perplexing phnom penh & getting here was somehing else!!!

Greetings dear ones

Well thought Id give young harriet some space & come down & spnd some time with my friends!!!

I really wanted to wite a blog last night on my birthday but I was just too beat!!! I did spend about 2 hours down here in the "business centre" at the 'new york hotel where we are staying though;
One of the lovely receptionist guys helped me down load some burnt cd photos onto the memory stick that I bought in Vietnam (to make it easier to upload the photos to the blog; s you guys all get to see the photos & not just the boring words!!! but......

guess whaT????

tHE MEMORY STICK IS F......... & DOESNT WORK PROPERLY!!! harriets annoyed with me for spendind the money & as if we can return it!!
I could have cried... but I didnt... I just went to bed!!!!!


So here I am the day after my birthday. Thank you for the happy birthday emails. I erlly appreciated them. It means a lot to get emails when we are soooo far away from home or should I say Aus.!!!

Thanks for the comments too....!!!! really appreciate them

Well wewerent really sad to leave saigon!!! Just getting out on the 3 buses to get onto the tour where we were wedged in like sardines rushing/beeping all the way across the bottom of Vietnam.

We kept having to change buses for some strange reason. lots of people kept getting on along the way!!!
12 hours of driving with a few stops where you are forced off the bus to have a food/toilet stop (probably one of the driver/tour guides relations) We never know what condition the w.c's will be in. Harriet never goes!!!! Dont know how she manages, but I just have to!!! Most are awffffful!!!! No details though else Harriet wont speak to me for days & I am so in need of conversation!!!
You all know how I love to talk & engage!!! It can be difficult!
Anyway in the middle of this long day we ende up on a type of boat & there we were on "the Mekong Delta!!!"WOW!!!!!
Amazing 20 million people live on this river!!!! Theres barely a gap anywhere!!!
A lot of these people live on these boats & the advertise on a bambbo pole at the front what they are selling. Its incredible the conditions they live under.

we went to visit an island where we watched them make coconut candy & rice paper. Fascinating && rush rush back onto another boat (and another guide. "This boat faster .. we have to hurry... we are late!!! we went to another realtive (probably) 's house for simple island lunch. these people live so simply but they seem so incredibly happy!!!

Back on th boat down the river, & eventually back onto another bus till we were rushed off & running down back streets.
Everyone is in a rush here!!! ^
Eventually we were on a ferry crossing another part of the river (which we couldnt acces by bus?) &it all felt so creepy. Other travellers warned us here to hang onto our luggage!! gosh some nice travellers, germans, danish & costa ricans helped us up & down narrow stairs with our giant suitcases!!!!

My bag's wheels broke after 2 days of this harsh travelling!!!
but we got across & thei was our bus waiting for us???!!!!
work that one out????

I think it was the fee if we crossed in it? no one ever explains anything, so who knows what it all means!!:)
Wed struck up a bit of a friendship with these 2 german boys & by 730 pm we arrived in chau doc which is very close to the cambodian border!!!
Left90% of the bus in this really crappy hotel & walked down to our nicer one.!!!
Determined to get a massage after the nightmare bus trip with its scare/break tactics & charming roads;

walked to the fancy victoria hotel on the river in town (5 *) only to be told by thereceptionist that it was closed so back home for a bath & TO BED!!! exhausted


At brekfast the next day, the german boys & the tour guide sang happy birthday to me!! so sweet!!!
Anyway we decide to catch the fast boat & pay the extra $25 US ; no erfund for the slow boat ticket & no receipt!!!
But it sure felt exciting on my bithday morning to be zooming along on the mekong delta heading toward the border, wind rushing through the boat, the steady banging of the waves beneath us; its no calm river, its turbulent, choppy & dark brown from the heavy silt deposits.

There is soooo much going on on this river & Im fascinated to stare out; Its gjard to hear & hard to talk or read, but its so exciting. We pull into a house on stilts on the water. A young guy gets on & asks us for our passports. some peole dont evn have visas for cambodia; but they can buy now & pay extra for photos. they all dothis exercise amongst the "bang bang of the boatride!"

We step off at the border of Vietnam!! we are swamped by children selling fruit, water & money exchangers. I ignore the selling tactics & ask them questions about themselves, their lives; they get frustrated by this but I can tell they like it too. Its hard to break the pattern of what theyre in but I always try & have eye contact with them & open my heart to them.. Their lives seem sad to me but thats my perception!!!

Then were on the boat again & eventually are crossing into cambodia where were loaded off again & go through the customs. Only a fw rabndom people are checked!!!
Our suitcase our still strapped onto the front of the boat. Some of the random people who are checked dont even have their luggage; but theyre waved on anyway. The people who payed for photos never even get them taken...
were on the boat again!!!
Its been a wild exhilarating different & intense 41/2 hours & just like that we are there!!!!
Were off the boat & swamped by taxis/tuk tuks; & I just get tashi & we jump into a cab to our hotel; we leave all our new friends behind!

we dont even get to say goodbye to them;Ifeel sad.... Humans form bonds so quickly. we are not meant to be alone!!!
Anyway tuk tuk's here are different...
They are a motorbike with a nice carriage; & we take to one guy instantly; weve been with him vere since; from thai airways to laos airlines office.. to the palce... to the museum......
Now its the night & we will go for dinner & leave at ist light ........
Yes another 5 hour boat trip to siem riep.........
Cambodia is a lot different to Vietnam.... its more expensive...... more western...... more normal even....
there are lots of western eateries (all expensive!!!) & lots of young asians with dirty old western men. they were probably in vietnam too,,,,, but we just didnt seem to see them... here the bars are more in our faces..
we managed to find a nice cambodian/western place to eat & I had a fetta salad!!!!
It was heaven!!!
weve learnt a few words & have become close with one family restaurant. I nursed the gorgeous baby today. So beautiful...
Well I will try next blog to download some photos for you>>>:)


Leer hi!!!!!!
PS I found another blind massage place & Ive had 2 shiatsu treatments. Amazing!!!!
The guy Mr Chea who I had yesterday was soooooo good; today I went back & had another one!!!
It was an unbelievably incredible experience & today after the massage I gave Mr Chea a rose & $5.00 us tip & I gave him a kiss. It was so amazing to watch his reaction.
How about that these blind people serving the non blind. How cool is that?
so we couldnt speak & he couldnt see, but it was an experience I will never forget!!!!
love from Harriet & IsabellaXXXXX