Sorry for the delay in updating the blog, things have been pretty hectic and it’s frustratingly difficult to find a reliable internet connection here. I’m currently sitting on the beach in Ko Tao, Thailand. Since the last blog update I’ve travelled through Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and now Thailand. I’ll try to get updates on each of those countries up soon, as well as some interesting stories that have occurred along the way.
From Hong Kong I flew into Bangkok and met up with my new group. Immediately the next morning we jumped a bus for Siem Reap. Cambodia had just has some serious flooding the week before we arrived, so there was still a lot of water on the roads and around people’s houses. The houses in Cambodia are, for the most part, built on stilts, and it was easy to see why. We drove past houses that had two feet of standing water under them.
Upon arriving we went to a homestay for some authentic Cambodian food. The next day we got up at 4:30 to catch the sunrise over Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat is the largest temple complex in the world and the thing to see in Cambodia. Unfortunately, the overcast skies ruined any chance of catching the sunrise, but it the temple complex was still amazing. We spent the rest of the day exploring the various temples around Siem Reap.
Our next stop on the trip was Pnomh Penh. Pnomh Penh is home to the killing fields, a place setup by the Cambodian government in recognition of the recent genocide that occurred in Cambodia. It was a sobering experience to see the remnants of a genocide that occurred so recently.
The following day we explored the Russian markets, took a cyclo tour around the city, and then had a river boat dinner cruise. One of the things that the crew brought out was a homemade tarantula rice wine. Basically they get an old plastic jug and filled it with rice wine and tarantulas then let it stew for a week or so. The end result is a 60% abv yellowish concoction which is one of the most foul things I have ever tasted.
Next we visited Sihanoukville, a beach town in the south of Cambodia. We spent some time on the beach, visited a national park, saw some waterfalls, and just enjoyed the ocean. Our last night in town we ate at a BBQ place on the beach watching the sunset; it was wonderful.
The following morning we jumped back on the bus and crossed the border into Vietnam.
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| Flooded streets of Siem Reap |
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| Enjoying a Cambodian meal |
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| Angkor Wat |
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| One of the various temples around Angkor Wat |
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| Another temple [where scenes from Tomb Raider were filmed] |
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| One of the tarantulas from the rice wine |
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| Waterfall in Sihanoukville |
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