Reap the whirlwind

...and relax.

Where were we? According to our last post, we were in Phnom Penh. Seems like weeks ago, but apparently it was only 8 days.

Kinda impossible to go into everything we did in detail, so we'll summarise:

• Got in touch with Cambodia's tragic past at S21 (Tuol Sleng - the Khmer Rouge's detention/torture centre) and the Killing Fields at Choeung Ek
• Enjoying watching 16 year old Joe soaking up the fun: his first cocktails, fully enjoying a free beer hour, being pestered by a waitress, becoming a savvy traveller, learning to bargain, crossing the road in Saigon
• Sunrise and sunset at the majestic temples of Angkor
• The 2 Debs having exactly the same food and drink tastes
• Joe's comedy mango-spilling moto-taxi crash in Chau Doc
• Getting up at 4 am about 50% of the time - either for sunrise experiences or hardcore taxi/bus rides
• Dissing the self-important owner of Funky Munky in Siem Reap, who bumped us from our reserved table in favour of some "regulars" - screw you!
• Employing 12 separate modes of transport, including the moto-taxi, remorque, canal boat, etc.
• Joe puking in Poipet (fair enough, it's a shithole)
• No complaints from Joe and Deb, at all - despite several unsatisfactory experiences
• The crazy, crazy waterfights in and around the Khao San Road for Songkran
• 3 countries and 2 border crossings in 10 days

Utterances which quickly became catchphrases:

• Get ready to be sad (Debra, prior to imparting bad news)
• Beer mouth (Ben, explaining why drinking warm beer over ice is less satisfying than drinking cold beer)
• I'm 16! (Joe's shout as he leapt out of the Elephant Bar, Phnom Penh, after his first ever cocktails)
• Communicating with the Vietnamese via the power of mime (Debs was undoubtedly the best at this)
• ST at 8 o'clock (code for pointing out sex tourists to each other)
• "Hreakfrast" (hotel employee in Vinh Long)
• Good, clean feast (Joe longing for some trustworthy food)
• Same same but different (everyone, all over Asia says this - doesn't really make sense unless you've been here)
• I'm out of ammo! (Bangkok, Songkran - HUGE, awesome waterfight)
• I'm totally pumped! (Joe and Debra, all the time)

And two pictures - before and after a Songkran battle. That white crap all over our faces is some sort of chalky stuff. People just wipe it all over you "for luck" I think.


It was too dangerous to take any pictures outside, cos of the immense amounts of water flying around. Just image search "Songkran" and you'll find some.

Goodbye, fellow travellers, you did us proud, and we miss you already.

Ben and Debs