Travel Diary: Ho Chi Minh – Phnom Penh – Siem Reap

Hi Everyone!! First off yes we are fine, we left Phnom Penh just in time!! Over the last week we have done lots of travelling going from Mui Ne to Ho Chi Minh City then across the border into Cambodia to Phnom Penh then finally to Siem Reap! 17 November This morning we were picked up only 10 minutes late to our surprise for our journey to our 9th place, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Going from Mui Ne to Ho Chi Minh was unlike any other bus trip we had taken so far – the whole journey was through towns, there wasn’t really any nice scenery to look at. After 6 hours (they say it takes 4 and a half but we expect that by now) we were dropped off on Pham Ngu Lao Road in Ho Chi Minh, the area where all the backpackers stay. We found a little guesthouse called Thien Heng down a little alleyway for $16 with a balcony over the alleyway, haggled down from $20! On first glance this place looks nothing like Hanoi thank God, that was a mental city! We headed straight out into the town for a drink and a little exploration of Ho Chi Minh City. Then, just as we got into the food market, the heavens opened and we had left our umbrellas in the hotel so we headed back! We should know by now to always have them on us, just in case! In the evening we found a little restaurant around the corner had some food and headed back to the hotel for an early night. 18 November After a well deserved very long sleep we got up and went out to a Pho (noodle soup) restaurant. Again, since there is only beef noodle soup on the menu we had that! We were warned that the chilli’s on the table were ‘very hot’ but did Shaun listen - NO. He was actually near fainting when he ate a slice haha!!! After brunch we went in search of the Reunification Palace (former South Vietnam’s Presidential Palace) until communist tanks rammed down the gates and bombed it in 1975. It is however, now restored. Not very impressive by western standards of palaces though (it’s no Buckingham) but it was only built in 1966! For 15,000 dong (50p) we could go into the grounds where they had various tanks and planes and inside the palace. After the Reunification Palace we went to the War Remnants Museum just around the corner. It’s graphic to say the least! In the exhibition outside there are Tiger Cages – basically the South Vietnamese imprisoned the VC (Viet Cong or the National Liberation Front from Northern Vietnam) in these cages which were made of barbed wire. You could really only fit one person in here but they put 3 or 4 in one cage at a time, it looks horrific. There are also replica prison cells where VC prisoners where shackled to the bed. Outside there are loads of photos and descriptions of the types of torture that was endured. It is really hard to look at, i’ve taken a picture of it if you can bear to read it. Also outside they have loads of tanks, planes and helicopters. Inside, it doesn’t get much better – there are loads of pictures and even foetuses in tanks of deformed people which were caused by all the chemical and napalm bombs that were dropped on Vietnam. The museum is brutally graphic but a must see if your here to really understand what happened here to all of these people in their recent history. In the evening we headed out to a great little restaurant and had some amazing food. No wonder we are getting fat, there is so much good food! We have booked a half day tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels tomorrow morning. The day after we are going to get the bus to Phnom Penh in Cambodia. 19 November Cu Chi Tunnels today! We were crammed into a mini bus and taken through Ho Chi Minh City first to an arts and crafts factory where they employ disabled people affected by Agent Orange (the chemical bomb). The work they do here is amazing!! They create stunning pictures using mother of pearl. They have a range of crippling disabilities but still manage to create beautiful work. From here we were taken to Cu Chi. Cu Chi is a village 35km from Ho Chi Minh that ingeniously dug 250km of tunnels under their town during the war. When we arrived we were taken to watch a video explaining exactly how and why the tunnels were made and how the village of Cu Chi was affected by the war. We then got our first glimpse of life of the Cu Chi’s when we saw a trap. It was basically a hole in the ground with a revolving piece of wood on top hidden in grass. When the US army troop would fall in they were stabbed by the bamboo spikes laced with snake venom! We saw a few tiny entrances to the tunnels, one of which, if you were skinny enough, you could get inside! And along with this, plenty of traps! Finally, it was time to get inside!! We all dropped into this hole and started walking along underground! Then the tunnel got smaller and smaller and you have to crawl through in the pitch black. Chlosteraphobia could really kick in down here with our group of 27 all crawling in front and behind you in this tiny black space! But in case this happened they had tunnels leading to the top every 20 meters of the 100 meter tunnel! We were only on the first level of the tunnel and there was still lots of ups and down and all you can think about is the tonnes of earth on top of you! There are in fact 3 levels in a tunnel where some people lived for 20 years under ground! A really scary thought! After 10 long minutes of crawling in the blackness we reached the end, drenched in sweat. I can’t believe that this tunnel was even widened for Westerners - it was tight! We were then given tabioca, not in the sense that I know, but a form of sweet potato and some tea and were herded back into the bus for another couple of hours journey back to Ho Chi Minh. The second we got off the bus the heavens opened AGAIN!! We had to take shelter in a tourist information as it was torrential!! Realising it wasn’t going to stop, we made a run for it but still got soaked even with umbrellas. 20 November Time for our fourth country!! We got on the bus at 9am (it was even early ... shock). We booked with a bus company called Sapaco (recommended by Lonely Planet) and it was very good! There was a toilet on board and it had reclining leather seats, best bus so far, all for $10. By 11.30 we had reached the Vietnam/Cambodia border. We got signed out of Vietnam and got our visa for Cambodia (all organised by the bus) and we were in Cambodia! A quick lunch and we speed through the lanes at ridiculous speeds!! The scenery changed dramatically as soon as we had crossed the border looking much more like Laos with marsh land, wooden houses on stilts and rice paddy fields as far as the eye can see (minus the hills). Approaching Phnom Penh the tour guide started going around the bus taking $1 from everyone. After a confusing conversation we finally understood it was to pay the police to allow the bus to enter the city!! The city is corrupt as they come. Eventually, we reached Phnom Penh and had to get a tuk tuk into the centre. Our tuk tuk driver took us to varying degrees of horrible hotels and guesthouses so we decided to stay in a new build for $22. On the way there I swear this little kid was going to steal my bag, he kept circling us in the traffic! But after what everybody had said about this place, we had our wits about us! After a quick shower, we headed out for some food where Shaun had spotted an entire cow on a spit roast! Our tuk tuk driver was even there so it must be good, he was telling us to sit and eat with him and his friends but we kindly declined in fear of a guilt trip into a tour! Later on we walked down to the river front where there were thousands of people. Apparently, we have gotten to Phnom Penh at the right time as its Bon Om Tuk, The Water Festival which involves boat races and up to 2 million people descending on Phnom Penh. But this isn’t such a good thing, I hate cities and big crowds. It’s hard to walk 10 meters without getting hassled by beggars and potential thieves. 21 November This morning we were desperately eager to get out of this horrid place so we went straight to Sapaco Tourist to book a bus to Siem Reap. Unfortunately, the next bus wasn’t until 12.30 so we had to hang around the river front until then. People were looking at us like we were aliens!! I can only assume this is because many Cambodians had come from there villages to Phnom Penh for the festival so maybe weren’t as used to us!! It was definitely strange!! There was even a family who stopped on the pavement until we moved into the road and they passed!! To our utter shock the bus arrived and it was a double decker!! Just as we thought, the journey was not good!! We were left with the front seats upstairs and the noise and the shaking was intense! The bus actually took 6 hours just as they had said! A tuk tuk driver from Sapaco Tourist was ready and waiting to take us into town when we arrived. He took us around a few different hotels and we settled for one for $17 in town inc breakfast. We headed across the street and ate at the street stalls in the middle and had some amazing food! We then headed to the appropriately name Pub Street ha!! It’s so crazy here that you can literally drink beer cheaper than water!! For a Angkor beer draft its $0.50 and $1 for water! 22 November Breakfast this morning was dire – bread and a fried egg or bread and jam, the end, not worth getting up for, again!! We decided to go in search of a hotel with a pool that we had seen the previous night, we wondered around in the baking heat for 2 hours before we found it!! Unfortunately, the way to the hotel is along the open sewage system!! Nobody else really seemed to mind that it stunk and big turds were floating down it, they let their kids play there! For lunch we found a maze of bars and restaurants just off Pub Street. After this we went back to the hotel for a dip – amazing relief in this heat!! Just as we were getting ready to go out in the evening we had an invasion of the flies!!!! Our entire room had filled with flies, crickets and other critters all drawn to the lights!!! We quickly got the manager and he went off for fly spray!!! We obviously insisted to move rooms so quickly packed up before any more insects could get in our stuff! This was all because there was a huge gap in the balcony door and we had unknowingly left the balcony light on!! Utterly freaked out we headed straight out and went back to the street stalls and had an amazing dinner for £5! Another few Angkor beers at Pub Street and we went went back for an early night. We have a full day tour of Angkor tomorrow. 23 November Up ready and early this morning for our temple tour!! The manager informed us that there had been a huge incident in Phnom Penh last night. A huge stampede at the river side had caused 400 deaths and many more injured at the closing ceremony of the Water Festival. Thank God we got out in time! Our driver picked us up at 8am (we couldn’t be bothered with a sun rise start at 5am). First we had to get our tickets for $20 with our photo printed on it!! Then we were off to Angkor Wat! This early in the morning and the tourists all flock here, it was difficult to see anything or get decent photos through the hoards! Next was Angkor Thom, a complex 10sq miles in size containing multiple temples. Various more temples and then we got to the one where Tomb Raider was filmed – this was definitely the coolest as it’s been eaten by trees and it’s all falling down!! I could go on and tell you about all these temples but I think the photos tell it better than I can! A tour that could take up to 5 days took us 6 hours with very tired legs!! As we are definitely templed out, the plan now is to head out of Cambodia and back to Thailand to get a month of beach time - hopefully!! Lots of love Jo & Shaun xxx