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

Barbershops of the world, part 17

"Ben, it's a clean shave! Ben, can you hear me? It's a clean shave!"

The rising panic in Debs' voice almost made me abort the mission, but that's against the rules, which prohibit me from interfering with my chosen barber's methods once he's started, whether or not he's making a balls of things.

So I just had to sit there and try really hard not to laugh, in case it resulted in a neck injury of some description. Two firsts for this cut:

• First trim in a completely outdoor barber shop
• First trim using only a manual set of clippers

In Debs' defence, it does look like a very close shave from this angle, but the end result was deemed satisfactory by all. Artistic commendations to Debs as well on this, the best cut shot of the series so far.

Cost $2
Cut quality 7/10
Fear factor 1/10 (not that the barber was scary, but there was always the possibility of a traffic accident on road behind me)

There are still quite a few uneven bits on my chin, and the sideburn fading is pretty crude, so the marks go down, but bonus points are added back on for location and tool usage. Also, a monk was watching from the window of what I guess was a monastery. Probably jealous of someone who actually has hair.

I would also like to take this opportunity to apologise to the barbers of Vietnam for not availing myself of their services. In the 7 days we spent there, I spotted several excellent-looking "Hot Toc" shops, but the timing was never right to go in. I'm carefully pacing my trims right now so I can get maximum benefit out of what will probably be the most expensive shave of the year in Tokyo! Do they have robot barbers there?

Ben