Heading into Vietnam - 3 / 1 / 10

Big boring bus ride!! We were heading to Vietnam.

The story starts...

"It is like a fantasyland!" I said. We had arrived in the capital city of Vietnam and there was a big show going on! The trees were like fairy lights and there were all sorts of people singing and dancing as we wandered around the square. We got icecreams and started watching. I really enjoyed watching ... the icecream stand!

WE were in Ho Chi Min City!

- Zahn -

New Year at the beach in Sihanoukville

We went to the beach and caught up with Dina and her family. We had met them on the bus on the way to Sihanoukville.

I jumped in the water as quick as a bullet!

There was rubbish all around. I kept playing with plastic bags in the water and making water bombs and throwing them at Amber. The water was really salty.

- Zahn -

The beach was absolutely packed and certainly party central for Cambodians. Actually i don't think that the everyday would be too different. Forget your images of lapping blue waves and huge open expanses of white sand. Shihanouville is lined with restaurant bars crammed side by

side, each happy to lend you a seat for the day in return for your patriotism when it comes to refreshments.

So we settled into our deck chair and watched the kids ducking in and our of the brown surf, dodging floating rubbish and actually having an absolute ball! It is after all Cambodia's leading

beach! And should we be relaxing a little too much there was always someone to paint your nails, offer a massage, sell you a tasty street morsel or barter a new book price!

- Nicki -

Phnom Pen - 31 / 12 / 09

Today we visited the ...

Phrom Tamao Animal rescue Centre

Oh my gosh ... it's just another zoo! But no ...

This is 40 km from the capital city and a huge rescue centre in the forest. The people there save

wild animals that have been taken, kept as pets or have been exported illegally.

When i walked in i noticed an enclosure. We went in to explore. We were with dear and monkeys roaming free.

I shook its hand and it wouldn't let it go! We just kept on shaking hands. It was pretty cute. Mum said that it had probably been

someone's pet.Later as we walked on i noticed a monkey in a cage. It put its hand out to shake hands with me.

Then we saw a tiger. The tiger looked quite hungry because it was stalking Zahn. When it charged toward Zahn it was pretty scary and we all decided to walk on!

Next ... Otters. These guys were so cute!! One kept doing back flips into the water. Dad sneakily slipped the otter a fish. It loved it so we decided to buy 4 fish for R1000. Of course they loved that!

Our next stop was the 'Free the bears' programme. We arrived

just in time for feeding. They were Malaysian Sun Bears. For feeding they hid bananas around the enclosure. Then they let the bears in for dinner. One bear was really cute. It could smell the banana in a barrel. It rolled around with it trying to get it out. It was quite a game!

Onto the leopards and then the elephants. We were just in time.

They had come back from roaming in the forest all day and put on a show for us. A baby and mother elephant kicked the ball and got an apple for it. The mother elephant did

things like lifting up a man and spinning him around. The baby elephant had stood on a land mine

and was wearing a false shoe.

I especially like the way all of the animals are cared for.

- Amber -

Siem reap & Anchor Wat - 27-28 / 12 / 09

Did you know ... Anchor Wat is over 1000 years old.
Everyone lived at Anchor Tohm an
d in the surrounding area.
Ta Prohm was the 3rd to be built. It took 10 000 people 10 years to
build!
This was where they studied and
worshipped. The king ate bread here
before he went to battle.


- Amber & Zahn -

The Killing Caves - 24 / 12 / 09

My first sight was a picture of Pol Pot's men with swords. As mum and dad paid the policeman at the bottom of the hill, i thought i would probably see bones and skulls.

We jumped on the moto and drove up the hill. It was amazing because nobody had helmets and we has 3 people on each motorbike. Half way up i thought i would fall of my motorbike because it was so steep but luckily that didn't happen.

The caves were 1/2 way up the hill. We walked down steep concrete steps into the scary cave. It had huge rock structures with caverns and big pointed rocks coming down.

Inside the cave was a monk wearing white. This means that she is a lady. She gave us a blessing b

y wrapping 2 pieces of red cotton around our wrist.

When i looked to the right i saw a big sheb. Inside it were heaps of bones. This was not what i was expecting. As i looked closer, i could see bullet holes throuh the skulls. It made me feel scared.

The picture outside showed Poll Pot's men with swords standing over

a huge cliff. I'm not sure how the bullet holes and the swords go together??

It was worthwhile and it made me realise how sad it was that so many people died ... just because they were intelligent!

- Zahn -

Battambang - 24 / 12 / 09

Brum! Brum! We were flying like the wind ... well actually chugging along and viewing the countryside! We were on a bamboo train; a bamboo mat being carried along a rail tack on make shift wheels. It was incredibly ingenious and is still used to transport goods between villages.

Oh no! It's stopped! Someone is coming the other way. We have to get off! That's how the train works. The bamboo carraige with the least on it gets off the tracks, lets the other go past and then continues on its way.

After every hedge we caught a glimpse of something new; either rice workers, a water buffalo or rice paddies for miles.

- Amber & Nicki -

Heading into Cambodia - 23 / 12 / 09

We caught the bus to Aranya Prathet and crossed the border into Poipet in Cambodia. Our first impression was to be surrounded by very persistent taxi and tuk tuk drivers. Our sole aim was to head inland and see what Cambodia was really like!

And Zahn has seen bugs everywhere ... Yum???