Phnom Penh & Siem Reap (Cambodia) to Ko Chang Island (Thailand)

In Cambodia was quite fast for my trip but quite slow for internet therefore I didn't take the time to write here. The Mekong Delta overnight trip was a challenge but it was all worth it. A challenge because I had my luggage to transport from bus to boat, then boat to bus, then bus to boat to another boat to another and the story could go on and on. Actually one boat I had to go on I really wasn't sure how I'd do it with my luggage meaning that I had my backpack plus additional luggage and the small wooden plank was less than 1 foot wide and I had to cross it. I first did it with my backpack and then thought I'd have to go back for my luggage but a crew member just took two big luggages on each side (to balance it out) and went carried them successfully on. I think we all were seeing a disaster ahead. The overnight on the boat was just awesome for me who likes boats, slept part of my night on a hamac outside then it got a little chilly so I went to the bed (dorm beds). Everything was wonderful on that boat. In the morning we were crossing the Vietnam Cambodia border by boat which took not too long (maybe 2 hours to check everyone). The delta is wider on the Cambodian side and it is cleaner. Children waving at the boat, children washing the buffalos in the mekong, it really is very friendly in Cambodia. After the boat it was another bus to Phnom Penh the capitol. The roads in are bad here and there are more cars than in Vietnam. Curiously, the country is one of the poorest in south-east Asia but I saw riches that would make Vietnam jealous. There is a big gap between the population in Cambodia. It is a Kingdom here therefore most riches are with the king compared to communist Vietnam which seems to be more equal (compared to Cambodia). In Phnom Penh I visited the red light district (inadvertantly of course) where a ladyboy took me by the arm saying something quite joyfully to his/her friends. It honestly looked a bit like a shopping mall with the prostitutes lined up. The worst was when I saw 2 young girsl (maybe 8 and 10) dirty and with A LOT of makeup on. I didn't see anybody go towards her but I have my idea as to how they are used. That was at night where the streets change from nice to heartbreaking. In the day you see the royal palace where everything is grande and at night you see women with children sleeping on the ground. You also see many monks and beautiful temples and then you visit the S-21 (prison from Khmer Rouge regime) with the rooms where detention, torture and interrogation took place, then you go on to the killing fields where you see thousands of skulls of Kampuchean's killed after the torture and interrogation. Many contrasts here in Cambodia.

After Phnom Penh I took a bus to Siem Reap where there are many more tourists and where I saw the glorious Wats including Angkor Wat. That is once again a beautiful site for the eyes! Probably one of the beautiful wonders of the world. A whole day of visiting ancient temples that were used during the angorian times. They were also discovered because they had been hidden by the forest who had taken over of these temples. We visited from sunrise to sunset and we still haven't seen all of it but I'm still satisfied with what I got to see. Angkor Wat, Thom City, Elephant Terrace, small temples which I can't remember their names, Bayon (where there are close to 1000 sculptures of the face of bouddha) and one temple which was really taken over by the forest. Through this is the jungle therefore I got to see monkeys that go around freely and working elephants that take people up the mountain to see the sunset. I didn't want to take an elephant therefore I walked up the mountain where there was no beautiful sunset, I at least was able to capture a mini sunrise so not all is lost. There I was thinking I had only seen beauty in Siem Reap... mistake to think that. Although there is less poverty in the tourist area I still had a woman with her baby begging for milk. I was thinking of being strong and just going my way without looking back but then I went to the ATM and saw her from the window and I literally had to hold back big tears. There I was confronted to my own thoughts so I just went ahead and bought her some milk formula and she seemed very grateful about it. It got me thinking a lot. I won't go on and on about how it has changed me but this trip has changed many of my views.

I'll skip the part about my awful crossing from Cambodia to Thailand. I had the impression that it would never end. Now I'm in Ko Chang, a island in the south of Thailand. It's very peaceful and I have my own littel hut. This afternoon I'm going in the inner island to see the rainforest and jungle on an elephant. They are rescued working elephants which cannot be sent back to the jungle because they don't know how to live in the wild. We can ride and bathe them.