However, most people we have met, who arrived in Bangkok as their first port of call have completely disagreed with us so maybe nearly two months in third world countries has lowered our expectations!
We spent our first day at a massive indoor shopping centre which sold everything you could ever want. All fake and cheap as chips: after a good amount of fun bartering of course! This was perfect as pretty much all our clothes had been ruined after India and Nepal. I also made the mistake of thinking I would be able to get clothes in India or Nepal for cheap, so I hadn't invested before I left Scotland, but due to women having to cover up I ended up looking like one of the travellers who had 'found themselves' in these countries with baggy elephant print trousers etc...how nice it was to buy all of these...
We did feel a little hypocritical after commenting on how western society is so materialistic and greedy, after seeing how little the Nepalis have. But it is far too easy too slip into bad habits, especially with fun, cheap markets tempting you all the time!
Another thing which was amazing about Bangkok, and Thailand, as a whole, was the food. Omg = amazeballs (!) and genuinely the nicest food we have ever eaten! Beeds has lost two stone since we left due to illness and fear of eating in India, plus a diet of mostly rice and lots of exercise in Nepal. I don't think I have ever seen him so happy as when he discovered you could get a meat Thai red curry for 60p and it was 'safe' due to the cleanliness of the place. There are street vendors everywhere with it being one of the only countries in the world where it is cheaper to eat out than cooking yourself. It is so fresh and healthy. The food has continued to be amazing throughout Thailand and so far in Cambodia, so a lot of our time has been spent with Beeds staring in awe at stalls, and trying lots, and me taking pictures of him...
Beeds takes this information very seriously.
I of course have been enjoying the food too, but I think it would be fair to say Beeds is more than out eating me now and making up for lost intake in India! One thing which has really bothered us though is the amount of plastic and waste. Every meal involves at least two plastic bags, a plastic tub and fork and with 9 million people alone in Bangkok doing this, it is worrying to think how much worse this will get as the country continues to develop.
After pretty much being t-total in India and Nepal we ended up on a big night out on the notorious Khao San road with a fun German guy. Khao San road is Bangkok's answer to Malia, lined with pubs, locals trying to sell you tack, break dancers, weird food like scorpios and snakes on sticks, men puckering their lips to make a popping noise trying to lure you into watch a ping pong show, plenty of tiny, beautiful Thai prostitutes and lots Westerners there for one reason: to get hammered. All in all it was a funny night, involving too many buckets of cheap cocktails, our German friend eating a Scorpio on a stick, a roof top bar, a cheesy Asian club and a 50p Pad Thai curry to finish the night. Paul, don't worry, we didn't go to a ping pong show!
After meeting too many 18/19 year olds who were heading to Ko Samui for the full moon party, we decided to head to a more peaceful island called Ko Samet where all the Thai's go for a break from Bangkok. It was also on the way to Cambodia, so not too much to do with the fact we can't handle the hangovers anymore!
Ko Samet was a welcome change after India and Nepal, but after four days of doing very little on a beach, following so much previous culture and diversity, we decided it was time to get back to it and head for more adventure in Cambodia. You really could have been at any beach resort in the world, minus the cheap amazing food and the overweight middle age white men with their tiny Thai 'girlfriends'.
Our entry into Cambodia was an interesting one. First of all it was torrential monsoon rain following the storm which hit China travelling across the south coast of Asia, so we were soaked and had to pretty much walk across a river to get through no mans land and to the Cambodian officials. Secondly we were well in the knowledge that the border officials add the 'white tax' onto the visa fee, nearly doubling the $20 actual cost. Of course we were not prepared to pay this so ended up standing arguing for about twenty minutes, demanding receipts which were refused, the Cambodian lady closing the window on us several times and me staring out the male official next to her. My intimidation must have slightly worked as we managed to get it for $25....Beeds started to get the fear they might not let us in, so we thought this was pretty good going! Unfortunately if you are white and travel in Asia, inflated prices and haggling are a staple part of daily transactions. Usually it is lighthearted and fun, but sometimes, like this, it can be incredibly frustrating. I suppose when most can't even afford to leave their own town, struggle for money and wages are so low, it is understandable why they do it.
After a stop over night at the visa town we headed strait for Phnom Penh to avoid more monsoon in the south. Our first impressions of Phnom Penh was how developed it was along with the large number of Range Rover, Lexus and various other expensive cars. Along with many big hotels, developed roads and opportunities to live like a Westerner it would almost be easy to come here, like Bangkok, and ignore how poor a country Cambodia actually is.
However, one thing which really saddened and shocked us is the number of street children in Phnom Penh and particularly young ones. From the moment you set off for a trip like this you hear disturbing and sad accounts regarding the amount of child trafficking within and between Asian countries for slavery, prostitution and low paid exhausting and detrimental health implications of working in factories. This use of small and very cute vulnerable children to sell tack to foreigners, is simply another type of slavery and we have been told repeatedly under no circumstances should foreigners buy from them. It's a really difficult sight to deal with as they follow you and plead you to buy and you so want to help them, but then you have to remind yourself that not buying is the best way to do this. Only when their corrupt 'owners', or desperately poor parents realise there is no money to be made will it stop and these children might have a greater chance at education and a future.
On our second day in Phnom Penh we made a trip out to Cambodia's largest genocide memorial site and one of 196 'Killing Fields' in the country. Since being in Cambodia we have been learning about and seeing so much evidence of the devastating Khmer Rouge regime which they estimated killed one in four Cambodia during its three and a half year reign. The story of communist Pol Pot and his desire for all Cambodians to be 'equal peasants' is deeply sad and barbaric. This particular Killing Field was excavated in the early 80s with 20,000 bodies being uncovered and the causes deaths disturbing.
The below photo is of a few of the many dug mass graves, which where at one point five metres deep. Even now, 33 years on, bones and rags of clothing are still rising to the surface during the monsoon.
Wanting to share this piece of history with the world and remember the three million victims of the regime, a monument has been built at this site which holds bones of all the excavated bodies.
All of the stories and the brutality of them are disturbing, but the most upsetting, for me, was their massacre of children and babies who they feared would seek revenge against the regime as adults.
After visiting the Killing Fields we went to the S-21 prison where they kept any civilian suspected of crimes against this newly created suppressive state (an excuse to kill anyone who was educated, wore glasses, pale skinned etc). They used torture and forced civilians to admit to crimes they had not committed. The sign below details the rules prisoners had to follow.
Of course by this point, we were feeling pretty hollow and like a thud back to reality we bumped into someone I used to play hockey with at uni! It was very surreal and felt all wrong being happy inside this building where horrific atrocities had taken place, but it was very nice to see a face from home.
During our time in Phnom Penh the streets were filled with young students driving on their scooters and waving flags in support of their political party for the election, which took place in Cambodia on Sunday. We quickly learned anyone under the age of 35 wanted change and for the new opposition party, 'number 7', to win and put the three decade long 'number 4' out of office. Beedie got fully involved in helping to cheer for number 7, getting a hat and all. This attracted a lot of smiles and laughs!
Unfortunately, Cambodia experiences a lot of corruption and after 'number 4' remained in power on Sunday we heard their was a lot of violence in Phnom Penh at anger of rigged elections.
Whilst in Phnom Penh we met a lovely couple and ended up on another fun night out with a bunch of people, including ex-pats and local Tuc Tuc drivers! It was hilarious driving to the club crammed into various in Tuc Tuc's and high fiving along the way. We were entertained by yet another cheesy Asian club and some of the funniest male dancing we have ever seen. This involved five young guys dancing in their boxers and half stripping like only you would imagine on a film like Borat.
We said goodbye to Phnom Penh and set off for a 9 hour bus journey through the beautiful landscape of Cambodia to Siem Reap. Outside of the city nearly all the houses are on stilts to protect against the monsoon.
Siem reap is an old French town and really stunning. Full of tourists, the city, it is another place which clearly has wealth in it. We have been enjoying massages for $4 and even had our feet nibbled by fish! I screamed and had to get a pep talk from the lady to put my feet in. I am not sure I enjoyed it, but our feet did feel a little smoother!
Yesterday we visited the beautiful Angkor Watt temple and 8 of the many others which are scattered around this region. They were incredible, despite a few currently undergoing restoration. A lot have gone into disrepair due to being over 1000 years old and too many tourists trampling over them, but unfortunately most were also badly damaged during the civil war. Believing religion should be destroyed, the Khmer Rouge chopped the head off all the Buddhist statues and there are plenty of bullet marks throughout. The Angkor Wat was grand in size, but the temple where Tomb Raider was filmed (!) was our favourite with much more intricate carvings and amazing trees which have wrapped their roots around the walls!
We really are here in full monsoon, and for the last three days it has been so hot in the morning followed by an afternoon of torrential rain.
11am:
1pm
Due to this and our inability to go for too long without structure, we have decided to do some more volunteering and start at a charity school here this afternoon for four days teaching English!
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