Delightful Da lat, Vietnam.

Loaded with a map that had been photocopied one hundred times and looked like an old man's tattoo, we headed out regardless. In search of Hằng Nga. Popularly known as the “Crazy House”. With lots of local help we found the Crazy House & it did live up to its name. Along the way we stopped for brunch at a street vendor. We bought baguettes with laughing cow cheese. Baguette, salad, one triangle of laughing cow cheese & sugar. SUGAR!? What the hell. All the sugar in my sandwich had gathered at one end. Half of the the sandwich was a regular cheese & salad the other was a doughnut.

Ho Chi Minh City AKA Saigon

Before we start - interesting fact - Ho Chi Minh City used to be called Saigon but was re-named Ho Chi Minh after the war, it was named after the prime minister that was in charge during the war.

Month 9 in Review

Greetings from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, AKA Saigon. Yesterday we celebrated our 9 month anniversary of travelling so here's a re-cap.

Kampot - home to the king of condiments

This is our 100th post, WooHoo! We are almost at 10,000 views & have just celebrated being together for 10 years so we are hitting milestones all over the place.  

We dragged ourselves away from paradise to Kampot as our visa's were coming to an end & we needed to sort out our Vietnam visa & wasn't sure how long that would take.

Koh Rong - But so right!

From Sihanoukville we took the slow boat to Koh Rong. It was supposed to take two hours. Due to a lengthy stop at another island it took almost four. The slow boat was not just delivering tourists. It delivers everything to these islands. These boats really are the Island's lifeline. There is no electricity on the island. Everything is run from generators. Generators which are used sparingly. Usually in the morning and then again in the evening. Thankfully giant blocks of ice are used to keep the beer cold. Wifi is also fairly rare. I understand that Koh Rong & its smaller neighbouring island only become a tourist destination a couple of years ago.

Sihanoukville. Sun of a beach!

Each day we would take the most interesting walk to the beach. It was through a Khmer neighbourhood. We both really enjoyed our daily passage through local life. People preparing food. Washing clothes. Children playing. Even some small businesses were located here. I would say this was a Cambodian middle class area. With a construction site. Open drains & wooden 'bridges'. Everyone was friendly and all the children would say hello as you dodged the dogs, cats & chickens.

Phnom Penh - Horrible histories & a day/night at the cinema

Ok so before I start this post I have something to admit. I (Cat) am a sick weirdo. I love stories of torture and I love prisons (I went to Alcatraz on honeymoon). I don't know why but I have a morbid fascination with them (actually, it might be because of my Dad, he used to tell me torture stories & take me to prison museums), I can't be the only one though or Alcatraz, Auswitch and The Killing Fields wouldn't be massive tourist attractions. If you have no interest in this and/or have a weak stomach I would scroll down to the bit about the cinema, cos you won't enjoy this at all.

Siem Reap. Cambodia.

Following the ridiculous journey to Siem Reap the next day was my Grandfathers funeral. We wanted to celebrate his life. Sitting in the sun. Which is something he loved to do. By the pool toasting a beer to him. Things started as I had hoped but soon I felt as sad as I have ever felt. I was not in a good place. On the third day we tried our best to pick ourselves up & went into town for some lunch. Day quickly turned into night. We grabbed cocktails at Red Piano 'famous' as it is the restaurant where Angelina Jolie dined while making the Tomb Raider movie. Later while heading home we walked past this cool looking bar. One for the road we said.

Scambodia

It did not take long to find out why this country has been nicknamed Scambodia. Four hundred Thai Baht (£8) from Koh Chang to Siem Reap. We had been quoted prices ranging from one British Pound to twenty US dollars for the Cambodian Visa.