The good news: I completed the jog circuit in 36 minutes this morning.
The bad news: I had over $200USD in 6 different currencies, which is now missing.

Gutted, fuming and unemployed. Well, at least Raw is paying half my room rent, and i've discovered buses. So expenses are heading South, and stupidity (hopefully) at it's Zenith.
- posted by Daniel @ Friday, May 28, 2004 0 comments

 
Ordering Dim Sum today was troublesome. The woman spoke worse English than my Chinese, and refused to point or handsign anything. She wouldn't even make chicken or cow noises to indicate content. Eventually I settled for 2 of this and 1 of that. Still not sure what they were. After paying, I spotted the Sushi counter. The mistake that was Dim Sum will not be made again.
- posted by Daniel @ Thursday, May 27, 2004 0 comments

 
Clan Todd and Raw have flown to Langkawi for the week. In the few days that they were here, my observations (all offensive):
1. Delphine has no idea what Raw and I look like.
2. Andrew is a hypochondriac hygiene freak.
3. Andrew would rather be hang around his brother and his brother's girlfriend than Raw and me - surely bad sign for us.
4. Todd is chunky.

It's good to be back in KL. I missed Naan bread, Gimme Shelter, AirCon & the ThinkPad.
My achievement today was making it into work entirely by public transport. This provided me with the time needed to sort out the better photos from my trip across Cambodia, so here goes.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)




Cao Dai Temple



Chu Chi Tunnels, where the Viet Cong lived for 10 years, whilst they fought the Evil Imperial Invaders.




Raw aka BossMan aka Rory aka Ruaraidh in the war room


I travelled from Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) to Phnom Phenh (Cambodia) by taking a boat up the Mekong River.






The Killing Fields just outside Phnom Phenh, where the Kampuchean Democrats (Khmer Rouge) executed a few thousand people, and buried them in mass graves.



In Cambodia, you can shoot guns. I could not resist.



Back to the city, Phnom Phenh. Pol Pot's men converted this school into a detention centre.



Meanwhile King Sihanouk was living it up


The streets of Cambodia's Capital



Here are a few of my favourite pictures from Angkor. Last year I went to India to see the world's most famous Muslim monument, and this year I visit the world's most famous Hindu monument in Cambodia.








Now, Bangkok. After leaving the pub, we found the local alternative to kebabs.



And end with a picture of 2 grown men beating the hell out of each other.

- posted by Daniel @ Monday, May 24, 2004 0 comments

 
Clan Todd is in town, and they have checked into the oh-so-posh Shangri-La hotel next to the Petronas towers. This means I get to pull into their hotel, fire up the laptop, update my blog using WiFi by the pool, and then go for a swim.

The other good news is that Raw has washed his ever so smelly washing, and thus my room smells that little but less.
- posted by Daniel @ Saturday, May 22, 2004 0 comments

 
Thai boxing became boring after a couple of bouts. We left and headed for town and beer. After several of these, a man with a stall outside the bar offered us fried bugs. Frogs, maggots, locusts, cockroaches and various other nameless bugs were sampled. Cockroach was particularly disgusting and unchewably tough.
The following event could be the effect of drink, bugs or even the anti malarial Larium. Being too tight fisted to pay for a hotel room in Bangkok, I spent the two nights sleeping on the floor of BossMan and Ben's hotel room. On the second night, I woke up in a blind panic from a bad dream, which involved me being kidnapped and robbed. Thinking fast, I jumped up, and ran towards the door, and belted it down the corridor seeking an exit from my captivity. At this point, I was completely convinced that the situation was dire. Catching sight of the fire exit, and feeling lucky to do so, I headed down the stairs as fast as I could and tried to force open the exit door at the bottom. My distress was heightened as I could not open the door. I headed up to the first floor, and jumped out of the window, shimmying down the drainpipe. Free at last. It was at this point that I realised I was wearing nothing but boxer shorts. I had to figure out where I was, and how the hell to get back to safety. I started walking down the street, looking at the cars, and thinking that since they were all right hand drive, this had to be Thailand (Vietnam & Cambodia are left hand drive). Next - what city? I started asking people on the street. Getting a bad response (due to my bad Thai, their bad English, and my lack of clothing), I figured the only option I had now was the Police. Asking simply for police took me to the main road, which had a (thankfully) empty traffic police booth. I found out the time, 4am. Panic. In a city, possibly miles from Bangkok with no money and no way of knowing how to get around. And no police. Clearly, I was going to have to wait until dawn before police were around, and in the meantime I wanted to know how far I was from Bangkok. So I started asking people "Bangkok? Bangkok how far?" This received, as before, a poor response, until one hawker stall guy looked up and said to me "Ah - Bangkok City Inn! - there, there!" pointing down the road. My luck was in, as the hotel we were staying at was called The Bangkok City Inn, and my nightmare was starting to wear off. As I walked back towards the hotel, it gradually became clear that there had been no kidnapping or robbery, merely sleepwalking. After reaching the hotel, I got scared that they would not let a guy just wander in wearing a pair of boxer shorts at 4am knowing that i did not actually stay there. Making a sarong out of the blanket that I had been carrying around, I marched in confidently and took the lift up to the third floor, where the door to our room was still open. Woke up Ben and BossMan to tell them the story, with my feet still wet from wandering the streets of Bangkok barefoot.
- posted by Daniel @ Friday, May 21, 2004 0 comments

 
Quote:

"We can say with absolute certainty, that he probably didn't pay for it." Ben with reference to BossMan.


TukTuk drivers are fast. Not like motorbike fast, but just fast. There were 7 of us yesterday, and we got 2 TukTuks. Hooning around a blissfully traffic free Bangkok at midnight they recreated a scene from Ben-Hur, with 4 of us leaning in the opposite direction of the turns, trying desperately to keep the thing from turtling. Lives, as always, were at stake.

Today we go to see a Thai boxing match, and then tomorrow fly back to home sweet home.


- posted by Daniel @ Wednesday, May 19, 2004 0 comments

 
after typing for 20minutes, and some funny stuff too i might add, IE just crashed on me. VERY ANGRY.

it went a little like this:

got the bus from phnom phenh to bangkok today.

yesterday: was at the hotel sharing some beers with another traveller and the hotel workers. conversation reads with 'us' (travellers) and them (one of the hotel workers).
them: "japan is a nice place"
us: "so you've been to japan?"
them: "no, but i made boom-boom with a girl from japan once."

continuing on the same note, on the bus today, i overheard a conversation with a mother and early teen daughter:
daughter: "but mom, didn't you believe in monogamous relationships?"
mother: "dear, it was the sixties, everyone was sleeping around"
daughter mumbles something incoherent.
mother: "i dont think that you should go asking dad about his premarital sexual relations."

upon arriving at Bangkok, i jumped onto the back of a motorbike and headed across the city, looking for BossMan. In twenty terrifying minutes, the motorbike driver, with actions rather than words, assured me that he in no way feared reincarnation. Alton Towers is nothing.

Right, it's 8.30pm, so i better go look for a place to spend the night.



- posted by Daniel @ Tuesday, May 18, 2004 0 comments

 
random stories of cambodia:

a dude claiming to be a policeman started talking to me in one of the temples yesterday, and then offered me his police badge and his ID card for $1. the deal had negligable appeal to me. he then starting complaining about having no money - i walked off.

after drunkeness a couple of days ago, i started the 15 minute walk in the dark back to the hotel at 2am. a moto driver pulled up to me, and offered to drive me home for $1. After haggling him down to 35cents, i jumped on the back of his bike. Promptly, he turned into a pimp, offering me the services of girls. After telling him NO NO NO, he finally said OK, and started driving back to the hotel. About 20seconds later, a fault entirely associated with my inebriation, I decided that he was going the wrong way, and still taking me for either girls or round the corner to relieve me of my passport and dollars. Slamming my feet on the ground, i shouted, NO GIRLS NO GIRLS NO GIRLS, and tried to slow the bike down so that i could jump off. No luck. After dragging my shoes for 50m, he managed to convince me that the deal hadn't changed, and he was taking me back to the hotel. Fear subsided, and I clambered over the closed gates of hotel only to find they were unlocked anyway.


- posted by Daniel @ Monday, May 17, 2004 0 comments

 
There were many more temples to see today as I blitzed about Angkor on a moped. It's a scorcher out here - it stays in the 30's for a good part of the day, and there seems to be little cloud cover.
The nightlife in Siem Reap is surprisingly good - there are a few decent bars to hang out in as the backpacker community flows through this city.
Here is something i forgot to mention about Vietnam - crossing the roads. The traffic is intense and unrelenting. Nobody stops for lights, and both sides of the road are used to drive on. In theory, a dangerous proposition. However, the solution is to merely to walk into the traffic, and maintain a constant velocity, despite the apparent danger. The cars and bikes will swerve to avoid you, and life continues. Amazing once you see it in action.
As a tourist in either Cambodia or Vietnam you will be blighted with annoying salesman. Anywhere you go, anytime, annoying voices will be heard "Siiiiir, excuse meeeeee siiiiir, you buy cold drink, you buy T-shirt, you buy book?". It riles me.


- posted by Daniel @ Sunday, May 16, 2004 0 comments

 
---To be edited again when I have a better internet connection---3days:

Thursday. Woke up early and went with Don to the killing fields outside Phnom Phenh. A disturbing thing to see first thing in the morning. A big pile of skulls with some of the clothing left behind as well. They were all buried in mass graves, for reasons as plain as being the cousin of an enemy of the state. Men, women, children, the eldery - none were excused, many were tortured and millions died.
Then, being decadent irreverent Westerners, we stopped by a shooting range. I released the anger from an AK-47 into a wall, and took pictures. By far the most exhilirating thing that I have done, but tinitus resulted. The Boss was jealous, as his tour did not let him stop by for similar fun.
After shooting, we headed of to a detention centre in Phnom Penh called S21, were enemies of the state were kept for interrogation during the Khmer Rouge's rule. It is a converted school, and the images inside are too harrowing for me to write about.
Then, onto King Sihanouk's opulent palace. A collection of breathtaking pagodas stuffed with gold buddhas. A country with such a low GDP/capita should be ashamed such vulgarity. One of the Buddhas was 80kg solid gold, studded with diamonds. I always thought that Buddism had 2 types of followers - monks who did not believe in worldly goods, and tried to rid their lives of the materialism, and annoying westerners who figured it was trendy. I don't know which category the king falls into.
The evening began in the Foreign Correspondents Bar. From there, we crawled around a few more bars, but the real highlight of the evening was going to a out of town club which was patronised by locals only. It was modern karaoke style joint which was stuffed full of noveau riche kids. Daddy must know someone in the government to be this wealthy.

On Friday, I took the 6hour bus to Siem Reap. It was a scabby journey, as all bus journeys are, but this will stick in my mind more, for the reason that I had a bad dream. The driver had fallen asleep, and was driving away from the road. The guy sitting behind me said in sarcastic English "at least our driver has managed to keep awake". I then realised it was a dream, but could not wake up. The terror continued for a good few minutes, and I eventually snapped out of it. The people in the next 3 seats behind me were cambodian. wierd. Got a decent hotel for the night, at the bargain rate of $4. which was a big bonus from the flea pit I stayed at in Phnom Penh.
Bought a ticket to see the Angkor complex, and went and saw the sunset on some hill by the temples. Met Raw and his people. Went out drinking with them in the evening.

Saturday.
Saw lots of temples, and I appear to be the only person who is still eager to see more. Words are a poor medium here, pictures will come soon (i've taken 400ish already).
- posted by Daniel @ Saturday, May 15, 2004 0 comments

 
The last couple of days have been spent in Saigon, and then in transit to Phnom Penh. Met up with Raw, who is now known as The Boss by his bunch of merry fellow Gecko travellers. A veritable salad bowl of characters - from spoilt daddy's girl Gap year students, to people just trying to find themselves abroad. We spent Monday wandering around Saigon and seeing the war museums. More enlightening stories about American war crimes. We then went out in Saigon for the night, with 3 Gap year students. Two of them were depressingly immature spoilt unworldly twits, which made the evening an interesting departure from the normal Raw style drunken debaucherous decadence (such as the night of disgrace in Prague)
The next day, I departed for Phnom Penh via Chau Doc, along the Mekong river. A party of about 6 travellers, we took a bus for the South of Vietnam, and then stayed overnight in Chau Doc (border town). It rained, and we lacked scenery. We even had to trudge around in the along the mucky banks of the river for about 10minutes in the rain to get to the boat, and one of the girls managed to slip. Ewww messy. The boat passed by some floating markets, which are dudes on boats selling vegetables. Nothing impressive in an overcast sky.

The next day (today) we took a row boat, then slow boat, then fast boat along the Mekong for about 6 hours in total, until reaching the Cambodian border. However, today was superb - cruising along the Mekong, sleeping on the boat in the baking sun. The 2 day boat trip was a sure winner over the 8 hour bus journey. Bus journey's are scabby, and I have to take 2 more big bus journey's before i get to Bangkok.
One of the travellers in the group is an ethnic Vietnamese American, and consequently gets marriage offers from all the Vietnamese girls we meet on the tour. As these are more pure hearted offers, it is a welcome relief to the kind of offers that the last group of travellers I was with were blighted by.

- posted by Daniel @ Wednesday, May 12, 2004 0 comments

 
I have just completed a day trip to the Cao-Dai Temple and the Chu Chi tunnels. The Cao Dai follow a mixture of Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism and Confuciusism. Talk about putting your eggs across the baskets. They have occupy a walled village about 100km outside Saigon, and we got there in time to witness the daily prayer meeting. Not that exciting, but a few cool buildings and dragons. And dragons are fantastic.

The Chu Chi tunnels are a network (100km) of tunnels built by the people in Chu Chi to fight the American Imperialist invaders. They can go up to 30m underground, and are at points so tiny that only 1 skinny VC guy could crawl through it. Thus fat burger munching imperialists could not give chase down the tunnels, and relied instead on B52 carpet bombing and Agent Orange. Having crawled through merely 30m of the tunnels today, I felt claustrophobic, and I would hate to think what it would be like to live underground for 10 years. They had kitchens, hospitals and military prep rooms, and the kitchens were designed carefully so that the smoke did not escape during the day, and thus they remained largely undetected. The American hatred is still visible here. Our tour guide was particularly bitter, and after seeing the effects of Agent Orange on the people (more tomorrow, when I got to the museums) you can see why. These people went through hell to defend their country whilst living underground eating Tapioca.
- posted by Daniel @ Sunday, May 09, 2004 0 comments

 
Arrived at Hoi Chi Minh City (or Saigon to the rest of us). I have forgotten the name of the hotel Raw is staying at, and my email appears dead right now. Damn. However, got a room sorted for the day, now just going to browse for tours.

The view from the plane into Saigon was fantastic, and I cursed every minute for leaving my camera in the hold. The immigration officer gave me some trouble due to the enormous disparity in my passport photo and my face. At first glance Saigon reminds me of Mumbai, in the way of poverty. However, in Mumbai you don't get hassled every 5 metres by some guy trying to fleece you as a tourist. My patience is being tested....
- posted by Daniel @ Saturday, May 08, 2004 0 comments

 
The debate of the day is origin or sense of belonging. I was talking to some kids of Singaporean ex-patriate workers (their kids are now my age) and some of them feel really lost. I can't understand this. Sure, you get some gyp from a taxi driver when he asks you "how long are you in Singapore for?" and "are you enjoying your holiday" but does it really matter? People have migrating all the time, it's just that Airbus makes it easier these days. Even I got annoying tourists from East London in Thailand asking me if I was a taxi driver.

Why can't people stop worrying about their identity so much. You are a product of the cultures that have influenced you most. If you worry too much about it, you'll end up like these guys. YES, the website is a spoof.


- posted by Daniel @ Thursday, May 06, 2004 0 comments

 
After being on the road from 4am until 7am the next day, I (smelly, tired and hungry) have arrived at KL. The usual trouble with traveling was borne, which included people trying to fleece me at every opportunity, dusty rides on the back of pickup trucks, lunatic minibus drivers, and the dirtiest toilets I have ever seen. A couple of Canadian teenagers I ran into told me the story of how one guy wouldn't let them board the bus until they board RM700 (100 sterling) currency each - claiming that they would not be able to cross the border without it. Lies, of course, but they were stuck, no money, no bus. The bank refused to sell them the money, so they bought the currency from the tout at 15Baht/Ringiit. The bank rate is 9 Baht/Ringiit.

So, finally, the photos...

A view from the pier at Surat Thani:


The Magic Garden on Ko Samui - a serene pond on the top of a hill


Scorpion on the bike track


Buddhist Temple on Ko Samui, surrounded by artificial lake


The floods.


My roommate on Ko Phangan


The inevitable picture of a beach


The unstable bungalows on Ko Phangan


Unlucky jeep


Buddhist thingy


Entertainers at the beach party


Aerial view of Hat Rin from a lighthouse


Sunset at pier


From right to left - Graham, Tim, Bald Bloke, Troy


The Full Moon party is held on Hat Rin and attracts up to 10,000 people during peak season.

- posted by Daniel @ Wednesday, May 05, 2004 0 comments

 
Today is the Full Moon Party on Ko Phangan. Afterwards, I intend to leave this island as quickly as possible, because I am fed up of being surrounded by pretentious Disco Biscuit munching freaks. A section of society, as much as I understand them, have no intention of joining.

The accommodation we managed to find will stick in my mind forever. This guy picks us up from the pier, off the boat, with a promise of cheap accommodation near Hat Rin. His place is called Leela Beach Resort. Cool. We jump into the back of his minivan, and drive up and down some of the toughest terrain I have ever seen. At least twice, I was extremely concerned that the van would turtle. It didn't - we lived. Then we were taken to see the rooms. A trek up a steep hill, with no walkway, whilst we practically jumped from tree to tree up the hill. The stilt supported bungalows on the hill didn't ooze German build quality, and I jested that it could collapse at any moment. As I was walking up the stairs, it did, with perfect comical timing. Despite this, we decided it wasn't really worth looking about for any better, since we could be circling for hours, getting nowhere. The primary concern was getting up the hill, in the dark, drunk. Challenge accepted, and we moved in. In my room was the largest arachnid I have ever seen, except perhaps on TV. Much to my ire, I didn't manage to kill it, and it is now wandering the island seeking vengeance.

Speaking of fights, Tim and Troy have so far only manged to get into 2 incidents here. One with a ladyboy, a broken bottle, a brick and a big stick. The other involving an intoxicated tourist.

We then rented scooters and sped off around the island. Hmm. The dangers of not wearing nothing but a pair of shorts, and doing 110pkh - no helmets on this island. Ko Phangan is much better than Ko Samui i feel. It is more deserted and has more character. Lots of cool hills and roads. A lower intensity of the tourist shops that plagued Ko Samui.
- posted by Daniel @ Monday, May 03, 2004 0 comments