Vietnam through to Bangkok

Well I have to apologise now for the lack of recent blog entries... the internet in Cambodia was so ridiculously slow. But now I'm back in Bangkok and have a few hours spare before heading to the airport for my flight to Sydney so it is the perfect opportunity to catch you all up on my antics... sorry for the mammoth entry!

So I left you all with the promise of talking about renting bikes and scuba diving in Hoi An. Our first full day 5 of us rented 3 bikes and drove all the way up the coast to Marble Mountain. The three guys on the tour had all ridden bikes before so were very safe drivers - it was the Vietnamese drivers that I was worried about! Nobody indicates here, drivers just beep their horn to warn people if they are turning. So while we were cruising up next to the coast in the gorgeous sun, a lady started chatting to Ben who was in front. He was trying to explain that he was concentrating on driving but she seemed perfectly happy to have a chat while driving at 60kmh on a busy road! So we pulled over and she offered to take us to her village. Seeing as we didn't have any other plans we thought we'd go with her... turns out her "village" was actually her shop at Marble Mountain. I can't say I was all that surprised! But her methods worked, Ben and Eliza spent quite a lot of money on some of the little marble statues.

The next day we went scuba diving. I was quite nervous (ok I was terrified) but the others were all so excited that it rubbed off on me too. There were 4 of us who had never dived before. We took a boat out to a small island near to Hoi An. There aren't really any words to describe scuba diving. In a horribly cliched way it is kind of like a dream, all sound except your breathing is drowned out and you just float through the most beautiful coral reef. It did take some getting used to at the beginning, breathing through the regulator seemed the most unnatural thing at the beginning. We had to do some tests when we first went under, at around 5m. Luckily we'd been shown what to do if your regulator came out because as we came down James knocked mine straight out of my mouth. But after a minor panic I remembered what to do, and after that everything seemed a lot less scary. Unfortunately everyone here knows about my wonky left arm, and the diving instructor called me Nemo - at 10m underwater everyone started teasing me by doing an impression of me swimming in circles. Now I don't know if you know, but laughing with a regulator in is NOT a good idea!! We spent the afternoon on a beach on the island, had another delicious seafood lunch, the had a nap in a hammock, had a little swim... it was pretty much idyllic! Except I did get stung by a small jellyfish, then to top it all off, as I was going to get a lime wedge to put on the sting I managed to catch my toe in a hammock and fall face first in the sand!! There is no elegant way to fall over in a bikini!! Obviously the guys, being such gentlemen and all, didn't get up to help me but instead reached straight for their cameras!

After Hoi An we took an internal flight to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). After the beautiful, laid back lifestyle in Hoi An, Saigon seemed busy and noisy again. Plus our hotel didn't have a swimming pool, and I had started getting used to staying in nice hotels! We did go to see the Cu Chi Tunnels, however, which were very interesting. At the start we were played a video about the Vietnam War, which was very much propaganda but interesting nonetheless. The tunnels were absolutely tiny, we went through about 15m of tunnel and it was small and dark, I was ready to leave after a couple of seconds. I can't begin to imagine what it must have been like to spend months on end in there. I opted not to fire an AK47 while there, the noise alone had me jumping every few minutes! That evening we were planning to have a big night out, but unfortunately Becky's bag was snatched off her by a couple on a motorbike so she had to head out to the police station to file a report. Luckily she didn't have that many valuables in her bag, just her card. It was the shock that was more upsetting I think.

The following day we took a trip down the Mekong Delta. Sitting on a boat as it ambles down the river, through the floating market, is such a nice experience, it is really relaxing. We stopped off a couple of times, then were taken by smaller boats to lunch. Being on a budget, Hannah, Laura and I had dairy lea and crackers which doesn't sound very interesting but is surprisingly satisfying when lying back in a hammock in the shade. And we managed to have our night out that evening without any thefts this time!

The next day we said goodbye to some of the group, and also to Vietnam as we crossed the border to Cambodia by bus. When we arrived in Phnom Penh later that afternoon we had a city tour by cycle rickshaws. It was terrifying - the drivers here are no less scary than in Vietnam! My driver only knew how to say "Cambodia good", "No problem" and "One, two, three" in English which he repeated over and over for the whole hour!!!

Our first full day in Phnom Penh we spent at the S21 security prison and at the Killing Fields. It was the most difficult day of the whole tour, some of the things we were shown were absolutely horrific. Before this day I didn't know much at all about the Khmer Rouge and the Pol Pot Regime. I spent the whole morning in tears, it was really difficult to see the cells and the torture methods which were used only 30 years ago. At one point I was close to saying I didn't want to see anymore and going home, but I am glad I stuck it out because it was interesting to learn more about it. For anyone that doesn't know much about it, in 1975 the Khmer Rouge came into power in Cambodia. Their aim was to get rid of all educated intellectuals or businessmen, and to have a population made up solely of farmers and workers. In 1970 Cambodia had been the most developed Asian country, but the Khmer Rouge managed to undo it all in just a few years. The Khmer Rouge army was made up of children aged mainly between 14-16 years old, who were considered to be most easily brainwashed. Anyone considered to be a threat to the Regime was taken to one of the security prisons, tortured, kept chained in small cells, and then when more room was needed in the prisons the prisoners would be taken to the Killing Fields and executed and left in a mass grave. Even today there are still pieces of bone and clothing in the ground. Between 1975 and 1979 around 1.7 million people were killed. In 1979 the Vietnamese Army invaded Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge lost power. It was absolutely shocking and horrific, and we all spent the rest of the afternoon hardly talking and trying to come to terms with what we'd seen.

Our next stop was Siem Reap, a short flight from Phnom Penh and also our last new place to visit on the tour. Our hotel was one of the nicest of the trip, with a beautiful pool and even a small gym (I honestly had every intention of using it until I found out that it wasn't air conditioned!!!)

Siem Reap is where Angkor Wat, and various other temples, are located. It is a beautiful place filled with culture and history. Our first day was spent wandering around Angkor Thom, which was stunning. Only it was the hottest day so far and everyone was suffering from dehydration. At the end of the morning I started to feel really ill and almost fainted from the heat. Luckily for Angkor Wat we went at sunrise so avoided the heat of the day. We met at 5.30am (ouch!) and took a bus over to the grounds outside the temple to watch the sun rise over Angkor Wat. Well the sun did rise... but behind a whole bunch of clouds!!! But in spite of having a slightly disappointing sunrise, the temple did not disappoint. It was absolutely stunning, one of the highlights of the trip for sure. If I'd had longer there I would have loved to have seen either sunrise (minus the clouds) or sunset there, it is such a beautiful place.

So one 8 hour bumpy bus ride later, we arrived back in Bangkok for our last night all together. I'm really sad that the tour is over, I've met some really amazing people and have done some incredible things. I've had 4 days in Bangkok since the tour finished, just relaxing really with Hannah and Laura. I have loved every minute of SE Asia and would love to spend longer here. But at the same time I am very excited about the next part of my trip in Australia!