Five days in Paradise

The next five days were spent on Koh Rong, a tiny beautiful island just off the south coast of Cambodia. This post is just basically going to rant on about how much I lovevthe island and how everyone should visit it sooner rather than later.

Before I went, I was told that electricity was only on at certain times of the day. Really I should have realised there probably wasn't going to be any ATMs. Obviously I didn't, and I only realised this after I spent all my dollar on rum the first night, oh well.

Anyway this island was unreal. There were only a few bars and hostels and the rest of it was pure beaches and trees. I felt like Leo of The Beach or something. Also no one wore shoes anywhere. People were hula hooping in the sea and just basically chilling all day. I semi thought I was going to leave the island dressed in tie dye with my hair in dreadlocks, but luckily I didn't.

We spent the days literally just chilling on the beaches, swimming in the sea and jumping off the pier. It was the most chilled out place I've ever been. The people working there weren't paid in cash, but in accommodation and food. I was sort of tempted to do the same as I did have time to kill. But as much as I loved the island, 5 days was enough for me. It just didn't seem like real life! We met this one guy named Cookie (I know) and he basically arrived on the island last November and had never left. He was a character that's for sure. 

The hostels we stayed at were like shacks, especially the second one. The girls and I booked into a private room in a hostel on the pier. Half way through the night there was a massive storm. This was fucking terrifying, as it felt like the wooden frame was going to fall into the sea! 

A lot of building work was being carried out along the front, and I reckon in a couple of years to come it could become as developed as the Thai Islands, with more and more people hearing about it. One bar owner there said that people had only been visiting Koh Rong for the past year and a half. It reminded me a bit of Phi Phi Island in Thailand but 100 times smaller. In a few years it could probably be on that similar level, which is a little sad. So I recommend that if you're in SE Asia, you go there now!

I was sad to leave the island, especially when I had more time to kill in Cambodia before my parents arrive in Asia, but any longer there I would probably have turned into a massive hippy. 

After Koh Rong, I made my way up to Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh. Which I don't rate. On this trip, I've yet to feel unsafe travelling alone. But here, I just got bad vibes so my days have really just been spent chilling by the hostel pool.

I visited the Killing Fields on the outskirts of the city. Though they are very emotional, you can't not go if you're in Phnom Penh. It was pretty horrific to discover how recent it all was.

To be honest these last few days in Cambodia have been about trying to waste time! I have basically run out of my tax rebate and my Vietnam visa doesn't start until the 30th August. I'm so looking forward to getting back to HCMC to see my friends, and saying goodbye to the city where I've spent my 2014, but I have really loved my time in beeautiful Cambodia and would definitely recommend visiting Siem Reap and Koh Rong. 

Cambodia Week 1: Siem Reap to Sihanoukville

After the physically and emotionally draining journey from Laos to Cambodia (and a 12 hour sleep) I was ready to explore my first stop, Siem Reap. The city seemed pretty developed in comparison to Laos, and it almost felt like I was getting back to civilisation. I spent the day wondering around the markets, getting a massage and managed to get a manicure and pedicure for $5 - the cheapest I've found in SE Asia! My first day was pretty chilled as I was still completely knackered. 

The second day I booked myself into a hostel, where I made friends with some Tunisian medical students (my first ever Tunisian friends?!) and decided to tag along with them to visit a floating village. When travelling alone you just have to put yourself out there, otherwise you could go days without doing anything with anyone! Rarely will someone say no you can't come, well, unless they're weird, or you're weird. 

The floating village was pretty surreal and really really sweaty. My Tunisian mates kept forgetting I was English, so there was a little language barrier but they were really sweet. It's good to meet people you wouldn't normally speak to and I think they liked practising their English with me. After this we went to a temple... my first of many in Siem Reap.

That night I split from my new Tunisian mates and went out for dinner with an English girl from my hostel and friends she had made in Thailand. It turned out that her friends would be who I'd do most of my travelling with in Cambodia!

I moved to a hostel with a pool the next day, and then had a night out with people from my dorm. I woke up hanging but also with a free t-shirt which made my state more worthwhile. I can't seem to handle hangovers like I could when I was 18, so the next night I had a night in only to be woken up by the girl next to me shagging and vomming at 3am. Living the hostel dream. 

The most cultural day probably of all my travelling was spent at the Angkor Wat Temples. I rented a pushbike for a dollar instead of a tuk tuk. Some boy (who was a bit weird) wanted to share one with me, but that would mean I would have been stuck with him all day around the temples. So I sneakily biked at 7am. Maybe a bit cruel. But the the other joy of travelling solo is that you can do whatever you want.

The temples were unreal! I biked to three different ones, including one that featured in Tomb Raider. I got some pretty cool pictures.

I really enjoyed Siem Reap and it really shared similarities to some European cities, making me feel a little closer to home. However I found Cambodia more expensive than I thought it would be, they charge you in US dollars rather than Cambodian Riel, so really everything is at least $1. 

It was then time to leave Siem Reap to get a 12 hour night bus down to Sihanoukville on the south coast of Cambodia. I mean, I don't mind buses. I've been on a lot. But this one was fucking grim! Trying to sleep when things are crawling over you isn't the one. I also had to share a bed again, but this time with a coughing French man. Wicked. 

I arrived in Sihanoukville at 6am where the worlds heaviest suitcase fitted on a motorbike taxi. This was pretty sketchy, but having had no sleep it seemed like a sensible decision. Turns out the girls I went for dinner with in Siem Reap, Sasha, Anna and Hannah, were staying at the same hostel as me!

That night we had a BBQ on the beach followed by drinks out. Sihanoukville seamed pretty seedy. Full of old western men looking for prozzos. So I didn't rate it, but it was a funny night out.

The girls and I then planned to stay together on Koh Rong, a Cambodian island just to the south of the country. To be honest, we were looking forward to getting out of Sihanoukville ASAP. 

The Big Gayton Reunion!

Just two tiny weeks until I'm reunited with my two favourite people ever! After being away from home for 7 months, it's safe to say it's going to be emotional. Saigon airport better be prepared.

My A-Z of South East Asia

A- Angkor Wat Temples.Visit these if you're in Siem Reap, Cambodia. You can get from a one day to a week pass and visit at sunrise or sunset too. If you are alright in the heat, you could spend all day wondering around each temple - including one that was featured in Tomb Raider! But be warned: it's sweaty. Take a flannel/fan and if like me you cycled there, take a spare set of clothes.

B- Bum guns. Asia hasn't gotten to grips yet with toilet roll down the toilet, so be prepared for the bum gun. People either love or hate them. I think they're actually alright. 

C- Custom-made clothes. If you're ever in Hoi An, Vietnam, be sure to get some custom made clothes. You can go in one day, pick out what you want, they measure you and it's ready to pick up the next day. So cheap too! 

D- Dorms. If you want to meet more people on your travels, stay in dorms. I've stayed in some wicked ones and some not so wicked ones. Though, if getting a full 8 hour sleep is your top priority check into a private room. The other day I woke up at 3am to a girl shagging in the bed opposite me. I then woke up at 6am to the sound of her vomming down the side of her bed. Nice. 

E- Egg and rice. Perfectly normal to eat this for breakfast. My old housemate Rach and I started to get cravings for it. Bit weird but so great.

F- Free/fake clothes. I love a free t-shirt, even if this means spending money on loads of drinks. Also fake clothes are great in Asia too. Ben Tanh Market in Saigon do good Converse, Cath Kidson and North Face things. 

G- 'Gap Yah'. Prepare for the same questions - 'how long have you been travelling?', 'where have you been?' etc. etc.

H- Hangovers. In this heat, they're horrific. Get a room with air con or a fan at least.

I- Immodium. No explanation needed.

J- Jokes. If you travel on your own it means that whenever you find something funny, you'll be laughing on your own. You could sometimes look a bit weird. 

K- Ko Phangan. The funnest place ever! Try and go for full moon. But if your trip can't coincide with that, there are half moon and black moon parties too. They stretch it out a bit.

L- Loneliness. Travelling alone can mean airports or bus stations can feel a bit lonely. It's completely normal and is good as it will build your confidence in starting up conversations with anyone.

M- Mud baths. Go get muddy in Nha Trang, Vietnam. It's so much fun.

N- Names. You'll never remember everyone's names you meet travelling, but try to just to avoid the  embarrassment. I called someone Sarah the other day. Her name was definitely Emily.

O- Organisation. There's no need to be overly obsessive with this, just always make sure before you move places you have the valuables (passport).

P- Pho (rice noodle soup). Vietnams most popular food. Breakfast, lunch or tea, it's always pho time.

Q- Quiet. If you want a bit of peace and quiet for a night or two, book yourself into a private room. Often they're the same price or even cheaper than dorms. I'm currently staying in one for $5 a night. Bargain. Though I'm pretty sure it's part hostel, part brothel.

R- Rehydration salts. Always good to have in your case. Being ill abroad is literally the worst thing ever and I swear by these.

S- Sleeper buses. The cheapest way to get from city to city or even country to country. It would appear that I can't get enough of buses! Watch out for those bed bugs though.

T- Tubing. When in Vang Vieng, Laos do it! My friend and I were so unlucky with the weather and it was cancelled. Canoeing was a pretty sweet substitute though.

U- Umbrellas. Always handy if you're travelling in monsoon season. The amount of times I've arrived to places looking like I'd take a fully clothed shower is ridiculous.

V- Very boring waits. Airports, bus stations, hostel receptions- be prepared for long long waits. Bring a book or make a friend. 

W- Waterfalls. Visit the waterfalls in Luang Prabang, Laos, they're beautiful!

X- Kissing. In a lot of places in South East Asia it's disrespectful to have PDA's, so maybe save your kissing for somewhere a bit more private. 

Y- Yes. Say yes to things that you wouldn't normally do! You only live once. Be adventurous. 

Z- zzz. Napping is my favourite hobby. The heat can make you so sleepy, so treat yourself, have a nap. 

Laos > Cambodia - My 10 part journey

Jesus Christ. This emotional journey needs a whole post of its own. Maybe I should have taken a look at a map before deciding to head straight from Vang Vieng, Laos to Siem Reap, Cambodia without any stops. But obviously that would have been the more sensible decision.

So I said my goodbyes at 13.00 on the Monday and arrived into Siem Reap at 22.00 on the Tuesday. The journey went something a little like this...

Part 1: I took my first bus from Vang Vieng to Vientiane. It took around 5 hours and was pretty lonely. Even though I've travelled before on my own and I don't have any issues with it, doing this after travelling with someone 24/7 can take some adjusting to. 

Part 2: Arrived in Vientiane to catch my next sleeper bus to Pakse. I got on expecting to see a single bed. No. It was a very small double bed to share with a stranger (see picture). I was hoping so badly I wasn't going to be lying next to a smelly man, or a weirdo. Or worse... a smelly weirdo. Luckily I was paired up with another English girl and we ended up talking for hours and telling each other our life stories, though we didn't actually find out each others names! This journey took until the early morning. 

Part 3: Got off this bus to then be herded into a mini bus, where it was just me and the two Lao drivers. For about a good hour, I was convinced I was being taken somewhere to be sold. Luckily, the mini bus then picked up a few more travellers which made me feel tons better and that I wasn't going to be sold. This mini bus then dropped us off in literally the middle of nowhere in some little bus shack. By this time, I was sleep deprived, had run out of snacks and was in need of a toilet that was something more than a piss ridden hole in the ground. 

Part 4: Got on a different mini bus to be taken across the Laos/Cambodia border. This all went smoothly though it took about 2 hours. By this time I had listened to all my iPod songs around 3 times each.

Part 5: Got on a coach the other side of the border. This bus had no air conditioning and I was sat next to the worlds smelliest man. I know I probably wasn't smelling or looking too fresh either, but genuinely he smelt a mixture of cheese, egg and wee. Fantastic. To make things more exciting, the roads we were going down weren't really roads, more like a tracks. So inevitably, everyone had to get off the bus and walk one mile to give the coach more of a chance of getting over the pot holes. I got pretty sunburnt. 

Part 6: We were then allowed back on the bus.

Part 7: Dropped off in some random town to pick up a ferry to cross a river we had just crossed on a bridge. Seriously. Also at this point I was seriously in need of some snacks/water/toilet.

Part 8: Thought by now I could potentially be on the home straight. Yeahhhhh. No. I was told that I could pay $20 and take a 'new road' which would take around 6 hours, or not pay any extra and take the old road which would be another 15 hours...At this point I'd been travelling for around 26 hours. I gave the man his money.

Part 9: Arrived at Siem Reap bus station at 21.30, which was on the outskirts of the city. Found a place to get a snickers and a bottle of water. I then got a tuk tuk to my hostel. The tuk tuk man was pretty sweet and was trying to take me on a mini tour. All I wanted to do was starfish my bed. 

Part 10: Feeling and looking fresh I arrived at 'Home Sweet Home' hostel as one tired, emotional, hungry and thirsty woman. 

33 hours...I made it! Moral of this story: never take a bus journey without looking at a map first.

Laos: Naked Asian grannies and breaking down in the middle of nowhere

Like I said in a previous post, in July I was one lucky lady and received a big fat tax rebate which enabled me to make the pretty easy decision to finish work and go travelling. So my August plan was now to visit Laos and Cambodia before heading back to Saigon to meet my parents in early September. 

My first stop was Vientiane in Laos, where I met up with Lance who I had met whilst travelling Thailand with Breege. Deciding to travel Laos together after knowing each other for approximately four days could probably be seen as a bit weird (stranger danger). But travelling around you soon realise how easy going everyone is, so planning something with someone you've known only a couple of days doesn't seem too much of a big deal. 

We spent a couple of nights and one full day in Vientiane, and to be honest we soon realised there wasn't much going on there. For that day we rented a motorbike and had a wonder round. We saw some cool temples, which I'm now realising my whole camera is just going to be full of similar cool looking temples. For me, I think once you've see one...you've seen them all. 

Our next place to visit was Vang Vieng - the home of tubing. We took the sketchiest bus ride (with a semi-hangover) up a load of mountains and along the bumpiest roads. We were pretty excited to get here and booked on for some tubing. However, being rainy season the rivers were high and tubing kept being cancelled, which was gutting. We spent the rest of our time here visiting waterfalls and the blue lagoon. 

As we kept being told tubing was cancelled, we decided to head 8 hours north to Luang Prabang, along with some dreadlocked guy who we named Graeme. We arrived and in the town after another sketchy bus ride up some more mountains, but the views were unreal! Laos seems pretty rural compared to the other places I've been in Asia, and it's definitely one of the prettiest too. 

The first night in Luang Prabang we went out for a meal, which turned out to be fucking weird. I took a quick trip for a wee, and came out to a naked Asian granny in a towel screaming something at me in Lao! She was fuming that I'd forgotten to put the toilet toll in the bin rather than down the hole (bloody Asia) and was trying to make me fish it out. It was a weird experience and would have made for a great snapchat. 

Of course this same restaurant also gave both Lance and I a bit of a funny stomach. It's safe to say within the first week we crossed way too many friendship barriers and had way way too much poo talk. 

In Luang Prabang, we decided to climb some hill to see the sunset, which was apparently called Pussy Mountain... But anyway we climbed it to find the sunset behind a bunch of clouds, though it was still an amazing view. I also made mates with a cat. 

Our last day here we went to some beeautiful waterfalls. We had a swim in the water, but whatever nipping creatures that were in there made sure this was just a quick one.

Instead of carrying more north, as we were told there wasn't much more there, we went back down to Vang Vieng to have another shot at tubing. Again it was cancelled, so we decided to do caving and canoeing instead. We both thought caving was something to do with having a nice, chilled swim in some caves. Oh my god no it wasn't. It was a muddy trek through the jungle to some caves. Wearing flip flops, having had no breakfast and feeling the effects of the 8 rum and cokes I'd had the night before, it's safe to say this was no hangover cure for me.

The canoeing on the other hand so was and it was a lot of fun! We stopped off at a bar along the way and the views we had were amazing. It looked a bit like Jurassic park.

The next day we hired a bike which broke down in the middle of nowhere in the monsoon. Luckily a
near by petrol station took pity on us and helped us contact the motorbike people. They were bloody cute and couldn't get over how hairy and blonde mine and Lances arms were. 

My last day in Laos we hired a buggy for a couple of hours. We explored some roads we hadn't been down and then basically spent 40 minutes getting muddy and doing shit loads of donuts.

It was then time to go our separate ways, as I was heading down to Siem Reap in Cambodia (33 lonng hours - see next post) and Lance was heading to Bangkok to fly back to the UK. 

The best thing about travelling is that you meet people who you may never probably see or speak to on a daily basis. But the problem with this, and also with living abroad, is that you have so many goodbyes to do. I've had way too many in the past couple of months. It's rubbish. However, I reckon with these people you meet, at some point in time your paths will always cross again.