Cambodia

Okay so finally I get to write my proper blog-entry about my whole trip to Cambodia with my brother.

After arriving at Bangkok around noon, yesterday, we went to the hostel, my friend Jonas recommended.

After getting there (it's near Siam Square, where a few really big shopping centres are) we just strolled around for a little while, trying to get a guitar for my brother. We succeeded (unfortunately we lost the guitar on our way to Phnom Penh later on the trip).

At that point, it was evening already anyway, so we drank a few Chang beer while walking to Khao San road. During my first time in Bangkok in 2009, I stayed there all the time. Even then, it was not the typicall backpacker street, it used to be (I guess. It probably is a matter of defining the word "backpacker"). It looks more like the Ballermann on Mallorca, or at least how I imagine it looks.

The next day, due to jetlag, we slept in until around 1pm. After that we went to the bus station to get our tickets to Cambodia. Then we actually just strolled around through the city randomly and ended up in Lumphini Park. It was dark already, but still pretty nice, because we saw the lit skycrapers around the park and a classical orchestra played some classical stuff. I don't know what, my sister probably would have.

So that was my first impression of Bangkok during that trip. I have to say, that I got a much better impression of Bangkok than I did in 2009, probably because I have all those tips from Jonas. Also Moe and me walked around a lot more than I did with my friends in 2009. And because of that we are much better orientated.

Our hostel in BKK.

Kids playing in Lumphini.

Eating on the streets of BKK.

Working out a little bit in Lumphini.

Well for our next stop, we hopped on a bus to Siem Reap. While crossing the border we met Mike and Rachel, with whom we're hanging out in Siem Reap (actually Mike decided later to join us to Ratanakkiri).

The day after, we started to look at the temples of Angkor Wat with Mike, Julian and Daniel, two German guys from Hamburg. We rented bikes for the day and biked around the temples, which was actually much nicer than taking a tuk tuk. Anyway, today we visited Angkor Wat and Angkor Tom, which are the most famous and biggest temples, or rather complexes in the area.

On our way to Siem Reap.

We had a great time watching Julian negotiating with a woman about some cloth. It ended up with Mike buying one, instead of Julian. Anyway: a great time.

The next day the templing crew with Rachel as day guest got up around 4:30 am to go and see the sunrise above Angkor Wat. We were not the only ones.

Ankor Tom

We we were "templed out", we diecided not to go back to Siem Reap immidiately but rather to hang out around the ruins of this ancient temples.

Having one more day on our temple-pass we decided to see some more remote temples and got a taxi for that. It was just Mo, Julian, Mike and me, because Daniel rather wanted to expolre Siem Reap.

Showering with water, that is holy for Hindi.

After that we all decided to go to Ratanakkiri, which was initially Mo's and my plan, but we were happy, that Mike and our German friends were gonna join us. In the bus we met Franz, a German guy from Munic, who then joined us to hang out at this beautiful vulkanic lake just outside Ban Lung.

Three people on a moto - not a problem, could easily do more.

The next day, we decided to go on a jungle hike for a few days, which was quite nice, since besides our guide, we had to rangers with us, who didn't speak any English, but definetly knew their way around the forest and hunted and fished at night and showed us some other neat stuff.

Unfortunately Mike was not able to join us, because he got sick.

Starting with a cool moto-ride to a village near the jungle.

After returning from the jungle, we all went seperate ways:

while we stayed a day longer in Ban Lung with Mike, Daniel and Julian left for Phnom Penh, because they had to get to BKK asap.

Mike left us, when we got to Phnom Penh the day after, but on the bus we got to know Kent, a guy from South Africa, with whom Mo and I hung out in Phnom Penh for a few days.

After Phnom Penh, Mo and I went straight to Ko Tonsay, an island near to the small beach towm Kep.

We met some awesome guys from Malta and France there, with whom we had a great, but unfortunately very short time.

Quentin showing me how to do a backflip.

The Ko Tonsay-crew.

Dusty Tuk-Tuk ride on our way from Kep to Kampot, where we stayed for a night.

We stayed in Sihanoukville for a few days. It was not as bad of a place, as we expected it to be from all we had heared about it from others.

I got my first short stage gig with the harmonica, after playing it for 10 months, thanks to Gilly from Ireland nad Richy from the states. I met them late one evening jamming in front of a bar and joined them. They invited me to a gig, they had the next day and got me up on stage on that gig. I had a great time with them.

After Sihanoukville we went to Ko Kong for a few days, accompanied by JJ, an Australian girl we had met in Sihanoukville.

On our way to Ko Kong island.

My brother at a local market.

We decided to go to Thailand a few days earlier then planned to visit Ko Wai, a small, but very cool island. Kind of funny was, that the island was crowded with Russians during the day, but in the evening, when all the day guests were gone, it was a really nice island.

Unfortunately, we had to leave for Bangkok at some point...

I always say, that my favourite way to travel is on the back of a pick-up. Unexpectedly I got to that pleasure on the day of our flight, involving a scam, that later turned out, not to be a propber scan. Anyway: we were stranded way outside of Bangkok and went to the next gas station to find out, where we were, not hoping that anyone would speak English. But luckily at that gas station, we met a couple, which had lived in the States for a while and since spoke very good English... and owned a pick-up. Since they went roughly in the same direction, where we had to go, the took us with them for a while and then we got a cap and went on with whatever we were doing... And did not miss our flight.

So it was a very nice and relaxing trip. Cambodia is a great country with very nice people, but I got the impression that it's chaning very much due to tourism at the moment. If for the better or the worse... we will see. I enjoyed travelling with my brother, although we were hardly allone and met many, many great people from all over. I hope to visit some of them soon.