30th Jan- Museum

A very hot day, even by Sydney standards, reaching 30 degrees. I'd spent a bit of time in the morning sorting myself out with an Australian sim card and bank account. At the Opera House I'd asked about tours but the major rooms were closed for rehersals so I decided to delay. By this time it was intensely hot and I'd done too much walking so in a stoke of inspiration I decided the Australia museum with it's aircon was the place to go!
This had some good natural history- skeletons, dinosaurs, insects and displays about the strange Australian beasties- deadly cone shells, the 4 dangerous shark species, the snakes and spiders, jelly fish and their crazy marsupials- most fascinating were models of the extinct giant marsupials Diprotodons and marsupial lions. (Presumably around at a similar time to the Wooly Mammoth and Sabre toothed tiger) There was also an Aboriginal display but I didn't have much time to look at this before closing.
In the evening the hostel had organised a night out. I went for the free wine- it would have been rude not to!

29th Jan Australia!!

It was a bit of a bumpy flight and sleep wasn't forthcoming however I was sat next to an Australian though who I chatted with which passed some time and from who I got some good information. I checked in at the hostel- bit of a shock after nearly a month of hotel rooms and bungalows, had a couple of hours sleep- then up to explore a bit. It was a little overcast but very warm.

From Darling harbour I walked round to Sydney harbour to see the famous bridge and Opera House. Now the Opera House did look a bit smaller in real life than I'd imagined and I also hadn't realised that it was in 3 bits, rather than one. But that's often the way with icons- they've been hyped up so much that the real thing loses its impact. I was unfortunately reminded rather of the conference centre in Harrogate- I think because they both have quite a lot of exposed concrete and that's not a style I especially appreciate! However the roof is better!!
Still the harbour was beautiful and from the Opera house I walked round to a viewing point then back into the Botanical gardens. Here I saw huge fruit bats in big groups hanging from trees and rainbow lorikeets- surprising and lovely given the backdrop of skyscrapers in the CBD! Also the Wollemi pine cultivated here- thought to have been extinct until found a few years ago in the Blue mountains (although I think this a reoccuring theme with Australia's fauna and flora- no one actually knows if somethings are extinct or not but it's a jolly big place!).

26th- 28th Khao Lak and Phuket

We had a good diving day on the 26th in the Similans, there were masses of fish but at Similan 8 it wasn't a coral reef, was big granite boulders so not as pretty as previous diving had been. There was a lot of napping on the 4hr round trip, getting back we caught the pretty sunset on the rather average beach, then a rainstorm caught us!

Crisis for me next day, as camera memory card seemed to have been wiped (have since realised that still on there somewhere just in a different folder) and USB had got a virus. I had a swim then we caught the bus to Phuket with incredible ease- yup, we were surprised, just 100baht and 2 hours later we arrived in a very hot city. Not really what I'd expected, staying in the old town it wasn't very touristy or attractive but it was interesting.
We had a bit of a walk, resolved the camera crisis by backing up onto CD and shopped for souvenirs.

Up early 28th to fly from Phuket to Bangkok, then around 8 hours to kill in the airport before Sydney flight. I now know Bangkok airport very well!

So the highlights of Thailand and Cambodia: the temples in Bangkok and Ankor, night markets and all the fruit and food (well, except when I was ill and I won't be voluntarily eating rice for a bit yet!!)  the sun, the heat, the massage (sort of), the raw contrast of Cambodia with the Killing fields and the temples from the height of the empire, Thai beaches, fish and monkeys in their habitats, friendly, open people, the cheap beer, karsts and caves, diving, kayaking (when Gemma wasn't hitting me with a paddle!) scootering around Khao Yao Noi.. Not to miss: being too hot, being attacked by bitey things oh and missing buses - still don't know why!

Oz here I come!!

24th-25th Cheow Lan Lake

We'd wanted to visit the lake Cheow Lan also known as the Ratchabrapa dam- party as the Rough guide recommended it and partly as I'd met 2 Thai people who'd raved about it. This was a huge lake within the national park created by building a dam and flooding the area around 30 years ago. Emerging from the lake were the limestone karsts we'd already become familar with creating a sort of mountainous backdrop that was vaguely alpine although the thick vegetation was  more rainforest.
After a short car journey we took a longtail boat, swam on the way and arrived for lunch on one of the floating rafthouses- accomodation entirely floating next to the steep bank. This was where Gemma and I were to stay the night. But first another hike spotting monkeys high up in the trees, another short boat (well bamboo raft with engine really) trip to a cave. Then we were left by our guide and after a swim took a kayak out. With dusk falling we watched Macaque monkeys building a nest for the night.
The night wasn't as peaceful as we'd anticipated due to a generator keeping lights on until 1 am. Trying to disregard the rock hard mattresses and animal droppings over them (we'd thought mice but it occurred to us, thankfully the next day, coakroaches were also possible) we slept fitfully until dawn then into the kayak again. More Macaques and lengurs, we were able to approach stethily and get close. Now, the lake was peaceful and the cliffs partly shrowed in cloud, worth an early start and sitting in a soggy kayak for!
We left the lake and had our first major hiccup regarding transport. Dropped in the nearest town we struggled to flag down any buses for an hour and a half, eventually got a lift in hte minibus of a guide and 2 people we'd actually met at the lake then seemed to take a rather convoluted route to Khao Lak but, we got there!

22nd-23rd Khao Sok National Park...and leeches!

We left Ko Yao Noi reluctantly, took a speed boat; songthaew; then luxury, air conditioned van, and reached Khao Sok early afternoon. We realised I'd booked a rather posh place but still, much less than you'd pay in England. Our first hike into the national park rainforest involved me picking up 1 leech, much to my horror, but, little did I know...

Next day we were up early to have a guided hike- with the help of our guide's eagle eyes we saw Macaque monkeys really close up, a tortoise, chameleons, uncomfortably large spiders, kingfishers and hornbills, Lengar monkeys too up in the trees. Unfortunately the leeches were after me big time and as soon as I had one lot detached more seemed to have appeared, unbelievable! And repulsive, one sock was soaked through with blood by the time we'd finished as they inject anticoagulant. We were hot and sweaty too and had a much needed swim in the river.  After lunch and a new can of DEET we re-entered the jungle to ride an elephant-well, it had to be done. It was a small enterprise, they seemed well looked after and after the ride we fed her bananas.

21st Koh Hong and around

After being floored rather by the heat yesterday we thought we'd get up early to beat it and make the most of the day. I wanted to try and find a beach that the guidebook had said was really good. It became a bit of a wild goose chase really involving a 40minute walk through some rather bitey forest, we did find a beach in the end, not sure it was the right one though! I did also see a huge monitor lizard on the way which I startled and it ran into the sea which was cool.

We'd only had watermelon for breakfast so lunch of sticky rice and chicken on beach back at base was particularly welcome.
In  the afternoon we hired a longtail boat and a driver and went to explore Koh Hong, one of the karst- islands off the coast, they'd been rather reluctant to take us as it was low tide, Ko Hong has a huge lagoon in it carved by the sea and I think usually boats go inside it, our boat couldn't because it was low tide but we were able to swim then walk in, carefully avoiding sea urchins. It was an incredible place, little brightly coloured crabs raced around on the sand, huge limestone walls echoed and provided a eery sense of isolation, we were the only people there and able to see Kingfishers feeding and eagles overhead.

For dinner we went to a great international restaurant, I escaped from Thai food and ironically Gemma had the hottest dish she'd had so far rather by accident!

20th Jan - Limestone cliff climbing!

Still very much in love with the island today and it's quiet charms. We had a late start to rest a bit then biked 15minutes up the road where we'd arranged to meet a climbing guide."Dude"- apparently his real name- was a Thai man from the island who learnt to climb as a young boy in order to work in the bird nest trade. Later he showed us a book of pictures of the bamboo structures built in caves in order to harvest the precious bird nests (mostly sold to the chinese) and the people climbing (ropeless up to harvest them). He now climbs less due to an injury sustained in the Tsunami and guides more, in partnership with an American, Mark who's is bolting (titanium only!) more and more climbing routes on the cliffs around Ko Yao Noi and climbing here is becoming better known.

Anyway, we took a boat from the pier and stopped by a 35metre + cliff, climbed from the boat up a ladder onto a platform built under the cliff- from here we were to climb! Just 6As seconding Gemma's lead for me but enough with the incredible height and the spectacular view, a beautiful cliff- I've never climbed up stalactites before! Gem loved it and could have carried on for hours I was rather scared most of the time!
Dinner on the beach of fresh crab. Power cut later- very common though apparently brown outs also major problem with insufficient voltage (we heard this from a very annoyed German restaurant proprietor the next day!) so we read by torch light under mosquito nets listening to bats in the roof.

18th-19th From Lanta to Ko Yao Noi

18th- I dived again after long boat trip to Hin Daeng from Ko Lanta, beautiful diving but sadly no Manta Rays which do sometimes hang about here. With a deep dive to 30m I completed the Advanced diving course- yay! and on the second dive improved my underwater photography skills a little. Storms and heavy rain hit us twice in the evening, the second time as we headed home from some dining al fresco in Salaban -in the side cart of a motorbike, facing the lashing wind and rain- Thai transport is crazy!!
19th- Away from Lanta and onto Ko Yao Noi for the next 3 days, we crossed the Phang Nga bay with it's incredible limestone karsts (flooded mountains formed many years ago when sea levels rose) and were pleased not to be mobbed by any touts, in fact we'd come across in a small long tail boat with just a few other tourists, some locals, 2 motorbikes crammed in and nearly a goat in a bag. 

It was quickly apparent that we'd arrived in a quiet paradise! As we took a Songthaew to our accomodation we drove along a road that gave tantalising views of white sand and palm trees without any buildings blocking the view. 
Our bungalow was basic- mosquito nets over the beds as the floor boards were open to the ground though raised above it and the shower just had the one temperature (though the most useful!). We had a much needed swim on from the deserted beach across the road but the water was so warm it didn't cool us down very much!
We'd decided with its quiet roads that this was the best place to join the natives in the Motorbike-riding habit, well mopeads really, the lady we hired from clearly had some misgivings but gave us the safest, and slowest (memories of learning to ride horses!) and a younger lady who spoke no English demonstrated, wobbly and uncertain we had a few goes (insisted that 1 each was less likely to end in disaster than sharing one)  and I suspect were the best live entertainment she'd ever seen! Still, we got the hang and pottered off to explore this small island....
Incredible place, still so unspoilt by tourism, a coastal road with the sea and groves of mangroves on the one side, placcidly grazing cattle and water buffalo backdropped by forested slopes on the other, altogether stunning!

15th-16th Diving

We caught a boat over to Ko Lanta from Krabi and arrived in time to hide in a restaurant for a torrential rain storm! Oh dear, not what we'd planned. But by evening the sun had come back enough to take tthe picture in the previous entry.

I'd wasn't well the next day but Gemma started her Open Water dive course as planned and dosed me up with Thai antibiotics in the evening. Luckily they did the trick.

The last 2 days we've been diving about 2 hours off the coast off Ko Lanta: Ko Ha and Koh Bida. It's been beautiful hot and sunny weather and we've had some great dives. I have nearly finished my Advanced Open Water and been enjoying learning a bit more about buoyancy, and trying to take pictures of fish underwater- not only do they move but it's hard to get the light, the angle, then a current moves you or you lose control of buoyancy! Hard work. One more dive day tommorrow. Today we saw a Leopard Shark which was beautiful- and big, it'd be hard to top that.

14th Jan

13th Jan- sea kayaking with Gemma

The 11th was a rest day and I didn't feel well at all, luckily able to sleep it off. Bit better for flights on 12th to Bangkok then down to Krabi. Gemma had arrived from England, made an instant friend and had a nice day at Railay. We had a basic room for 450 baht a night with fan and bathroom and made an early night of it.
We had planned to climb originally but Gem had seen the crowds, was feeling the heat and wasn't really keen. After some debate and some breakfast we arranged to go sea-kayaking. 
First experience of a Songthaew now, a sort of jeep with 2 benches facing each other in back for seats with the sides and back open, a little precarious at high speeds!
Along the road to Ao Thalen and first glimpse of the incredible karsts- huge rocky outcrops rising out the sea and also out of the land- we have yet to find out what causes these to be formed. 
We were lucky enough to have a guide to ourselves and set out paddling into the mangrove swamps- quiet at high tide, it was cloudy with some warm rain. Between trees growing out of the sea and huge tree-covered cliffs it was an amazingly atmospheric place. We paddled out into the open across a stretch of sea onto a small, deserted white sandy beach which was stunning. 

Later on, achy from kayaking we decided to have back and shoulder massages and this may have been a mistake as it was incredibly painful! Gemma's masseuse declared that she had a back like stone which I would have found more funny if I hadn't been having my shoulder knots pummelled into oblivion. 2 days on and still a little tender- but less tense!

10th Jan, templed out?

A final temple trip to Beng Melea another temple being reclaimed by the jungle in a big way, once again it was 2 fingers up to health and safety after we followed a sprightly lady Cambodian guide "rock-hopping" through the temple.
Down the road were two smaller temples but rather prohibitively close to landmine fields- a good time to call it a day!

9th Jan- Lets tomb raid!

Up and out by 7.30 to see Preah Khan by the morning light- stunning ruined temple in the jungle, trees growing out in places. Beautiful light and real peace about the place with just the bird song breaking the silence. An old lady made a prayer for each of us and gave us a lucky bracelet charm (old people are quite unusual in Cambodia at present). 
A hillside temple with a view of Ankor from the hill on which it resided then after lunch a quiet jungle temple, Ta Nei, Ta Keo plain but high up temple with the most terrifyingly steep stairs up to the top level (walking up fine, down felt like quite likely to fall off) and health and safety has yet to reach Cambodia! Then Ta Prohm the main site for the filming of Tomb Raider, an incredible place with giant silver cotton wood trees and strangler figs engulfing and in some places now actually holding up the ruins. There were inevitably more tourists here but by cunning timing we managed to get most shots without them in. 
Another hot, exhausting but very satisfying day!

8th Jan- Main Ankor temple day

Chet was keen we made it to the best spot ahead of the chinese tourists so we were up at 4.15am and soon sat in pitch darkness waiting for the dawn to illuminate Ankor. It was a special way to first see this most famous temple and the largest religious building in the world! 

Walking around the edge of Ankor we saw the beautiful moat from the north gate then spent quite some time photographing monkeys in the morning light who were climbing over the main ruins and stealing bananas where they could!

Incredible bas-reliefs filled it, some had been vandalised previously, some was being restored. As the sun rose the tourist numbers increased and we headed back to base for a late breakfast. Left with a sense that I could have spent hours there.

Sunbathe, swim and 1 strange Khmer massage later (didn't know I could bend in those directions!) and we were off to see Banyon temple, the temple of 216 faces, 4 facing different directions on top of each pillar, each pillar representing a province of the Khmer empire. This place was incredible! Especially with the late afternoon light. From here, along the elephant walk to the Leper temple (as the Budda statue had a hand missing and there was a legend about it though it might have just been damaged!)

Evening spent playing bar games with tour leader Mark's competitive and energetic Cambodian girlfriend.

7th Jan- Phom Penh to Siem Reap

Bit behind now, blaming it on the blog being in a foreign language and only just figuring out now how to change it! 

So, we left Phom Penh and headed up country to Siem Reap. It was great to see some of the countryside with their traditional houses- 1st floor raised in case of flooding, cattle, rice paddies, sugar palms (only grown in Cambodia apparently). 

Very hot and sunny. We stopped at one village where they cooked and ate spiders so some in the group decided to try (ew!). Next stop our first temple, the locals were friendly and pleased to see us. Lunch by a beautiful lake then another temple stop at one from the 10th century hidden by jungle. 

Arriving at our hotel it was a quick turnaround to visit Banteay Kdei for sunset. We met Chet our temple guide for the next few days and headed out to see our first main temple, lovely atmosphere. 

Dinner of baguette and curry (french influence!)

6th Jan Phnom Penh

After a yummy breakfast we're off to see the Royal Palace (King's residence and temples) this is the posh part of Phnom Penh- beautiful, lush grounds, stunning buildings. The piece de resistance is the Silver Pagoda the floor covered in more than 5000 silver tiles, weighing 1kg each. Most covered up for protection but some can be seen. This houses Cambodia's own Emerald Budda (again not made of emerald) bejewelled with more than 9000 diamonds. There's also a bed once used by the king on his coronation day designed to be carried by 12 men with gold work alone weighing more than 23kg! Impressive stuff.
Then we visit Pen Watt, temple on the hill containing a statue of lady Pen who founded the city.
From the best sites we go to the worst with a visit to the Genocide museum. This was a school originally but during the Khmer Rouge was turned into a prison and torture centre. Our guide Soka sits us down in the shade and starts to explain about the Khmer Rouge and what happened between 1975-79.  It's an awful story with unbelievable violence and cruelty but the numbers are beyond comprehension and it's his personal part of the story which upsets us most. The feel of the place was awful and I avoid looking too closely because you reach a point when you've heard as much as you can. The Cambodians had been to hell and back. Our guide's story of labour camps, not enough food and being orphaned is by no means uncommon, there are few Cambodians of the older generation left due to Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. We could only ask "Why?" again and again but in the end no-one seems to know.
After allowing our spirits to recover a little over lunch we complete the story by visiting the Killing Fields, one the sites at which the Cambodian people were brutally murdered and buried in mass graves. A monument filled with skulls, walkways between covered mass graves are incongruous with the trees and bird song. As before it's the small things that can get you most and spotting 2 human teeth beside a grave somehow made more of an impact than all the skulls.
An emotional, draining day yet important to know about however hard.

5th Jan

Barely over the jet-lag it's up at 4.30am to catch plane to Phenm Penh, Cambodian capital. Disturbing in- flight meal of egg, potatoes, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes mixed with chicken and green peppers. Croissant, yoghurt and fruit to make sure all bases truly covered!
Scary immigration, passport passed along a line of 15 people (could have been a comedy sketch) then returned and time to have finger prints and photograph taken!
I was met by the tour leader, Mark, and we were soon at the hotel after passing through the strangely low-rise city, passing hundreds of motorbikes, tuk tuks and an ox cart!  I meet the rest of the group: Yvette, Martin and Marina, Daniel and Sarah all very nice and we go for a short walk around the city.

4th Jan exploring Bangkok.

How better to start exploration of Thailand's capital than jump aboard a Tuk Tuk- a sort of cart on wheels pulled by a motorbike, quite nippy and quite often overturned!
We visited the Grand Palace a huge complex of temples, more were added by successive kings as they fancied. The main temple Wat Phra Kaeo is home to the Emerald Budda (actually made of Jade) which is Thailand's most sacred site and draws visitors from worldwide.  The whole place was spectacular, individually set apart each building would have been impressive, jumbled together with sometimes only a few metres of space between them as they are is stunning. Guarding each entrance are big Yaksha Demons, on the inside wall of the main temple complex is a long painting depicting the story of the Ramayana, painted before paints actually existed so all the colours were natural and now re-touched in the same way.
It would have been possible to spend hours taking in the details of the statues and things such as doors embedded with mother of pearl, 1 temple was completely gold covered in thousands of tiny tiles each covered in gold leaf. 
Then onto Wat Pho another sort of complex containing the Temple of the Reclining Budda 45metres long, gold plated, soles of feet inlaid with mother of pearl, even more temply-statue-budda-ey things surrounded, beautiful settings.
After lunch of noodles, Oh presented me with a coconut to drink. Green, large and full of milk they bear little relation to English ones which are much older, the coconut meat is more jelly-like in these. Then aboard the boat (you have to leap on quite quickly, health and safety be stuffed!!) to Jim Thompson's house. Man famous for putting Thai silk on the map, building a traditional house (well actually moving it from the north of Thailand) and then disappearing into the jungle whilst visiting friends never to be seen again.
Foot sore, hot and exhausted after a short rest it was time to sample Thai street food under Oh's guidance and then experience a foot massage given in a deckchair at the side of the road, lovely!

3rd Jan

So after a hectic and rather stressful time leaving England I was finally on the plane. 11 hour flight London to Heathrow, very nice plane with individual TV screens and recent films, useful as sleep was not forthcoming. They asked passengers to close the window blinds for the night time flight to help them sleep "and to stop anyone outside looking in"!
Was met by Oh who was to be my guide in Thailand, he was very smiley and chatty and possibly slightly mad.  After a quick swim in the hotel pool to try and shake off a bit of jet lag he took me out for dinner in the Banglamphu part of Bangkok. The famous road Thanon Khao San is pedestrianised at night and is lined with bars and shops and massage shops and filled with carts selling street food, and fake driving licenses and degrees. This is the traditional backpackers area but recently bit more upmarket and more expensive. It was a great atmosphere with all the senses being stimulated.