Khmer Cuisine

Since I've arrived in Siem Reap I've had a chance to sample some different food.

A couple of days ago a group of us went with a tuk tuk driver to try snake soup. The snake was cut up, still with the skin on and served in a broth with onions, herbs and spices. To eat snake you have to pull out the spine, and after you're left with very little meat. It had a texture and taste similar to chicken. But it was a lot of of work for very little food.

Snake soup, and yes I did eat it - there's proof.

The next night we had Cambodian BBQ, it was similar to Korean BBQ where you cook the meat yourself. We chose from chicken, beef, kangaroo, ostrich or crocodile. Crocodile was my surprise favourite.

BBQ-ing

Also in Cambodia you can get happy pizza. Guess what makes it happy ;) And no I haven't eaten any dog.

Tomorrow I'll be heading to Sihanoukville, Cambodia for some snorkeling and relaxation.

Angkor temples

Ta Prohm

It's been awhile since I posted. I've since left Penom Penh by boat and now I'm in Siem Reap, home to the infamous Angkor temples. It's incredible, just look at the photo above.


Angkor Wat, the largest temple in Angkor, is the largest religious building in the world. It is a Hindu Temple dedicated to the god Vishnu. Very few parts of the temple are sectioned off so I was able to explore at my own leisure. When waking through it's amazing the detail and the effort it would have taken to construct these buildings. When I walk through them it feels like exploring ancient ruins.

Ankgor Wat at sunrise

There's several temples to see. Some attract a lot of tourists and then it's difficult to move around and take photos. But many are smaller and I'm there alone to explore the ancient ruins on your own. Me, a little sunburnt

Inevitably the town attracts a lot of tourists and everyone tries to cash in. When I arrive at each temple a swarm of children approaches me and tries to sell me scarves, books, whistles, and cold drinks. A swarm will follow me right up to the entrance. Sometimes it's fun because these kids are smart and know the capital city for every country, but there's only so much I can take.

reign of terror

I've flew Phnom Penh, Cambodia two days ago. Yesterday I went to the Tuol Sleng Museum. It was a high school that was transformed into a prison S-21 by Pol Pot in the late 1970s. The brick walls that formed the tiny cells where prisoners lived still remain. There's scarcely enough room to lay down. The devices used for torture are displayed in the cells. There's also a museum where prisoners photographs are posted on the walls. Engineers, teachers, anyone with an education, Vietnamese, women and children were all imprisoned here. The last 14 bodies found at S-21 are buried in the courtyard.

After I went to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek where many prisoners from S-21 were taken to be killed. Here mass graves, the largest holding 450 bodies, were uncovered shortly after the Khmer Rouge reign. So far over 8,000 bodies have been uncovered, and there's many more graves that have been left alone. In the centre there's a tower of human skulls. The tower was designed by a monk in accordance with Buddist beliefs regarding death.

It was depressing and eerily walking around both these grounds. But on the ride back it gave a new appreciation for the Khmer people. They are working hard to recover, but it was been quite difficult. The genocide that killed 1/4 of the people is so recent. Even looking around the city, it's such a young population. There's no elderly here.

This city is very vibrant. When I was flying into the city I could see the roofs of the buildings, all sorts of bright colours. And the city is so busy, even more than Bangkok. There's very few pedestrians. Almost everyone is on a motorcycle. I get approached a lot by children selling books, sunglasses and water. It's certainly not Thailand, a lot fewer travellers, and there's not Internet cafes and travel agency's lining the streets.

what's next

I'm leaving Chiang Mai in a couple of hours. I'll be heading to Bangkok and then taking a plane to Cambodia.

Even though it's more expensive I decided flying into the country would be best. There's a lot of hassle getting the visa when crossing the border by land, and apparently the tourist buses I would be taking are sketchy. I had heard that they tend to leave people at the boarder, leaving them to take a taxi to their destination.

I'm still recovering from the trek, my legs hurt so much. I've been in Chiang Mai for about a week now, The longest I've stayed in any place since I arrived in Asia.

It's a medium sized town, so it's not as crazy as Bangkok. The central part of town is surrounded by a moat. It's a backpackers haven. Lots of activities to do, guesthouses and opportunities to meet other travelers.

Here's some more photos from Chiang Mai.
Daffy Duck eating noodle soup in front of a temple

Waterfalls

trekking

Sorry for not posting anything for awhile. I'm still in Chiang Mai and I've been really busy. Since I arrived here I've taken a cooking course, rode on a motorcycle outside of the town to see some waterfalls and then went on a two day trek up into the mountains.

I just got back from the trek tonight. I was in a group of nine people and we trekked to the top of a mountain and stayed with a hill tribe who lived at the top. I wasn't expecting the hiking part to be so intense. We walked almost straight up a mountain for hours on end. The path was so steep and rough. I've never sweated so much in my life.

My trekking group outside the bamboo cabin

We spent the night in a sort of cabin located within the hill tribe. The floors of the cabin were made of bamboo, which didn't seem very strong, as it would bend and rattle as we walked over it. But it supported us throughout the night. We didn't see too many tribes people only the few that cooked us an amazing curry dinner.

I thought the second day would be easier becuase we were walking down hill. I was wrong. It was so steep and slippery. I was so scared of falling because it was a long drop. It required a lot of balance to keep me from falling as I steeped over the roots and rocks while trying not to slip in the mud. Luckily I only had a couple of slips.

Also during the trek we rode elephants, and I able to sit right on the elephants head with my knees tucked behind its ears. It was a bumpy ride and the elephants liked to spray us with snot from its trunk.

On the second day we did two types of rafting, whitewater and bamboo. The whitewater rafting was pretty tame, but we did go through some rapids. The bamboo rafting was even tamer, so our guide livened it up by throwing me off the raft into the river - twice.

Regarding the Philippines, I've deferred my flight until November 4th. I had an email from my contact at the hospital who told me that due to a huge landslide in Baguio the town of Sagada had been cut off and there was no electricity. But it sounds like they are doing okay even without. So until then I'm debating between going to Cambodia or Laos. Budget is a bit of an issue and Laos sounds cheaper, and many people come back from Laos saying they loved the country. But I would love to see Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

Chiang Mai Here I Come

I arrived in Chiang Mai this morning. I took a government bus, which meant less tourists, more Thais. Travelling in Thailand just seems disorganizated. I was at the bus terminal trying to find the landing where I was to catch the bus. I walk outside, and there landings up and down, but not mine. There was an arrow that was directing me forward, but it just rows and rows buses. I asked someone and he pointed me in the same direction as the arrow. Turns out after I walked through the maze of buses, there was a chainlink fence, with a hole. And that's where I saw people cutting through to get to the other side, where there were the rest of landings. Anyways so far I've always arrived where I intended, so the system seems to be working.

Chiang Mai is the capital city of the North, yet it's pretty small, the population is 150,000. Where I'm staying seems really touristy, lots of guest houses and Internet cafes. It's a lot cheaper than both Ko Phanghan and Bangkok, a lot. My private room, with a shared bathroom is 120 baht, about $4 Canadian.

There seems like no shortage of things to do. Tomorrow I'll be taking a cooking class and learning how to make some sort of Thai Curry - yum. I hope to do a one day trek that involves and elephant ride and some rafting. I'll let you know it goes.

And now some more photos from Bangkok, because I like you.

Bangkok!

So it's my last night in Bangkok. I've enjoyed my time here, although I haven't found it as crazy people say. It may have to do with the fact that I'm not staying downtown. But part of the fun of Bangkok has been getting around. My favourite part has been taking the ferry. It's the fast, cheapest and most fun! It's a great way to see the city and the boat is so rudimentary. I get on to the boat by jumping off of the pier. The sides are made of plastic which can be easily stepped over.

After I recovered from the crazy trip up to Bangkok I went to see the Grand Palace. The buildings are all so ornate. I couldn't get over the attention to detail of all the buildings. I don't even know if the photos can do this place justice. After I went to dinner on Khao San Road, the backpackers paradise.

The next day I went to the Siam Centre, sort of the yorkville of Bangkok. After I toured around Lumphini Park, where many Thais go to work out. It's a huge greenspace in the middle of the city. It even has outdoor weight machines.

After I went to the night market and participated in some bargining. It's a really difficult way to shop, and proved to be exhausting.

My final day here was a bit of a bust since there's a storm. I had planned on going to the zoo. Tomorrow I will go to the weekend market, it's the biggest market in the world. And then to Chiang Mai.

Travel to Bangkok

I've just made it to my hostel in Bangkok. I'm staying at a place called REFILL NOW! So far it looks good, clean and accessible to all the sights by subway.

It was quite a journey to get here. I left Ko Phangan at noon yesterday. A taxi picked me up and took to the pier and then I took a ferry to get to the mainland. After that everyone from the ferry piled onto a bus that dropped us off at some point along the side of the road. At the ferry we were given stickers written in Thai to wear, this was to divide us into groups based on what travel agency we had booked the trip through. There were only 3 people in my group and I later switched to another. We travelled by Tuk Tuk, which is a motorbike with a trailer attached, where the passengers sit. We were dropped off at a restaurant for dinner. The bus was late by over an hour so the person in charge decided to drive us to the bus in his pickup truck. Eleven of us piled into the back. It wasn't covered, it was nighttime, dark and raining. What an adventure. We finally got to the bus and it was pretty full. We drove overnight and arrived in Bangkok at 6 am.

I took the subway to the hostel. The subway is pretty simple to use and the workers were very helpful directing me to where I was going.

I plan on staying in Bangkok for four nights before I head to Chiang Mai.

Full Moon Party

It's my last night in Koh Phangan, after the full moon party it gets pretty quiet on the beach and most people leave.

The Full Moon party takes place on Haadrin Beach, the southern tip of Koh Phangan the night of the full moon. Pretty much it's a giant beach rave, that attracts 10, 000 to 30,000 young people from all over the world to party under the full moon.

Each of the beachfront bars have their own DJ and different attractions to lure partyers to their bars. Most of the entertainment was providing by fire, skipping through ropes lit on fire, fireworks and fire eaters. Bucket stands were lined across the beach, each stand tried to attract people with jewellery made from straws, beads and flowers.

I did some filming at the party because the craziness is so hard to describe.

As the night wore on, I stayed awake to watch the sun rise from the Gulf of Thailand.

Anyways I'm on my way to Bangkok tomorrow and will be there until the weekend.

Buckets!!

I've been in Ko Phangan now for 3 days. It's clearly a party island. The nightlife goes until 5 am and nothing opens in town until around noon. It's very touristy, everything is expensive relative to what things cost in the rest of the country. It's mostly stores as well, as opposed to markets, so there's very little barginning. There's not much to do on Haadrin except lay on the beach, shop, walk around, and of course party!

Every night there's been a party on the beach in preparation for the full moon party that's happening tomorrow.


Currently I'm staying at Venus Resort. It's a little down the beach from the party area. It's situated up a hill. It took me a while to find because no taxis can drive up there. And I kept getting different directions, I finally made it, after taking the long way up a very steep hill, with my backpack. Good times.

Still not sure about what's going on in the Philippines. My contact said the town I'm staying in is fine, but he was vague on the travel situation to Sagada. Here's what he had to say.

"It is ok here just lots of rain, but it is best not to take a bus from Baguio to Sagada during a storm. The planes may not be flying. You airline is the best choice on the number they gave you for flight info."

So at the moment I can fly into the country, yet there's no where to go, once I'm there.

Anyone have suggestions on what to do?

I'm working on getting a bus ticket to Chiang Mai and see some temples then travelling to Bangkok.