“Travelling is the only thing you buy that makes you richer”

Exploring the world and its beauty opens yours eyes to experiences that were never possible on your doorstep and encounters with people you would not usually cross paths with. It reminds you life is good and there is more than the 9 to 5 grind that so many of us feel trapped in, but at what cost? Yes flights and visas are an expense, however what if I said you can travel and you can get richer? Richer in your mind and richer in the bank…

Talk to me I hear you say; with a working holiday visa you can work hard and play harder. Yes now we are talking.  Working holiday visas are available in several destinations such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada to name a few, to see more visit Jetsetter Jobs. Like myself thousands of other likeminded backpackers head to the land down under to do just that, work and holiday, work some more and travel some more. Too easy aye.

So what makes Australia such a popular choice among backpackers? An all-round adventure is on offer in Australia from red dirt tracks and starry night skies. To white sandy beaches and crystal clear waters that fill you with the urge to splash around and sing “hold me in your arms don’t let me go I want to stay forever… home and away”.

(Fraser Island, Queensland)

I first arrived in Sydney  in January 2014 and landed myself a job via a recruitment agency within my first 2 weeks as an event coordinator for a children’s charity. Sites such as Gum Tree, Seek and Hays Recruitment have a range of temporary and permanent positions for various jobs from admin to call centres to labouring and hospitality. For me, a corporate job suddenly felt a little alien while living in a hostel and I found myself envying fellow backpackers who were playing nightly games of Goon pong (if you haven’t heard of Goon, look it up!) Major fear of missing out occurred.

Wanting to step away from my typical line of work having graduated in event management and spent the previous 2 and half years as an event manager I used contacts from my previous employer to secure a job in a tourist attraction. Absolute bonus of working for a worldwide entertainment company. Unlike most jobs at home where you are contracted, throughout Australia casual contracts are really common. To sum it up, it’s a flexible contract that can work both in your favour as well as the employers’. You have an open number of hours so can work as little or as often as suits you and the employers’ needs. Typically casual contracts pay a higher wage per hour but the employee does not receive holiday or sick pay entitlements.

Around $20 hour (that’s just over £10) to welcome guests into a tourist attraction, no wonder customer service is so great here. Anyone can smile through a hangover at that price. Australia’s minimum wage is one of the best in the world and there are plenty of job opportunities for 18-30 year olds on the working holiday visas.

Sydney is a first stop for many backpackers new to Australia and it truly is amazing. It feels like a smaller London, it even has its own replica of Hyde Park. There is a perfect balance of buzz and calm. The first thing I noticed having moved from London was that I could stroll down the street, no power walking required and no one swearing under their breath at you. Oh and did I mention the beaches? The coastal scenery around this city is stunning. Just have a day at Bondi and you will feel skinny just from watching the Sydney siders jog along the coastal stretch from Bondi to Coogee.

Before I knew it I was half way through my working holiday visa which entitles you to 1 year where you can work for an employer for up to 6 months. Not ready to leave I committed myself to extend my visa for a further year. So how do you go about that? You complete 88 days of regional work.

I moved to a town at the top of WA called Kununurra. Now I don’t expect you to have heard of this place because not even many Australians have. In fact 95% of Western Australians will never visit this town. So why here? Because winter was coming and not even John Snow could have made me choose a cold Sydney winter over a warm winter elsewhere in Australia.

Kununurra has an excellent harvest season and so opportunities for regional work are great here. I signed up with the Job Shop where I went on a waiting list for farm work. They offer regional work for backpackers with a range of jobs from watermelon, mango and pumpkin picking to weeding in chia seed fields and pruning sandalwood trees.

(Sandalwood Paddock, Kunurra WA)

To sum it up it’s tough and the longest 88 days ever. I hit breaking point more times than I can remember but I would 100% do it all over again. It’s hot. Seriously hot, by 8 am one morning we had reached 32 degrees and 100 percent humidity. Your body takes an absolute beating, literally we are talking blisters, wasp stings and snake encounters. Yet when you stop and take in the stunning Kimberley scenery and see all working hostels and caravan parks booked out by backpackers doing the same thing you know it’s absolutely worth it.

(Kununurra Backpackers, WA)

If you are looking for a little more inspiration, check out Jetsetter Jobs where you can find loads of information on how you can find work abroad to travel cheaper, longer and have more local experience by offering temporary jobs and opportunities around the world!

Thailand – are you mugging me off?

As my trip around South East Asia comes to an end this is my final Asian Adventure blog. They say travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer, however I am now extremely poor. Despite owning hippie pants, leaving with a new tattoo and being able to carry a 20kg backpack I still do not consider myself a pro backpacker. Even after almost 3 months of travelling Asia I am still victim to the oh so coy scams in my last couple of weeks that every savvy backpacker thinks will not catch them out. So naturally this blog is dedicated to help you learn from my experiences of being ‘mugged off’.

My first island stop was Koh Chang, a 5 hour journey from Bangkok to Thailand’s 2nd largest island. I stayed on Klong Prao beach at Pajamas hostel where I met a great group of people. We played a cracking game of ‘would you rather’, overindulged in the free breakfast and of course buckets at Lonely Beach where the fairy light lit street is lined with bars.

 

In Koh Chang, I experienced my first mug off by taxis. Due to return to Bangkok for the Chinese New Year I headed outside my hostel at 9.30am, 1 hour before my ferry departure to get a taxi. Taxis would not stop or refused my journey up the hill to the pier. It’s now 10am, I’m sweating, but positive thinking is my new thing so it’s all good. At last a taxi stops, however the greedy bugger wants 400 baht for the 60 baht journey. I pleaded with him to help me, offered 200 baht but it was not good enough. 5 minutes later another taxi passes and agrees to take me for 60 baht. I’m sat in the taxi, these are literally pick up trucks with benches. If it weren’t for the fact I had shorts on and a sweaty bum I am sure I would have slid right off the back as we sped up the hill. 10.32am I arrive at the pier to see my ferry cruising away. Consequently I also missed my connecting bus. The law of attraction failed me this time. However, Koh Chang taxi driver the joke is on you as a new bus ticket only put me back 200 baht instead of the 400 baht he wanted.

Following the Chinese New year, and again craving beach time, the next stop was Koh Tao. Here I found one of my favourite beaches in Thailand, Freedom Beach.

This secluded shore is beautiful, sea shells hang from the trees and the tiny beach creates an intimate feel, the only beach in Thailand I found to have this. We had to take a taxi here from our hostel, Taco Shack, and agreed a return rate of 100 baht each for 5 of us. This was the 2nd occassion taxis in Thailand mugged me off. Upon exiting back at our hostel we were accused of under paying as the journey was apparently 100 baht each way. Maybe a miscommunication so we can let this one pass. Overall, Koh Tao was my number 2 island in Thailand. Nang Yuan island was also an enjoyable day trip with a great view point. We took a taxi boat here from Sairee Beach for 300 baht return.

Sairee Beach is the place to head if you are looking to party. Here I found I am rather talented at the fire limbo. I managed to bag myself 2 free shots by doing a backwards bridge walk under the limbo, winning. Don’t worry Dad, I am leaving Thailand unscathed.

From Koh Tao, we did a rather awkward route over to the other side to Koh Phi Phi. This involved an overnight ferry, thin mattresses which would have been more appropriate as a baby changing mat lined the floor.

This sleepover meant we endured a night of face to face sleeping, let’s hope everyones’ slumber neighbours had brushed their teeth beforehand.

Phi Phi was my favourite island, with no transport it is enjoyable to explore by foot without the fear of a motorbike creeping behind you. Stones Bar on Ao Lo Dalam beach put on the best fire show I have seen in Thailand. These guys are incredibly talented and perform for hours each evening. You do have to wonder what long term damage these guys are exposing themselves to breathing in these fumes whilst throwing flames and busting some moves.

In Phi Phi I went on a day tour which took us to the surrounding islands Bamboo Island, Monkey Island and Maya Bay which was made famous by the movie ‘The Beach’.

The islands are stunning, however it was disappointing to see so many other tourists doing similar trips and overcrowding the islands. On my boat I had the largest man I have seen in Asia; in weight, height and his HUGE big toes. This German man did not seem to understand the concept of balancing the weight on the boat and we were very close to losing a few flying passengers overboard, although perhaps this would have done the islands a favour.

Koh Phi Phi are you mugging me off? No, unfortunately I mugged myself off here. One too many vodka redbulls on the beach led to a disappearing iphone.

Since I left home in January last year, I have stayed in dorm rooms or shared bedrooms with friends and other travellers the entire time. So to arrive to the Mantra Samui boutique resort in Koh Samui was a dream. A double bed to myself with a choice of 4 pillows, naturally I sampled all of these whilst star fishing each night. It was amazing to see my family after over a year. Here we celebrated the marriage of my cousin Lee to his beautiful wife Vicki on the perfect beach setting with lanterns, fireworks and a Thai feast, hats off to you both this wedding will be hard to top.

    

After 5 nights of luxury I was brought back down to backpacker reality and checked into the grottiest hostel of my stay, Coral Bungalows in Koh Phangan. Famous for the full moon parties, that is exactly what we came for. Thousands of people descend onto Haad Rin beach with their luminous paints and shirts. Not trusting ourselves to paint our faces, Katie and I paid 100 baht to have this done ‘professionally’.

Despite being my final island stop of Thailand, I still got scammed – twice! First at the full moon party. I ordered a local vodka bucket, these were displayed on the bar at 150 baht per bucket. The barman tells me 200 baht when paying and without thinking I handed over the cash. This overly cocky barman then handed 50 baht right in front of me to his mate and that’s when it clicked. After a 5 minute argument with the guy because apparently it was my fault as he told me 200 the manager came over and gave me my change. Yes 50 baht isn’t much (it’s about £1) but it’s not the point, I am fed up this blatant money grabbing.

Over the Thai vodka, the next night I treated myself to a Smirnoff apple vodka bucket, having sampled the girls’ it tasted 100 times better than the cheap local alternative. With my guard down, I made a school boy error of failing to ask to pour and mix this myself. For 350 baht I got a local vodka and apple juice. Cheers.

This blog may seem like a bit of a rant and I suppose it is. Thailand is amazing, but the atmosphere of Bangkok and the islands is very different to that of Northern Thailand. It seems everyone here is money grabbing and taking advantage of tourists and backpackers when a fair deal should still exist.

Here are my top tips to help you ensure you don’t get mugged off:

Taxis – Bangkok taxis all say they offer journeys by the meter, highly unlikely they will agree to this because of the bad traffic (there is always traffic in Bangkok!) so be sure you know roughly what to expect to pay. You may have to try a few but you will find one that offers a fair price eventually. Tuk Tuks tend to be a little more expensive, however they will get you to your destination in half the time!

Buckets – if ordering a premium spirit, you must ask to pour this yourself. Make sure the bottle is sealed otherwise you will be enjoying a local variety which will ensure a bad taste and nasty hangover.

Ferry & Bus Journeys – shop around at different travel agents as you will find the price can vary by 100’s of baht; it all adds up! Everyone will warn you that the travel runs on it’s own schedule, so one would assume it’s late. Quite the opposite. I took 2 bus journeys that both arrived 2-3 hours ahead of schedule. Great if you are travelling in the day. Terrible inconvenience if you are dumped at Khaosan Road at 4am, rats the size of rabbits roam the streets at this time amongst other unsightly things…

South East Asia has been such a great experience and I leave with amazing memories and new friends. I have overspent and overeaten so it’s time to return to the land down under to see to this awful bank balance and buddah belly!

“Finding myself” in Northern Thailand

500 miles north of Bangkok is the second largest city, Chiang Mai. This was my first time travelling solo, and so a whole new experience. I stayed at Hug Hostel in the heart of the city. In need of a drink I purchased a bottle of the local rum, Samsong, from the hostel bar which at only 150 baht ($5) is encouraging alcoholism. I found myself playing the infamous get drunk card game ‘ring of fire’ with a group of travelers including an Irishman, Americans, Australians and a Dutch. This led to us heading to Zoe in Yellow bar for a night of fist pump-esque music.

Chiang Mai was the place I had heard so many other travellers talk about; you must go to a cookery class, you need to go to an elephant sanctuary… so I did just that. I joined 2 other girls from my hostel on a half day course at the Thai Kitchen Cookery Centre for 800 baht which is about $25. When I do return home, whenever that may be, fear not I can now cook you deliciously crispy spring rolls followed by a sweet and spicy massaman curry and peanut filled pad Thai.

The following day I booked onto a day tour which included a visit to an orchid and butterfly farm, visits to the long neck village and 7 hill tribe, an elephant ride and ended in a trip to a waterfall and bamboo rafting. This trip put me back 1600 baht ($50). Yes this was quite expensive, however for me totally worth the money. It was so fascinating learning about the tribes and their way of life. For example the long neck tribe are refugees from Burma who were accepted and supported by the Thai government for the tourist money they bring in. As you enter their village, women and children are selling souvenirs and scarves for you to buy.

So why the long neck? Women originally wore the brass copper metals coiled up around their necks to protect them from tiger attacks. Nowadays this is a tradition and girls as young as 5 years old can be found wearing these. The youngest girl I met was just 10 years old and I wish I could say she looked comfortable… I tried on a half ring weighing in at around 2kg and it pressed hard into my collar bone.

Now before anyone judges me, yes I did ride an elephant with a seat. However, read to the end of my blog to understand my experience. I mention this because I have met so many backpackers who would ‘omg never ride an elephant’. It seems to be somewhat of a taboo subject in the traveler world. So I arrived to the camp where some of the elephants were chained and some of the trained Mahout riders were using bamboo sticks to control the elephants, not the iydillic image I had in mind. However, I read a poster on arrival that explains their reasoning for their control methods. For example, the chains are used to prevent the elephants from running wild into the surrounding farms and it is the same as to how a horse is kept in a stable. The poster also explained elephants can weigh up to 35 tonnes and carry up to 20 tonnes. Their skin is around 1 inch thick so the bamboo stick should not cause harm, so it says. This camp also used mats to protect the elephant from the seat used.

Our rider just used his voice and the occasional kick to control the elephant and I had my token photo with the elephant I rode. Happy days, or maybe not so much…

Wanting to experience an even closer encounter with the Asian elephant I paid 2500 baht ($75) to visit the well known Elephant Nature Park for the day. With promises of feeding and washing the elephants I couldn’t wait. During the 1.5 hour mini bus drive to the sanctuary we were played a video featuring Tom Oliver, aka Lou Carpenter from Neighbours, followed by an Animal Planet feature on Asian elephants. Cheesy? Far from it. For the first time, I began to understand the horrible fate for many of these gentle giants.

In Thailand there is an estimated 3,000-4,000 elephants. Around half are domesticated and the remainder living wild in National Parks Reserves, whilst some 300 are still suffering. A movie during the visit tells the inspiring story of Lek, the woman who opened the 250 acre sanctuary for distressed elephants from all over Thailand. Her herd includes disabled, orphaned and blind elephants of all ages who have been rescued from the abusive training involved in the tourism, begging and logging industries. I learned of one female elephant who broke her back left hip whilst logging, although now in a much happier place she still struggles with this injury.

I experienced mixed emotions during this visit. Although I do want to believe the Mahout love their elephants and respect their business, you really can see how happy the elephants in their wild habitat seemed in comparison to those I saw being ridden the day before.

I know you may be a little bored of reading about my Asian adventure now, so if you want to stop reading here I’ll just say this – Pai is BRILLIANT! Want to read more?

Ok, good. So after a 2 hour bus journey from Chiang Mai (180 baht) you can find yourself in the peaceful town of Pai, again somewhere mentioned as a favourite spot with backpackers. As soon as I arrived, after the monstrous 762 curve drive famous for making people vomit, I felt a sense of peace. It really is beautifully picturesque.

During the day I sunbathed at the infinity pool and watched acro-yoga and circus tricks being practiced by a mainly hippie type crowd staying at the Famous Pai Circus Resort.

Walking Street was just a short walk away once you crossed the bamboo bridge. Walking Street market is perfect, you can find silly cheap street eats from Thai dishes to burritos, burgers and crepes. In the mornings we would have breakfast at our favourite spot Cafe de Pai where we could enjoy eggs on toast with fresh avocado.

Come night time, Pai Circus resort came alive with music playing and everyone enjoying buckets and Chang. For me and my new pal Cherry, this also meant an early bedtime. Their buckets are strong, don’t be fooled by the sweetness of the juice! On our second evening we watched a fire show where some of the performers had found their new talent at the resort – great free entertainment.

Now I say the resort came alive at night, however to be honest it also never really sleeps. For 200 baht I selected a 12 bed dorm. Equipped with bamboo beds and bamboo flooring this is basic accommodation. I was allocated a top bunk, a backpacker’s dread, my ladder was hanging on by one side and I did fear I would find myself plummeting into the depths of the bamboo below. Generally speaking I can sleep anywhere, so the squeaky bamboo floor and the clucking chickens didn’t bother me so much. What I wasn’t prepared for was how cold it became during the night. Newly purchased hippie pants, a jumper and 3x blankets didn’t quite cut it. Now, onto the sunny South…

Xin Chào Vietnam

We headed for Vietnam on a ‘hotel bus’ leaving Siem Reap, Cambodia, at midnight on 13th January. Now the photo shown to us by Viet Buntham bus tours made this sleeper bus actually look like a mini hotel room. I’m sure there was even a small tv at the end of the bed. For just $19 this seemed like a bargain. Too good to be true? Of course. In actuality it was a single bed that was supposed to sleep two of us. We were top level and shook and rolled with every bump in the road and teamed with the common erratic driving seen throughout Asia, our journey was somewhat more of a thrill seeker ride than a sleeper ride. I don’t want to sound all negative though, it wasn’t, we did have free WiFi.

14 hours later we arrived in Vietnam, our first stop Saigon, now known as Ho Chi Minh. Ho Chi Minh is mental. It’s a very over populated city and has literally been taken over by mopeds. With a population of around 8 million, it feels like there are also 8 million mopeds in this city, ok exaggeration there are actually around 3.5 million. Forget your usual rules for crossing a road here, just walk. Don’t stop, don’t look back, just go! It did not surprise me to hear only 40% of said moped drivers have a valid license and even less surprising that there are around 12,000 deaths a year caused by motorcycle accidents in Vietnam.

Other than re-learning how to cross a road, we also discovered more about the somber history of Vietnam. For $6 we paid for a guided bus to the Cu Chi tunnels plus the entry fee of $4. The Cu Chi tunnels were built under the city with just basic tools and bare hands in the 1940’s. Quite the handymen.

  

These were then expanded during the Vietnamese war in the 1960’s, providing refuge from American soldiers. It is absolutely amazing, I crawled through just a 20m stretch of the tunnel system and at a mere 5 ft 3 inches myself, I was crouched walking through and couldn’t face the 100m fortified stretch open to the public. Here we learned how life continued beneath the soil; the tunnel residents ate, slept, cared for the sick and planned attacks from within the depths of the tunnels.

  

Particularly gruesome jungle inspired traps are also on display, such as the tiger trap below, which were in place to attack the American soldiers.

From the tunnels we visited the War Remnants Museum. Outside there are US armoured vehicles, artillery pieces, bombs and infantry weapons on display. All very fun and interesting to look at. However, inside the museum is a very different feel.

Inside the ‘aggression war crimes’ gallery the walls are lined with photographs, statements, bullets and weapons which show the brutal side of the war. All be it, a one sided point of view, the horrifying atrocities are documented. From this gallery we moved onto the ‘agent orange aftermath’ gallery. This is something we studied in history classes but I’m ashamed to say not something I really remember learning about. Now, I cannot erase the truly saddening images of Agent Orange aftermath victims from my head. The gallery walls are lined with photo after photo of disfigured people, more types of disfigurement than you could even imagine. 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to the highly toxic chemical dioxin during the wartime, whilst more than 3 million people have suffered illness as a result. Many million more have also been exposed indirectly and so the true effects of the war are to this day still being realised.

From Ho Chi Minh I was excited to continue the journey north to Da Lat, leaving at 8am to commence the 7 hour journey. Again another need for speed journey, nothing new there, but perhaps the most annoying driver ever. I lost count after the first 5 minutes how many times the horn was beeped. You overtake another vehicle, beep. You stop in a normal traffic jam, beep. The driver is bored, beep. If the saying goes “honk if you’re horny” god help this driver.

Driving into Da Lat already appeared much more postcard picturesque than Ho Chi Minh. Emptier roads, cleaner and prettier scenery. We stayed at the most friendly hostel we will probably ever come across – the Da Lat Family Hostel. ‘Mama’ and her two daughters welcomed us with a cuddle and Vietnamese kiss. Come 5pm dinner was served by an all dancing and singing mamma. A banquet for 20 or so guests, home made in their tiny kitchen and all for just $2. Following dinner Sarah and I enjoyed a jug of ‘sexy sexy passionfruit mojito’. Mamma entertained all evening, she is amazingly nuts. I would love to know what sexy sexy drink she is consuming!

We chose to do a countryside Easy Rider tour in Da Lat. Along with 2 other girls we each had a moped with a local driver.

They took us to the oldest pagoda in Da Lat, followed by a coffee factory where we learnt all about the weasel that eats the coffee beans and poops them out before being roasted – all in the name of a good cup of coffee.

  

From here we drove through the beautiful countryside scenery onto a silk factory. I had no idea silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of a silk worm! Naturally I also ate one, probably won’t do that again. We also visited Elephant Fall waterfall as well as a flower garden. 

  

2 nights in Da Lat was enough time for us, it was cold at night. This was the first time in over a year that I needed to sleep with a hoodie and socks on. Chasing the sun, we continued north to Nha Trang, arriving 17th January to the beach town. Again very much a resort feel, a Russian resort feel. Nha Trang is a Russian holiday hub, so with this meant slightly higher prices and an over crowded beach. Now the beach is nice, however you do become a bit of a beach snob whilst travelling and a beach lined with sunburnt bodies and litter didn’t quite compare to the stunning beaches we were spoiled with in Cambodia.

Worried that the weather was going to be colder the further north we travelled, it was a pleasant surprise to arrive to a beautifully warm Hoi An come 21st January. Hoi An is all I hoped it would be, my favourite stay in Vietnam. Lanterns hang from the trees and shops around the town and yellow painted wood architecture make this city of lanterns a picture perfect place to walk or cycle through for that matter.

  

Our hostel came equipped with free bikes to use so we joined one of the daily bike tours. 24 of us cycled through the market, on through the rice fields and ending on the beach; a really great way to explore the town despite the bum ache after.

A lot of cycling and walking definitely earned us the Vietnamese rolls we found a new love for in Hoi An.
Banh mi thit is a Vietnamese baguette filled with pork (lemongrass pork and pate), cucumber, pickled carrot, spring onion and corriander; minus the chilli for me. Absolute bargain at 20,000 dong, that’s about $1.

The majority of our time in Hoi An was spent in the tailors being fitted for made to measure anything you want. I had a few dresses made at around $20 a dress as well as some custom made leather shoes for just $30. Absolute bargains, however with each item at the cost of my daily budget this did have to unfortunately end.

From Hoi An we took our final bus; 760km and 19 hours later we finally reached Hanoi. Relieved to be off the bus and racing to our hostel resulted in me tripping over. Imagine this, 17kg backpack flies over my head and I am literally lying in the road, now complete with a few cuts and grazes to add to my already scabby mosquito bitten legs. Sound funny? Yeah, apparently the locals eating their breakfast along the road also thought so. Hanoi provided a base for us to visit Halong Bay; 1 of the 7 natural wonders of the world. More than 2000 islands rise from the emerald green waters, it really is spectacular to see. 

We booked a Halong Bay cruise, which in actuality was a forced booze cruise. Best part of this was jumping off the boat into the water. Never having really done something like that before and trying to look ballsy I just went for it. Turns out it’s a sensible suggestion to hold your nose unless you want to swallow a mugs worth of very salty water. After choking and gagging I re boarded the boat and it was freezing.

  

We ended our 1 night Halong Bay stay kayaking on the search for the caves. Fantastic arm workout and certainly earned us our dry chicken and soggy rice lunch included in the Castaway Tour.

  

Lessons learned in Vietnam…

The open bus ticket is the cheapest way to travel through Vietnam and a very easy option. For just US$50 we travelled from south to north Vietnam. However we did spend a substantial amount of time on buses.

Here’s how to make the most of your bus journeys:
– get a travel pillow. Perfect if like me you head bang EVERYWHERE otherwise.
– don’t buy Pringles and M&M’s every journey if you don’t intend on getting a bus belly.
– the drivers do honk their horns, as courtesy to other drivers apparently. If this is going to piss you off, which it will, you do have a few options to help drown this out. Put your music on and try sit towards the back of the bus. Or like a lot of travellers stock up on Valium, I hear it works a treat.

A Cambodian Christmas

After 3 flights and a 5 hour taxi with what seemed to be a half blind driver we arrived at Otres Beach. It’s dark, I can’t see any parties going on let alone any people around. Where the hell have we ended up for Christmas.
We checked into our bungalow at don’t tell mamma, again despite the light being on it’s dark can’t see much. Straight to bed, cosey under the mosquito net.
It’s Christmas Eve now and the birthday of our very favourite welsh Steph. When is a respectable time to not only wake up the birthday girl but surprise her as she had no idea we were meeting her in Cambodia. Following behind the other girls me, Sarah and Anton snuck in and jumped on the poor girl who is still half asleep. SURPRISE! To say Steph was surprised is an understatement, so shocked her boob fell out her pyjama top. Now seeing otres beach in the daylight is a very different experience. Straw thatched roof bars and restaurants line the beach with their very inviting lounge chairs and hammocks. Local girls inviting you to be their best friend, “my friend take a good luck bracelet”, “my friend you want something you come to me”. I did “open my heart and open my wallet” to my friend O; $7 hair braid, $25 leg and arm pit thread and a $10 full body massage on the beach and just because she asked me nicely, a $3 bracelet. You go girl.

Our favourite spot to eat, mainly because it was opposite our guesthouse, was Pappa Pippo. An Italian restaurant which served us English breakfasts and pizzas galore. For about US $5 you can get a good feed and we consumed one too many Mai Tai cocktails here, at just $3.50 it would be rude not to.
Christmas Day to be honest didn’t really feel like Christmas, however it was December 25th and we were going to celebrate. Sat on our balcony with bottles of prosecco, chocolate and carols blaring out the speaker we were set. Steph’s love of Christmas songs, especially the 12 days of Christmas, put us in good spirits.

Come 3pm the hunt for a traditional Christmas dinner began. Pigs in blankets were top of the list. However, slight issue being a group of 12 on an Island leaving it so late in the day. After 2 tuk tuk journeys and a walk up otres beach we settled on a pub in Sihanoukville which served a $5 roast dinner. It wasn’t great but it did come with Yorkshire puds… Winner winner chicken dinner – literally.

27th December we took the ferry to the isolated Island of Koh Ta Kiev. Relatively untouched with no electricity this was a gem to visit. Whilst half the group set up camp in their hammocks, the rest of us booked into a tree top bungalow; or a tree house if you like. Squeezing through the winding staircase you find yourself face to face with a round mattress and a stunning view of the ocean. What about a toilet you may ask. Yes our tree house also came equipped with a toilet with a view. Unfortunate for anyone who may have a taken a snorkel in the sea below where the shit pipe does exit into the sea.

We enjoyed the simple life on the Island basking in the sun in the day and sat around the heat of a campfire in the evening. Here on the Island I sampled the national dish, an Amok curry. This is a curry with lemongrass, coconut and chilli seasoning – beaut and just $3. However this did catch me off guard whilst enjoying our loo with a view the next day.

As beautiful as an experience as this was, I’m pretty sure there were rat poo droppings around our toilet and something did take a bite out of my banana I left on the side. I suppose what you don’t know doesn’t hurt! In need of a proper shower we returned to otres beach the next day.
Upon returning we next experienced a night out in Sihanoukville, or Snookie if you are down with the backpackers. We consumed copious pre drinks in happy hour at the Big Easy. $1.50 per glass of wine and 2 for 1 cocktails at $3.50. Bargain. Along with sachets of Joss (an energy drink powder made from taurin, yes aka bull sperm) we were charged for the night ahead. LED lit bars line Serendipity beach. We danced to pop at Dolphins along with the local prostitutes and lady boys and ended in JJ’s, more commercial house music and your stereotypical house music lovers. Despite the tackiness it was a fun evening.
Come 30th December we took the $20 return ferry journey to Koh Rong. The party Island of party islands. As you approach on the ferry the mass of bars, guest houses and hostels catch your eye before the heavy bass of the music sets in.
Dogs and puppies everywhere, squeaky white sand and a beautifully clear ocean… A day dreamer’s fantasy.

New Year’s Eve was definitely one to remember partying amongst the fairy lights on Police beach. This truly is a beautiful Island and you soon learn your quiet tranquil spots from the I won’t go to sleep spots. Again whilst half the group set camp in the jungle the rest of us checked into the hostel Island Boys. I can sum this place up in 3 words: disgusting, loud and overpriced. To survive in the hostel you need to be of the hardcore elite. Unlucky for us our room was next to the toilet so the scents of shit and urine drifted in throughout the night. The bass trumped until 4am and gave us a wake up call at 8am. For $10 a night this is what you call an absolute joke. After New Year’s Eve we walked a little further down the beach and found a quieter guest house for $10 a night. Another beauty spot to experience on Koh Rong is Long Beach. You can take a taxi boat here for $6 return. However sometimes in life it is more fun not to take the easy option. So instead Anton, Sarah and I trekked for 1.5 hours barefoot through the jungle, climbing rocks to reach this beauty spot. Absolutely worth the trek but this did result in me sleeping all afternoon on the beach. Yes we did take a taxi boat back and yes my feet are now solid.

From sihnoukville we took the 5 hour bus to Phnom Penh arriving on saturday 3rd jan. Upon recommendation of many backpackers we stayed at mad monkey which is spot on for travellers. Just $7 a night and bunk beds the size of queen beds, it’s the little luxuries. Here we paid a tuk tuk driver $5 each to take us around the city for the day. First stop the Choeung Ek Genocidal Center, aka the killing fields. This really was one of the most harrowing experiences of my life. Listening to an audio tape you are led around the site which consists of the remains of mass graves and pits where fragment of human bones and cloth surface. This particular site saw around 20,000 people killed and buried. The 17 story glass memoral stupa holds the skulls of over 8000 victims.

For me the most chilling part of the stories recalled was the ‘killing tree’. Today the tree stands peacefully with several coloured bracelets left by well wishers. However the tape recalls the horrific torture this tree presented to it’s victims. It is said the remains of brain, skull and blood were found on this tree where Babies’ heads were smashed against it and thrown into the mass grave next to it with the women. Unfortunately for Sarah, Anton and I we were suffering the effects of a dodgy stomach this day and this whole experience really was stomach churning.
From the killing fields we were taken to the former S-21 prison, the Tuol Sleng Museum. Between 1975 and 1978 approximately 17,000 men, women, children and babies were detained and tortured here before they were transported to the killings fields to be brutally murdered. The silence as you walk through the old cells of the prisoners with their rusted beds and torture instruments is disturbing. Each prisoner who passed through S-21 was photographed and some of these black and white photos are displayed through the museum. The portraits are taken so close you can see the anguish in the faces of the women, men and child prisoners. It is truly shocking that torture of this extent can exist and remain unknown to the rest of the world, Cambodia lost around 3 million of their 8 million population during this genocide.
Our day trip ended visiting a shooting range, no not the kind where you can blow up chickens and cows, our unlucky target was a coconut. For $40 i fired 10 bullets from a shotgun – boom.

Phnom Penh was an eye opening experience, this won’t be part of the trip I fondly reminisce however it will have a lasting impact I will never forget. 11pm Monday 5th January Sarah and I boarded the Great Ibis sleeper bus to move us onto new ventures in Siem Reap. A sore back and 7 hours later we arrived.

It was refreshing to arrive in Siem Reap, here we had been told all about the famous ‘Pub Street’. Teeming with restaurants and bars we enjoyed copious amounts of food and cocktails here, and again a lot of Italian food. Our excuse – Khmer food gives us a dodgy belly. Are we looking skinny yet? Probably not, absolute carb overload.

The night markets in Angkor are great, we picked up silk and pashmina scarves for family and friends at home for a haggled price of just $5. The main reason for visiting Siem Reap is of course to see the Angkor Temples. We hired a tuk tuk for the day for $3.50 and began the viewings at Angkor Wat.

We hired a tour guide to take us around Angkor Wat to learn more about the history. However, this also proved very valuale to add some logic to our visit as this temple is huge. It is difficult to understand how something of this size and magnificence was hidden in the jungle for so many years, unknown to the rest of the world. This is the biggest religious complex on Earth!

From Angkor Wat we moved onto Ta Prohm, here scenes from Lara Croft Tomb raider were filmed. What was most striking about this temple are the HUGE trees that grow out of the ruins.

We made Bayon Temple our last visit for the day, we were feeling rather hot and bothered by this point. Fortunately, ‘the stairway to heaven’ at Angkor Wat was first thing in the morning…

So what have I learnt in Cambodia?

Tuk tuks are amazing, so cheap and airey. However when you are asked by every driver that passes if you need a tuk tuk a simple ”te aw kohn” is most effective – NO thank you!!

The local people are so friendly and helpful. Guesthouses tend to be a much nicer experience than some of the hostels ran by Australians and are often cheaper.

Bum guns serve their purpose, but carry loo roll with you – a Khmer belly can catch you off guard at any time and sometimes you just can’t face the gun.