I've gone and done it again.... Left it way too long before an update - partly for my sake as well - I dont know wether I can't remember everything because an inconceivable amount of stuff has happened. - this could challange War&Peace...

We finished our 4/5 day stint in Saigon with the success of the selling of my bike, and caught our bus aiming for the heart of the Mekong Delta - Vinh Long, from there we organised our 2 day mekong tour and homestay. Instead of going for the tourist option and its established tours... we found local guy willing to give us a better deal and a more authentic experience staying with his family. It knocked $15 off the group price and meant we had a much more personal experience. All in all... the Mekong was pretty... wet :P and all due to our laid back attitude - quite to the irritation (and amusement) of our boat driver we encountered the Mekongs super fast tide changes - in about 30/45 mins and little canals we were boating down had reduced to 1 3rd of its original volume forcing the boat to go super slow through the dead centre of the channel with us 4 standing at the front of the boat ballancing out the weight of the engine at the back! :D But we didnt encounter much trouble - although I ended up catching the boat from drifting down the tide by grabbing the rope - in the pouring rain - with my straw hat on... I have a picture. :D We had some amazing home made food, fresh fish, rice and a chicken curry. :D Then we watched Forrest Gump... after chilling for a couple of hours in Hammocks - Why Not? The next day we spent most of the time on our scenic route back to the mainland. On the way we visited a floating market, where we bought watermelon, and a coconut candy factory which was little more than a house with a few guys working the different details. we bought lots.. and got sugar highs :D Then played lots of cards on the boat!

After the Mekongy thang - we headed straight to the border town of Chau Doc in prep for our boat border crossing to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Spent a couple of nights looking around, playing badminton on the street with some random kids etc etc and then borded our boat.... wasn't the best. Yeah - it's recommended by Lonely Planet... but not by Beno. The boat is pretty small for one you have put up with for 5/6 hours. You can't stand straight, the engine is loud as f*** and the speed is travels at isn't even exciting. The only good bit is that we could sit on top of the boat and catch some rays - but that took some work because it was metal - and it was a cloudless sky - so some discomfort was experienced at first. Oh and we could play lots of cards. Anyway - the last leg was a 2 hours bus journey into Phnom Penh, we arrived relatively late, and had already scoped out where we wanted to stay - 'Number 9 Lakeside' - so when the bus dropped us off at the place that payed the bus company commission, we made the owners angry because we used their TukTuk driver to take us to our guesthouse. :D We arrived at a great backpacker hang-out, a place with a pool table, moody lights, great khmer bar staff, CLASS huge disc shaped seats with comfy pillows and a great deal of beer. What could go wrong... then we discovered it was pretty much as brothel - though that didn't put us off :P haha! that sounds twisted... but yeah.. they were all hot and very good at pool... Cambodian chicks in general have talen btw! - so we had a laugh... :D

Over the next couple of days we had a history lesson. I mean I knew i bit of what happened just 40 years or so ago, but The Killing Fields and The S-21 Prison provided grim clarity. We were walking around the monuments and the fields surrounding - the very paths we walked were dotted with un-excavated human bone and clothing... It was just coming up from underground. And what it made me realise is that, for many cambodians it's still within living memory, and so many peoples parents, borthers, sisters, cousins will have been directly affected. And even more incredble still, is that some of people who led this regime still live in Cambodia, discustingly rich and untouchable. More amazing once again is how the country has managed to pick itself back up - by no means ha it recovered, but its mind boggliong. The people also - its near impossible to catch a locals eyes and not be graced by a smile that is even bigger than the last person's. :) unbelievable.

Phnom {enh sa one awesome night - The World Cup Final! haha! My word we created some friction. I hit the town bare chested, but wrapped in bright orange flags! And then we all went around being fickle as to who we supported - the game was support the minority in the bar - the thing was - it was so divided, that we would instantly becaome the minority when we arrived... we ended up almost getting one whole bar into a brawl becasue we wandered into a bar glowing from all ther fans wearing orange head to toe. So... we stormed in screaming for Spain! :D haha! hmmmm... I wish we'd taken a camera - having a photo of a guy chasing me down the street while my orange flags flew behind me would have been great :P

We decided to move on from Phnom Penh pretty quickly, because we were all itching for another beach and we were due back at Phnom Penh again to pick up the other's passports for visa shizzle. So - we got an early morning bus to Sihanoukville - tourism hub No.2 in Cambodia. We spent three night there, the first of which was one of the funnest nights i've had! It all started with me not eating a damn thing all day (to save money) haha... baaaad idea. But I had a good dinner here - at Utopia Bar... Then settled down to drinking. Before long, me and the other Ben were playing pool with two hookers... who wouldn't leave us alone after the game - telling me that she didnt want me to pay or anything... :S can't really remeber how I escaped. But anyway - :P us four ended up getting the party started - playing a couple of pretty loud drinking games which got quite a few people in the bar involved... when the bar got much more packed we set each of us challnges. If someone didnt accept or failed a challenge they'd be stripped and thrown in the pool. They each got worse along the line - I was last ... :O Sam's was to go up to a couple of girls and use a cheesy line to get them to come over and drink with us. Spencer's was to do the Tequila Stunman: Snort a line of salt, Neck the shot, and squeez the lime in the eye. Ben's was to get one of the khmer chicks up on the bar and dance with her for any length of time. Mine... while i was away they chose a 'random'girl from the bar and I had to chat her up and get a propper kiss in 30 mins. What they failed to tell me was that this girl was the barman's girlfriend... or f.b. or something. They had a bloody stop watch! It took me just over 28 mins. BUT I DID IT! :D So then after that we all got incredibly wasted - had a pool party and once again I don't remember getting back to my room - I lost nothing tho! so all good.

We pissed around for another 2 days doing random s*** - playing pool over and over again, being harked by TukTuk drivers saying "Hey ma frien' you wan'motobiiiike? Marawan'? Ectasy? Hero? I have. You wan?" :D and what's awesome is that all these guys awe an awesome laugh. The best kind of dealers ever. So then - after recommendation from Sam and Benny all the back in Dalat in Vietnam, we organised our boat trip to Koh Rong island.we planned a two day beach bum stay - it ended up being 5 days of AWESOMENESS! I have loads of photos that will tell the story better than I can but it involved yet more incredible beaches. Each day the boat brough new people, but very few - we were almost the only ones, would stay - most were divers and day trippers coming out for a days diving or snorkling. We had wicked rainforest jungle trek to the other side of the island and it's secluded 12km beach, which... I might add, we had utterly to ourselves for the 3 hours or so we were there. Life here was cheap - $3 a night... free drinking water - only expenditure was food - we had some instant noodles of our own and then we moved onto the 1 restaurant on the island, set up by some german guy - with Khmer Currys and AMAZING chocolate and banana pancakes. We spent a couple of days snorkling, one of which was with a makeshift harpoon gun! There were a few local fishermen on the island who let me borrow this thing - made from two bits of wood and a s*** load of elastic bands! It worked a treat - managed to catch a couple of fish! :D well chuffed I was. Oh and jumping off the jetty - and having fun with Spencer's camera which can go underwater ;)

We eventually decided to leave - against my will - something that good should never be kssed away after a measly 5 days - it needed two weeks! I mean - I think I saw 4 shooting stars - and yet more phosphorescence. And me and Ben spoke about travelling untill 3am - "That's what travelling is all about - The things you do with the People you meet"

But yes - we did leave :( I'm scared that when I come back here with al you guys - its going to be a megaresort - not a little village with deserted beaches.

Never mind - After a HORRIBLE bus journey - I'm now in Siem Reap - The home of the fabled Angkor Temples - Although... outside (just like our re-visit day in Phnom Penh 2 days ago) It's rainging rivers outside... I spose we will have to be tactical about when we see the temples.

I'm psyched! :D

Untill the next essay... :P xXx