Barefoot and Breezy? Try Suited, Booted, and Uptight!

So we already failed at getting back to weekly updates on life away but things have been busy and crazy aaaaaand I have no other excuses.

Anyway. We FINALLY made it out of the beautiful country of Thailand after spending 3 months there. Finishing with a bang, we spent our final week in Phuket sunning ourselves, eating, drinking and partying (a bit too much!). Our flight was at 6am in the morning, and following our recent form of (not) catching flights, we left for the airport at 11.30pm and spent a delightful 6 hours in the airport. 

Our first stop in Cambodia was at Siem Reap, a lively city which is heavily visited by tourists due to the fact it neighbours the sensational temple complex known as Angkor Wat. Being built all the way back in the early 12th century for the Khmer Empire, it was absolutely breathtaking and we spent a very enjoyable morning driving round to the different sites and admiring the structures.

One of the first things to strike us upon arriving in Siem Reap was the steady stream of older Cambodian people passing through the tourist hub 'pub street' begging to tourists for money. Usually, and I am not pleased to say this, but we wouldn't even turn our heads after nearly 7 months travelling. But this was not the same. These were people living directly with the consequences of the devastating genocide that took place under Pol Pot during the 1970s. People suffering from deformities, amputations and disabilities as a direct result from the massacres only 40 years ago now take to the streets in hope of feeding their families. It is beyond me that human beings who have endured a time of their life that is almost unthinkably painful and inhumane then, 40 years later, have to show their scars to ignorant tourists in hope for a few dollars. 

From Siam Reap we headed to Battambang; a city located in the northwest and surrounded by stunning countryside, temples, remains and paddy fields. There was plenty to do - eating delicious local cuisine, trying the 'rice wine' which was at least double the strength of the Sauvignon I drink at home, and of course - ride the 'Bamboo Train'. This was an interesting creation that is traditionally used to transport people, livestock, farming materials and produce up and down the countryside. We climbed aboard and enjoyed the views rolling out before us, and were surprised to feel the train gather enough speed to hit 40kph!! The train journey should have lasted an hour but unfortunately we had to make an emergency turn around due to the BIGGEST thunderstorm arriving out of no where. We spent the entire twenty minutes getting absolutely soaked to the bone, with painful hale stone hitting us in the face and huge claps of thunder roaring around us. Just when I thought it couldn't get worse as I sat huddled up in a ball wearing only shorts and a vest, the train then decided to break down all in about 5 times. Eventually another train caught us up and then pushed us along the tracks until we finally made it back the start point and shelter.

It wasn't long until we were again faced with the reality of destruction caused when a quarter of Cambodian's population was killed under the Khmer Rouge regime. The killing caves were located up a steep mountain and were eerily quiet, with no sound except the steady drip of raindrops and the gentle tapping of our trainers as we made our way down into the darkness. There was no steadying my heartbeat as stared down into the pits where the bodies had been tossed aside after withdrawing horrific torture and eventual murder. A truly haunting and heartbreaking experience. 

We also made a quick stop to the bat caves - I have never seen anything like it in my life! At around 6pm someone noticed the first bats swarming out of the cave into the night ahead and I was rushing around all panicked, like "QUICK!!! We're going to miss them" as I searched around for my camera. I really needn't have
rushed, as for the next hour, an endless swarm of millions of bats fled the huge cave. It felt like an optical illusion and I really couldn't comprehend the sheer quantity of ANY living thing in this way. 

From Battembang we made the treacherous journey down to the south of the country, where we were rewarded with the beautiful city of Kampot. The majority of the accommodation consists of little tree house bungalows which run alongside the banks of the Preak Tuek Chhu River and proved the perfect place to take some out to chill and enjoy the little things in life. And of course - it wouldn't be 'us' travelling if we didn't make a few odd friends along the way.... this time it was Zen Baba, a Philippino guru who has spends most of his life working as a spiritual leader in northern India. You probably get the general idea of the sorts of people we were living amongst... let's just say there was plenty of interpretive dance breaking out whilst we sipped our morning coffees! 

There were sunset boat rides, night's out drinking Captain Jack's home brewed cider, open mic nights, and plenty of good times to be had. And even though about 90% of the tourists in Kampot have found themselves 'accidentally' living there for about 56 years, we were quite happy to say our goodbyes and head to the paradise awaiting amongst the Cambodian Islands. 

More on that on our next blog, which I'll be sure to post in the next few days!!