The Killing Fields and S21

This blinding white stupa (second picture) is in the middle of an area of 129 mass graves is an area known as 'The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek'. 17,000 of the millions of Cambodians were executed here between 1973 and 1979. When you get close to the monument, you get a real feel

of what that many bodies must look like. You stand in front of a glass panel that goes right to the top of the monument and it is full of human bones - mainly skulls (see the picture on the left). Some of the skulls show clearly where they were bludgeoned because the Khmer Rouge needed to save bullets. It's incredibly difficult to stand in front and look because it looks like thousands of people are looking at you in the most haunting way.

Wandering around the fields is less traumatic, until you see clothes and bones lying in or around the mass graves (some of them still haven't been disinterred). Most of the guesthouses show the film 'The Killing Fields' each day so that the tourists can get a feel for what it was like in those times. We also went to see a production by a University group that pieced together some archive footage and accounts of what went on at that time. It's fascinating and of course soul wrenchingly sad to hear accounts of Cambodians killing Cambodians all for the political dreams of a mad man.

This is a picture of a once high school that was used by the Khmer Rouge to extract confessions. It was known at the time as S21. To visit this is in many ways was worse than the killing fields. This is where innocent people were tortured into giving a false confession which then justified the regime to execute them. No one was spared: men, women and even children! Some of the rooms were a little bit to much to take in, especially if you can imagine, the floors and cells haven't been washed so, without going into detail, there are still obvious reminders on the floor and walls that some grotesque torture had taken place.

Sorry for the sombre theme of this blog but it is a visit that you really have to make when you're here (we did think about not going!).

On that note, we'll finish this blog and pick up again at one of the most incredible places on planet Earth! No, not Penshaw Monument, we're talking about Angkor Wat in a little place called Siem Reap.

Phnom Penh - Cambodia

Current status: Hoi An (we've left Hanoi!) Vietnam.

14th April - After a short plane ride from Vientiane, here we are in a new country and a capital city to boot! Welcome to Phnom Penh capital city of Cambodia! Did I mention something in the last blog about 'out of the frying pan and into the fire'? Unfortunately, the first thing that strikes you about PP is it smells quite bad and there's a major rubbish problem too (Alan Richardson aka Didge, there's a load of work for you here). As soon as you move away from the main streets the cleanliness declines and the smell ascends. The secret here was to keep to the main drags and hold your breath when you walk back to the guest house! It also didn't help that it was the New Year celebrations and a lot of the smaller restaurants etc were closed and quite possibly the bin men were off work.


Having said that though, you have to eek out the good bits and we managed to do that. We met a lovely couple on the first night and ended up having cocktails (happy hour of course) and dinner together for two nights and had a really good time. The river front area was particularly nice too, like in these first two pictures.

This picture was taken in the grounds of the museum and the picture below shows again the French influence in this area - lots of French buildings and wide avenues - some of the restaurants even had French cheese on their menus! Bonjower.

This is the main park and on this day it was like Blackpool on a bank holiday Monday (but without the drunks!). The place was packed with families out celebrating the new year

This young girl was selling bread, which was nice but we were more intrigued at how she transported it! She never used her hands to steady the basket once!

I didn't quite get the camera out quick enough to capture the entire passenger list on the bike, the dog sitting in the basket at the front is just out of sight. We have seen as many as six on a bike and we've also seen enough fruit and vegetables being carried that we thought we saw a green house coming towards us! In England the arresting officer would make so much money from fines that he could retire shortly afterwards!

This is the royal palace at sunset, we visited the palace through the day and also visited the 'silver pagoda', so named after the silver floor of the main room. It would never have lasted two minutes in England, people used to pinch the lead off roofs so a silver floor would have been too much of an attraction.

I think this might make a nice black and white picture - any paint shop experts can give it a go if you want - just remember the copyright please!

Inside the lush gardens of the Royal Palace. Some of the gardens are sectioned off as this is the actual residence of the King. As in a lot of these countries squalor and poverty are never far away from pomp and grandeur!

The King and Queen (yes the Queen's on the left of the picture before you get cheeky!) at the royal palace.

If you're a farmer in Cambodia, you'll probably live in something like this. Not exactly your English farmhouse eh? The idea been that in the wet season your house is safe from the water, although we haven't quite worked out yet how they get in and out.

A free cup of tea to...... well we don't know because unbelievably the first guess at the cost of hiring a bike was spot on by Mr/Mrs A. Nonymous, despite Didge showing us his age by blinding everyone with science and his knowledge of the good old days of pounds, shillings and pence! The right answer was 50 pence! I guess I'm asking for it with this question - but who was the anonymous comment from? (..... I'm Spartacus).

Cambodia as you may know has a torrid history and the next visit we made from Phnom Penh was an horrific reminder of a country gone mad. For a free cup of tea guess what the subject of the next blog is and the name of the leader during this torrid time. For a bonus scone with jam and clotted cream you can name a film that was made about those times if you like! All will be revealed in the next blog.

A big Happy Birthday to Jenny Schmenny for the 2nd May - hope you both enjoy Ibiza.

Vientiane

Current status: Hanoi - Vietnam


We arrived in Vientiane on the 11th April. For the geographobics Vientiane is the capital city of Laos. Laos used to be a French colony and you can see the French influence in the streets like the first picture with the big avenues. You can even get French sticks or baguettes as us international travellers call them!




This picture might remind you of the Champs Elyse in Paris, however, it should look like an airport runway! Intrigued, well the story goes that America donated a hefty load of concrete to Laos to construct an airport and when they came to see how construction was going on, they found that the Laos government had decided on a nice little monument instead! That's the last time the Americans will give them cement!


This is the 'Buddha park' which we visited in an horrific tuk-tuk ride that on some occasions was on two wheels and they only have three to start with. It wasn't really worth the trip (speaking candidly of course) but you have to make the most of these things!

I know what you're all thinking... look at the size of that mouth on... no I better not.

You can tell there's something up when the tourists start making their own enter - tainment! Spot the imposters!

Back into the city now and a spot of pedal power. This is one of the many temples you can visit by bike around the city.

This is Phat That Luang (try saying that after a few Laos beers) - the most important monument in Laos, a symbol, if you will, of Buddhist religion and Laos sovereignty - but I bet you all knew that already for Pete's sake.

This is the Champs Elyse again - from a closer angle and this is where the difference shows! This version isn't finished and probably never will be! It's really quite ugly from up close as the American concrete hasn't been finished off properly, when you get really close to it, you can see the steel reinforcement rods sticking out all over the place!

You may think reading this that we weren't really taken with Vientiane and you'd be right! It's ok for a couple of days but really that's about all. Anyway, when you're travelling the way we are, when you end up somewhere you not struck with, then you move on - so that's what we did and soon after this we were on our way to Phnom Penh - the capital of Cambodia. Out of the frying pan and into the fire I hear some of you wonder!! - well you'll have to wait for the next blog to find out the answer to that one.

In the mean time though, for a free cup of English Breakfast perhaps with a dash of lemon juice (the milk here is usually condensed and there's no surer way to destroy a cup of tea) - riddle me this: How much do you reckon it costs to hire a pair of fine classic bicycles for a day in Laos - the closest wins the pot - so to speak (give your answer in English pounds and pence and we'll do the conversion. For the Americans, there's about two of your dollars to an English pound and that's the way it should be!).

Free COT answers: Sissy Ginny, what is your outsourcer on? A Blue Wildebeest! I think not - sack the outsourcer. Ginny and the Russian spy were bang on the mark this time, it is of course a Water Buffalo.

Vang Vieng

Even though there is some stunning scenery here the main reason people visit is to enjoy the outdoor recreation - the most popular pursuit being - TUBING!








We arrived in the afternoon and decided to save the tubing for the next day so as we were staying right on the river it seemed only right to make use of it. That's me (Keith) taking a swim. An apple came floating by so I picked it up and chucked it to one of the kids - before I knew it there was a major games of 'three bad eggs' going on.
Just look at that view, this is from the restaurant at the guest house we were staying.

A novel way of crossing the river. These vehicles (if you could call them that) are powered by what looks like a mutilated tractor. The front wheels have gone and all that remains is a kind of engine on a stick suspended on two wheels - still it doesn't stop them. This particular model is the off road SUV with river bed driving modification kit.

Another fine example of health and safety! That's me hanging on to the back of the tuk-tuk on the way to the tubing start point.

Well how about this for a lazy day. The trip down the Nam Song actually only takes two hours but the idea is that you stop off in the makeshift bars on the way down and participate in a little beverage or three - it would be rude not to!!


At an average speed of 1 mile an hour, a sunny day and cool water you have to wonder if life can get better than this!

Most of the 'bars' have also 'knocked up' wooden contraptions acting like a huge rope swing - zero health and safety standards here! After a few beers the idiots swing out and drop into the river - zoom in on the picture and see if you recognise that fool!

The 'fool' really showing off doing it again but with only one arm.

As you come down the river, the bar owners send the kids out to guide you ashore - or they throw you a line and you haul yourself in. Too tired to do that? The kids will even sell you cold beers from their cool boxes - SORTED!!!

There's the odd 'natural' obstacle like rapids, shallows and the wallowing herd of ........ mmmm well, we know what they are and we're prepared to offer free tea to the first correct answer - if you think you know, a clue would be they are neither pigs nor hippopotamuses. We nearly ran into this lot, which would have been bad, but the biting flies around them was even worse. A quick detour was made to the other side of the river!

Just after that it was time to get out, scrub up and go for a curry (never mind what colour!). What a lazy day on the river!! ........There's all kinds of craft, that'll make you go daft for messing about on the water...........

Free Cup of tea answers: Milly - although we'd love to give you a free cuppa, the bridge is not made of teak! Everything else around here is, but not the bridge. Neither is it made from "old rope from Hendon" - Anonymous. The correct answer was received in a matter of minutes from the tea engorged household of the Sandersfields - the bridge is in fact made entirely from bamboo cane - and don't you know it when it when it flexes and twists with every step!

After Vang Vieng it was time to check out the capital, but that's the stuff of blogs anew.

More Luang Prabang and around!

Current status: In Siem Reap, Cambodia

Well after all that excitement it was back to the 'relaxed and unhurried' Luang Prabang and yet another waterfall! Tat Kuang Si is a beautiful spot about 20km out of town, a wide multi-tiered waterfall tumbling into cool turquoise green pools. The ideal place for an afternoon dip when the temperature is in excess of 30 degrees! Let me just say it's not easy getting any pictures of waterfalls with so many Japanese around, who take pictures of everything and everyone. If a Japanese ever invites you around their house to look at pictures or worse still, their videos - just say "Nag lok sin ting eye hoi pin " Which, roughly translated means - No thank you - I'd rather sit at home and stick hot pins in my eyes.

A set of steps along side the waterfall (in contrary to every health and safety law ever created) gets you up each tier of the waterfall and some spectacular views!

This is Keith posing for a photo shoot for the latest 'Linx' advertisement. The water was refreshingly cool. This excellent picture was taken by Elvis - credit where due!


Back into the main town of Luang Prabang again, this is view of the town from temple hill of Phu Si.

With the sun having disappeared what's a girl to do now but .... go shopping in the night market! The people quite cleverly set the market up on the main street, so no matter where you want to go, you have to squeeze through the market stalls - it's all very civil though - no hard sell at all.

The market was also full of food stalls, some better than others and many a thing that we've never seen before.

How about this for a plant holder! Do you recognise this - the label says 'Made in the USA' and it was delivered by airmail in the 1970's!

You can still buy bomb casings or bullet cartridges if you want to - after all there's plenty of them about!

Some more of these cheeky 'monk-ees', eeee it's a monk's life here! They were busy sprucing the old place up for their New Year Celebrations, which they call the 'water celebration' here it's also over 3 days too, this year the 13, 14 and 15 April. Although like all celebrations they started about a week early. The general theme of the celebrations is to get everyone as wet as possible. This can mean being shot at with a little water pistol to literally having a bucket of water thrown over you! We did spend about a week getting drenched every day!It'll never catch on at home, the emergency services would never cope.

This rickety bridge has been built by the villagers and you have to pay to cross, it cost us a whopping 50 pence, mind you that's return! As soon as the kids are back from school it's straight down to the river, kit off and jump in! Again - no fighting or crying or squabbling, everyone just gets in and all you'll here is kids laughing!

For a free cup of tea, this bridge is built entirely from a local source material, what would that be you reckon?



This is the sun setting along the meeting of two rivers the Nam Khan and the Mekong (the Mekong is on the right!)

Well we set the alarm for 5am and were up and out to see the monks receive alms at 6am. It's a truly fantastic sight! Buddhist monks do not produce their own food, so the towns folk come out to feed them every morning. It brings good luck, health etc if you offer a monk food. They all come trooping out of the temples and form a processions of saffron robes lining the pavements. The locals (and tourists if they like) line up and give food. Whilst this is going on the local kids also stand nearby with a carrier bag awaiting a donation from a monk. We were thinking of nicking a couple of robes and joining the back of the queue - anything for a free meal!! Elvis wouldn't shave her head though!

This is tourists giving food out. I think the monks like the tourists because they bring chocolate biscuits etc, otherwise all they get from the locals is sticky rice!! Sticky rice is nice, but seven days a week could be a bit too much!

This is the old colonial bridge, only pedestrians and bikes allowed. It's not too steady and we did have a hair raising moment when we walked over and one of the boards gave way, my foot nearly went through - followed shortly afterwards by another type of ''follow through" and a strange smell of pooh!

A view from the bridge looking up river.

Anyone for barbecued fish? We had it one evening then it became a daily ritual - it was truly scrumptious!

Enjoying some more culinary delights of the night market, rice with the fish followed by pork noodle soup and then these sweet rice cakes we found that we loved. I had a large beer, Elvis had a shandy and there was still a little change from three pounds!

FCOT answers: The Nam Ou river does in fact flow into the mighty Mekong river, although we would have accepted the Wear or Tyne!! So another free cup to Sissy. However, Paul and Sissy are testing our patience with the red curry - green curry - yellow curry question, internationally known as 'The Currygate affair' . I've decided to forward your claims to the appeals panel, which next meets around the 10th June to sort out that one.