Bangers and Mash: Running the Gastric Gauntlet in Bangkok! So was up bright and early at 6.30am this morning (cycling conditioning obviously having kicked in) but had to wait til 7.30am for breakfast. Whilst I was waiting, bizarrely saw Mr Tam again who was coming to pick someone up! Striking out into the city, I made for the ferry station, a short walk away from the hotel (even I didn’t get lost!). Was very proud of myself in managing to figure out which one the local boat was and where to stand to wait for it (these things are important when you’re travelling on your own!!) and, for the grand price of 14 baht, I rode the ferry down to where the Royal Palace is. Am not sure whether it’s the humidity or that I just wasn’t wearing a hat, but it felt a darn sight hotter in Bangkok than in HCMC or Phnom Penh. I was wearing my shorts and t-shirt and, on approaching the Royal Palace, realised my schoolboy error so had to make a swift tactical purchase of a sarong (a fetching red cotton one with elephants on it) so I’d be allowed in.

The Royal Palace was absolutely stunning, very bling! Despite the relatively early hour, it was absolutely HEAVING with people so I didn’t stay all that long, just enough to work my way round, say hello to the Emerald Buddha and try and take some decent pictures without people’s heads in them! After the Royal Palace, I headed over to see the reclining buddha – wow! Very impressive – it’s absolutely enormous!! After shuffling round there and fortunately regaining my shoes from the racks outside, I was almost done with overstuffed tourist sights and feeling a little jaded from the heat, so decided that a little light shopping was in order. Firstly, though, it was time for lunch and – as I headed back to the pier to catch the ferry to the MPK shopping centre (travelling like a pro now!), I was finally seduced by the street food so threw caution (and hopefully not my intestinal control) to the wind and indulged in a sausage on a stick thing and some fried spring rolls, all washed down with coconut juice served straight from the nut! A bargain at 20baht each, less than a dollar! (less than the Imodium I’m hoping I wont need!).

So after chompage, caught the ferry to the sky train (TWO forms of local transit in a day – am I an awesomely independent traveller now or what?!) for a short ride to the Siam Square shopping centre. In the train, sat opposite this couple who looked completely stoned, the man having mildly intriguing stick-thin arms and the woman who was the absolute definition of “hippie”. Fab. So, after 2 wks of holding back my capitalist urges, I fiinally started buying stuff and got down to some serious haggling! God knows how many cushion covers I ended up buying, but at one stage I was negotiating to buy 2 cushion covers for 175 bht and was intent on beating her down from 180bht. I won out in the end but as there are 35 baht in the dollar, we were haggling over a couple cents! But it was great fun and I had a great time with lots of laughs and humour all round! Other items in my haggling haul included another couple cushion covers, a fake Omega watch and some Chanel diamond earrings. After that, I needed some restorative coffee – suitably invigorated, I decided to go get my hair done as I was fed up of looking like absolute cack for the last 2 weeks! Fortunately, the “startled cat dragged through hedge backwards” look that I’ve been championing over the last couple of weeks didn’t prove to be permanent and I’m happy to report that I still scrubbed up reasonably well! Buoyed by not looked like sh*te for the first time in 2 wks, I then got carried away and ended up buying this clay pot thing that I saw the man carving (I’m a sucker for the artistic process!). I kicked into haggle overdrive with this one and managed to get an extra one thrown in! Again, all good fun but God knows how I’m going to get it home.

On the recommendation of the pot man (not the drug type, the clay type!), I then went to another place via tuk tuk, which was a shop “local centre” selling Thai specialties that was having a 30% off sale. I can resist everything except temptation so here was the place where I finally ended up buying 12yds of purple thai silk for less than $300! (hopefully enough to replace my wardrobe cover in the bedroom) Also a little crystal elephant thing that also functions as a jewellery box that I’ll probably look at and wonder what on earth I was thinking when I get it home.

Then back to the hoteal via taxi (long way round cos he got lost but still cost less than $4! – I love this town!). Dumped the bags then headed out intending to grab a quick dinner. However, the restaurant that was recommended by the hotel was shut so took life in own hands and had proper street food (it was obviously the day for it). Found this noodle stall outside a 7 Eleven near the hotel and entered into elaborate miming with the lady to try figure out what the options were. After much oinking, clucking, mooing and grunting, we settled on pork – and it was delicious! Cost 30 baht (less than a dollar) for egg noodles, thinly sliced pork, dumplings and green stuff. YUM! Also sampled some other stuff on way home (the die’s been cast now re the squits (fingers, not legs, crossed)) including something that I bit into as a sample from the lady seller. One of the other vendors standing nearby faked a chicken scream, much to my surprise, so I guess what I was eating was fried egg of some sort! I must have looked startled cos the woman seller then wet herself laughing! Deciding I’d probably now exhausted my luck with street food and this was a sign, I headed back to the hotel for a shower before my thai massage at 8pm (300 baht). After that, time to finish packing and head to the airport and farewell Thailand!!

Oh No! It's almost over!!
Well, its now officially the end of the cycling part of my holiday as the Spiceroads itinerary finishes today in Bangkok. We were transferred back by mini-bus and I decided to travel in the first bus to give me maximum time in Bangers! So, said my goodbyes after breakfast and hopped into the van with Damian, Steve and Clint, Amy and Marcus and Daniella. The journey itself was pretty uneventful and took about 5hrs with a couple of rest stops at watering holes along the way! Bangkok was pretty much how I expected - v busy, noisy and crowded and, in general, not a terribly attractive city. Weirdly, for such a dingy place, the taxis are painted in bright vibrant hues of pink and orange! Cars are far more prevalent here too, rather than the more humble moped, I guess reflecting the increased wealth here (I kinda miss them, though!). After a very roundabout trip, the van finally dropped me off at my hotel, the Phranakorn Nornlenn, a lovely little boutique hotel that markets itself as an "urban oasis" from the craziness and noise of Bangkok. After dumping my bags in my room, I had a late lunch of Pad Thai (again!) and then spent rest of afternoon chilling out, updating blog and uploading my pics onto Picasa, ready for sharing with the rest of the group. Only problem was the number of mossies, despite me absolutely reeking with DEET (I got badly bitten a couple of nights ago, with at least 35 bites just on my left foot!! - thank God for the anti-malarials!).

In the evening, I met with Steve, Clint and Daniella for dinner – finally - no rice! Instead we went to this great Italian place along the Khao San Road, an absolutely insane backpacker street in the centre of town thats filled with every variety of stoner, drunk, hippy and sexual orientation/preference you can possibly imagine! (plus a few more you'd worry about conjuring up spontaneously!). Its certainly an experience but, as I walked back along the road to get to the main street to catch a cab, I was glad I was only passing through (and not passing out like many of its completely rat-arsed visitors!). The vibe was very seedy - and that was in one of the less dodgy parts of town, so my mind boggles to think what the rest of the place is like!! After dinner, said my final farewell to the others and headed back to hotel, ready for a full day's exploration tomorrow!

Spiceroads: The Movie
The Cast of Characters (names have not been changed to protect the innocent)
Me – Intrepid explorer extraordinaire, snake wine drinker and fried locust gourmand. Hikes faster than she cycles.
Damian – Our handsome, brave and Fearless Leader with an unhealthy fascination for groups of ducks and an inability to win at cards. Addicted to Choco Pies.
Steve –Saga Lout 1, Official Trip Entertainer with ability to talk to anyone and everyone, regularly found charming birds from trees (or fluffy silver crown pens from Vietnamese girls on ferries). In-bus audio expert specializing in makeshift karoake systems and iPod stickage solutions. Also Unofficial Trip Counseller with great discount rates available (see Daniella for pricing details).
Clint – Saga Lout 2, smooth as silk and the epitome of cycling style with That Shirt; has been known on occasion to negotiate for discounts for massages and manicures due to missing body parts.
Nico – 6’4” giant of a guy with unmatched bike balancing skills; also doubles as a human karoke machine (often in close harmony with Our Fearless Leader). Often also to be found engaging in insane bets with OFL. Though Dutch, rumoured to really be Aussie.
Lenise – Nico’s other half who was prone to fits of hysterical giggles and whose strategic deployment of the Rambo theme tune proved to be extremely valuable on the road to Pailin. Veggie who has been known to enjoy a locust or two on occasion.
Amy – unfeasibly pretty and fit Aussie girl, fellow shutterbug with an enviably better camera than yours truly.
Marcus – other half of the Aussie dream team, also unfeasibly cute and fit with a very dry and laid-back sense of humour. Keeper of the mileometer. Possible long lost twin of OFL.
Roger (aka Shiva, Destroyer of Cameras) Quiet Swiss chap by day, world champion in-line skater by night.
Christa – ever elegant and enigmatic wife of Shiva, keeper of Roger’s ever-changing and extensive in-ride wardrobe. Noted preference for fried locusts over dragonfruit for dessert..
Martin – German chap with an inscrutable expression, only periodically dislodged by puzzlement at the mention of the word “gratuity”. Always on time for breakfast.
Tom – American Vietnam vet who got progressively more chilled out and loosened up as the trip progressed, culminating in a memorable discussion of his need for a dump at the Cambodian-Thai border. Genuinely nice guy who always seemed in search of an envelope.
Daniella – Swiss miss and fellow oenophile whose misery on the ride to Pailin gave me hope that I was not alone and that someone was having an even more sh*t time than me; insanely lucky at cards.

Beach Bumming in Thailand (absolutely bugger all km!)
Rose with the sun to take some pictures, then just spent a very lazy morning chilling out and updating my blog. Had a massage at 10am – very good, even got a little prayer at the beginning which was nice! Wasn’t too much pressure but was still effective (helped along by some Deep Heat-y type stuff) so was a very relaxing way to spend the morning. Then sat out by the pool for a bit reading my book on Angkor Wat before lunch of Pad Thai and another fabulously wicked sweet Thai tea (I don’t want to know how much condensed milk went into it but it was yummy!). It’s overcast today, so not blazing sunshine but still warm, so am spending a very pleasant afternoon doing absolutely bugger all except updating my blog and processing my pictures. Still can’t quite believe that tomorrow I’ll be in Bangkok and that the trip will almost be over!

Last day of cycling already! - Pailin to Thailand (44km)

Its hard to believe its the last day of cycling already! Suddenly, the time seems to have gone by so quickly and we're now in the final few days of the holiday. So today, I get to tick off country number three in my amazing Indochina adventure, with our bike ride and transfer to our final destination in Thailand. After a fairly poor nights sleep (I was woken up at 1.30am by a cockroach running up my arm!) punctuated by more vivid dreams, and a breakfast of omolet (sp!) and bread, it was time for our final ride. Today's route would take us to the Cambodian-Thai border via 16km of similar (if not quite so awful) roads as yesterday - cycling today was hard work as my legs were like jelly and there was very little juice in the tank to start with! But again, as yesterday, I just put my head down and got on with it and also tried to enjoy more of the scenery this time, as I didnt have to keep such a close watch on the roads!! After about 50mins cycling, we arrived at the border where we had to say good bye to Mr Veng and Mr Polo and our Cambodian steel ponies. It was a fairly easy process to get our Cambodian departure cards all stamped up (again, the same intricate rubber stamping process!) before walking the short no-mans land bit to the Thai arrivals post. Here, we had to fill out another Thai arrival/departure form to get our visa, along with showing a copy of our airline ticket out of the country. But, again, all very straightforward so within the hour, we were all done and transferred across and saying hello to Mr Tam and Nick, our Thai Spiceroads local guides. Our shiny new bikes were already waiting for us and, along with the tarmac roads, it was cycling nirvana!! The only kicker was that the whole 36km in Thailand was over rolling hills, some of them very long ones, so it didnt take long before my legs were burning as hard as my arms had the day before! On one particularly evil hill, it seemed as if my legs were spinning round but that I was hardly moving!! The scenery, though, was beautiful so I just took my time, went at my own (snails!) pace and worked my way through it. We had one rest stop where the nibbles de jour was some wonderfully succulent and juicy fresh pineapple - made a very nice alternative to the full of crap Choco Pies I seem to have become addicted to this trip!

At around 11.30am, we arrived at our destination - no idea where it was but the vans were there, waiting outside this shop that served us local Thai iced coffee and orange-coloured iced tea. As per the local custom, again, was all sweetened with large dollops of sticky condensed milk but was very tasty and just the job after all those hills!! Then it was time to hand back over our bikes (my arse had completely given out after yesterday - not helped by the fact that my cycling shorts seemed to be mounting a mutiny against my nether regions, so I was quite happy to call it a cycling day by this stage!) and get in the vans for the transfer to our beach resort. We stopped at a place called Chantaburi for lunch and a Thai seafood feast (good job I've been breaking myself in on the seafood over the last 6months - fortunately, no tapeworm sushi to contend with this time!) before the final hour in the bus to take us to the Seashell Village in Leam Sing.

RESULT! The beach and resort is absolutely gorgeous and I completely lucked out with my room with my random key pick landing me a little cabin directly on the beach, built right next to the water. Whoo-hoo!!! Its the perfect place to relax, unwind and reflect on what's been a quite incredible trip. There's been so much that's happened over the last 2 weeks that its going to be great to go back over this blog, remember all the highlights and take time to organise all my pictures and memories. I've got quite a lot to think about, going back home, so this is going to be a great place to work through all those decisions. So, thank you, Spiceroads - this last place is a perfect way to end the tour!!

Sarah's Not Failin' Pailin! (89km)
Whoo-hoo!! I am SO proud of myself!! I've just completed the most INSANE bike ride I've ever done - cycling from Battambang to Pailin on some of the most spectacularly bad "roads" I've ever seen or had the pleasure to experience. In the tour blurb, it says fairly neutrally that "the road in sections is in bad condition" - err... I would estimate that "section" to have been about 85km long!! Imagine cycling over corrugated iron for 89km, except not as predictable or comfortable and with huge potholes and rocks to avoid, and you start to get the picture. Add to that some additional local hazards such as herds of cows with no sense of direction (I almost got wiped out being squashed between a calf and a moped!), chickens, dogs, various vehicles stuck in the mud and bridges with big gaps of bridge missing, and that's getting close!! Whilst not fearing for my life, I actually quite enjoyed it - especially the sense of accomplishment in finishing. At dinner last night, Damian was describing the ride and said that it was really tough and that half of his last tour group didnt finish. When asked by Steve how many of us he thought would complete the ride, Damian reckoned 8 out of the 12, 10 max. Cos I've got on the bus a couple of times, I knew he had me in mind, so I thought "I'll bloody well show you, you bugger!". So I did! I didn't know if I was going to be able to finish or not but I was determined to give it my best shot and NOT be the first person to crack and get on the bus! And I think everyone had the same idea as all 12 of us finished!!! And with no major wipe-outs either - despite the last 20km being over rolling hills, so having to keep your bike under control whilst going downhill over the same rocky and bumpy road, all the time your arms absolutely burning like hell and your wrists completely knackered!! I think that was the worst bit for me - sure, my legs were getting tired by the end of the day, but my arms and wrists were screaming in agony, but I was determined not to give up without a fight! (mind you, if I think I'm suffering now, just wait til the morning! I dont think I'm going to have the strength to brush my teeth!). We were actually really lucky with the weather as it was fairly cloudy for most of the day, so we didn't have to endure the sun beating down on us as ferociously as it has on previous days. Also the rain last night kept the dust down (unlike a couple of days ago) but did make for some suitably entertaining mud patches to slither through!

So, not many pictures from today cos the main thing I was looking at was the patch of road 6ft ahead of my bike! Apparently the scenery was quite nice in places! Another interesting tidbit about the area we were riding through is that is used to be until quite recently (ie the last 10yrs or so) bandit country and not at all safe to be in. Obviously its now completely safe (kinda), but Damian did warn us not to stray off the roads as there are still many unexploded landmines in the area, laid by the Khmer Rouge in the late 70's (ostensibly to keep the Thai's from invading but probably more likely to keep the Cambodians from trying to escape across the border). Also, there are still reputed to be some Khmer Rouge living their communist ideals up in the mountains - fortunately, we didnt run into any (unlike a previous tour one time!). Other highlights of the day for me was my first (and probably last!) fried locust at one of the rest stops - although I made the schoolboy error of looking at it before putting it in my mouth (I'm sure it winked at me and waved its antennae), it was actually quite tasty! Really smoky and savoury and - surprise, surprise, tasted like chicken! Looking more closely at the platter of fried insects, I was then thankful that I'd picked out a locust and not a cockroach - you do need to draw the line somewhere on the insect minging-ness index - and cockroaches are it! (although I guess it would be a novel way of pest control back in my apt in Manhattan!). We also saw a number of monks in their bright orange robes lining up for their alms so at least I took a couple of pics. Also we got a great group shot at the temple gates coming into Pailin - everyone was tired but extremely happy to have completed the ride!!

So am now in the hotel in Pailin, having enjoyed a very well deserved shower and I can feel myself stiffening up by the minute! Dinner is a bit earlier tonight at 7pm - just as well cos I'm not sure I'll be able to keep awake for much longer. YEY ME!!!!

Bada-bing, Battambang! (0km, transfer day)
Transfer day today, so up early ready for 6.30am departure. Alas, things didnt go quite as planned initially with the tickets and the boat - on getting to the harbour, they tried to palm us off with this shite bucket of a boat with plastic seats (for a 10hr journey, no way!) but Damian held firm so eventually this much better (relatively speaking) boat with padded seats turned up and we were on our way. Entertainingly, our boat was driven by this local kid who couldnt have been more than about 12yrs old - even more funny is that not one of us of the group made any comment about it! It was like "yeah, well, whatever!"!! The trip up the Tonle Sap through the mangrove swamps was fairly uneventful, except for me getting completely drenched not once, but TWICE from the wake of passing boats, setting Lenise off into fits of giggles! We went past some very poor floating villages where obviously the main activity and source of income was fishing. After about 4hrs of chugging along, we stopped briefly at a floating store where a few of our group bought some beer to drink on the top deck, then off again for the next 4hrs. The weather got worse and it started raining but, by that stage, I was already completely soaking so it really made very little difference!! But, by and large, it was quite a comfortable journey - I finished the book I'd bought the day before written by this woman who'd survived the rule of the Khmer Rouge as a child. Very compelling, extremely well written and very moving.

We arrived at our destination of Battambang ahead of schedule at around half three. Battambang is described as Cambodia's second capital - "a sleepy city full of faded colonial charm". We transferred to our hotel, The Golden Palace, which was very basic, so it was definitely back down to earth after the luxury of the past 3 nights!! I was quite tired so dithered with the idea of having a snooze but instead joined some of the others for a walk into town and have a look round. The map of hte town was completely useless (the drawing of the railway lines was especially liberal!) so of course we got lost but it was still interesting to walk through the town and observe daily life going on around us. Its not a tourist town here, so it was all very rough and raw and we obviously attracted our fair share of stares and giggles! Eventually, after much farting about and wrong turns, we managed to find a bar, the Gecko cafe, to sit and have a drink in. Whilst Daniella went and got her toenails done for $1, me, Clint and Tom took a Tuk-Tuk back to the hotel (via the cakeshop) (we drove a hard bargain and negotiated them down from $3 to $2!) as it had got dark and the chances of us not getting lost on the way back were pretty close to zero!! Dinner is at 8pm, so just time now for a quick shower and catch up on the news!!

Angkor Wattage, Part Deux (50km)
Today was another day to explore the amazing architecture and culture of Angkor Wat. After a fab breakfast, we left Siam Reap by bike to cycle to Kbal Spean (River of the Lingas) where we were to hike to the top of a hill to see some exquisite riverbed carvings. The ride was very nice, at a good pace, through some very pretty countryside. After about 20km we stopped for rest and quick Choco Pie refill before cranking out another 20km. After another quick breather, we cycled the final 10km on some very very dusty roads (hence the surgical masks we’d been given at the start of the ride!) and so got covered with thick layer of red dust! Although the road was pretty even, it was uphill in parts too so ensured we got a good workout!

We arrived at our lunch stop at around 11.30am but no-one was hungry so instead we all trooped up the hill (a 2km hike) to go and see the river bed carvings. I really enjoyed the hike (reminded me of Patagonia) and discovered that I probably hike faster than I cycle!! The carvings were good although maybe a little bit disappointing after the splendour of Angkor Wat, but it was different and good to get some non-cycling muscles working, so enjoyable nonetheless.

Trooping back down the hill, we returned to the restaurant for lunch before heading back to Siam Reap via Banteay Srei temple. Also known (I think) as the temple of the Dancing Ladies, the bas-relief motif carvings were as intricate and impressive as those I saw at Angkor Wat yesterday, so it was a great stop. I also got to indulge in a little surruptious monk stalking, as I tried to get a good picture! Succumbed to the pressure to buy something of one of the gazillions of kids selling stuff so ended up buying a silk scarf off this very persistent girl – I managed to barter her down to $8 and thought I’d done quite well until her mate rushed up, just as I was leaving, and promptly sold me a second one for $5!! Ah well!! Also bought this very cute little elephant carving for $2.

Transfer by bus back to Siam Reap, back mid-afternoon, so enough time to visit the market and do a little more shopping (bought this beautiful purple silk throw for the bed for only $13 plus another elephant that reminded me of the one Mum used to have when I was a kid). Also bought in supplies for the 8hr boat ride tomorrow and picked up my laundry from the lady round the corner (only $4!!). Treated myself to a mint choc chip ice-cream, got some cash out and then had a nice long soak in the bath at the hotel. Bliss, bliss, bliss. In the evening, we all went to a very nice restaurant (felt distinctly scruffy!) and shared some wine with Lenise and Nico – between us we got through 2 bottles and it was still only $13 each!
Left before everyone else to get back to the hotel for my massage appt at 10pm. Despite the fact the hotel was literally 200m from the restaurant, of course I got lost on the way home (turned right instead of left across the bridge). Fortunately I was saved from my own incompetence by this very nice young chap on a moped who gave me a lift back to the hotel! Phew! So made it in time for my massage, which was very good, although lady sounded like she had TB! (so I gave her an extra generous tip just in case she has large medical bills!!). Then just melted into bed ready for the off tomorrow.

Angkor Wattage (around 25km)
Slept pretty well last night although since starting these anti-malarials, I have to say I’m having some very weird dreams!! Can’t really remember this one but I do recall waking up going “huh?”! This hotel is FAB with an excellent buffet breakfast that I thoroughly enjoyed. The French colonial rule of Cambodia left a rather fortuitous legacy in that the coffee, croissant and bread here rocks!

So, we hopped on the bikes and left the hotel at 8am, ready for the leisurely cycle to Angkor of 3km. Again, we were cycling through the morning traffic but – after the insanity of Phnom Penh – this was a piece of cake!! Although it was early morning, it was already bloody hot and very humid, so even though we weren’t going to be cycling far today, Damian warned us that the heat would sap our energy pretty quickly.

After about 15mins, we arrived at the entrance to the temple complex – as expected, it was very busy with busloads upon busloads of tourists. We had to get in line to get our pictures taken, then 5mins later, we got our tickets with our photos printed on – our passports for the day (more valuable than money!). We were warned to keep these easily accessible for checking and NOT to lose them - if you didn’t have one, you didn’t get in (or out!) of anywhere!

Getting very excited to see the temples – as we cycled away from the entrance to our first stop of Ta Phrom, we saw this enormous 4-sided Buddha head just by the side of the road. Already, it was incredible – and we hadnt even started yet!!

Our first stop was at the temple monastery of Ta Phrom – one of the major temples built by Jayavarman VII in the late 12th to 13th century. It features a set of concentric galleries with corner towers and its complexity is also somewhat increased by its partly collapsed state, with strangler figs and silk-cotton trees interlaced amongst the ruins. These trees (in particular) the strangler figs are somewhat responsible for this damage, as the roots of these trees work their way between the masonry, so that as they grow thicker, they gradually wedge open the blocks. Eventually, the tree becomes a support for the building but, when it dies, the loosened blocks collapse. The Ecole Francais d’Extreme-Orient (who first started the restoration of Angkor in 1899) chose this temple to be left in its “natural state” as an example of how most of Angkor would have looked on its “discovery” in the 19th century.

Walking back out from Ta Phrom, we passed some musicians playing traditional Cambodian wedding music - I guess the local equivalent of the pan pipes or mariachi music! Nonetheless, I got suckered in cos it sounded good, so sent Steve in to go and negotiate me a good discount for one of their CDs from the $10 advertised price. The bartering, which started out at “I’ll give you $5” soon fizzled out when we realised we were haggling with people with bits of their legs missing! On closer inspection, it turned out they were musicians supporting people who had been injured by land mines – we sheepishly handed over the full $10 and felt somewhat bad for having tried to knock them down by a couple of bucks!!!
After that, a quick rest stop and a chance to refuel with some drinks and the Cambodian equivalent of Choco Pies! Even though you are only walking around, its very draining – with cycling, I guess you have a bit of adrenaline working through you to keep you awake!

Next, we continued onto Bayon, Baphoun and Angkor Thom (I think!). To reach it, we went through the East Gate which was framed by a huge 4-sided Buddha statue and a magnificently carved bridge leading up to it. Angkor Thom was absolutely covered in incredible bas-relief wall carvings - unfortunately quite a few had been vandalized (people removing whatever statues they can to sell), but it was still very impressive. As unexpected as the detail and state of preservation, was the thread of humour that also ran through some of the stories carved out on the walls - I especially liked the one of this turtle biting someone on the bum!

12.30pm and time for lunch – stopped at this very nice place right near Angkor Wat (an offshoot of the Blue Pumpkin in Siam Reap) and the food was delicious! Very tasty fresh fruit juices and, after dinner, I even treated myself to a dollop of fresh creamy coconut ice-cream. Yum!!

Then it was time for what was undeniably the highlight of the day and, perhaps, the trip. Angkor Wat. The biggie. The one that everyone sees in pictures and the one Angelina Jolie clambered all over in Tomb Raider. UNBELIEVABLY, I’d forgotten to pack my spare camera battery and so, just before lunch, my camera died. Yes, here I am at one of the seven wonders of the world and my bloody camera battery had run out!! What an idiot!! So, instead, I concentrated on absorbing as much as I could and imprinting it on my memory (and hoping to nick some piccies of someone else!). Its difficult to describe here cos you really have to see it but its just bloody MASSIVE! Its simply an amazing sight and again, the beauty and skill of the craftmanship, the intricacy of the bas-relief carvings, combined with how unscathed by the weather it is just staggering. It was a shame I didn’t have my camera but I tried to console myself (not entirely convincingly) that pictures couldn’t truly capture the magnificence of the setting and the grandeur and scale of the place. Hmm…

Not all was lost though, as I arranged with Damian to go back to the hotel and pick up my spare – unfortunately, it meant I had to leave Angkor Wat after only an hour but at least I got to see all the main bits (even if at high speed!) So took a tuk-tuk back to hotel for my photographic mission of mercy, picked up my spare battery and a tripod for Amy, and dashed back to Angkor to meet with the others to watch the sunset from Phnom Bakheng. Met up with others at around half four, then climbed up to the top (could have taken an elephant for $20!). Bakheng used to be the state temple of the first capital at Angkor although today its a lot more ruined than some of the other temples we'd seen. Reached by some perilously steep and narrow stairs, the view from the summit was magnificent. There were hundreds of people up there, all gathered to watch the sunset and drink beer – in the end, the sunset was fairly average, but the setting obviously made for a memorable experience! It was even worth the effort of carting my tripod up there!

Got back to the hotel around 6pm, so enough time to have a nice hot bath to wash off the thick layer of red dust from the roads before bunking off the group dinner and taking myself off to catch up on my blog and enjoy some quiet time on my own. Ended up in the Blue Pumpkin again (the fruit shakes alone were worth going back for!) and soon will be back off to the hotel to get a good night’s sleep as apparently tomorrow’s ride is going to be a lot harder than today! Eek!!

Deep Fried Spiders and A Novel Marketing Tactic!(15km)
Up at 6.30am, quick breakfast, depart at 8am. Day was mainly spent in vans driving from Phnom Penh to Siam Reap. We drove for about hour and a half then stopped for restroom break. Again, as now expected, we were instantly deluged with kids trying to sell us things - this time, however, the local specialty were deep fried spiders and locusts! Mmmmm.... Not wishing to spoil my lunch, I somehow managed to hold myself back from diving in and devouring said crispy arachnids. I almost had a heart attack though, whilst negotiating with the little girl for some fresh pineapple, I suddenly noticed her brooch moving and realised it was a non-fried version - a frigging enormous spider!! ARRGGHHHH!!! My arachnaphobia in full swing, I tried to contain my freaking out, paid quickly for my pineapple and went an hyperventilated quietly in a corner. At least the girl had something to distinguish herself from the hoards of other sellers, so a good little marketer in the making!!!

Excitement/fear over, it was back in vans for another hour until we arrived at Kampong Tom for lunch. Mainly local fishy dishes – not massively keen but had been eating cookies had bought at rest stop, so imminent starvation wasn't too likely. After lunch, back in van for yet another hour's drive until we stopped to get out of the buses and stretch our legs with a quick cycle for an hour along the old highway that used to run north to South. The Thai border is about 100km north – where they’ve been having all the trouble. The countryside was absolutely gorgeous so kept stopping to take lots of pics. Only cycled 15km – enough to get legs moving but was very hot so still got v sweaty. Also roads very bumpy!!

After ride, back in bus for another 2hrs to get to Siam Reap, a well-developed touristy town with plenty of hotels, bars and restaurants. Quite the change from what we'd seen over the last few days! We arrived about 5pm, I had quick shower then wandered in town for a bit to check out the local market. There were lots of beautiful silks and carvings of all descriptions, plus jewellery and fake watches aplenty - I think a taster of what's to come in Bangkok!! I stopped for glass wine at a place called the Boom Boom Room cos was lost – then, on asking directions, hotel was literally just across the street!

Joined others for dinner at 8pm. Lovely restaurant – really quite posh! Shared nice bottle suav blanc with Amy and saw some frogs (who were quite nonchalent about being photographed!). A few people went on afterwards for beer, but I came back to hotel for a good nights’ kip!

Ooo, Ooo, Ooo-Udong Temple (45km)
Had a really good sleep last night (Ambien-free!) so started the day feeling much more human than on previous days! Apparently the anti-malarials can really mess with you too, so perhaps my body has adjusted to that also (although my guts are a complete mess – but we wont go there!). Today was a more relaxed pace with a bit of a lie-in as I didn’t have to get up until 7am, ready for an 8am departure. Went down for breakfast but some of the group who were already there said they’d been waiting ages for their orders to arrive, so instead I walked down to the local Mini-Mart and bought some pastries and orange juice, so had a very pleasant breakfast picnic in my room!

At 8am, we met our new local guides and picked up our next set of bikes. We were riding out of Phnom Penh in the throes of the rush hour traffic so you had to keep your wits about you to make sure you didn’t accidently ride into any vendor carts or tuk-tuks!. But again it was fascinating to be right in the thick of things, observing the passage of day to day life around you. For an experience of what a country is like, it really doesn’t get much more raw and unedited than this! The ride was at a very reasonable pace, so it wasn’t too taxing (not quite the speedy pace of Day 2 which was bloody hard work!). There was a bit of a headwind at times and I got a puncture but other than that, me and my new bike got on well!

Our route took us through many little villages along way. Today’s ride was 45km out to the temples of Oudong, with the option to either ride back (making it a 90km day) or take the bus to go see the Killing Fields. The countryside was quite different with the iconic sugar palm trees that you recognized from all the pictures of Angkor Wat. There are far fewer rice paddies or cultivated fields and, although its very green at the moment, apparently its usually far more dry and dusty, so a lot harder for the locals to eek out a living. Its obvious just riding through that there is a lot more poverty here – the streets are less well-paved, the dwellings more ramshackle, its generally more dirty with litter everywhere but, despite the impoverished conditions, the Khmer people are as friendly as before. Again, all along our ride, kids were running out to road to shout hello, beaming smiles and delighted when you gave them high fives (I’m sure I’m going to fall off my bike one of these days with a high five gone wrong!). The houses are also built differently, generally on stilts, with livestock or storage below, with the living quarters above. Despite the general poverty, there were some really nice houses and a lot of building too, so hopefully that’s a sign that things are improving and the area is starting to become more prosperous. After about 20kms, stopped for rest break with new Cambodian set of snacks – no more Choco Pies!

Another 25km, and arrived at Ouloong and were immediately surrounded by kids, wanting to sell us little trinkets and also offer to guide us up the steps to the top of the temple. I soon had this 14yr old boy who attached himself to me – I didn’t mind and ended up with him as my sherpa carrying my camera tripod! The 509 steps to the top will get the legs working overtime but the view was worth it. After several fish ponds along the way with hungry koi to feed (as well as a few monkeys) . View from top stunning of surrounding countryside.

Back down again and picnic lunch. Rice with beef, chicken satay and this gelatinous coconut rice thing for dessert which was v tasty. Then the group split – those of us who wanted to visit Killing Fields took bus back to Phnom Penh, the others rode back. As you’d expect Killing Fields were v grim. Another memorial filled with skulls but more disturbing was the clothing and bones, half buried, as you walked around the excavated graves. Found 8,900 bodies but think 40,000 may be buried here. Particularly gruesome was the "killing tree" which they used to kill babies with. We got back to the hotel around 4.30pm, had shower then arranged for massage later on in evening after dinner. Picked up laundry ($3 – result!) then had pina colada in lobby bar with Steve and chatted for a while. Dinner was in this restaurant down by the river, which was v nice - although we couldnt see very well, there was this woman doing traditional-style dancing, so it was a bit of a shame we didnt have a better view. Back to the hotel by 9.30pm and an early night!

Keeping it Reil in Cambodia - Phnom-enal Penh (day off!)
Another day, another country! Today was a transfer day from Vietnam into Cambodia – again, another early breakfast, ready to leave the hotel at 6.30am for our 7.30am ferry. Last night was great fun – had a Vietnamese barbecue with the little BBQ pots of embers sitting on the tables for you to cook your own supper. Was very similar to the Korean BBQ I had last year at one of Sam’s friends’ birthday parties. Lots of various marinated meats on skewers with yummy dips, chicken wings, tofu noodle soup, beef noodle salad along with the ubiquitous rice - very tasty, if not really all that healthy!!

So a short minibus ride took us into the centre of Chau Doc where it was time to bid farewell to our local guides, Mr Phat and Mr Trung and Vietnam. We’d had a little ceremony at dinner last night where 4 of us said a few words of appreciation for each of our guides and drivers as well as giving them their tips. Mr Phat had been especially fun with a wicked sense of humour (Mr Trung’s English was a lot harder to understand so some of his attempted jokes fell a bit flat at times!). Making sure we had all our luggage about our person, we trooped onto the ferry boat that would take us further up the Mekong, out of Vietnam and into Cambodia. The boat was pretty comfy so after a while, was getting lulled to sleep by the chugging of the engines (or knocked out by the carbon monoxide fumes?). After an hour, we slowed down and pulled into the side of the bank the exit point for Vietnam - and were immediately besieged by Vietnamese children selling sodas, crisps etc. Damian, our guide, collected our passports for inspection and then we just sat on the ferry waiting for about an hour whilst the bureaucratic process ran its slow and lumbering course (it pays to be patient on days like today!). A few bags were taken off the ferry for random searching and, after we’d got the all clear, we were off again for a short little hop to the Cambodian entry point. Here, we all had to get off the ferry into a fairly utilitarian courtyard, bounded by wire fences and high walls which housed the visa and customs station. I’d already got my Cambodian visa but, for those who didn’t already have theirs, the process was simple enough although it did look a little bit intimidating with the Vietnamese guy sitting across a large table from 3 stern-looking Cambodian immigration officials! After all the visas had been issued, we had to then go get them stamped (a quite intricate process involving 4 different stampers and 2 ink pads – you wonder if, on occasion, the immigration official sometimes goes wild and uses the red ink pad when really he should have used the blue one…..). My passport initially caused a little consternation until the official beckoned over another (obviously more important) official who then asked me where my Vietnamese visa was. I explained that I’d had a paper one – which was obviously the correct response, so the bureaucratic flapping subsided and the official could happily returned to his synchronized stamping.

So now, back on the boat for the remainder of the trip to Phnom Penh. It’s just gone 11am and I think we have at least another couple of hours to go, so I think I might have a quick snooze!!

Floating veg, snake wine and a sobering memorial.. (more than 50km, less than 90km)
After crashing into bed last night at 10.10pm (late night!), we were up very early at 5.45am, ready to leave the hotel to vist the floating market of Cai Rai. The market is the biggest floating market in Vietnam and was fascinating, colourful and bustling with hoards of rickety wooden boats selling great big piles of fruit and vegetables. As we puttered through the market, little refreshment boats would pull up beside us and offer us drinks and refreshments – very cool! I had a hot, sweet coffee from one boat and it was delicious! We also stopped later on in the trip for some fresh pineapple, eaten whilst sitting on the roof of our tourist boat, looking across the whole market in front of us. With the market boats, you could tell what they were selling as they hang a sample from a pole in front of the boat – very simple and very effective!! We spent about an hour bobbing around the market taking lots of pics before heading back to Cai Rang, docking, having a final look round another small covered market before then jumping on to our bikes and heading off. Today’s ride was taking us through the province of Can Tho and Long Xuyen – another area full of verdant rice paddies, water palms and banana plants. Riding along the river, we’d only cycled for about ten mins before we stopped – this time to see firsthand the production of the ubiqituous rice noodles. It’s like every day is pancake day!! They take the rice grains, grind them up and mix them with water into a gloopy opaque white paste, before ladling the mixture out onto a round hotplate to form a very thin pancake. This is then covered for a couple of mins by a conical lid, before being hoiked out onto a large long rectangular bamboo mat to cool. When the mat is covered full with the fresh pancakes, its then taken out to dry in the sun where, once dry, it’s fed through a machine which chops it into the different size noodles (rather like a pasta maker). I now know the full history, from field to plate of the rice noodle!

After about 10mins we got back on the bike and rode again – the next time stopping to see a man with some snakes and terrapins in a bucket. The reason for the snakes is to make snake wine- basically snakes steeped in alcohol for at least a year. The snake wine made from cobras is the most highly prized of all, reputed to make you very strong – however, you’ve got to leave it for at least a year or it will kill you! So, of course, I had to try some and – I’m pleased to say – a) I’m still here so it was obviously aged correctly and b) it wasn’t as disgusting as you might think. Certainly more palatable than the tapeworm sushi I “enjoyed” in Saigon! After that plus a light spot of terrapin racing, it was time to get a bit of distance in (we’re supposed to bike 90km today – eek!) and we cycled through some beautiful countryside again. For the most part, the roads were really good, making for a more relaxing ride than yesterday, although there was one part where it was very rocky (a new road was being put in) which was quite hard work on the hands and shoulders. I think, all in all, I’m actually holding up pretty well – the legs are fine although thank God for Vaseline!

After about 30m, we reached our rest stop, where the bikes were loaded on to the van ready for the 1hr transfer to the killing fields of Ba Chuc where the Khmer Rouge massacred 3,000 Vietnamese in 1978. It was a pretty sobering visit, so we didn’t stay long – enough, though, to see the memorial built with the thousands of skulls and human bones recovered from the killing fields plus an extremely disturbing exhibit of some of the gruesome photos taken at the time.

After stopping for lunch, it was time to hop back on the bikes and start to cycle the remaining 56km to Chau Doc. I was feeling pretty knackered today, so I did about 30km then hopped on the bus to rest whilst the others slogged away. I met up with the rest of the group at the base of Sam mountain, the top of which afforded stunning panoramic views of the local countryside. I chose to walk up the steps to the top – the more adventurous souls rode up by bike. Am glad I did as there was a beautiful monastery at the top – took my tripod up and tried to get some decent sunset pictures. There was also this rather bizarre cave with giant snakes (and live bats!) inside, leading to another shrine of the Buddha, so I’ll have to ask and find out what that was all about! On arriving at the hotel and meeting up with the rest of the group, I was very glad I’d chosen to walk up – the hill was EXTREMELY steep and, even though I’m sure the views were magnificent, there’s no way I’dve wanted to have been coming down that in the dark!! So, another good day – now its time to relax, recharge a little and shower before dinner!

Thrills, spills and muddy Mekong madness! (80km)

Short entry today cos I'm completely knackered!! Up again bright and early at 6am, ready to set off at 7.30am. Cycled out of Trah Vinh and our first stop was this beautiful Buddhist temple in the forest. Was quite a bizarre blend at times of the ancient and the modern (an emerging theme!) - the old, old temple buildings set against a Pepsi table umbrella, rock music blaring from a radio and the Buddha inside the temple surrounded by multicoloured neon lights! Apparently neon is a fairly recent thing in Vietnam (only about 20yrs or so) so they use it with gay abandon! (the Vietnamese LOVE their kitsch!)

Today's ride was pretty long at 80km. We broke it up with a fair number of stops but it was still quite tiring. It was so much my legs hurting as my wrists, hands and shoulders from being in the same position for so long. Kept trying to stretch to ease it out a bit, but I guess its just my body getting used to it, so hopefully it'll lessen off as the week goes on. Remember what I said yesterday - its only a matter of time? Well, yep - I was right! Today had two falls from the bike - the first one when we stopped at a junction and I just couldnt get my sodding cleat out of the left pedal in time (cos they're new, they're really tight, so I ended up riding with my right shoe clipped out). I was a bit bashed up but not too bad (although I think I'm in for some impressive bruises!). The next time was about 20mins later when we hit this big patch of Mekong mud (by this stage we had left the paved roads and were going through the beautiful patchwork of rice paddy fields). Having never really done mountain biking before, I had absolutely no idea of technique, so I was a bit doomed before I began really. Coupled with my cleat issue, it was pretty much guaranteed I would hit the mud, wobble, slither and then topple over in slow motion, ending up slithering down the bank with my bike on top of me! Fortunately, I stopped short of the Mekong river (that would have been bad) and nothing was damaged (neither me nor my camera, thank goodness!). The inevitable spill over, I could actually relax a little - some of the other riders also gave me some tips on how to actually ride the damn thing (its a bit like horse riding, really), so that really did help a lot too.

The ride today was very pretty and I feel I now have an intimate knowledge of how rice is produced! The stuff was everywhere - all spread out on tarps across the road to dry and, even though we were told it was fine to ride through it, you couldnt help thinking they got heartily miffed off with all these people messing up their carefully brushed and combed rice piles! Along with the rice paddies (which were the most vibrant green i've ever seen), we also saw many different style Khmer homes and temples, built in amongst the many tributaries of the Mekong. God knows how many bridges we crossed!

We kept riding til finally reaching our destination at 4pm for a late lunch of Beef Pho which was absolutely delicious (and well earned!). Again, with only about 10mins to go, we got caught in the rain and COMPLETELY soaking! Ah well - at least its warm. After lunch, we all trooped back on the vans for the 2hr drive to Can Tho, a large trading city. After all the rural quiet of the last couple days (moped horns aside), it was a bit of an assault to the senses to be back in a town! Was lots of traffic and we sat in a queue for the ferry for a good half hour. But finally made it to the Saigon Can Tho hotel around 6.30pm, so it was a long day but another very rewarding one. Dinner is in about half an hour - I could crawl into bed now, I'm so tired, so I hope I dont fall asleep in my noodles!!

Ho Chi Minh City to Trah Vinh (47km)

Up bright and early at 6am, ready for 7.30am transfer out of Saigon. Breakfast was buffet style and good, with breads, fruit, cereal, fried rice and noodles. Started off in the vans to transfer a couple hours out of Ho Chi Minh City to Cai Be - the gateway to the Mekong Delta. HCMC is a big sprawling city with a population of 8 million, 90% of whom seemed to be on mopeds! Was very interesting driving out of the city, seeing the juxtaposition of both the traditional way of life next to the new developments and huge building projects. Also fun were the goldfish farms,, which I think win the prize for the most entertaining way to use the middle bit of ground in between the two sides of the road! After about hour and half, we stopped for a bathroom break and coffee stop at this stunning place with an amazing water garden and beautiful outhouses, full of very ornate carved mahogany furniture - much better than your Little Chef or roadside diner!

After about another hour, we arrived at our starting destination of Cai Be and all piled out of the vans, readying ourselves to start riding. Got introduced to my steel pony, a 3500 Trek Mountain Bike and Mr Phat fitted my pedals and cleat system (managing, fortunately, to get my shoe out of the pedal that I'd got it stuck in, right after I bought it!). Also fitted my gel saddle cover (a VERY good buy!) and little under-the-seat saddle bag, and I was ready for the off! It took me a while to get used to the cleats and clips on my shoes on a bike that's not fixed to the ground and I think it probably only is a matter of time before I end up in a heap on the floor! But, other than a few wobbles, it was pretty comfortable and didnt take me long to get the hang of it - just as well, really, cos you needed to have all your concentration to avoid the many road hazards and craziness in front of you!! I guess in Manhattan you dont often have to swerve to avoid chickens, coconuts and stray dogs!

The ride was simply breathtaking as it led us right into the heart of rural Mekong, pedalling through narrow roads and lanes, past banana plantations, fields of sugarcane, and through lush green landscapes of the delta. It was everything i'd imagined it to be, but in even more vivid colour (and smell!). Another thing that you hear about, but you really do need to experience it firsthand to understand, is just how friendly and smiley absolutely everyone is. It really is incredible, but as you cycle past, people smile and say hello as if seeing you is the best thing that's ever happened to them! You shout a greeting back too and can't help smiling also, wondering just how come everyone looks so happy to see you. What a wonderful national psyche to have. Cycling past one school, this big hoard of kids ran up to the road and starting waving and shouting "hello!" - honestly, when I come back to New York, I shall be devastated if I dont get the same treatment! One kid was really cute, walking home carrying this adult sized briefcase that was almost as big as he was!

A section of biking took us off road onto gravel and dirt lanes, weaving through hamlets, across rivers and through quite thick vegetation. We crossed the mighty Mekong several times today, in a variety of ferries - some rather more rickety than others!! After about 50km, a final ferry crossing brought us into to Tra Vinh, where we cycled through some verdant green rice paddies, before entering the town, a pretty tree lined place with many ethnic Khmers. Alas, we didnt quite beat the rain, so got completely soaked by the regular downpour at 4pm, but it was warm and I smelt quite bad by that stage, so I didnt mind too much! Arrived at our hotel for the night, the Cuu Long Hotel, at just before 5pm, so enough time to shower (yey!), change and blog before dinner. Which is where I'm off to now!

All in all, an amazing first day - I didnt manage to get squashed or hurt myself too badly (almost spraining my ankle stumbling on the step in the lobby of the hotel first thing this morning doesnt count!), and I think the legs held up pretty well. Saw some amazing scenery and a constant stream of rural vignettes (alas, didnt take as many pics as I'dve liked but I would get left behind if i did!) and the people were so charming and friendly. If its like this for the whole 2 weeks, I'm in for an absolutely unforgettable experience.