southern tip of the Chuor Phom Damrei, Bokor National Park is a MUST SEE if you're ever in the South of Cambodia. The Park has many alluring animals such as tigers, elephants and leopards, but sadly due to illegal logging it will be a miracle if you're lucky/or unlucky enough to see anything!
Our journey began at 7.30am when we were picked up by a mini bus and taken to the foot of the Bokor Hill, down a dirt track on the outskirts of Kampot. Bokor Hill does actually have an unmade road, forged by the French in the 1920s but during the time of writing this blog it has been closed for redevelopment. So the only way for tourists to see the National Park is to climb the 1080m elevation.
It would be impossible to do this trek without a guide, as the foot of the hill is down a unsigned bumpy, dusty dirt track.
Overall there were 9 people climbing the hill, with just 4 of us staying over night at the Rangers Station. Actually 11 people altogether including Khoom and Nett, our guides for the trip.
The minute we stepped off the mini bus to start the trek, the heat hit us instantly, Nett gave us plenty of water and a staple Cambodian lunch of rice with veg and a fried egg on top, that was unfortunately packaged in a Styrofoam box...shame they have moved over to this un-environmentally friendly Western way of packaging their food! I prefer the good old banana leaf, plus it lasts longer in the heat!
With our bags fully loaded with food, water and over night supplies we began the steep climb through the jungle. After a short while we stopped off at the check point (usually based on the road) where our guide paid the entrance feeof $5 each to enter the park. From here we were under the cover of the trees in the jungle, and the 3 hour near verticle climb began. Having sat behind a desk six days a week to save up for this trip it was certainly a shock to the system. I think for Jonny too. Elliott seemed to be handling it well although he was looking a little pale after (again) suffering from food poisoning the night before. However, having been a fitness trainer back in London he was certainly in the best shape out of the three of us.
After several stops and plenty of water we had finally made it to the unmade road near the top of the hill. Here we ate our lunch and waited for a pick-up to drive us to Bokor Hill Station. Jonny and I nearly stood on a snake, but other than that we all made it in one piece!
The pick-up was running a little late as the road is so treacherous in some places it managed to get stuck! After about 30 minutes the pick-up arrived with an old mattress in the back, which actually acted as a trampoline on the journey up to the Hill Station! Although the bum breaking, bone shacking journey would have been impossible without it! Battered and bruised, we finally after 1 hour had made it to the abandoned and eerie Bokor Hill Station (1080m).
In the 1920s a small community was created and a grand colonial hotel, known as Bokor Palace, famous for its casino stood proudly at the top of the hill. The view from the location is stunning, a panoramic view of the jungle and River below.
The Hill Station was abandoned twice; once in the 1940s when the Vietnamese and Khmer Issarak forces overran it while fighting for independance against the French, and again in the 1970s when it was left to the invading Khmer Rouge. (Lonely Planet, 2008)
Today, all that is left of the Palace and community, including a further casino, church and post office are their skeleton structures. It really is very ghostly, particularly when thick mist creeps through these old abandon structures. Images of Pol Pots sick regime and blood shed of the Khmer Rouge have a heavy imprint on this this landscape.
After spending a few hours exploring, we walked a short distance to the Rangers Station for a well earned rest. Here we also said our good byes to the other 5 people that were only doing the one day trek.
Thursday 11th – Friday 12th Feb
Clinging to the Southern tip of the Chuor Phom Damrei, Bokor National Park is a MUST SEE if you're ever in the South of Cambodia. The Park has many alluring animals such as tigers, elephants and leopards, but sadly due to illegal logging it will be a miracle if you're lucky/or unlucky enough to see anything!
Our journey began at 7.30am when we were picked up by a mini bus and taken to the foot of the Bokor Hill, down a dirt track on the outskirts of Kampot. Bokor Hill does actually have an unmade road, forged by the French in the 1920s but during the time of writing this blog it has been closed for redevelopment. So the only way for tourists to see the National Park is to climb the 1080m elevation.
It would be impossible to do this trek without a guide, as the foot of the hill is down a unsigned bumpy, dusty dirt track.
Overall there were 9 people climbing the hill, with just 4 of us staying over night at the Rangers Station. Actually 11 people altogether including Khoom and Nett, our guides for the trip.
The minute we stepped off the mini bus to start the trek, the heat hit us instantly, Nett gave us plenty of water and a staple Cambodian lunch of rice with veg and a fried egg on top, that was unfortunately packaged in a Styrofoam box...shame they have moved over to this un-environmentally friendly Western way of packaging their food! I prefer the good old banana leaf, plus it lasts longer in the heat!
With our bags fully loaded with food, water and over night supplies we began the steep climb through the jungle. After a short while we stopped off at the check point (usually based on the road) where our guide paid the entrance feeof $5 each to enter the park. From here we were under the cover of the trees in the jungle, and the 3 hour near verticle climb began. Having sat behind a desk six days a week to save up for this trip it was certainly a shock to the system. I think for Jonny too. Elliott seemed to be handling it well although he was looking a little pale after (again) suffering from food poisoning the night before. However, having been a fitness trainer back in London he was certainly in the best shape out of the three of us.
After several stops and plenty of water we had finally made it to the unmade road near the top of the hill. Here we ate our lunch and waited for a pick-up to drive us to Bokor Hill Station. Jonny and I nearly stood on a snake, but other than that we all made it in one piece!
The pick-up was running a little late as the road is so treacherous in some places it managed to get stuck! After about 30 minutes the pick-up arrived with an old mattress in the back, which actually acted as a trampoline on the journey up to the Hill Station! Although the bum breaking, bone shacking journey would have been impossible without it! Battered and bruised, we finally after 1 hour had made it to the abandoned and eerie Bokor Hill Station (1080m).
In the 1920s a small community was created and a grand colonial hotel, known as Bokor Palace, famous for its casino stood proudly at the top of the hill. The view from the location is stunning, a panoramic view of the jungle and River below.
The Hill Station was abandoned twice; once in the 1940s when the Vietnamese and Khmer Issarak forces overran it while fighting for independance against the French, and again in the 1970s when it was left to the invading Khmer Rouge. (Lonely Planet, 2008)
Today, all that is left of the Palace and community, including a further casino, church and post office are their skeleton structures. It really is very ghostly, particularly when thick mist creeps through these old abandon structures. Images of Pol Pots sick regime and blood shed of the Khmer Rouge have a heavy imprint on this this landscape.
After spending a few hours exploring, we walked a short distance to the Rangers Station for a well earned rest. Here we also said our good byes to the other 5 people that were only doing the one day trek.
Bokor (Continued)…
Myself, Nett, Jonny and Elliott and a Dutch guy Bauldvjn were left. After a shower and rest, Nett began to prepare our dinner. It is unbelievable how hard the Cambodian people work!
The food was good; rice, clear vegetable soup, stir fried vegetables and beef cooked separately for the meat eaters (which was everyone except me).After dinner Elliott persuaded us to go back to Bokor Palace in the dark in search of Ghosts! Although we didn’t see any this is one creepy place to be in the day light let alone at nightfall. I have never seen so many stars, it was magical.
At 7am we woke for breakfast. As Nett was trying to cook, clean and make lunch for us all, I couldn’t bear to anymore, so I helped him clear up and wash the dishes. Judging by his huge smile it was certainly appreciated.By 9am we were ready to go, the boys full of energy decided to storm off ahead leaving Nett and I to chat and leisurely walk behind. With 7 hours of trekking through the jungle ahead, I knew slow and steady and conserving water was the way forward. Nett and I chatted about cultural differences, with Cambodian women trying to bleach their skin white and western women trying to burn their skin brown! It was actually quite amusing…women…none of us are happy!
After trekking for about 4 hours we came to the ‘Great Hornbill Waterfall’, but as it was the dry season it was bone dry! So we just explored the huge boulders that are usually submerged in rainy season. After exploring the waterfall, we then passed through a grasses plain with flat boulders (possibly granite) with many pitcher plants growing at ground level. From here we then descended into the jungle, where we sheltered for lunch and the burning hot sun. After about 30 minutes we started our steep Indiana Jones trek down through the jungle, literally swinging from tree branches to stop ourselves falling!
After a quick wash in the waterfall, we continued trekking for a further 3 hours down through the jungle. This unofficial path was made by poachers collecting illegal hard woods from the National Park. I have no idea how they get the trees through as we could barely fit ourselves through the path! In some places it was so steep and dry I spent most of my time sliding. At one point I stumbled down a vertical drop, tripped over a tree route and started gaining almighty speed, as I came hurtling down the hill luckily Nett was at the bottom ready to catch me. Jonny followed shortly after on his bum. Elliott, with his socks pulled up to almost his knees was a sight for soar eyes, but made it gracefully down taking one step at a time having seen mine and Jonny’s attempt of getting down! Mr perfect who’s name I could never pronounce (Bauldvjn), didn’t trip at all and managed to look cool the whole time…boring! :o)
Needless to say we didn’t see much wildlife having made so much noise, just a snake, lizard and hornbills which was certainly the highlight!After stumbling down the jungle for 3 hours we finally reached civilization passing through a small village and fruit plantations. Throughout the jungle trek clear evidence of illegal loggers taking hard woods was still very apparent. Having walked to the road we stopped for a well earned rest and drink. While we waited for a van to drive us to the Kompong Bay River a short distance away. The Chinese have also made their mark on the landscape, with a huge hydro-electricity damn being built.
As soon as we reached the river we dived in for a refreshing swim before we boarded a small boat to cruise down the river to enjoy the sunset. We arrived back into Kampot by 6.30pm on the dot!Kampot, Cambodia
Wednesday 10th Feb
To break the journey up we decided to take the bus from Sihanouk Ville to Kampot which is a little further to the East but still on the South Coast of Cambodia.
We bought the bus tickets from our guesthouse in Sihanouk Ville, which cost $6 each. The journey took about 2.5 hours (110km). According to the Lonely Planet (2008), the population of Kampot is 37,400 (Newquay is around 22,000). It is a great base for exploring nearby caves or tackling the challenge of Bokor National Park.
Kampot is much more chilled out and less touristy than Sihanouk Ville. When we arrived a very friendly tuk-tuk driver offered us a lift for $1 no strings attached!
When we arrived at the recommended ‘Blissful guesthouse’ it was fully booked, so we decided to stay a few doors down at the Magic Sponge. Recently renovated (previously a bank), the rooms are large, clean and comfortable. The facilities are also very good, with a TV lounge, crazy golf, a pool table, hammocks and free bicycles to explore Kampot. My only gripe is that although the restaurant is very good there was not a single Cambodian dish on the menu! Still this is a good place to have a break from being a traveler!
After chatting to William, an Alaskan guy working thee, he recommended watching a film in the TV lounge called City of Ghosts. Filmed in Cambodia at the Bokor Hill Station, it was a great film to watch before embarking on our trek the next day.
Any family member thinking of watching this film please note all land mines in the National Park have been cleared! Second thoughts don’t watch it! :o)
There were two options for exploring Bokor National Park in Kampot; the first being a one day tour up to station Hill. The other was a two day trek, staying over night at the rangers station and then a 7 hour trek through the jungle the next day. We opted for the latter, which cost $45 each through a tour operator called Smile Tours.
To break the journey up we decided to take the bus from Sihanouk Ville to Kampot which is a little further to the East but still on the South Coast of Cambodia.
We bought the bus tickets from our guesthouse in Sihanouk Ville, which cost $6 each. The journey took about 2.5 hours (110km). According to the Lonely Planet (2008), the population of Kampot is 37,400 (Newquay is around 22,000). It is a great base for exploring nearby caves or tackling the challenge of Bokor National Park.
Kampot is much more chilled out and less touristy than Sihanouk Ville. When we arrived a very friendly tuk-tuk driver offered us a lift for $1 no strings attached!
When we arrived at the recommended ‘Blissful guesthouse’ it was fully booked, so we decided to stay a few doors down at the Magic Sponge. Recently renovated (previously a bank), the rooms are large, clean and comfortable. The facilities are also very good, with a TV lounge, crazy golf, a pool table, hammocks and free bicycles to explore Kampot. My only gripe is that although the restaurant is very good there was not a single Cambodian dish on the menu! Still this is a good place to have a break from being a traveler!
After chatting to William, an Alaskan guy working thee, he recommended watching a film in the TV lounge called City of Ghosts. Filmed in Cambodia at the Bokor Hill Station, it was a great film to watch before embarking on our trek the next day.
Any family member thinking of watching this film please note all land mines in the National Park have been cleared! Second thoughts don’t watch it! :o)
There were two options for exploring Bokor National Park in Kampot; the first being a one day tour up to station Hill. The other was a two day trek, staying over night at the rangers station and then a 7 hour trek through the jungle the next day. We opted for the latter, which cost $45 each through a tour operator called Smile Tours.
Island and Snorkeling Trip, Sihanouk Ville, Cambodia
Tuesday 9th Feb
By the time we got back to the guesthouse after the trip to Ream National Park Elliott had recovered and was disappointed he had missed the trip. So that evening we booked a further trip with the same company to three islands and a day of snorkeling for $12 each.
The snorkeling trip was excellent, from 8am to 4pm we spent the day exploring some of the remote islands aound the coast of Sihanouk Ville, including Bamboo & Tekeay island, which have some basic accommodation. Other islands were completely uninhabited and there we just snorkeled, the visibility wasn’t great but we did see plenty of coral and fish.
We also met a really friendly Spanish guy, Juan Jose, who we got to know quite well having spent the entire day with him.
Tekeay island is probably one to avoid, although absolutely stunning the island is used as a base for the police and was a little unnerving when they demanded a $1 for just being there! I’d imagine as more tourists go to the island the bribes might get higher! While we were on Tekeay we swam in a natural pool that was really warm, it didn’t smell of sulphur so we couldn’t quite work out where the hot springs were coming from?
The highlight was the BBQ on the beach!
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