Bali or bust

You ever got a quart into a pint-pot? Serious luggage re-arranging required at Singapore airport (you see Emirates let us have 40kg each + hand luggage but now we're in Asia's equivalent of Easyjet and we only get 20kg. Even with buying the extra seat we have to lose 20kg in hand luggage without looking like sherpas).  Then we see our plane is re-timed by nearly 2hrs. Console ourselves with (extortionately priced) G&T.

In spite of late landing our transport is waiting and we soon arrive at Puri Kelapa where we crash.

31st July, Sanur: Ahhhh this is more like it, far from the madding crowds of Cambodia in a peaceful little garden retreat woken (at a civilised hour) by the soft chirping of the sunbirds. Welcome to the Land of the Gods. But today is the beginning of the rest of our lives and as such we must seek employment.

Make an assumption that the dive centres will be on the beach. Doh! A long leisurely walk along the beach (past a praying mantis) eventually bump into a PADI sign and get chatting to a very friendly divemaster who points us inland to where the dive centres actually operate from. We give chase, the hunger in our veins is pumping but it's hot so we amble along (for another very long way before finding a cluster of centres)

First has friendly, enthusiastic DM and a super training pool but a less optimistic owner. Second seems unmanned, 3rd has only Japanese lady, 4th was sympathetic but could offer us nothing, 5th has only a Balinese girl - says they all come back at 5 when they close! Stop for lunch.

There is one place left on our list for this town which is a couple of doors
down from lunch. Here we get a much more enthusiastic welcome. The Owner drops everything to talk to us over coffee. We leave feeling buoyant, being "over 30" is a good thing for intructors here,  the high seaon starts tomorrow, everyone is very busy and we have the right attitude. Except for the Catch-22 situation  - can't get work without a visa and can't get a visa without a job.  But now it doesn't seem as unsurmountable as it did when we were in the UK..

Back at the hotel we arrange our car (ooer, driving ourselves!!) for tomorrow and Amanda re-packs the cases for the next leg of our adventure.

Pedal on Garth

Leisurely start as we don't have to be at Chris's house until 10am and he only lives around the corner.  He has managed to summon one of his mates to come out for the day too.  The ladies (his cleaner Rina and landord's daughter Po) are busying themselves in the kitchen preparing a barbecue for an army to take on the boat while we sup Kmer tea and choose our bicycles.  Lucky me, due to being of small stature I win the one with suspension. An hour late we leave for a hairy bike ride through town to get the boat.  Honestly don't try this at home, you just go for it and hope it's not your turn to die. Another delay as we wait for the all important ice to keep the beer cool for the day.

As we leave the jetty it's Adrians turn to go green - over the side.  Beginning to think we are alergic to cycling. So while he fades into the background the rest of us tuck into the beer and nosh as we chug up the river for the islands formed where the Mekong River meets the Siem Reap.  It seems to take forever until we instruct the gold sequinned capped Captain that the purpose of the day is not simply to be on the river but we actually want to get to the other side for some pedalling around the countryside.  He duly finds a few more gears although he is fighting a very strong current.

We offload the bikes and head off down the road. The solid concrete soon gives way to vey lumpy dirt track (thank you for the supension) and we explore armed only with GPS to bring us back.  All the way we have to wave and say hello to the local children.  And we stop to watch the weavers.  Many of the houses have looms underneath some even with flying shuttles!  They make fine silk cloth and scarves to sell in the markets.   (Possible sideline to supplement the teaching)

We spend a happy couple of hours bumping along before Chris & Andy remember they are meant to be going to a 40th Birthday party tonight so we quickly find a route back to the boat.  Adrian is getting quite tired anyway as he he's running on empty.  

Onward to Bali tomorrow... 

Phnom Penh

Jackhammers (no, not a euphemism for pretty little tropical birds with beautiful singing voices but real life Kangos) start at 08:00. Luckily I'm up and about but Amanda is still in bed. Get the real password from reception and start blogging over breakfast.

Keen to explore, we start at the  Tuol Sleng (genocide) museum, a chilling reminder of the atrocities from the Pol Pot regime. Not our usual choice of museum but Chris said we ought to go to get a feel for the history of Cambodia.

We were going to do the architecture cycle tour but that's only on Saturdays so plan B is to do the (unguided) walking tour, for this we need a tuk-tuk to the National Museum. Actually the architecture is a bit weird - concrete replicas of classic art deco designs but it gets us out and about in areas your normal tourist wouldn't go. Bought some authentic Adidas sunglasses in an authentic Ray-ban pouch for only $3. Saw an Elephant.

Walking back through the park we come across 3 people exercising, 1 person flying a kite, 4 orange clad monks whose faith allows them to cross the busy roads without looking and a group of lads playing soccer (no jumpers for goalposts - they don't use them, they use a stick in a coconut instead).

Tour ended so freshen up, grab a beer, check email and Amanda surfs to find a nice restaurant. Finds 6 in walking distance so off we go. 3 don't exist, 1 serves western food, 1 is too expensive so settle for last-chance-saloon which is perfectly nice - only reservation is that our margaritas, starters and mains all came at the same time. Quel damage.

Mr Chris

Short flight down to Phnom Penh in 70 seater turbo prop plane with only a handful of passengers.  Can now see the full extent of the Tonle Sap Lake stretching out below.  Arrive in rush hour - mayhem!! 

Our bijou guest house (Villa Langka) seems to be on the other side of town in quiet area compared with the manic zones we drove through.  Quick shower before meeting up with Chris Gow, our travel facilitator for the last 5 years.  He takes us to one of his regular haunts for a keg of beer and good local nosh.  Apart from the very loud karaoke style entertainment a fun time was had by all.  By the time we emerged, the pre-planned tuk-tuk had long gone so hop on a handy moto (2-up) for short ride back to bed. 

Leaving Siem Reap

Return from lake trip in time for dinner but before that we stop at a bar advertising $2 mojitos and can't resist. Plonk ourselves at the bar and catch the end of the Hungarian Grand Prix. Have another. Then the heavens opened and everyone sitting outside runs for cover. The barman says this could last an hour or a month so we order dinner. The wind gets up and knocks a tuk-tuk over much to the amusement of the locals.

Rain eases just enough for us to wobble back to the hotel where we crash for the night.

Next morning is a bit tense as I'm up early and Amanda wants a lie-in. I wait for her in the breakfast area trying (yet again) to log on and she is waiting for me to come back so we can breakfast together; we eat seperately.

We (Amanda) packs and we have time for a stroll in the park where I have to take photos of a camp American tourist. In the park is the tree where all the fruit bats roost.

Back to our favourite wi-fi bar to collect emails and get chatting to a nice couple from New Zealand then back to the hotel for our transport to the airport.

Tonle Sap Lake

Slight confusion over pick-up time (at least we were an hour early not an hour late). Tuk-Tuk finally arrives and we head south of Siem Reap to the lake, past some rice paddies and Lotus flower fields. You should look on Google maps for the scale of the lake, it's massive but shallow (4 metres rising to 12 in the wet season). Our guide Pich explains how the lake is fed from the Siem Reap river and it's height is also dependent on the Mekong. It takes about 90 mins to reach the floating village of Chong Kneas currently housing about 1000 families  whose whole life revolves around the lake.

We were hoping to see some birdlife but the water level is too high (their habitat shrinks in the dry season and they become tied to smaller areas). Still there are Brahminy Kites, Storks, Egrets and Herons.

Have to stop at police checkpoint to pay fees and order a little lunch for later - fish I think! Under some of the raft houses are cages for Crocodiles - since the decline of the trade in skins they are now used just for their eggs. Various methods used to trap different fish, saw a boat laden with 2M open ended bamboo tubes for eels,  Lobster-pot type affairs for the Catfish and nets for everything else.

The abundant water Hyacinth are also harvested and dried. This a revived craft and funded progrm to turn the stalks into material for weaving into baskets, bags, hammocks etc. (Amanda is itching to try it) Without harvesting, the lake would soon be overgrown with the stuff and it spplements their income.

Overall, the lake supports over 1M people (some of them Vietnamese) and the work they do feeds the whole of Cambodia. Most are desperately poor but every home is tidy & organised (you have to be living in 20 ft2) many prettily painted & decorated, most have a tv antenna and there is cellphone reception. Some villages even have Catholic churches for the tiny %age of christians.  The school house will be on one float with the playgound on another next door, This village will have the primary shcool and the next, secondary.  

And everyone makes you feel very welcome...

Temples of Cambodia

Until you see them in the flesh you can't begin to contemplate the scale on which they are built. Angkor Wat is absolutely huge, this photo is of the inner temple and every stone is hand carved with a frieze depicting some way of life in the 12th century.

Wandering through all the temples you wonder how you begin to the design.  A maze of corridors, rooms and steps (For a nation not reknowned for long legs who designed these deep treads!!) We saw Takoe Bayung, The Terrace of Elephants, The Royal Palace and then waited amongst hundreds of other people for the sunset at the top of Phnom Baket after our tour of Angkor Wat.

Currently getting slowly sozzled as we make use of the free wi-fi at the Khmer Family resaurant with $0.50 beers...

Land of Khmer

Arrive Siem Reap, Missed first Tuk-Tuk due to excessive form filling at arrivals. Arrive "Shadow of Angkor" Settle in then lunch with beers at 10:00 - can't remember when we last ate. Brave the noonday sun to potter around town where everyone wants to sell you something - this gets tedious after 20mins. Dinner at Shadow, early night in order to be refreshed for tomorrow's cycling round temples.

Bikes duly arrive, few adjustments then off to get temple passes. These are cool as you get your mugshot on them but a bit steep at $20/day although it includes free entry to toilets ("relief" for Amanda as en-route is promptly but uncharacteristically sick) pictured outside the Taphrum temple looking a bit peaky and not like Angelina Jolie at all. Temples amazing but a few too many people for my liking, mostly Korean and Japanese. Sad to see temples in decline due to war and changes in the kings religion although I'm not sure they should be spending the money to recreate parts in new stone.

 

Downtown Singapore

Dubai to Singapore via Columbo. Separated on the plane but discovered seat-to-seat telephone. Possible medical emergency at Columbo as 4 doctors/nurses board to attend to passenger (no undertaker so assume she's ok).

Stash 70% of luggage at Changi airport and arrange for a hotel and a taxi. Room very comfortable but missed dinner (and drinkies) - slept for 11 hours. In need of coffee, order "regular" size only to be delivered 2 pints of steaming Java (note to self "small" would have been fine)

Leisurely stroll through town to find Indonesian embassy (success). On way back through town came across commotion around a sports shop. Told by one bystander that Kobe Bryant (who?) is in the shop - google yields him to be a famous basketball player (LA Lakers) How could we miss a 2m tall black guy in among these petite asians?!!!

Moving out

The last few weeks have been exhausting. What we need is a holiday.......

Thank you to everyone who came to The Calleva for a last drinky-doo and all the messages from those who couldn't make it.

Well this wasn't quite the exit we'd planned. Me, Mrs OCD organised, still clearing out stuff from the house 1/2 hr after we should have left!!  But here we are in Dubai.  We wouldn't have made the flight if it weren't for our fantastic family and friends. Nicola (my wonderful sister) Sally and Chris, (Adrian's wonderful sister & her husband), Daddy (for resigning himself to housing the stuff we failed to throw away - and there is a lot of it) and Neil (lifelong friend) for the first leg of our journey

We made an impression on the Flight staff who on hearing our story upgraded our dessert - hot chocolate pudding and strawberry cheescake on real plates with real cutley served with real champagne :)

Signing off from Dubai airport.

Medication time

My followers should understand the heading. Have stopped charging around
and are relaxing with a drink. Still have heaps to do though - today could
be a long night.

2 days to go

Clearing the house. Nikki came to help and to take some of the weight from Amands's shoulders. Another trip to daddys and another trip to the tip.

Freecycled the bed and some tables (Nikki set this up for us). 

Counting down to the last moment we can use our broadband - will be off-air sometime on Sunday.

Also tomorrow we'll be cycling to the Calleva for our send-off party. See you all there.