Grand theft taxi

I'm in Cambodia! Another fancy few stamps in the passport and another day down. I've been away a week now - although it feels much longer - and I'm getting into the swing of things.

Cambodian immigration is like nothing I have encountered before. They try to rip you off at every given stage, including making you wait 1/2 an hour for a 2 minute visa if you insist on paying the correct amount, and trying to get you to pay to fill out a SARS form that's phoney anyway. I am proud to say that, thanks to excellent guidance from Kirsten and some websites, I was not fleeced once in the process.

The taxi ride Poipet-Siem Reap was something else. 200km of potholed, unsurfaced road populated by bikes, scooters, pick-ups, lorries, cows, pigs, taxis, and a huge assortment of other seemingly thrown together vehicles. Cambodia is poor. Poorer than Thailand at least. Cambodian drivers drive on the right, but only the rich can afford a left-hand-drive vehicle. The rest get hand-me-downs from their richer western neighbour, where they drive on the left.
The trio could inspire a new level for a game a la Grand Theft Auto. The 150 potholes per yard road is about as bad as some I rode in Kenya, but it being monsoon season here... Well, it adds a whole new soggy dimension. In the game, there could be bonus points for splashing and drenching other road users with orange muddy water. Our taxi driver would definitely get the high score!

Vanity

Somehow, something feels wrong with plucking my eyebrows while travelling. I'm not a razor-sharp eyebrow person anyway, but as I'm having an early night, doing some laundry, I couldn't resist the temptation to get rid of some stragglers. This bit of vanity seems at odds with the travelling, not least because many local wages in the countries I'm visiting probably wouldn't stretch to buying the Venus razor I continue to use to stop myself from looking like a gorilla in shorts.

About George

Let me introduce you to one of my fellow travellers. George looks mid-fifties and is, I think, from England, most likely London. I can't tell you much more than that, because frankly, neither can George.
I've never met someone with quite so many braincells gone walkabouts. Having discussed where I grew up, he asked me when I was going back to Italy. He also commented that he didn't blame me for leaving, Germany is a horrible, cold place.
At some point in the last 30 years (timescale changes every 2 seconds when George tells it, as does location), his ex-wife tried to have him killed. He's riddled with bullet wound scars.
George has lost his passport, his visa, quite a lot of screws, and he's trying to get home. I hope he makes it.

Photos: Khanchanaburi

Some photos from my trip to Khanhanaburi, west of Bangkok. Famous for the Erawan Falls, Tiger Temple and Bridge over the River Kwai.

Again, just copy and paste this link (or click on the photo):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/oddballproductions/sets/72157594298740659/

44 letter language

As someone who is used to being able to at least pick up the basics of languages, including being able to deduce whether what is written on a vehicle means 'I am a bus/taxi going to this place, please flag me down' or 'I am an emergency service/army/staff vehicle, don't look so hopeful', travelling in a country like Thailand is something of a new experience. Although I can say hello, thank you and count to ten, I can't read the alphabet, so no rough deciphering can be done. And that leaves me completely at the mercy of the locals and what the Lonely Planet says.

If all Thais are like the ones in Bangkok - I sincerely hope not - I shall be high-tailing it out of here fairly soon. It doesn't matter how beautiful a country is, if the locals just lie, fleece you and generally take the piss, I really can't be doing with it. Here's to the non-Bangkokkers proving me wrong.

As a result, I'm not warming a huge amount to the solo travelling thing yet, and the idea of figuring out getting to Cambodia isn't one I'm relishing just now. Having said that, I've been out of Bangkok for over 24 hours now and I'm already feeling a bit better. Visiting Khanchanaburi (Bridge over the River Kwai and a 7-tiered waterfall for a good swim) with Irish traveller Joe is helping with the Bangkok city blues! I'm off to Cambodia and Angkor Wat on Monday, but for now, I think another 2 GBP massage and a good night's sleep will do. Wish me luck with the anti-malarials!

Photos: leaving do and Bangkok

While I figure out the best way to share photos with you all, here are links to two albums in my flickr account for you: (copy and paste URL)

Leaving do's: http://www.flickr.com/photos/oddballproductions/sets/72157594293794008/
Bangkok: http://www.flickr.com/photos/oddballproductions/sets/72157594293795679/

Ladyboy anyone?

I have just discovered that the hospital at the back of my hostel is the most famous one for the male to female sex change operation. So there you go.

Coup d'etat

I am ok.

I only found out about the military coup when I got up this morning. It was as peaceful as a coup can be, and it all happened on the other side of the city. The main impact on me is that they announced today a public holiday and as a result most things were closed, and also that there are armed soldiers everywhere and big armed vehicles and tanks in certain areas. Stupid tourists are still having their photos taken in front of them though. Duh.

The British Embassy advice is as little movement about the city as possible, which I'll try and be good and follow. They also recommend that those of us kicking about other parts of Thailand just keep a close eye on the situation. So I now have to make a decision as to whether to miss out Thailand altogether, go and do Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos, and then fly from one of those to Kuala Lumpur. Talk about bad timing!

However, the lovely owners of this hostel have thrown a 'Coup Party' with food, booze and pool to keep us all happy indoors. So I'll go enjoy now.

On a side note, I have to say I don't like this city much. It's a big, polluted, sprawling, dirty, noisy city with actually not that much to see (even if it was all open).

Initial impressions

I can't say I really like Bangkok yet, but then that's based on only a 3 hour nap and a couple of hours evening stroll!
But I can say that what I've seen so far amuses me. After an incredible pad thai from a stall, during which I betrayed by greenness by eating with the fork and not the spoon (it's apparently seen to be very weird to stick something pointy in your mouth), I made my way up the market street. Opposite the stalls proudly flogging 'SEX XXX DVDs' and various fake brand merchandise, you can purchase knuckle dusters, razor sharp ninja stars, and tasers. In case you fancied an accessory to the aforementioned DVDs, the stall selling wooden carvings opposite include giant wooden penises. Are these to complement the lady boy doing his/her make up on the stall next door? The guy squeezing his spots in his motorbike's wing mirror doesn't seem to care either way.

All in all, the jury is out on Bangkok so far. I'm still a wee bit shellshocked, but there are lovely people in the hostel. Nothing a good night's sleep won't fix.

The flight was amazing though, I would recommend Emirates to anyone (you even get a starry night sky at 'nighttime' and a pink dawn as they turn the lights up in the 'morning').

Loss... and excitement.

Only a week to go and I can't quite get my head around it.


It is exciting, but I'm suffering from an irrational sense of loss, or more precisely, pending loss in the lead up to take-off. I will most likely grow to know and love wherever I'm going, and discover new and wonderful places, people and philosophies, but at the moment that's all an unknown. While that in itself is so exciting, and really the whole reason for doing all of this in the first place, it does inevitably go hand in hand with leaving everything that I do know and love. Hence the loss.

But then the fear factor is all part of it, and damn healthy too if you ask me.

Roll on 18 September.

Retail therapy

One of my favourite parts of going travelling is the shopping beforehand. That is if you've saved up for it. I have spent a fortune this week, but I feel very prepared for every eventuality now. Well, a lot of eventualities, anyway!

Amongst others:

• brand new shiny rucksack (Osprey Arial, with waist band that can be moulded to your shape)
• padlocked cage for the rucksack, waterproof cover for the rucksack (thank you G), lots more padlocks (nobody's going to nick my dirty underwear)
• sun tan lotion and after sun (my god, I had forgotten how expensive this stuff is)
• thermal top and trousers (hot-pink top is particularly sexy...)
• silk sleeping bag liner (actually a gift from mum, my own wee bit of travel luxury)
• dry wash, chlorine water purifiers, travel washing line, universal sink plug
• address book (beloved filofax - aka life-support system - has to stay at home for this one, so this is the stream-lined version)
• multiple convertible combats (basically walking trousers that zip off at two levels - three outfits in one!)
• South East Asia Lonely Planet (early birthday/christmas present fromwee bro, pre-scribbled with his take on where I should visit)
• Essential toiletries in essential toiletry cases (part of my early birthday/christmas present from wee sis, she knows me too well!)

And the list goes on a fair bit more. It has been so much fun! And all ably supported by the lovely Scottish Arts Council staff (thanks guys) and my long-suffering family (I can be the most indecisive person in the world at the most inappropriate of times).

Bye bye SAC

I have just had the most lovely send-off from my pals and colleagues at the Scottish Arts Council. Hard to believe that I no longer work there and that I'm unemployed again (for a very good reason). It has been a fantastic year and I will miss the people there very much.

Thank you, SAC folk, and especially the music department and fellow administrators across the organisation, for everything.