I spent two days wandering the Angkor Temples and nearly melted in the process. It’s A difficult place to describe and most of my reactions consisted “oh my god”. Not very inventive I know, but it is astonishing that the temple remains have been standing since the 11 & 12th centuries. Moreover, the fact that nearly every stone has been carved by hand and so intricately is phenomenal. Eventhough these temples are quite serene at each one you are accosted by children wanting to sell you anything from woven wrist bands to t-shirts and that’s where you really see how confronting the poverty can be here.

It is a shock to the system if you haven’t travelled SE Asia before. Siem Reap was very hot and humid on arrival and the dust and dirt is a little overwhelming. If you are expecting anything like home then you will get a huge shock. Traffic, roads, food hygiene, rubbish collection or anything that we take for granted is not a priority. I read a travel blog about safely eating in Cambodia, and they suggested that if kitchen hygiene wasn’t up to standard then avoid eating in that establishment or food stall. Seriously, how arrogant could you get if you demanded to see the quality of the food preparation here. I don’t think you will do yourself any favors if you were to constantly be comparing home to here. It’s so much better to accept that things are different and enjoy it all or stay home!

What can be disturbing to many travellers is the tourist mecca that Siem Reap has become, means you can be bombarded with only tourists doing touristy things with blatant disregard for the locals. Large tour groups are the worst for this, and backpackers that only seem interested in getting shit faced as quickly as possible on the ridiculously cheap booze…you could be forgiven for thinking that you had arrived at school is week. Of course alongside this, is the begging and prostitution often involving children. Lonely Planet will not tell you any of this in the guide books, but it happens and sadly it is quite pronounced in the tourist spots. You are advised not give money to the begging children as this will mean they won’t go to school…That’s what Lonely Planet says…..but it doesn’t take a genius to realize that in such a developing country the men driving brand new Range Rovers and Lexus 4wds are not making their money from selling road side noodles. The kids give their money to someone higher up the food chain who probably controls a number of other businesses including road side stalls and other less legitimate enterprises. There are of course many businesses that do so much good for the local economy and people (my hostel being one of them), but it would be wrong and ignorant to ignore the other side of the growing tourist market herein Siem Reap.

Speaking of growing tourist markets….the growing concensus among people I have met is that Americans are the loudest and most painful tourists. Imagine Kuta in Bali with Aussie Bogan but replace with American accents. (My apologies to my US friends….but this is what I’m hearing around the traps)…the only annoying travellers to me, are those that think it’s OK to Skype in the middle of the night or turn lights on to pack backpacks at the Crack of dawn all while in a shared dorm room….a bit of consideration doesn’t go astray.

Anyway I’m now in Battambang which is far more chilled out and just had a bone shattering trip on the Bamboo railway….this is too much fun!

“Same same but different”…… That’s what won me over to have my breakfast at the Lady Gaga stall while I watched the sunrise over the Angkor Temples at 5.30am. All the stalls are next to each other and you are accosted by vendors offering coffee and breakfast, and yes they are pretty much all the same. The defining feature is the stall names….Harry Potter, James Bond and Lady Gaga etc. I had the best banana pancakes ever and considering that it all happens in the dark before sunrise, and there is no infrastructure except a few tarps and fridges for drinks….it was fantastic! Young children were asleep on the tables while the family members hawker their wares and food to the enormous amount of tourists who brave the pre-dawn tuk tuk ride out to Angora. 

Tuk tuks are the best mode of transport. I was picked up for free from the airport by a tuk tuk driver who has now become my personal driver. I was suckered into that quite nicely. I didn’t realize that I could have done a shared driver for the temples from the hostel, but it has worked out well as I don’t have to be waiting for people to do their sightseeing, and I was given some traditional food too for my second breakfast. He assured me I wouldn’t get sick but I was dubious as to why he wasn’t eating it also. It was a fresh fish from the river cleaned and fried, with steamed rice and pickled cabbage and onions shoots of some description. It was absolutely delicious and I am not feeling sick at all!

I can hear my Mam and Dad saying “what’s a tuk tuk…why hasn’t she told us what that is?” Mind you, Dad has discovered the wonders of Google so he may have googled it….for those of you too lazy…it’s basically a rickshaw but powered by motorbike….it’s the best, and there are no discernable road rules  so these things weave in and out of everywhere. I can also cross the road with confidence…just step out and go….its good training for Vietnam apparently.

I have a arrived in Singapore for the first stop on my 2015 adventure, and I am going to see what mischief I can get up to over the next few months. My friend Shelley told me that I had to say yes to everything, unless it was going to dinner with an axe murderer….so I figure I will do everything I can, within reason and the laws of the country I happen to find myself in (all while keeping safe and avoiding axe murderers)!

Having my first beer after some fantastic street hawker food on Maxwell St, and I find myself listening to John Farnham….what are the chances!? Arriving in Singapore is such a pleasure. The airport is clean and not overly busy like Hong Kong  (although there was no visible jazz band playing). The ground transport is a fantastic service and it cost S$ 9 to be dropped at my hostel. No fancy hotels for me this time round, but this hostel is not your average bedbug ridden joint….this is a luxury hostel. I’m staying in a mixed dorm room which is super clean and private. They supply towels clean linen and quilt, locker and clean bathrooms! It does however cost about $40 per night but I figure I’ll make back my daily allowance money in the $6 per night hostel in Cambodia! The Adler hostel (www.adlerhostel.com ) is located in Chinatown so it seems fairly central to everything. Weather isn’t outrageously oppressive but I imagine as its 7.40pm it is cooler in the evenings; tomorrow I will be suitably outraged at the humidity.

If you happen to stay in the Chinatown area, it is well worth a trip to Ann Siang Hill, particularly if you like to people watch like myself.  This seems to be a mecca for expat banker types, but it also has has great restaurants and bars that over charge for beer. Having said that it’s probably on par with Australian prices, but I have certainly blown any daily budget that I had in mind. Again I’m sure I will make it back when I get out of Singapore and head elsewhere. So for now, I’m super happy people watching and people listening, which is hilarious…..nothing like Tuesday night drinks listening to wanker bankers!