You are now entering the Kingdom of Thailand....

.....and my base for the next month. I have actually booked a flight for Sunday out of Trafford's pad, so I'm emerging from the cocoon, and almost ready for more. First stop: Chiang Mai (flight cheaper than a 10 hour train ride - what would you choose?), then not sure. One step at a time.....

I thought I'd hit up a refresher course on the major tourist sites - so that's now done. I've also hit up the major shopping malls, so that's done. I have a month to ponder purchases. And been to the cinema twice (hmmm. I'm sensing I may have overstayed the third world just a little). And while I have been offered many a ping pong show, I won't be attending and there won't be any photos (therefore) on this website - I can assure you. It was Corey's birthday and Sarah's birthday while I've been in Bangkok, so I did meet up with them again - it was quite fun taking people to Patpong that have never been there before.........

Here at the temple of the Emerald Buddha and Palace complex......

Feeling a bit templed out, I thought it time to show them how it's done....

And at Wat Pho - the temple of the Reclining Buddha..... which looks large here.......

But trust me it's even bigger than you think - this is one big buddha - I think it's like 50m long at least and 14m high. Huge. Note that the black and white half circles are his toes. Gold leaf though. Too big to be solid. I clinked my coins again into the Good Luck buckets along his back and let's all hope that it happens, as I've been shat on enough (literally. First the albatross, then a gecko at Nha Trang station - I was unimpressed).

Now, at this point, I was really temple temple blah blah (oh, the shame, but I have been before and this was pre-Bang-koma) but the others were into it, so I played the game:

...and got this great shot of the Pagodas.....

...the suffocated Buddhas.....

...and inside this temple....

The canal ride home was slightly safer than the public bus ride to the temples, but ever so more odourous. And getting splashed in the face with canal water is not nice - Corey swears he saw a dead cat floating by.... naice!

It was Corey's birthday so I reluctantly agreed to go to the Baiyoke Sky Tower for dinner - I thought it would be bad, and it was. The view was good but the dinner was awful. Under no circumstances go there if you are in Bangkok - you'll be fleeced 800Bht for the privilege, and it's dog food.

The next day I met up with Trafford after a slow start - there was some miscommunication, he thought I'd gone missing as I missed my check-in time to Chez Trafford, but it turned out that Telstra were sending my texts somewhere into the ether, not to his mobile phone. Grrrr.

And the rest is history. 72 hours of uniterrupted wireless internet, movies in my airconditioned bedroom, sleep (yay!) and great food at call. Clean clothes. Internet banking (phew, I've rectified the cash situation). Speaking English with someone who understands enough of my history that I don't have to explain everything about everything when I make a reference or a joke...... I almost feel human. And almost ready to take off again.... but definitely will be checking back into Chez Trafford before too long......

Cambodia...

Cambodia. Land of the American Dollar, the rapidly (over) developing Siem Reap but astounding site of Angkor Wat, some truly startling sights and statistics in relation to prostitution, the most gorgeous kids I've ever seen, the hottest fish curry I've ever eaten, more amputees than I ever thought possible (landmines.... ugh), the most shocking and appalling remnants of the Khmer Rouge's rule, and the most resilient population (courtesy of the Khmer Rouge - I remain in awe of all the over-30's I met who lived through it). Also land of extreme exhaustion - hot and steamy, with the afternoon monsoon a welcome, welcome relief from the heat of the day .

I don't think I realised how overwhelming the whole Cambodian experience was until I emerged from my Bang-koma, and discussed the ins and outs with Trafford (who also keeps mind-f&cking me with comments like "Did you eat dog? Are you sure? It tastes like pork you know." Bastard. I had to eat pork a lot in Vietnam and Cambodia - it's everywhere, in everything.... and I'm normally anti-pork. So yes, I probably chowed down on Fido, unknowingly.).

After getting over the border, it was a long and bumpy ride from the border to Phnom Penh (and contrary to popular belief, the first P is not silent). The hotel I stayed in had massages for $8 per hour - so several were taken - but my lack of Khmer meant I had to use hand signals so they didn't touch the ribs, which they took to mean they should generally avoid my breasts (well, duh) so they still pushed a bit hard where they shouldn't - for $8 it was bearable.

Nothing prepared me for the next morning. I'd read First They Killed My Father and some other books on the Khmer Rouge regime and Pol Pot's reign on my long and bumpy bus rides, but I was still not expecting to see what I saw, especially given all the events took place relatively recently - in my lifetime.

First stop was the S-21 Prison Museum, which was run by Duch, who answered to Pol Pot. 14,000 people died after being kept here and tortured - then taken to the Killing Fields. They found some dead bodies on site after the Vietnamese overthrew the Khmer Rouge - and thus is the basis for the museum. One block consists only of the items that were in the rooms when the prison was found, with a black and white photo on the wall of the body in the state it was found. Truly shocking. The floor was mopped, but there are still bloodstains on the walls.

This random guy turned up - and it turned out he was one of the seven people who were found surviving in the prison. Our guide at the site was just about beside himself with excitement, so we got a first hand tour of the prison, and he showed up his cell (below) and so on..... and his scars, where his fingernails and toenails were pulled out (at which point I had to go and lie down outside with my head between my knees and try not to faint - it was very hot and stuffy, which didn't help).

The trials are underway at the moment in relation to the Khmer Rouge, in conjunction with the UN, so the guy above (he didn't tell us his name) was back to collate some more information as Duch who ran the prison is on trial at the moment. The day before Dutch had testified that he couldn't hear people screaming as they were tortured, so our man above was back to look at measurements and things from what I can gather. He did admit that day that he bled people to death to give blood directly to the Khmer Rouge soldiers..... there was a lot in the Cambodian media (simple as it is) about the trials, and they were live on TV.

Just when I thought it couldn't get more grim, we visited the Choeung Ek killing fields. I took this picture of the memorial stupa (below) on site - before I realised that it was full of 8000 skulls that were dug up at the site. The skulls bear the markings of the cause of death - bullets were too expensive to "waste" so people were clubbed to death, or a hoe was used to cut their heads in half..... There were so many bones that only the large bones were collected when the fields were excavated, so as you wander around the paths, there are hundreds upon thousands of small bones and teeth sticking up through the ground, and hundreds of pieces of clothing that stick up through the ground - only about half the pits have been excavated. Truly shocking. A grim reminder and no doubt left as a warning.... Everyone was pretty speechless for the rest of the day.

I decided to brave it and eat lunch at the local market (shock - street food!) - it was by far and without doubt the best meal I ate in Cambodia, and I think because I could see what went in it, I'm more confident about the hygiene and content than any other meal I ate there!

Several hours later, somewhat recovered but never the same again, we headed into town to check out the palace....

...monks at the palace - from what I can gather religion and state are one and the same....

It was the Queen's Birthday and though she has long passed away, there were fireworks over the river that we accidentally got to see - we happened to choose the right restaurant with a view over the river, before we even knew it was happening. After the events of the day, there was a lot of beer taken that night, which is why the next day........

......I just could not bring myself to eat one of these delicious, deep fried tarantula treats......

.....or one of these delicious crunchy fried and seasoned crickets.....

Where do you get such delicious delicacies, I hear you ask? At the village street market halfway between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap (below), of course!! I have it on wise counsel that the spiders are hairy, crunchy, and taste like something charred off the BBQ. Happy to take their word for it.

Even monks get bored. They are everywhere in Cambodia (and Vietnam and Thailand, but not so much). I'm used to seeing them whip out a mobile now and make a call.....

I stopped at this village to take some photos - no spiders, but great people to take pics of! Also some houses - there's no brick veneer in Cambodia.....

Why brave a 6-odd hour drive through Cambodia from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap? Angkor Wat. (Or Angkor-fucking-Wat as Trafford calls it, having refused point blank to go there with me). It is bizarre, I'll admit. An ancient and awesome sight, not just the namesake but a massive complex of hundreds of temples, and some strange tourist practices - you have to be photographed and have a photo pass to enter (it's like massive and in the middle of nowhere, it's a bit big brother really for it), and the vendors there are strange - I can't put my finger on it, but I now understand his thinking....


Above my head, fuzzy as it is, is my first view of Angkor Wat from the Phnom Bakeng Temple at sunset.....

And a traditional dancer at drinks and dinner in the evening.... don't be fooled. Most of the ladies have man bits. L-O-L-A Lola style. You really can't pick it. Men have been surprised on many an occasion..... the lads were more than a little nervous.....

I dragged my sorry arse out of my comfy bed at 4:20am and risked my life with a crazy tuk-tuk driver for the Sunrise at Angkor Wat, and it was worth it......

Tackling the temple complex is not for the faint hearted. Rule 1: Don't see too much. Rule 2: Rely on a guide to tell you what to see. Rule 3: Don't walk. It's 2-3Km at least between most temples.... a long way in 40 degree heat at 100% humidity..... Rule 4: Don't hire a boring guide. I was ready to commit a homicide by the end of the day, but that may have been the 4:20am start.

First stop - the bridge to the Gate of Angkor Thom:

At Bayon. There are 216 of these faces all over the temple - it's cool! (addit: My hair has gone shit. Dry and crackly, hard water, no hair dryer, multicoloured from dye and the humidity. Too long but not long enough in all places to tie back. And so hot, I have no choice but to. So, it's pigtails. The local lads think I'm about 14. )

Ta Prohm - scene of the movie Tomb Raider (lads were disappointed not to see Ms Jolie anywhere in the vicinity). There's a battle between man and nature here, and nature is well and truly winning.

And lastly - the jewel in the crown. Angkor Wat in the full light of day.

Of course, we timed our arrival with that of the monsoon - it didn't bother this little lad inside the temple though, who splashed his way through every puddle in sight....

Inside the temple of Angkor Wat......

After a day off - well earned after a night at the Angkor What? Bar ($2 cocktails - verrrry dangerous) - a day of more $5 massages and general administration was required, it was time on Monday to head for the Thai border - here's planting the rice the Cambodian way, not far from the Thai border......




Unfortunately unlike the V-Cambodia border, the C-Thailand border was my worst nightmare. Every lame and amputated soul was there, as well as the dirtiest kids I've ever seen, and they were tugging every part of my luggage and not just begging, but literally begging.... once over the border though, it was the oh-so-orderly Thai way, all the way. The difference 100m can make was astounding. Back in the land of the 7-11, Starbucks, gross consumerism..... the list goes on. A shock after days of lean-to's and makeshift signs, and no branded stores.....

In a Bang-koma

Well, I've landed at my mates apartment (sorry "condo") in Bangkok and I write this having emerged from a 48 hour coma to recover from a few weeks in Vietnam and Cambodia... The pile of Starbucks and Au Bon Pain detritus beside me indicates I've been wallowing in blatant consumerism after a tough few weeks. Trafford told me to leave my washing for the "maid" to do in the morning - but I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Everything is putrid. I've never been so dirty - not sure how much of it is psychological from seeing all the prostitution, child labour, dog meat and fried spiders (what a deliciously hairy snack) for sale, and how much is real dirt, but I feel vile. Vile. And have forgotten how to operate said white good after 5 months of not having to operate one....

I also haven't made any plans for the next month - none - so unless I pull my digit out and sort something out, Traff will have a housemate for a month (which is tempting. It's like a 5 star hotel here)..... Although Trafford still enjoys teasing me relentlessly (flippant remarks I make are constantly challenged - it's really quite tiring) and he generally is a narky old bollocks (I can see now why we broke up) and he's looking for a job (aren't we all?) and he is ever so slightly self absorbed (note sarcasm).... I can write this here because I can assure you, he doesn't give a damn, and I've told him all this already. I'm just providing Starbucks at regular intervals and hoping for the best.... it's like sharing quarters with a large, mythical and misunderstood creature. I've just been reeducated on how global warming is a load of shyte (Jesus Calvin, remember the Dick Smith debacle of 2004 - mother of God, this was worse) and my head is so full I've had to put on Titanic to recover.... in spite of all this though, it is a lot of fun. Although in true Trafford style, slightly offbeat, very eccentric and moderately dangerous fun.....

I last left you in Nha Trang, post boat cruise. Nha Trang is a nice beachside place, but has a gritty, sleazy feel that leaves you a little uncomfortable - the boat cruise was fun:

......cruising past islands, fish, great seafood on board, massages on board. But, some fucker robbed me either while I was swimming, or at the bikini wax place after I got back. They were crafty, and as a result 500,000 Dong richer. In all though I've had a charmed trip, so if that's the worst that happens, I can live with that.

In Nha Trang we hit the Sailing Club on Saturday night - a big open air beach party - I can advise that it wasn't anywhere near as good as the Ministry of Sound in Hurghada (I thought I was too old for that sort of thing, but Hurghada proved I definitely wasn't - I think going with a queen however is a clubbing must), but it sure was entertaining. The DJ was American and his ego was far too large for the continent, let alone the club. There were Australians there drunk enough and embarrassing enough for me to pretend to be Swedish. Having been robbed already once for the day, I was more than a little cautious........ but, made it home safely. And even managed to escort (carry actually) a fellow comatose traveller who was more than a little under the weather....

I ditched the group the next day for some Much Needed Kathryn Blood Dragon alone time, and checked out some of the local sites:

In your average buddhist country, ie Vietnam, sites generally means "buddhas" - giant sitting buddha overlooking Nha Trang at Long Son Pagoda.......

And of course, no Pagoda would be complete without a reclining buddha as well....

The Cham Towers were built between the 7th and 12th centuries and used by Hindus for worship, which made a nice Buddhist-break.....

And the walk back to the hotel, sweaty as it was, yielded some nice photos over the Cai River.....

Though I did give in at this point and take a cab from here. Dying of dehydration was probably not a good look.....

I haven't written about the overnight trains yet.... I took one from Ha Noi to Hue, then a
day train which was still in a sleeper cabin from Hoi An to Nha Trang. Both were full of cockroaches, bugs, general rubbish, with snotty tissues being a particular specialty (in these swine flu times, this was causing great upset up and down the carriages). And these were the first class carriages. If you're interested I'll tell you about the toilets. It's not for the wary though - you know it's bad when you choose a squat toilet over a Western toilet, to minimise contact with hard surfaces as much as possible. For some reason unknown to me, it really didn't bother me. I think I was so tired and high on drugs for each trip that I just laid down and made the most of the rest.... books and ipods are on my altar of worship, not buddhas.

As far as books go, by the time I boarded the overnight train from Nha Trang to Saigon, I'd read about 3 Vietnam war books, as well as First They Killed My Father and The Girl in the Picture. I shared a room with Claire one night and the next day she sheepishly asked if I was OK - I'd apparently been fighting a war in my sleep, floating through pools of dead bodies and avoiding land mines. I went back to chick lit for a while after that....

I was surprised that I really, really liked Saigon as much as I did. I know that we're supposed to call it Ho Chi Minh City now, but no one there does, and they don't expect us to either. Breakfast after disembarking was a big bowl of Vietnamese Soup at Pho 2000 - the place of President "I did not have relations with that girl" Clinton's breakfast, and a fact they were obviously very proud of.

Saigon also bought with it some access to Western pleasures - coffee. Real coffee. I could have got in and swam around. I've never enjoyed anything as much as my first real coffee since HK with Sarah Louise.

Wandering around, I was proud to have found the Reunification Palace:

Then that afternoon I was disappointed to discover that this was Reunification Palace:

This building redefines ugly. What on earth were they thinking? (Please don't put me in jail). Fascinating history though - we saw the nerve centre of where the President discussed the strategy of the South Vietnamese efforts during the War, and of course where the tanks rolled in and destroyed the building on the day Saigon fell, and the tanks themselves...

That afternoon I went to the War Remnants Museum - a one-sided of course, but probably fair and accurate, exhibition of the lead up to, the activities during, and the aftermath of the Vietnamese War, and a lot of war toys. It was shocking, and not for the faint hearted. Vets walk in and straight back out, and I can see why. Foetuses affected by agent orange, and hundreds of thousands of pictures tell a shocking story.....

To recover from this, I wandered around downtown Saigon in the early evening until I found the blind massage place. A strange, but enjoyable experience - the blind administering massages - better than begging, and they do a great job.

I thought I'd miss the Mekong Delta in Vietnam, but was really lucky that Mr T-rong made it possible for us.....

It was an early start when we hit the Mekong River after about 4 hours driving out of Saigon.... I was a particular fan of the floating markets.....

...and thought it was as good a time as any to have a go at making rice paper in one of the villages. Kathryn Blood Dragon won't be getting a job as a Vietnamese Rice Paper Maker anytime soon....

We got in some small boats to trip around the smaller islands in the delta, just in time for the monsoon. It was a very wet and dreary bunch that got back into the car to head back to Saigon. I tried to give our driver a lesson in use of the air conditioning thermostat - it was not well recieved. We froze.

I also got to try Vietnamese dead-bird-and-snake wine. Yes, with a dead bird and snakes floating in it. Once was enough.... and then T-rong told me it was Vietnamese Viagra. Ha ha, very funny.


Once thawed, it was time to hit Saigon for our last night in the country. I've seen things, many things in my travels, but nothing prepared me for Westerners that have spent way too long in the oversexed parts of SE Asia. One lad from London and I had a discussion about the appropriateness of him putting one hand down the back of my pants and one hand on my breast when he came over to introduce himself - he couldn't see anything wrong with it, I saw no problem in administering a physical reprimand. I've discussed this with Trafford since my arrival - he agrees that after too long in that environment, the lines become a bit blurry for some. Thereafter, the influx of small children into the pub selling things was also a bit shocking - these kids should have been at home in bed asleep, having been read a nice story, to be ready in time for school in the morning. Unfortunately for most kids in South Vietnam and Cambodia, that is not the case. So between being assaulted by a Westerner who should know better and being saddened by child exploitation, it was time to leave the pub.


The next day it was time to head straight for the Cambodian border - with a stop at the Cu Chi tunnels on the way.....

Cu Chi was one of the largest tunnel complexes created by the Viet Cong in the Vietnam War (well, even before then actually during the French colonised times, and made much larger in the war). They were fascinating - tiny and I can't believe people lived in them, and fought in them, for year....

....and at the shooting range there I got to fire an AK47. I'm terrified of guns - absolutely terrified - but it's basically an unfounded fear, seeing as I've never touched one... and I won't be again. If this pic was taken from the front and you could read my lips, I'd just fired it and was screaming "far......k". There will be absolutely no need for me to do that ever again. The lads of course thought it was hilarious.

What was even scarier was the barking mad American dude who came to use the M16 next to me, on automatic, with about 8000 rounds (are they called rounds??) - Vietnamese safety standards are not up there with Australian ones, and I thought "It'd be just my luck to be here when some nutter goes apeshit with an automatic weapon. Time to leave". It's two weeks later now, and I just have my hearing back.......

I was sad to leave Vietnam. The food was awesome - 10 times better than Vietnamese food in Australia, which I thought was pretty good! And surprisingly clean with regard to food, toilets and general hygiene (with the exception of the trains that we shall not speak of. Thank God for Stilnox).

Borders are borders everywhere - one of my pet hates travelling is border crossings overland. We had to walk a couple of k's to get over the border - and generally it is the land of the beggars, the lame, the lepers and the children to pickpocket you and harass you, especially in the no man's land area, where there are no rules.... I was surprised that the V-Cambodia border was quiet, safe, and had nothing of the sort. But that was not a taste of things to come.......