Andaman Coast of Thailand

After Cambodia we headed back to Thailand to check out some of the islands and beaches on the Andaman (west) coast. After another couple days in Bangkok we headed to Koh Lanta where we found a great little hut at a resort right on the beach complete with two pools and a perfect view of the amazing sunsets.

Once again we rented a scooter so we could tour the island and check out some other beaches. Unfortunately we incurred a minor scooter incident which led to us making a great escape from the island which led to a ferry ticket scam which led to Jody almost getting drop-kicked in the face by a tiny Thai guy, Matrix-style. This story is much better saved for telling in person but needless to say it was an adventure getting to Koh Phi Phi, the neighboring island where we settled in for a couple days.
We weren't big fans of Phi Phi island as it's over-run with tourists and they don't seem to have their sewage system under control but you cannot complain about the scenery - it's beautiful! The limestone cliffs make for incredible backdrops to the clear, aqua water and soft, white beaches.
The main draw, of course, is to see "The Beach" which was filmed on Phi Phi Leh. We were loaded into a longtail boat and dropped at a few stunning locations to snorkel followed by some time to explore 'the beach' which was very pretty but chocked full of tourists. While we were glad we went we were ready to escape the tourist-trap that is Koh Phi Phi and head back to the mainland.

Our next stop was a town called Ao Nang where delicious Indian restaraunts abound and gorgeous beaches are a short boat ride away. We spent a long day at Rai Leh beach soaking up the sun & scenery and cooling off in the sea with our frisbee.

Lanterns lining the ocean-front walkway in Ao Nang

From Ao Nang we made our way down to our next stop, Malaysia!

Learning alot in Cambodia

Our time in Cambodia began in Siem Reap, the jumping-off point to the historic holy city of Angkor. In Siem Reap we spent our days wandering around the markets and our evenings on "Pub Street" sampling the 25cent draught, Khmer curries and ice cream at 'Banana Leaf'. The highlight was obviously our time spent touring the temples of Angkor via tuk-tuk which were incredible to see in person. My favorite temple was Bayon (the one with the faces) but they were all uniquely impressive, especially the jungle temple where trees are growing out of the ruins. The intricate stone carvings are fascinating, at least the ones that are still in tact after the destruction & looting during the the late 70's and 80's.

We continued to learn more about the devastating recent history of the Khmer people in the capital city, Phnom Penh; I feel so ignorant for having had no idea about the genocide and what the people of Cambodia have been through prior to coming to their country. In Phnom Penh we walked through "S-21", the school-turned-prison where the Khmer Rouge imprisoned roughly 17,000 innocent Cambodians and tortured them into confessing to crimes they did not commit. It was eerie and sad, especially meeting two of the seven survivors afterward who were selling books they'd written about their experience in the prison. We also went to the "Killing Fields" at Choeung Ek where the soldiers marched prisoners (men, women & children) to their death by completely inhumane & gruesome methods.
After all of this, I'm still not sure I had a complete grasp on what really happened during Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot's reign (if you click on no other link, click this one) from 1975-1979 until I read the book "First They Killed My Father" by Loung Ung. It is a firsthand account of a young girl & her family who were forced out of Phnom Penh to work as slave laborers in the fields of the countryside; reading this book made the situation feel a lot more real.
Despite all that they have been through in the past 40+ years the people of Cambodia are among some of the kindest we've met on our trip and the most welcoming. Many people speak great English so it was nice to be able to get to know some of them during our time there.

Temples in Phnom Penh

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum a.k.a. "S-21"

Memorial stupa at Choeung Ek

Visitors have left thousands of bracelets in memory of the children at the 'killing fields'

On a lighter note, we left Phnom Penh heading for the coast starting in Kampot which is a region known for their pepper. We rode bikes through the town and surrounding villages along the river then escaped to tiny, primitive "Rabbit Island" where there are no proper showers & only 3 hours of electricity per day. It downpoured the first day we were there and the next day was hot, like get-a-sunburn-in-the-shade hot.

We spent a night in the town of Kep before meeting up with 'The Belgians' one last time on the island of Koh Rong where, when it wasn't raining, the beach & sea were very inviting. During the downpours we passed the time eating curries, playing cards, reading & generally laying around laughing; we had a great time!

The view from our bungalow

Sunset from the boat heading back to the mainland

Our last stop was Sihanoukville before crossing the border back into Thailand and heading for the beaches of the Andean Sea!

Starting out in Southeast Asia

Kao San Road, Bangkok. Besides hundreds of backpackers it is also famously home to ice-cold 7/11's, almost-undetectable ladyboys, sizzling Pad Thai stands at every turn and hundreds of touts selling everything from custom-tailored suits to fake college diplomas to LED-tshirts, to name a few.
We spent a few days here reconnecting with friends and meeting some new ones. We were sure to get our fill of Pad Thai and Tom Yum in between visiting a massive outdoor market, riding on the river taxi, viewing the city lights at night and cruising around in tuk-tuks. While there has been tuk-tuk transport in most of the countries we have visited, none seem to have been as decked out as those in Bangkok with their coloured, flashing lights and loud, thumping music.

In attempts to beat the heat we also spent much time either in 7/11's, on the Sky Train, or in the malls - all heavily airconditioned. The mall highlights included glow-in-the-dark bowling in our own private 'VIP' room complete with a karaoke machine and, on another day, feeling like we were back at home watching a movie in a deluxe theatre, eating flavored popcorn :)

The best part for me was probably the massive crepe filled with bananas and smothered in Nutella that you can buy on the street for next to nothing... mmm I'll be making these at home from now on.

From Bangkok we headed to the northern part of Thailand. In Chiang Mai I recovered from the airconditioning overdose (minor head cold) by sweating it out on rented bicycles, crusing around the city & checking out temples. Jody was so happy to see that his favorite BBQ-stand man still sets up his food cart at the same spot along the river as he did 8 years ago when he was here last. I was so happy when Jody introduced me to the Chiang Mai Saloon where they blare country tunes and the staff are decked out in western wear (I may miss Ranchmans a little....).

Jody's golden nugget with a handy bell & basket

Our next stop was Pai. Beloved by Jody on his last trip to southeast Asia he was shocked to see how much the little town had changed and grown but remained loveable all the same. We walked, read, skyped with our families and were generally lazy in Pai while combatting the rain of monsoon season on and off all day. We rented a scooter and rode through villages around the beautiful countryside and to the top of a canyon, stopping to see waterfalls and hotsprings along the way.

After a few days we tore ourselves away from our adorable bungalow & lazy lifestyle in Pai and began the long journey to Cambodia...