Siem Reap to Phnom Penh

We found ourselves drawn to Siem Reap; the history, the restaurants, the chilled out bars and the most welcoming people since Texas. 'Just one more night' we would say when we returned to our hotel. But eventually the time had come to move on. We booked our seats on the morning bus to Phnom Penh through our hotel (which of course was also a travel agents!) and were told a mini van would come to pick us up at 7:30 am to transfer us to the bus station. 

At 7:30 on the dot the hotel staff called us and helped us load our luggage into the already rather full mini van, as Matt and I clambered into the back seats. The driver starts the engine and performs an impressive 3-point turn and pulls up on the opposite side of the road for his next pick up. 3 girls helped by the driver manage to just about cram their luggage into the back and climb in, by now we are very cosy (9 people in a 7 seater + luggage!). The driver jumps in, and we’re off, well 40 meters up the road, and he pulls over. Everyone on the bus looks at each other thinking the same thing, where on earth is he going to put anyone else? The driver jumps out and pulls open the door ‘Ok, were here!’ he shouts to which every person in the van bursts out laughing. As he struggles to unload the backpacks I can actually see the staff at our hotel still waving us off. At times like this you realise, you have to love Asia.

Next we had a transfer to the real bus station (or big bus station, as they are often called) a nice coach before joining the bus that would take us to PP. After a rather long (7 hours) bumpy journey, which saw us driving past flooded fields, rice paddies and vast country side on mostly dirt tracks, but also one rather new and impressive bridge we arrived in Phnom Penh. As soon as we were off the bus we were swamped with Tuk-Tuk drivers wanting to be our driver. Here we met TK, we liked TK for two reasons 1. He didn’t try to rip us off 2. He has the same name as Matt’s beloved VW Golf! TK is a great driver, which was reassuring on the chaotic roads of PP. The traffic here makes Bangkok traffic look organised, there is not really a right way to drive, I would say the majority drive on the left, but there is a significant minority that drive on the right as well! We were glad that all the bars and restaurants were within walking distance of the hotel. It was definitely time for a well-deserved drink!

Dusk mask definitely required!

Traffic 

Dissolving trousers: Arriving in Kuala Lumpur

The days highlight - Indian sweets

We are currently enjoying the sites and sounds of Kuala Lumpur (KL to its friends) after arriving here a couple of days ago. As one or two people may know I came here a few years ago and there are plenty of things that I remember but most of it is just as new to me as it is to Aimee (I do have a very poor memory).

We arrived in KL on the bus from Melacca costing us the princely sum of RM12 each (or just 5 of your British pounds sterling) for two people to do a two hour bus trip. This was not a pickup truck with wooden benches and live stock; although the outside of the coach could have used a wash inside was very clean and included the delights of Under Siege 2 to entertain us, we even had armchair reclining seats with lazyboy style footrests.

We were dropped off at KL's new integrated bus terminal which makes The Jetsons look a little bit stone age; each bus bay has its own escalator to move arriving passengers to the air-conditioned main concourse which is well signposted in four languages and has information desks with real live staff and regular train connections to the rest of KL. If you are a public transport geek like me this place is a very shiny toy. It shows the best of what a growing economy can do when the need/money/red-tape triangle does not get in the way.

We rapidly left the space age as we got off the MRT in China Town, a metal walkway ushered us over a river of questionable aroma and out onto a chaotic intersection. With the road in near gridlock, buses and cars weaved slowly to get to their destination whilst mopeds squeezed through any available space. In typical Malay style the taxi drivers and guest house touts asked us politely if we required a lift anywhere and if we had a place to stay but did not push when we said that we were OK, one of the touts even pointed us in the right direction as we were puzzling over our map at a confusing intersection.

I think that we can be forgiven a slight amount of puzzlement as it is not often that your hotel is literally in the middle of a busy market. After being pointed in the right direction by the tout we made our way to the cross roads in the middle of the street market, stalls covered every inch of pavement and most of the street - pilled high with designer(?) watches and bags, gadgets and fruit. Behind the stalls were more shops and restaurants selling everything you can't get on the market - no sign of a hotel. Then I looked up, way up, and spotted a small sign in-between several large shop signs. Anyone who has had the misfortune to do anything strenuous with me will testify to the fact that by now I was actually dripping sweat to the point where my trousers were becoming transparent and sliding off. Navigating towards the sign whilst wearing a 22kg backpack, loosing ones trousers, through a crowded market place whilst being offered DVD's of questionable authenticity felt like a fiendish challenge from the Crystal Maze - at any second I expected Richard O'Brien's glimmering head to appear and offer some witty repartee to try and distract me from the task at hand. But we did make it to the sign, and then it pointed into a shop.

Market stalls with shops behind

So next we squeeze past a couple of racks of clothes to a glass door with the hotels name above it in beautifully polished letters. We open the door and our prize is a blast of chilly refrigerated air with the subtle sent of lemon cleaning products. The lobby and then our room are immaculate, the staff friendly and it is even possible to sit on the loo and have a shower at the same time (not that we have tried it but it is nice to have the option I guess). Cleaned and refreshed we headed out to find some food. Little India is not far so we got ourselves a curry fix before calling it a night after an eventful day. 

Me after shower and curry - notice the satisfied grin of a man with sweets in his bag