Full Circle

I arrived into bangkok late last night after a pretty exhausting 15 hour journey from Cambodia. It is amazing how different i felt this time compared to just a few moths back when i landed here from England not knowing my ass from my elbow. This time is was a peice of cake! I knew where I was going, where I was staying, what to eat and most importantly how to get out of Bangkok as quickly as possible. So i checked out of my guest house and have been idling the day away, waiting till 8pm when i hop back on a bus south to Koh Tao for some much anticipated diving, sun tanning and generally being a beach bum!

Not much blogging in the last 2 weeks cause I had my mom with me and was kept busy pretty much 24/7. i am now back to flying solo, though the last 2 weeks were great!!!

After a couple of days in Saigon we headed on a boat trip to the mekong Delta which was supposedly going to take us luxuriously over the border to Cambodia. I am not sure in Asia knows the defintion of luxury. In hindsight it was a blast but during the couple of days journey it was pretty hellish. My mom made a good point that NOTHING EVER phases her, she can always get put through the grinder and come out with a smile on her face....but she'd HAD IT! And fair enough. We basically got transfered from one boat to another, then a bus ride, then back on a boat, a quick site see (which was ridiculously stupid, one was at a fish farm that boated us to, we got out and looked at fish in a net and had to hop back on the boat and boated back to our boat...seriously!) Our main boat that we slpet on, was pretty grimy. the bathrooms were repulsive, the food was less than respectable AND the sleeping arrangements were pretty gross too. It was dorm style, so we shared aroom with about 15 other people (in bunk beds) and mom and i had top bunks by the doorway to the dining room whcih was all open concept and the lights were on. So all night we were showered in 100's of dead little bugs...it was pure filth!!!!! I dont think either of us got more than a few winks of sleep, and mom was definately not impressed (NOR WAS I!) She was a tropper though, cause evn after waking up feeling dirty and gross and a bit fed up...we still had a killer journey for the day. again we were shuffled from boat to boat to boat, we had to get out and walk across the border to Cambodia (where we ALSO had some technical difficulites with visas...NOT something to muck about with in Vietnm) and then back on a boat and to a bus to Phom Penh! Yowzers!!!! Oh and then the icing on the cake....as soon as we got into the outskirts of Pnom Penh, there was a tropical storm that you had to see to believe! So we had to find our way about to find accomodation in the dark rainy evening! Mom was a TROOPER!

But we got there, and it was great. We spent the next day few days in the sun wandering around and exploring (and enjoying a well deserved spa trip!) Next stop was Siam Reap, where Angkor Wat is. Definately a trip highlight!!! We spent the entire day wandering from temple to temple on the massive grounds of anciet Angkor Wat. What a day!!! It was so unbelievably hot, but we had hired a tuk-tuk that took us to each of the different locations, where we explored at our leisure. AMAZING!!! One place was more beautifull than the next and I sent all my pictures home with mom so I have nothing to upload but i swear i mustve taken about 500 pics over the course of a few days at the temples!

Mom left me in Angkor Wat to make the trip back to Pnom Penh and start her LONG journey home. I spent a few extra days wandering around on my own and enjoying just hanging about in Siam Reap.

Although I unfortunaly didnt get to spend as much time as I would have hoped in Cambodia, I still loved it! The people were beautiful and I actually learned so much about the struggles of the people in their recent history. I learned all about Pol Pot and the Kmer Rouge and what the people had to endure during his reign.....and the craziest part is that it is such recent history. The Khner Rouge stormed and conquered Phnom Penh the day before my brother was born on April 18th 1975. So so many of the people I met lived through the days of the Killing Fields and al the atrocities that went on, and were speaking from first hand experience. It was definatly an eye opener and made me appreicate how damn lucky I am to be born where I was with the life I lead. Vietnam and Cambodia's history is absolutely astonishing and they still manage to thrive and survive what they have been through, they are remarkable people.

Anywho, enough with the heavy stuff.....I am headed to the beach :) In exactly one hr i am jumping on ANOTHER bus and heading south 8 hrs where i hop on ANOTHER boat, but by tomorrow morning I should be kicked back, bikini clad with the sand in my toes!!!! Woot! WOOT! I am headed to Koh Tao, which is supposed to be a scuba divers paradise so i will get some dives in to. Tough work this traveling is....fufufufufufuf!!!!

(for all those NOT in the know, fufufufufufu means hahahahhahaa in japanese:)