Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville, Cambodia

HIGHWAY 4 IS OKAY
Surprisingly enough the road from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville (also called Kompong Som) is excellent. The 230km trip took four hours on a very comfortable bus. The guesthouse in Phnom Penh had arranged for us to be picked up from the bus station and taken to another guesthouse on the south side of town near Ochheuteal beach but like many things in Cambodia much of the information got distorted along the way. In Sihanoukville a dapper young man was proudly waiting for us and holding a sign which read "Mr. Ian (me), Mr. Chaim (Glen) and Mr. John (Sara) - Welcome to Sihanoukville from Okay Guesthouse". The guy was nice enough and after a little debate about the cost and how far away it was we each jumped on the back of a motorcycle and followed our host. The Guesthouse was unspectacular but cheap and close to the beach.

Motorbike taxis taking a break to watch the boxing

POVERTY
That evening we sat on the beach and had dinner while the sun set over the Gulf of Kompong Som. It sounds wonderful but we were pestered the whole time by scores of children wanting us to buy chips and snacks or ankle bracelets and the relentless homeless children begging for 'yum-yum' and pleading for the scraps of food left on our plates. At times it's difficult looking past the poverty but for our own sanity we have to ignore it, or pretend to ignore it, and keep to our own agenda. As a kid my parents told us to finish everything on our plates because there are people starving in Africa and it would be wrong to waste good food. Here I am in two minds because when we sit down to eat we've always been aware of people watching and waiting to see if you finish all your food. The starving people aren't in Africa anymore, they're standing beside you and looking into your eyes and rubbing your arm and whimpering - and that is something I'll never get used to.

HE AIN'T HEAVY, HE'S MY BROTHER
The next day was a tough one because Glen was leaving to catch the boat for the border town of Koh Kong. It reminded me of Dahab, Egypt in May 1998 when we parted company, but the circumstances were very different this time. In 1998 I wasn't sure when I would see him again but this time around when I saw him ride off on the back of a motorcycle with his unkempt hair blowing in the wind I knew that we would see each other in New Zealand next month.

BACK THROUGH PHNOM PENH TO KRATI
Sara and I have decided to return to Phnom Penh, a city which we both really like, and then heard further north up the Mekong River to a place called Krati. It's there we plan to spend a few days relaxing in the peace and quiet of small town Cambodia and maybe try and spot the endangered Irrawaddy Dolphins that live in the river. Any further north than Krati is not highly recommended at this stage unless we want to find unexploded mine fields or a Khmer Rouge sleeper cell.

The Royal Palace, Phnom Penh

Spending more time than anticipated in Cambodia has meant that we are spending less time in Thailand, in particular the south and the beaches, but perhaps we'll get another chance yet.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia to Siem Reap - Angkor Wat

After spending one night in Phnom Penh we caught a bus to Siem Reap, near Angkor Wat. The road to Siem Reap was so bad that I am awarding the Gold Medal for the worlds worst road to Cambodia's Highway 6. It took 9 hours to travel just over 200km but the worst part was that myself and Sara got stuck in the back row of the bus with two Korean women. We spent much of the journey out of our seat as the bus made its way over the worst roads I've seen in a long time. On reaching Siem Reap we decided that we would catch the boat back to Phnom Penh three days later, rather than endure that bus ride again.

ANGKOR WAT
Two days in Siem Reap was not enough. Angkor Wat is incredible and its only one of many highlights in the area. Although the weather was not always agreeable we spent the best part of two full days in the Angkor grounds and visited many of the surrounding temples as well. The personal highlight was crawling up to the top of Angkor Wat on hands and knees and making it to the top just before the rain came bucketing down.

The entrance to Angkor Wat

Climbing Angkor Wat

There were too many photo opportunities to document but below are a selection to give an idea of what the grounds look like.

Angkor Wat

Yesterday we returned to Phnom Penh - via boat this time - so that we could visit the Killing Fields, S-21 (the school where the Khymer Rouge tortured their prisoners), and the Royal Palace. With that now done we are about to head south to the beach town of Sihanoukville about three hours away.

Cambodia has been a real eye opener. The temples are stunning, the beggars are relentless and although the weather has been overcast for the best part of two weeks now, today is clear and at last the sun is out. Glen is still with us but by Sunday he needs to be back in Bangkok to catch his flight home. At this stage Sara and I are thinking of staying in Cambodia for a week longer.