Chapter 2: Bangkok & Cambodia

My final day in Hong Kong is spent in a laid back kind of way - and it sets the precedent for the days that follow. My group - minus two - have one last meal together in a pizza parlour in Causeway Bay, just around the corner from our hotel and we spend a couple of hours chatting and reminiscing before saying our final goodbyes. 

There are a handful of us heading the same way - in fact I booked myself onto the same flight to Bangkok as three groupies - and I know I'll see them a few more times in the coming days. But four members head further out of Asia, two head home to Australia and the UK, and the rest are making their way south to Kuala Lumpur and Australasia.

Four of us head to Hong Kong International around dinner time, and I become increasingly appreciative of the fact they were booked on this flight because I never would have gone for it otherwise. The flight isn't even half full and we have almost the whole middle section of the aircraft to ourselves. It's more luxurious than the eleven hour flight I took from Heathrow to Tokyo! I'm impressed! We settle in and watch our respective films, dig into a complimentary dinner and before we know it we're landing in Bangkok. 

It's country or state number 7 for me and I have officially never been in this part of the world before. Thailand brings me into the fray of South East Asia and I'm excited to get going. The weather is atrocious when we land (have you spotted a running theme yet?) and we go our separate ways to our accommodation. It's almost Hong Kong all over again as the taxi pulls up in front of a hotel I'd never in my wildest dreams have imagined staying in. Before I go any further, I'd like to add that it only cost £40 a night, so I didn't go crazy on my spending, but £40 a night in Bangkok gets you what looks like 5 stars and it certainly feels like it too!

The lobby is all marble, plush sofas and sweeping staircase. The lifts and corridors are carpeted, mirrored and spotless. My bed is the biggest thing I've ever seen, my mini bar is impressive again, my bathroom has a bathtub to die for and my view is out over the hotels rooftop pool and bar. Once again, booking myself into a hotel has proved worth it.

I had obviously got so used to sleeping on Chinese sleeper trains and horrible hostels that I wake in the middle of the night right on the edge of my mattress as if I had no space to stretch out. I quickly rectified the situation and starfished for the rest of the night.

Unfortunately Barclays block my bank card and I land in Bangkok with no access to money, so my first night is more stressful than I'd like it to be, and my phone bill is horrendous, but after two fights with them it was finally sorted. 

I meet up with friends from my last group the next morning and we spend a few hours bartering our way down Khoa San Road before rewarding ourselves with a cocktail. This backpacker is happy to report she now owns 'elephant pants' - normal shape and design - two new tops and several new badges to be sewn on to my bag, all for less than £7! Bargain.

In the afternoon we all head back to my hotel and we hang out by the pool for a few hours. It's exactly the recuperation I was hoping for, and it was nice to do it with company. The rest of my day continues in much the same way with a long shower and pamper session, a free cocktail in the hotel bar and a small Thai dinner that I treated myself to.

The next day is the big one. It was time to meet the new group, and I have to do my best to push Team Sticky Rice to the back of my mind because I can't go into a new setting, sizing people up against the last lot I met. 

There's only nine of us this time, a fairly small number on average and way smaller than I've become accustomed to. We're a mixed bunch, with Americans, Germans, English, me and a Norwegian, and despite there only being nine, not all of us are doing the full tour. It's not a late night with my new group or with Team Sticky Rice's reunion as it's an early start the next morning.

We're up at 6am for our journey across the border. We cross into Cambodia around 11am and arrive in the city of Siem Reap around 3. The poverty on the journey in is obvious, but the second we cross Siem Reap's city limits the five star hotels and resorts spring up out of the dusty ground, barely four hundred yards from what I've just witnessed. It's shocking, but it happens in every city and country so I guess I'm not altogether surprised.

We have just enough time for a shower and a nap before we're whisked by Tuk-Tuk (my new favourite mode of transport) to a local farm where we are treated to a homemade dinner and a tour around the local area. We stop off at Siem Reap's Night Market for a wander before heading to bed early again.

Day two is a 4.30am start. We shuffle onto a private bus and make the twenty minute journey to Angkor Wat, the most famous destination in all of Cambodia, to watch the sunrise from behind the ancient temple. Recently voted the best place in the world to visit, and the one place you must see before you die, I quickly agree with whomever voted. I spent an absolutely magical day exploring it and Ta Promh (the temple now affectionately known as the 'Tomb Raider Temple') Pictures and info below!

Eleven hours later we're back to the hostel for a nap before the fun begins. A scheduled quad bike ride becomes way more interesting as a weather front (again) moves in over Siem Reap. Only in South East Asia can you quad bike through rice fields in typhoon rain and thunder and lightning and it still be 'safe.' We all got stuck at least once, one of the girls broke a shoe in the mud and I absolutely destroyed a good t-shirt, but it was easily the best fun I've had in forever!

We finish one of the longest days with dinner and dirt-cheap cocktails on 'Pub Street' in the centre of the city.

Day three is a travel day. It's seven hours by bus from Siem Reap to the country's new(ish) capital Phnom Penh (the last King moved the capital as Phnom Penh is further from Thailand, because at the time, they were the invading force.) We just spend the afternoon and evening chilling by the pool and enjoy dinner and some drinks together because day four we spend at The Killing Fields and Phnom Penh's Genocide Prison. It's a gruesome, horrific morning, and all of us are quietly reserved and sombre as we walk around what really should be a mass cemetery or memorial. Instead The Killing Field is preserved in such a way that there are signs telling you not to walk on the bones, and there are glass cabinets showcasing victims clothing and bone fragments. I took no photos because I felt like the whole thing was disquieting and slightly disrespectful. I understand needing to learn from the past, and I know Auschwitz is a destination for travellers too, but the almost staged feeling of the Killing Field made it all the more horrendous to experience. 

The Genocide Prison (S-21) is located in the city centre and is no less harrowing. You are invited to stand in prisoners cells, with real photographs on the walls of how they were found (and how the prisoner had been left tortured and dead) complete with blood spatters still on the walls and ceilings. 17,000 men and women were tortured at S-21 for information on their friends and families, as the Pol Pot regime wanted to rid the country of everyone with education or standing, before they were driven to The Killing Fields at night to be killed. Only seven men survived, escaping when the Vietnamese soldiers liberated the country in 1979, and two of them are still alive. Both of them are forced to come back to S-21 every day to sell books and paintings on their experiences in order to feed their families. All of the money from the ticket sales goes directly to a private company and none of it is seen by victims or even the places themselves. Again, the whole thing is made more uncomfortable than it already is.

As it's such a heavy morning, we take the rest of the afternoon to ourselves and chill by the pool with some drinks. We then treat ourselves to our most expensive meal (still only $7) on the river front. While Siem Reap is bigger in population, it's dirt roads and shack houses make it feel less developed than the country's recent capital and I really start to love Phnom Penh too.

The next day is a four hour bus to the coast. Sihanoukville is Cambodia's deepest trading port, hacked out of the jungle in the 1950s before the troubles. It's white sand beaches and blue ocean are a draw for locals and tourists alike, and while it's no Magaluf strip, it's touristy in all the right ways. It's also cheaper than the big cities. Our main reason for visiting Sihanoukville was to enjoy a few relaxing days, and that's exactly what we do. The first day we stay close to town and relax on one of the more populated beaches before returning to enjoy dinner and fireworks right on the shore front. I am the antisocial for a few hours as I sit at the bar and watch the rugby with some newly acquired Cambodian friends that were working there. That's all I'll say on that because I'm not sure I'll get over those results for quite some time. I attempt to drown my sorrows and enjoy a great night out with the group instead!

Our final day in Cambodia is spent on a private island. The group snorkels in the shallow water and we attempt to cure our hangovers with a BBQ and our sun loungers in the shade. My group will testify that I spent the entire time under a massive tree, repeatedly applied sun cream and was only in the sea for around 30 minutes. You should see my sunburn. From the chest up I am completely red raw, except my face which only has random patches of burn. I'm beginning to think that there is literally no way to stop me burning. #GingerLife

Bamboo Island was the perfect end to a beautiful country however. The coastline, the cities, the culture, the food and the people; I don't think I have a bad thing to say about any of it! I would definitely return!

Fun Facts:

1. Cambodia is too poor to print it's own money in a large enough quantity so they buy American dollars from other countries and use both them and Cambodian Riel.
2. As of summer this year, you don't need a visa to enter Vietnam (with a British passport.)
3. The former King of Cambodia worked alongside Pol Pot in massacring his people, and yet he is memorialised and it is against the law to say anything bad about him. 
4. Pol Pot and his top officers were allowed to live in exile by the USA, the UK, France and many more powerful countries, because 'we' feared the spread of communism around South East Asia if they started another uprising. These men were never punished or asked to answer for their crimes and we played a part in that.
5. Between the end of the war in 1975 and 1998, nothing was done to help the families of the 2.5 million dead.
6. In 1970 the population of Cambodia was just over 5 million. Half were then killed. The population now is over 15 million.
7. 70% of the population is under the age of 20. The eldest generation are around 65, and people know that men over the age of 50 could easily have been soldiers under the Pol Pot regime, but the Cambodians don't believe in killing for revenge, so they live peacefully among each other.

Ta Promh is over 900 years old and was recently featured in the Hollywood make-over of Lara Croft 'Tomb Raider.' Trees like this are the main feature and over 40 foot high. It's magical and bewildering to see.

Ta Promh was built by a Cambodian King for his mother when she moved out of the palace. It had its own dancers, cooks, gardens, was completely walled off and was surrounded by a moat. Sounds like he was trying to get rid of her.

The gang looking incredibly soaked and muddy. Most of these clothes had to get put out. It remained around thirty degree Celsius, but the typhoon rain was unbelievable. Much fun.

We rode around Phnom Penh on 'cyclos' - the city's olden answer to Tuk-Tuks. No engines, just man power on a bike and a bag of rice to balance you out. Cheers to the lovely gentlemen in green!

We took a private boat to Bamboo Island, about 40 minutes from the shores of Sihanoukville, and spent the day in paradise. Despite the hangovers most of us made it in one piece. Thankfully the seas were lovely and calm.

Our own little slice of paradise.

It's a very fond farewell to Cambodia, it's been far too short, but I'm also excited to be moving on.

Vietnam is next on the list for this backpacker! If this 9 hour bus journey ever ends that is.

Signing out, S x

Hong Kong & The Start Of my Tour

Much like Tokyo, I fell in love with Hong Kong in a matter of hours; the buzz and the lights. Yeah, it's yet another city, but it's hard not to be enraptured by the life of this place.

I arrive first thing in the morning, and by the time I've battled my way through immigration, declared nothing at customs, waited over an hour for my bag to arrive on the conveyer belt (yes, I was beginning to panic,) grabbed a western lunch, converted my money, caught a train and arrived at my hotel, it's already the middle of the afternoon!

The taxi ride from the airport, while quiet, is eye-opening. We pass the port first, the fourth largest in the world, and being from little populated Scotland, I've seen nothing like it before! It seems to go on for miles before we wind our way through busy streets bustling with people, double-parked cars and markets galore. My taxi door is opened for me, my bag makes it to the lobby before I do, I'm greeted by name, checked in quickly, given a voucher for a free drink in the rooftop bar and most importantly, filled in on my upgrade. Sure, it's an "access" room, normally for someone in a wheelchair, but I'm assured it's better than I paid for. I'm situated on the top floor, escorted up by the bellhop, and invited in. Now, let me just say here, that all through my life it's been Travellodge and Holiday Inn Expresses. I have never been in a hotel room like this. King size bed, panoramic windows, a waterfall shower, jet bathtub, and a mini bar that must cost £100 to stock.

I shower and settle myself in, making full use of the button beside my bed that controls the blackout curtains and blinds. I barely move. I sew a couple of badges onto my bag (my only souvenirs,) chill out to some music and finally take a nap. It's the downtime I was so desperately looking forward to, and it didn't disappoint.

I treat myself to dinner in the hotel restaurant, that cost 3 times as much as lunch before heading out into the Hong Kong night. 8pm and 30 degrees Celsius. I do my best not to melt. My hotel was situated in Hong Kong Island, and it's only a 10 minute walk until I'm at the Star Ferry Pier. The sun has set and the "show" is on. I cross over to the opposite side from Victoria Harbour and gaze in wonder at the spectacle before me.

It's 30 degrees and around 80% humidity, even at 9pm at night so I don't last long before heading back to my hotel room. Honestly, I think I had the best sleep I could imagine to help me kick off the rest of my time in China. The biggest advice I can give you if you're backpacking for a lengthy period of time, is to treat yourself. One night in the Indigo in Hong Kong cost me £60 including breakfast (which is 10x more than a night in a hostel,) but a night to yourself is priceless. I am already looking forward to my dirt cheap 4 star hotel in Bangkok at the end of this tour and the beginning of the next.

I spent the first week of my journey constantly keeping tabs of what I was spending, worried that it'd be too much, but at the same time wanting to know for future how much money would last me a certain amount of time.

I met my group early Wednesday morning and through bleary eyes we set off on our first adventure together. 20 complete strangers, couples, teenagers, solo backpackers and some honeymooners thrown together. And it's been great so far, we've all clicked, and we've all mingled with each other. It's great that there's a good number of us, because it means we won't be spending all day every day with the same people.

The Peak. We travel up to the highest point in Hong Kong, in Kowloom, opposite Hong Kong Island, and soak in the early morning views. On one side, the sprawling cityscape of Hong Kong, on the other the endless ocean and many islands that make up greater Hong Kong. You can judge the size of this city just by the vast number of cargo ships sailing to and from the harbour.

10 hours travelling and dinner. We leave Hong Kong for Shenzen and cross the border into China through the train station before catching a bullet train to Guilin. We then board a tiny Chinese size bus to Yangshuo and arrive to moonlit mountains and buzzing markets.

On day two in Yangshuo we take a bike ride through the town and into the country, along the river and into the mountains. While cycling on a busy Chinese road was an experience, none of us were harmed and we all thoroughly enjoyed our day. We then boarded bamboo rafts (above) and floated down the river, steered expertly by gondola-style drivers. It was hard work! While soaking in the scenery, the "drivers" splash us and even stop for a beer. After a long-awaited shower and a group dinner, a group of us head for a massage and hot cupping. Releasing the tension from weeks of carting round a backpack almost as big as myself, my shoulders felt brand new again!

Day 3, we tackle the Moon hill, a special place in Yangshuo, aptly named as there is a crescent missing from the landscape. At only 450 feet up, it's not the highest hill you'll ever climb, but it's worth it for the view and the breeze at the top! We continue this day with mud baths and hotsprings to once again rid ourselves of the fatigue and sticky sweatiness. 

We finish this day by experiencing Commorant fishing (the HSBC advert in the UK,) where the fisherman uses birds to catch his prey rather than a net. It's amazing to watch these birds dive into the deep river and return with a fish caught in it's beak. An elastic band around it's throat stops it from swallowing the fish and it delivers it to the feet of the fisherman. A beautiful boat trip under the moonlight and dominant lit-up mountains!

On our final day in Yansghuo we get out of bed for an early morning kayak down the Yangtze. While I got sunstroke and purple legs, we all enjoyed it. It was hard work, but the scenery was worth it. We've bonded so much in such a short period of time just from the sheer magnitude of things we've done together. I've never kayaked before, but I made it to the end!

We finish this day with a special village tour to the home of one of our guides. An eye-opening experience of both poverty and politics in the country, where we are treated to homemade tea, dinner and spectacular views.

Unfortunately our time in Yangshuo comes to an end. We board a 25 hour night train from Guilin to Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan province. We're half way into it when we discover we could have done the same journey on a bullet train for 8 hours! It's all part of the Chinese experience however, and we spend hours talking, laughing, playing games and sleeping. The sleeping definitely helps. And while I've never been in a smaller bunk, with as little space, I am rocked to sleep under the aircon. It's not glamorous in the slightest, Chinese vendors pass up and down every ten minutes trying to sell their wares, the music and the lights come blaring on at 7am sharp and the toilets are something else entirely. While in china you have to get used to squat toilets, it's either that or you don't go at all. A squat toilet on a train is a whole other kettle of fish. These aren't steady, smooth trains, and squat toilets are hard enough as it is. Let's just say your skill should be much improved by the end of the 25 hours. And honestly, they were clean and not all that bad. I've been in worse in high-tech stations and airports.

I've arrived in Chengdu, and tomorrow I'm heading to the Panda Research Centre. (SO EXCITED,) so it's an early night in this substantially cooler city. There's no suffocating humidity here and I'm so thankful to be out of it even if just for the night.

This backpacker is heading to bed. Gotta get ready to smuggle a panda out tomorrow.

S x