And back into the story... So we left Thailand we were doing our border crossing into Thailand we had been warned. We got near the border and our bus stopped and they told us it was like so much (can't remember but way more that it should be) we filled out this form they said there might be no visas left for a few days..? Really?! whatever, so we refuse to accept these weird visa forms, they take our bus tickets off us which is our guarantee to get the bus to Siam Reap which is a good 5 hours from this border so I demand a sticker or something back to prove I'm owed a bus ride here. The guy does not want to give us a sticker but I get them for us and we get in the 'naughty people bus' for rebels who do not want these douche bags to sort our visas out. So we get dumped at the border follow the lines pay 800baht for the visa which is more than we expected but only by like aus $6 so not so bad then as we leave with our lovely stamps in our passports and full visa sticker and we are handed a conversion rate outside as Cambodia use US dollars, but have no coins for the coins they have their own Cambodia money notes so they have 2 currencies that works in one it's confusing and you end up with sooo many notes but it's nice to have no coins to be fair. But anyway the bottom of this paper says visa is 620 baht and if you pay more you have been trickstered. So yes we have been trickstered the cheeky fookers!! They make a good 3 quid on each person who comes through. Never mind though it's better than what the cheeky Thai's were charging and we are in and we end up on a bus to Siam Reap other people we have met have bother getting the bus as they did not ask for stickers when they took the bus tickets off everyone. Honestly it's disgusting how much you have to be aware of the crack to do a simple border crossing. But lucky it didn't affect us as we were in the know and I always fight for my rights.

So eventually via a stop off in some random s***ty restaurant we arrive in Siam Reap about 5 hours later than planned of course (Asian time is the best) so we head to a backpackers place called Garden Village an old French man told us about and get a nice/basic bamboo room with shared bathroom where the lack of water is insane over the next few days. But we have mossie nets and a fan and the room isn't so hot so it's perfect. We head to the bar for a beer and I bump straight in to Jamie a guy Connor was friends with in Margaret River he's from Carlisle. Random and more evidence of a small world we live in.

The next day we get up and head out looking for some currency exchange and cash points, of course head the completely wrong way and get lost amongst the land of nothing. There are cows, crazy dogs. People kept stopping us to make sure we were ok and to find out if we need a tuk tuk. We eventually after asking people for a lot of instructions find the main part of town we figure it's the main part as we can see banks and KFC haha. We spend that day wandering around which is nice as there is so many markets and shops around its cool.

The next day we get picked up at 10 to 5 in the morning as we are going to Angkor Wat for sunrise which is beautiful... kinda anyway it actually was a crap sunrise but it was nice to see after wards we have breakfast at harry potter shop number 5 purely because of the name haha. We also visit Angkor Thom, Bayon Temple and some other place I can't remember what it's called unfortunately however I will not be planning on going back to the temples ever as I wasn't hugely impressed to be perfectly honest. I think I am more of a beautiful modern temple kind of girl these ruins are that wow. Like some of them are awesome, but mainly it's not for me. But at least I went. In the Temples we are blessed by monks with incense sticks, we pray to Buddha, given bracelets. Full on Buddhist for life now yeah. It is a lovely day but so tiring as it is soo hot and humid and it's a long way to walk in such conditions. But of course it is a true Cambodian Experience which is good.

My blog is of course being written when the events happened a long time ago so the order may not be the best but all of this did indeed happen ha!

So one night we went to The Temple Bar to see the Traditional Apsara dancing where the girls bend their fingers right back it's a bit creepy to be honest, we have food there and the food is bloody gorgeous I have a traditional fish amok curry which is just divine. We drink a lot of beer and cocktails in there which is awesome! We also spend a lot of time partying hard in a bar called Angkor What? it's always a good night in there and if you buy 2 buckets in there you get a t shirt so me n Ashley agree I get the first one and when we go back she gets her t shirt. Always loving the free stuff and the buckets are huge and sooo strong. I believe by the point of going to Angkor What I was already addicted to Mekong Whiskey which is their cheap brand it's sweet and delicious. When you go to this bar you basically spend your time between there and Temple bar and often find yourself dancing in the street. These bars are on Pub Street which has no cars, bikes, tuk tuks purely just walking people so it's so nice that you can do the street party thing. We literally dance our socks off like its 1999. One night there we meet some aussie girls both are doing volunteer nurse work in Cambodia which is cool. They are lovely girls and we dance like it's going out of fashion we are new best friends forever. It's a crazy night and at one point one of the aussies ask me if I'll hook up with her haha I explain I'm not quite the raging lesbian she presumes! So funny haha.

Another night out in Angkor what? On the way home me and Ashley are walking back with a Brazilian lad from our hostel who has been dancing his heart out all night, them 2 are wandering around together and I am just wandering by myself like a meter away from them. It's like 3am maybe. and some little girls like aged 6 all come at me from every angle all like 'lady lady play play' whilst cuddling me by this point and trying to get my bag! As if these kids are trying to rob me! The little s***s so I literally fight them off proper bashing them to get off me while holding my bag. Ash is completely oblivious and just thinks I've made friends with these little toe rags. They try one more time so once again I bash them and tell them to piss off and off the run finally. The next day I meet a guy in the hostel who tells me he has lost his phone, but then explains actually some kids pick pocketed him in the same spot where they tried to get me. He was so embarrassed bless him. Super dodgy if you aren't aware yet again. There is also a lot of 'my baby needs milk' scams where when you agree to buy them milk they lead you to a shop where milk is $20!! Insane as people buy it then realise milk can't possibly be that much!! Absolutely nuts.

In Siam Reap we also eat snake on a stick one night it's chewy and tastes of chicken. I love eating things on sticks I'm so Asian! It was so much nicer than that awful scorpion I ate in Thailand. Our last day there is spent sunbathing on some mattresses on the volley ball pitch at the hostel - they really need a pool!! on our last night of course I spend the night partying until 3am and the bus leaves to Phnom Penh at 7am haha good times I love doing this as you get to spend a long time sleeping on these buses so it's the best time to be wrecked haha. In Siam Reap we also discovered the best Mexican in the world! The Margaritas were awesome and the food was to die for! Although unfortunately since we were in Cambodia no sour cream available for the nachos but never mind it was still beautiful and they provided a lot of jalapenos which I love love love. We ended up going there twice as the food was super delicious! We did 4 nights in Siam Reap it was awesome but it was time for Phnom Penh.

So on the bus which takes hours I end up having the s***s terribly when we do our stop it's a traumatizing time! As our bus has no toilet so when I get back on armed with bananas I just pray to Buddha the bus flipping hurries up before I have any accidents. Of course I luckily make it and am actually fine after that anyways but it was not fun! We head straight to Mad Monkey Hostel which is the best hostel in the world! of course they have no dorms for us but agree we can have one of their unfinished rooms it's a double room for $10 a night between us and the dorms are $8 a night each so we get a way better bargain it's a brand new room with just not a lot of art on the walls so its unfinished because of that apparently. We also have brand new shared bathrooms that are lovely so we are super lucky we end up staying 4 nights as there is quite a bit to do in PP.

Our first full day we get our sweet little tuk tuk driver to take us to The Killing Fields and S21. The Killing Fields isn't nice at all obviously and I see teeth in one of the grave pits. It's very interesting and round some of the grave pits people donate bracelets for the victims so I leave them my wish bracelet. When we are there, there is a man and son begging around the outside of the fields it's very inappropriate, I just think it's horrible that people have the cheek to beg here it's so disrespectful. I tell the boy at one point I will buy him some food and ask him what he wants, his response is of course 'no madam money' so I take it he wasn't that hungry. The worst part of the whole Killing Fields is The Killing Tree where the guards used to smash babies and kids to death against this massive tree it's so utterly disturbing that this was happening just 35 years ago!

We then headed on to S21 Genocide Museum which was a prison type place where only 7 people survived after being held in there. That is way worse than Killing Fields. It's so sad; it's super eerie and horrible. It has one of those weird horrible feelings about it. And it is such a big place it feels so sad! It was really hard to bear being in there. All over the ex-prison cells there is just big photo boards with photos of the victims. Some so Small and young little boys and girls, old ladies and men. When they used to arrive in the prison they were all taken immediately for photos. In some of them you can see just how tight their arms are being tied back it is just horrendous. The one image that sticks in my mind is a photo of a lady sitting holding her baby, it's as sad as you know they both didn't survive. It's hard enough imaging how people could kill adults but killing babies and children the thought makes me feel psychically sick. It's awful how the Khmer Rouge killed their own people. It is just a really upsetting place. There is also a lot of paintings everywhere broadcasting the psychical violence that happened there, they are all painted by one of the only survivors and he was forced to paint these horrors for the people in charge. The fact he was such a good artist actually ended up saving his life and he is now one of the most famous artists in Cambodia Vann Nath he actually died in 2011. So yeah after we left S21 I was completely just super sad and think if I had to stay there one more hour I would have had a breakdown!!

In the Mad Monkey Hostel I also bumped into Amy and Samantha who I met in Airlie Beach in December so we had a catch up of course. One night a whole bunch of us ended up in a bar called Top Banana with this lovely scouse couple Dave and Stacey, Stacey was absolutely smashed I had to take her to the toilet at one point as where it was located If you fell out the door you could end up falling down the nasty concrete stairs. She insisted on getting more and more drinks. Dave was completely amazed as he had never seen her so drunk in his life it was so funny. We all went home together in a tuk tuk and me Ashley and Dave went for food down the road and we left Stacey with our hostel security guard where she just stood and shouted her head off haha it was super funny he looked petrified. The Khmer people are quite teeny!! The next day they both had no recollection of coming home with us. Oh deary. The Mad Monkey is one of the best hostels probably in the world, such a good laugh and when the bar shuts at 11 they provide free tuk tuks to the next destination (whichever bar is good that night) as its safer to get tuk tuks everywhere than walk as PP is known for bag thefts a lot. However I witnessed none of that and if you are out on a night in pairs there is security guards everywhere and they are always telling you to watch your bag and keep you aware so it's good. One night me and a scouse lad were out looking for street food when the bar shut and we got lost on the way back and this one security guard drove past us loads of times on his bike asking if we were ok and eventually saw us saw again and asked where we were going as I think it was clear we were lost so he ended up driving us both back on his motorbike! What a nice guy. This is why I love the Khmer People they are so friendly and nice!!

Another day in PP we got our cute little tuk tuk driver to take us out again for some more sightseeing so we went to The Royal Palace which was beautiful and they had turtles around their mini Angkor Wat, Wat Phnom which is a lovely temple up a little hill that has evil monkeys of course. I hate the bloody monkeys. The actual part where people prayer was like a little disco temple it was awesome all bright lights and loads of food donations we actually saw some kids trying to steal food from there and they got well chased by a monk haha. We went to the National Museum which was absolutely s***e sorry like I don't even know why we went there?! We then asked him to take us to a nail bar that trained up street kids in beauty therapy to get them a trade but they had no free appointments so went back to Mad Monkey and of course I bumped into Shauna who I worked with in Salamt in Melbs. I did know she was going to be at the hostel though but just wasn't sure when she was arriving so it was lush to see her after like 9 months maybe!!

Of course we had some rooftop beers to celebrate and her friend Haley from Canada who she did her farm work with was also at the hostel so we got a wee bit merry watching the sunset. We actually all ended up going to Happy Herb Pizza which is Pizza that makes you happy as it has weed on it (sorry parents) They are very popular in Cambodia so we figured when in Rome etc. So we all got Medium Happy and not Super Happy then went back to the hostel and waited to see how happy we would get. There was a good few of us who ended up going from the hostel. So Ashley and these other 2 girls were completely fine and did not get happy. Shauna and Haley had the giggles. Then Haley fell asleep after saying she felt terrible. Shauna was feeling awful too so she lay down next to Haley to also try to sleep it off and make it go ok and me. Well of course I had the most unhappy pizza of all time I went from being ok to just f***ed. I just suddenly went all dizzy and numb and kept thinking I was going to black out any second, I ended up kneeling in front of Shauna and grabbed her arm and was like 'Shauna something's not right I feel so ill' and she was laughing like 'aw Tracy I feel too ill to deal with this stop messing' and I was like 'no really I'm being serious I can't see or feel anything' then kind of just slumped against her bed on the floor so she went and got me some water but it was horrible I literally couldn't feel my whole body so I couldn't stand up I kind of felt like I was having an out of body experience like I could almost see how helpless I was. Inside I was proper freaking out having heart palpitations. Now those who know me know I hate drugs and don't have time for them but I really wasn't expecting this from a happy herb pizza, eventually I made Ashley get me some coke as I figured I would need sugar for energy or something but of course it made no difference. I somehow got to bed where I spent the whole night twitching away from my feet up to my neck and then back down again on repeat. Worst night ever basically. I was quite sure there was a chance I might not have made it. But of course I did… if you were starting to think 'OMG I hope she made it…' you are not smart at all as you're reading my blog that I am of course writing myself. Doh.

So the next day I got up after 1.30pm still felt terrible and shaky but nowhere near as bad, me and Ash went to the Riverside for some food I drank tons of coke and by the night I was much better and was back on the beer as it was a boy called Ashley's birthday! After speaking to Shauna and Haley again after the trauma night it turned out they also felt like s*** all night and also spent the night jerking away , a few days later I caught up with them again in Sihanoukville and Haley tells me shes been told our happy herb pizza shop is actually well known for substituting weed for opium on the pizzas as Opium is apparently cheaper than weed in Cambodia. So of course we now realise we actually had Opium Pizza and not weed pizza. Major Fail! This explains why we were so f***ed up and majorly tripping out. But on the brightside we survived Opium and will not be going back there.

So anyways back to normality and me and Ashely have ended up in Sihanoukville obviously with no accommodation booked and there is no space in any hostel. Great. So we end up in a 3 bed guesthouse sharing a room with a random European to save us all some cash, we have a few beers on the beach in a bar and befriend Phin a Khmer bar owner who loves Newcastle United haha. He is super cute and we visit him everyday after that he loves us and we love him and his bar. He wears a Newcastle United shirt all the time too which is so funny. The next day we head in to Led Zephr hostel where it turns out the Scousers from PP are also staying (small world) we spend the day at the beach being harassed by the kids and massage ladies and the ladies who do threading. They are hilarious. They stroke your legs and go 'urgh' really loud. So more threaders come over and abuse you for being a hairy beast even though you shaved your legs that day. They show you it doesn't hurt by doing a small patch (it does hurt) so you refuse and they then move on to your armpits and it repeats haha it is funny though I must admit. We end up with 'free for friendship' bracelets made by this boy mine is pink as it's my favorite color makes it right there in front of me. He says we don't have to buy anything as we are friends now but then once the freebie is on your wrist he's all like 'business is very slow today help a friend out' haha and we refuse and he is not a happy chappy but no way he's to young and if you buy from the kids they will never stop selling things on the beach so it's for their own good to not make a penny so they have to do something else with their lives such as go to school! I feel so strongly about the whole not buying anything from them as it ruins their lives seriously. They will never escape it if they earn so you have to be harsh. They deserve a better life than selling bracelets on the beach. It's their parents that make them do it, and if their parents want to do that for themselves as an adult good on them that's their choice but forcing your kids on to the beach to be sellers is not their choice at all. And kids do have options in Sihanoukville so by buying their stuff whatever it may be you are effectively removing their choices. They obviously need to earn money but in a touristy town such as there, there is a lot of jobs going for those who speak English. There is actually a school for the beach kids for 2 hours a day teaching them English there to get them out of being sellers. To give them more opportunities. To speak English is the greatest skill you can have at the moment in Cambodia as it means you can always find work somewhere as speaking English is essential there in tourist towns and there are so many jobs there within tourism. So yeah glad I got that off my chest.

The next day we decide to go to Otres beach by tuk tuk as its more luxury and there is no one there selling stuff so you can relax in the beautiful surroundings. We actually end up in some Honeymoon resort its so lovely and peaceful and I get an amazing Squid BBQ there which is just wow.

That night is Ashley's last night we go out for a few beers she's not been feeling well at all bless her from her malaria tablets so think she is struggling!! Feels so weird with her leaving after all the time we've spent together as it's been almost a month. But as much as I have enjoyed spending time with her I do prefer not to travel with people for very long as I am used to doing my own thing and I'm not so good at considering others when I'm travelling and while I understand that sounds horribly selfish it's just the reality of backpacking. And I left the UK a long time ago now so I am used to travelling solo. I have learnt a lot about myself in the time and I hate to rush around places I like to take my time and get absorbed in my surroundings, making friends with the locals and learning about where I am which is easy when I rarely have a timescale and just sort everything out last minute. Especially at the moment when I obviously finished work early October and since then I have just travelled with no plans to work so I don't need to rush I just know I have to be in Bali for my flight to Oz so I can get to NZ in March and that's all the definite plans I need right now.

So Ashley left early in the morning to get her bus to Bangkok, I had myself a lovely lie in. And was just about to head for breakfast down at the beach when Shauna and Haley rock up after just coming from Siam Reap. Yey. I do now feel there is like only 3 hostels in the whole of Cambodia haha. So we all go for breakfast on the beach which is lovely we then spend the day sunbathing and Haley literally turns black in one hour!! That night we head out for some dinner with the guys in our room and Shauna's mate Sam from Melbourne who I also know after spending a few drunken afternoons with them on the beach in Melbs. Sam lives in Sihanoukville at the moment, so she takes us for an amazing Italian then we go and get very drunk as it's like 25cents a beer here it's amazing and also you get a lot of free drinks here. Me and Shauna have some laughing gas and just party all night it's a wicked party night out! We also book on to the booze cruise for the next day for mates rates thanks to Sam; we also manage to get our whole dorm involved in going so it's exciting!!

The next day I awake feeling a bit rough, we all go for breakfast and then get sorted and get on the booze cruise after a few Mekong Whiskeys and coke I feel better, the booze cruise is fun we get free buckets which are actually soup bowls and the weather is beautiful. And then someone gets pushed off and hits his back on the boat and then the fun is ruined as basically he broke some vertebrae as we find out later on but this poor lad is in so much pain just crying lying on the stretcher. Of course we have to go back to shore so he can get an ambulance we are of course over one hour away so it's a long way back. And we aren't allowed off it when we go back and off we head again to see the sunset which is amazing but of course I don't have my phone on me as I am scared of losing/breaking another phone!! But anyways I get back and I feel terrible again, everyone is going out I feel too ill and go to bed and it's the start of me being extremely ill for the next few days. I end up sleeping in poor Noah's bed who is in the bunk below me as I keep not making it to the toilet to be sick and end up vomiting outside of the dorm which luckily is outside but climbing up and down the bunk isn't fun hence the bed stealing. So I spend 2 days ill inside feeling sorry for myself all the time during the day I am ok but on the night I am ill. Boo! The third night I'm convinced I'm getting better for real now but then get the s***s terribly at like midnight so refuse to take anymore so I decide I need drugs to stop me being ill so I head out on the hunt for a pharmacy that's open with Rhiannon my sweet room mate who comes with me to make sure I'm ok and we end up getting a nice Cambodian to drive us to a pharmacy and I get the magical cure as after that I am absolutely fine amazingly! Of course she gives me packets of 4 tablets all different no idea what they are she tells me to take them all I take 3 and I am cured whey!!

Thank god though as the next day me and Shauna are booked on a day trip out to an Island called Koh Rong Saloem. Which is an amazingly lovely white sand beach absolute paradise. We have such a nice days it's the perfect end to our time in Sihanoukville as we are booked to go to Kep the next day with Haley and the American boys we have picked up Nick and Noah.

Anyways guys I will continue my Cambodia story asap but I have to shower and go to work now… much loving… xxx