I spent the week after Everest Base Camp visiting a couple of places that I missed in Asia the first time around.
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
For those who don't know, Cambodia has a very sad history. From 1975-79, 2 million people died under the Pol Pot regime. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodia) I read the book First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung (http://www.amazon.com/First-They-Killed-Father-Remembers/dp/0060931388) and watched the movie The Killing Fields (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087553/) before visiting to get a better understanding of what happened.
I visited the Choeung Ek Memorial (the "killing fields"), which is about 16km from city. I rode on the back of a motorbike to get there. We were weaving in and out of traffic. People are crazy drivers - had a couple of close calls with some cows and other motorbikes! About 9,000 bodies were recovered when they excavated this site. There were many mass graves in the area, some of them holding 400 - 500 people. There is a huge glass column memorial in the center that is filled with the skulls that were found.
The next day I went to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S21 Security Prison) . I walked through the cells where the prisoners where held. Some still had the tools they used the torture people inside. There were graphic photos of captured and tortured prisoners. One room was filled with skulls and bones from people who died there. It's so sad and horrible to see what happened to these people...and unbelievable that it all happened only 30 years ago.
I was surprised that Phnom Penh is such a big city. Strangely though, the main currency here is US Dollars. I walked around part of it to see the Central Market, Wat Phnom, and the Tonie Sap river. It was a lovely 35 degrees C - what a change from -15 C just the other day...I got a little burnt, but I didn't care at all...I was loving every minute of the warm sun!!
On my way to Laos next. Travel here is very long and difficult. Since I didn't have much time, I took the fastest way - fly to Siem Reap, Cambodia, then fly to Pakse, Laos, then take a bus to Don Det, Laos.
Don Det, Laos
Don Det is an island in an area in southern Laos called Si Phan Don (Four Thousand Islands). It's a group of islands stretching about 50 km along the Mekong River. To get there I had to take a 3.5 hour bus ride (really just some wooden seats in the back of a truck) from Pakse to Ban Nakasang. Not the most comfortable ride I've ever been on. We stopped at a couple of places on the side of the road where people were selling rice and baby chickens (you could still make out the head and body) on skewers. Appetizing!
Then I took a nice, short 10 minute boat ride to the island. I got a bungalow on the water for $3/night. I set up my hammock, had a Beer Laos, and watched the sunset - Perfect!!
I hired a bicycle for $1 the next day and cycled for about 4 hours around Don Det and Don Khon (the next island south). Saw the Li Phi waterfalls and a "beach" which was just a long stretch of sand but no water to swim in! Went down the the southeast tip of Don Khon where you can see Cambodia just across the river. I tried the popular pumpkin burger for dinner (only $1 USD - love how everything is so cheap here!). I wasn't too sure what the expect, but it was just lightly fried pumpkin on a toasted baguette with cucumbers - actually pretty good.
The next day I did nothing but lay in the hammock and read...and nap. :-) I finally forced myself to get up and do something before dinner. I went for a jog around the island, but since it's so small I had to run around the island 3 times...I think the locals thought I was crazy! :-)
It was the perfect way to end my holidays - so relaxing and peaceful - just what I had hoped for!
Bangkok, Thailand
Since I've already spent so much time in BKK, I only stayed here for a day while I waited for my flight home. I went for a jog in the morning to a park that was close to the hostel I was staying at. Then I went to the huge MBK shopping centre to buy very cheap (and pirated) DVDs, had my favourite Thai dessert - mango and sticky rice, and got a nice massage and haircut for $8!
After a 9 hour flight, I got home around 10:30pm Sunday night. Back to work Monday morning! Guess it's time to start planning my next trip!! :-)
2 comments:
niiiice!
hey, morgan (remember him?), his sis and two friends were in bangkok this week. now they're in koh tao and who knows where else after. (they just began their world tour that will last until their money runs out). it all sounds so idyllic. i definitely need to go around s.e. asia before i head back to the states.
i'm wary about traveling alone, though.
i need an update!
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