Angkor What?

Cambodia has been a blast so far. The reason for not updating any sooner was due to the speed of the internet here. Its unreasonably slow, barely working half the time.

I started off in Sihanookville where I met the craziest people in the world. It seems that all ex-convicts from the UK, Australia and New Zealand like to reside here. I met a nice Belgium by the name of Jack who has been living there for over a year. He owns a bar appropriately named Jack's Shack where I met many of the western locals. I was the youngest by far, but it was still nice to meet people from different types of backgrounds. Having a friend who owns a bar on the beach means lots and lots of drinks. I ended up passing out on the beach. A French named Elvire was nice enough to take me back home haha.

Next was Kampot where the sky turned a dark greyish tone and the rain was relentless. I signed up for another trek up Bokor Mountain. Not only was it literally 40 degrees hike, but the rocks that lined the trail made it a relentless climb to the top. The sights at the top were covered in mist. Many of the building are remnants of Kampot's rich past. Casino, large hotels and other grand buildings now lie alone above the mountain shaded in mist. During the Khmer Rouge period, these buildings were used as a base for their activities. I could hear the erie silence coming from across the fields that surround the buildings.

The capital city Phnom Pehn was next. A bus ride from Kampot costed me $5 and 5 very long hours. Once there I found a guesthouse built on the lake in backpackersville. Of course the room costed me only $2USD. I met a bunch of other lonely travellers and had a great dinner. The next day, Michael and myself went to a shooting range and each shot a gun. I never knew guns had such a recoil. My AK-47 blasted through a brick wall and the butt nearly took my shoulder off. The killing fields was next. Thousands of skulls stacked atop each other marked the massacre of the Khmer Rouge. Super glad I shot the guns before I arrived at the killing fields, I wouldnt have wanted to shoot anything after this. The sightseeing took me to S-21, a highschool converted into a torture camp for supposed enemies of the Khmer Rouge. Again it left a nasty taste in my mouth as I tried to understand the killings.

Siem Riep is where I am at the moment. It is city that carries a laid back vibe that pulses to the beat of the overwhelming temples nearby in Angkor Wat. Massive temples line the sights, many dating back over a thousand years ago. On the first day we biked our way throughout a number of temples and watched the sun set15m high at the top of a temple. Today we woke up at 4 and caught a tuktuk to see the sunrise at yet another temple. The sights are amazing of course as I walked through the same temple Tomb Raider was filmed. Nightlife here is amazing as my buddies and I laugh through the night with a couple of Angkor beers.