I think you will find the photos speak for themselves.
Wednesday, 30 December 2009
Scenic Photos of Battambong and the Story behind them
The land you see around you in these photos have only in the last 10 years become free of war. This area the Khamer Rouge fled to and continued the guerrilla war until Pol Pot died in 1998.
Our Tuc Tuc driver was a former Khamer Rouge slave child forced to work in the labour camps, he was 14 and lost both his parents and 2 sisters he was one of the many orphaned children that remained once the Vietnamese entered Cambodia.
Unlike many who took to the refugee camps along the Thai - Cambodia border he was then recruited into the Vietnamese / Cambodian army, where he was forced to carry materials for landmines and fight the Khamer Rouge.
As he was talking about the starvation, distrust and the "Angkor" doctrine you could sense that the pain is still very much at the surface for him.
Battambong Cambodia
Sunset photo's of Chris & I- "What's that Mick? Ah that's Rice Paddy"!!!!
The beautiful Children of Cambodia.
Various Pictures Cambodia
In the second largest city of Cambodia "Battambong" we went on a Bamboo train to look at the Sunset over the rice paddies. Was magnificent, you will see in the photos I publish.
The funny thing about this train was that it had to be removed from the tracks either to be turned around or when someone else was coming. These trains are still used by the Khamer people for transportation to and from the rice paddies.
The Khamer people still use animals to farm very few are able to purchase farming equipment and machinery.
You see that people carrier they are usually able to carry what 12 people maybe 15 at a push, well this one was carry over 33 people. Look closely and you will see they have extended the boot by using a piece of wood with rice bags on top. This is typical form of transportation.
Rush Hour Saigon As Promised A While Ago
You may remember when we were in Saigon we promised to upload a viedo of this crazy traffic, now were at Dermot we have time and a fast connetion. Here you are press play and watch this organised Chaos!!
Thursday, 24 December 2009
Tuesday, 22 December 2009
Photo's Photo's Photo's
Blog Fans,
Here I am again but only at the overwhelming response and scream (my ears are still bleeding) for more Photo's. Its a good job that I love you lot or you could all be doing Wat I have suggested those cheating B#%*@^d French do, and you all know what that is.
I thought as I couldn't buy anyone a drink this festive season (stop laughing) that the very least I could do was to send in my Christmas wish list early to Santa, (I've been good) we will all know if I get what I asked for if Thierry Henry is reported as having 10 ingrowing toenails. No seriously my wish was much more painful than that.
No really seriously I am going to put on some of what we think are our best photo's and try and add a description if necessary and if this coal powered computer system will let me.
All of the pics shown here are of Angkor Wat and on the third pic down they haven't painted the tops brown it was that early morning beginning of the day thing called sunrise and its effect on the colour. Now the bloody battery in the camera has gone but fear not I shall return with more holiday pics of the year so far.
Chris.
Monday, 21 December 2009
WHAT?
Angkor Wat that's What!
It's 4.30am and the alarm is going off, what is this noise all about at this unearthly time of day we ask ourselves. The Penny drops and its our fault we set the bloody thing and the reason is because we are in Siem Reap ostensibly to see something that is described by some as one of the wonders of the world. I was merely wondering while being totally sober I had agreed to leave the comfort of a bed to be at Angkor Wat for sunrise.
5 am we leave our hotel and join the conveyor belt of Tuk Tuk's stopping only initially for coffee and water and then to pay our entry fee and have our photo's taken for our daily pass card, I am not that photogenic at the best of times but at this time of day you are having a laugh.
We arrive and almost immediately spot our first error, we had neglected to bring a torch and its still pitch black apart from the usual magnificent display of the milky way.(stars in the sky guys not a chocolate bar) Almost straight away I spotted our second mistake and that is not having a guide, no worries let stick close to someone who has both a guide and a torch. After nearly breaking my neck as I trip on the uneven surface, (we weren't quite close enough to the torch but I heard every word the guide was saying) we decide to amble at our pace and not to worry about a guide.
Arriving at the lake we join and are joined by a thousand strong throng of tourists awaiting the first glimpse of dawn as it smiles on the centuries old pieces of rubble, masonry, beautifully carved stonework. Joking aside it truly is a magnificent sight and a wondrous place to visit and explore.
Murph had not done the required research this time, off we trot for only the next eleven hours around centuries old monument after centuries old monument. One of which really is worth a mention it is the one where Lara Croft Tomb Raider was filmed it was fabulous, a statement that hopefully you will all agree with when we post a pic or three. Wat I didn't know is that Watting could become a national pastime there are that many of them, and it was at our insistence that we miss out the last five.
As I wind down from the stories of Angkor I have to try and explain a rather frustrating (at first) but also very funny experience. The Japanese seem to be funding the restoration works at some of the places we visited and there seemed to be quite a few Japanese tourists. We happened to be behind them or mixed in with them on more than one occasion, not really a problem until you want to take a photograph that they want to take. Everyone in the coach party wants to be in a photo taken by every other member of the coach party combined it seemed with any other passing coach parties of Japanese tourists. You may be beginning to feel my pain, at first I respectful as I am on the holiday of a lifetime and nothing should really be very stressful. I wait patiently for the first 100 or so to have there photo taken while all the time trying to gesture to the team leader holing the flag aloft that I am likely to be no more than 30 seconds. At last recognition the team leader looks my way and makes an inaudible gesture that my turn is coming, Well so is King Christmas! Another member of the coach party lines up in this never-ending line of Japanese tourists to have their photograph taken.
A light goes on in Murph's head, I realize that they would not want me in their pics possibly even more than I did not want any of them in mine, so I occupied the very spot where they were all standing one after the other. I get some very strange if not remotely hostile looks but the job is done and the area free for me to take my photo.
I know, that was funnier for me than my blog fans, possibly one of those that you could say "You had to be there".
Blog Fans this could be my last entry before Christmas and if that is the case all that is left to me is to wish you all a very Merry Christmas (Hanukkah, Chanukah, Feliz Navidad) and heartfelt seasons greetings from both Sarah and myself.
P.S If the cheating B#@%^&D French thought they were going to get a Bon Noel out of me they can kiss my Lilly White IRISH A@#$.
Oh and a very very Happy and Prosperous 2010 !!!! Love you all Chris and Sarah.
It's 4.30am and the alarm is going off, what is this noise all about at this unearthly time of day we ask ourselves. The Penny drops and its our fault we set the bloody thing and the reason is because we are in Siem Reap ostensibly to see something that is described by some as one of the wonders of the world. I was merely wondering while being totally sober I had agreed to leave the comfort of a bed to be at Angkor Wat for sunrise.
5 am we leave our hotel and join the conveyor belt of Tuk Tuk's stopping only initially for coffee and water and then to pay our entry fee and have our photo's taken for our daily pass card, I am not that photogenic at the best of times but at this time of day you are having a laugh.
We arrive and almost immediately spot our first error, we had neglected to bring a torch and its still pitch black apart from the usual magnificent display of the milky way.(stars in the sky guys not a chocolate bar) Almost straight away I spotted our second mistake and that is not having a guide, no worries let stick close to someone who has both a guide and a torch. After nearly breaking my neck as I trip on the uneven surface, (we weren't quite close enough to the torch but I heard every word the guide was saying) we decide to amble at our pace and not to worry about a guide.
Arriving at the lake we join and are joined by a thousand strong throng of tourists awaiting the first glimpse of dawn as it smiles on the centuries old pieces of rubble, masonry, beautifully carved stonework. Joking aside it truly is a magnificent sight and a wondrous place to visit and explore.
Murph had not done the required research this time, off we trot for only the next eleven hours around centuries old monument after centuries old monument. One of which really is worth a mention it is the one where Lara Croft Tomb Raider was filmed it was fabulous, a statement that hopefully you will all agree with when we post a pic or three. Wat I didn't know is that Watting could become a national pastime there are that many of them, and it was at our insistence that we miss out the last five.
As I wind down from the stories of Angkor I have to try and explain a rather frustrating (at first) but also very funny experience. The Japanese seem to be funding the restoration works at some of the places we visited and there seemed to be quite a few Japanese tourists. We happened to be behind them or mixed in with them on more than one occasion, not really a problem until you want to take a photograph that they want to take. Everyone in the coach party wants to be in a photo taken by every other member of the coach party combined it seemed with any other passing coach parties of Japanese tourists. You may be beginning to feel my pain, at first I respectful as I am on the holiday of a lifetime and nothing should really be very stressful. I wait patiently for the first 100 or so to have there photo taken while all the time trying to gesture to the team leader holing the flag aloft that I am likely to be no more than 30 seconds. At last recognition the team leader looks my way and makes an inaudible gesture that my turn is coming, Well so is King Christmas! Another member of the coach party lines up in this never-ending line of Japanese tourists to have their photograph taken.
A light goes on in Murph's head, I realize that they would not want me in their pics possibly even more than I did not want any of them in mine, so I occupied the very spot where they were all standing one after the other. I get some very strange if not remotely hostile looks but the job is done and the area free for me to take my photo.
I know, that was funnier for me than my blog fans, possibly one of those that you could say "You had to be there".
Blog Fans this could be my last entry before Christmas and if that is the case all that is left to me is to wish you all a very Merry Christmas (Hanukkah, Chanukah, Feliz Navidad) and heartfelt seasons greetings from both Sarah and myself.
P.S If the cheating B#@%^&D French thought they were going to get a Bon Noel out of me they can kiss my Lilly White IRISH A@#$.
Oh and a very very Happy and Prosperous 2010 !!!! Love you all Chris and Sarah.
Saturday, 19 December 2009
The School
Hi Blog Fans,
I thought I should take a little time out to explain the five photo's put up by Sarah, we were out checking out the prices of various tours and exactly what they had to offer. I got chatting with this Swiss guy and the owner of this tour office. To cut a very moving story to the chase and not bore you stupid, the Swiss guy John had set up a school for local tribe kids in the jungle some years back and invited us both to go along before he left for home again as his was just a fleeting visit.
Sarah and I had a fabulous day helping out as and when we could and the look on the faces of the kids as John handed them the presents he had brought for them was "priceless" he was just like a real Santa. Above the prezzy giving was the fact that around 100 kids from two remote tribes were at least getting some level of education. They come from an environment where their tribes have no written language and whose parents cannot speak the Khmer language. Some are sent because their families simply do not have enough food to feed their children and all the children are fed at school . They are also taken care of when they get ill which thankfully is not very often.
To say we were both deeply moved is an injustice to the day, this amazing day will stay with us both forever.
That blog fans is coming from the one person who loved going to school like toothache.
Stay warm and dry (I know we will if we are not swimming) and we wish all of you a very safe and Happy Christmas.
Missing you all Chris and Sarah
I thought I should take a little time out to explain the five photo's put up by Sarah, we were out checking out the prices of various tours and exactly what they had to offer. I got chatting with this Swiss guy and the owner of this tour office. To cut a very moving story to the chase and not bore you stupid, the Swiss guy John had set up a school for local tribe kids in the jungle some years back and invited us both to go along before he left for home again as his was just a fleeting visit.
Sarah and I had a fabulous day helping out as and when we could and the look on the faces of the kids as John handed them the presents he had brought for them was "priceless" he was just like a real Santa. Above the prezzy giving was the fact that around 100 kids from two remote tribes were at least getting some level of education. They come from an environment where their tribes have no written language and whose parents cannot speak the Khmer language. Some are sent because their families simply do not have enough food to feed their children and all the children are fed at school . They are also taken care of when they get ill which thankfully is not very often.
To say we were both deeply moved is an injustice to the day, this amazing day will stay with us both forever.
That blog fans is coming from the one person who loved going to school like toothache.
Stay warm and dry (I know we will if we are not swimming) and we wish all of you a very safe and Happy Christmas.
Missing you all Chris and Sarah
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
Siem Reap
Blog Fans, blog fans, blog fans,
I have so much to tell you about and once again so little time, first of all sorry about the sideways caption of the "Marathon Monk" that was Sarah but I guess you get the point. still waiting for some comments on that one.
When we left the dolphins we headed to the jungle and spent 5 days there and it was a totally amazing experience although when we were tubing down a river we had a bit of a shaky moment when a water snake swam past us. I know we are not on their menu but that doesn't seem to stop the occasional one biting a tourists arse when given the opportunity, luckily this time it was not ours.
The "Red Dust" is everywhere and gets everywhere and you simply can't avoid it and when the temp is much the same as here 36 c at 9am and it just seems to keep getting hotter from there on in but actually stops at around 40 c although it doesn't feel like it. With the bloody dust you never really feel clean.
We had a 14 hour bus journey to get from there to Siem Reap which was an experience I am not in a hurry to repeat. The roads are probably the worst I have ever seen and you could lose a small vehicle down some of the holes. As for the bumps we felt every single last one of them which was only made worse when a local decided to play his mobile phone at full volume with the latest version of "strangle a cat" on what what seemed to be a very short loop. It would be enough to make the Pope curse, fortunately his battery life on the phone was short lived.
I can't leave you without telling you how exhilarating it was to climb and swim in various waterfalls with the ultimate being a swim in a volcanic crater lake surrounded by protected forest with parrots flying overhead and little fresh water shrimp nibbling at your toes when stopping long enough at the side of the lake for them to find you.
Sarah is in charge of the photo's at the moment so I hope that some of them do justice to the descriptions I have given.
I will write about the school we visited the next time I am online. Until then blog fans stay warm and dry and know that we miss you all and wish you were here.
Chris.
I have so much to tell you about and once again so little time, first of all sorry about the sideways caption of the "Marathon Monk" that was Sarah but I guess you get the point. still waiting for some comments on that one.
When we left the dolphins we headed to the jungle and spent 5 days there and it was a totally amazing experience although when we were tubing down a river we had a bit of a shaky moment when a water snake swam past us. I know we are not on their menu but that doesn't seem to stop the occasional one biting a tourists arse when given the opportunity, luckily this time it was not ours.
The "Red Dust" is everywhere and gets everywhere and you simply can't avoid it and when the temp is much the same as here 36 c at 9am and it just seems to keep getting hotter from there on in but actually stops at around 40 c although it doesn't feel like it. With the bloody dust you never really feel clean.
We had a 14 hour bus journey to get from there to Siem Reap which was an experience I am not in a hurry to repeat. The roads are probably the worst I have ever seen and you could lose a small vehicle down some of the holes. As for the bumps we felt every single last one of them which was only made worse when a local decided to play his mobile phone at full volume with the latest version of "strangle a cat" on what what seemed to be a very short loop. It would be enough to make the Pope curse, fortunately his battery life on the phone was short lived.
I can't leave you without telling you how exhilarating it was to climb and swim in various waterfalls with the ultimate being a swim in a volcanic crater lake surrounded by protected forest with parrots flying overhead and little fresh water shrimp nibbling at your toes when stopping long enough at the side of the lake for them to find you.
Sarah is in charge of the photo's at the moment so I hope that some of them do justice to the descriptions I have given.
I will write about the school we visited the next time I am online. Until then blog fans stay warm and dry and know that we miss you all and wish you were here.
Chris.
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
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