Day 12 - Return to Phnom Penh

This is our last day with Eric and we woke up to a power cut - good start! - not easy doing the packing in near darkness and using the bathroom by the light of your mobile phone!
Our car arrived at 8.15 and we said goodbye to the lovely people we had met while staying in Siam Reap especially our brilliant Tuk Tuk drivers Red and Sokheng. We had already said goodbye to Greg the night before, as he was staying on in Siam Reap for a couple more days.
We drove for about two hours and stopped for coffee and then on to the village where they carve the Buddha statues out of sandstone that is brought down from the mountain. Again the skills of the craftsmen are evident when you watch them at work with very little resources and in the searing heat. Joanne was all 'Buddha'd out' so she was practicing taking arty shots with her camera until it was time to leave - I like the Buddhas and was amazed that they were selling a 10ft statue for only £100 - am sure that if sold in England they would fetch at least 10 times that amount, although I don't suppose there is a great call for 10 ft Buddhas in Sussex!
We stopped for lunch at what I called the 'fast food ' insect village as practically everything sold in the little market was a deep fried creepy crawlie of some description or another, plus every child appeared to be carrying a live tarantula and one man was pulling them out of his pockets like a magician pulls rabbits out of a hat! There were deep fried tarantula, water cockroach, silk worm, frog, and other equally disgusting creatures found in undergrowth.
Joanne and I had thought we might try a deep fried tarantula but during the week we read an article describing the merits etc of this particular delicacy and were somewhat put off by the description of the 'inside squashy stuff' so decided to pass on this one. Fried rice with vegetables seemed the safer option!
We arrived back in Phnom Penh around 3.30 and had a last drink with Eric at our hotel, The Plantation. It was a sad farewell in a way as it has been an amazing trip and we have learnt a lot about different types of photography, been to places and met people that are not normally experienced on normal holiday tours and I think Cambodia has a lot to offer.
As we only have one more day here we decided that tomorrow would be a complete day off and so we jumped into a Tuk Tuk to visit the Russian market which had been recommended, in order for tomorrow to be completely spent not having to do anything.
Dinner was wonderful, as were the cocktails and we retired for the evening knowing that the air con was working and the showers had hot water - fantastic!

Day 11 - Back on the River

Nice relaxed start to the day with breakfast by the pool before being picked up in a Tuk Tuk and taken to a small village out in the countryside (bumpy dirt tracks all the way) for another practice at people posing. This time we were a lot more confident, there were much fewer people around and someone had died so everyone was a bit distracted by the impending cremation.
Am pleased to say that my portrait photos had improved since the first day and I got some decent shots. The villagers were very friendly ( read that as they laughed a lot when we showed them our photos) and we enjoyed this experience much more than the last time!
Wandering down to the other end of the village we came across a barber cutting hair in his shop and also training a couple of lads in the art of Thai Boxing. Whilst he snipped away they moved up and down punching and kicking the air and then having a bare knuckle punch at a very hard coconut wrapped in netting that was hanging from a tree - ouch doesn't come close!
Further along we came to the pagoda where the cremation was going to take place and Eric talked us through how things were done in Cambodia. In literal terms they construct a funeral pyre by placing the body on a specially raised stone platform over a fire pit. it usually takes a couple of hours then any pieces of bones that are left are taken away by the family to be placed in their stupah ( shrine) if they have one, or just taken home.
We couldn't find any monks at the pagoda so we went off to another village to have a picnic lunch that had been prepared by Eric's wife, Leda. The temperature was rapidly rising again so we fairly quickly got back in the Tuk Tuk for the drive to another floating village. I say 'drive' in its most loosest term as we were mainly bounced all the way to the river - imagine sitting in a box cart attached to a motorbike being driven across a freshly ploughed field and you might come close!
We travelled by boat along a narrow river passing fisherman throwing their nets and others just standing in the river until we came to the village on the water. After going up and down a couple of times to allow us to see life on the water we pulled up alongside a floating shop/bar and settled down to watch the world go by and down a few beers, jumping up now and again in order to take 'the photo' of someone in a boat. Again I had improved since the first time - so much so that I now have loads of shots of people paddling their boats on the river which will need brutal editing! The children rowing themselves home from school was really great to see and they clearly enjoy the 'school run'.
A fascinating day completed on the return journey by a marvellous sunset, buffalo bathing in the stream and ox carts being driven home after a day in the fields - magic!
We were taken to a Khmer barbecue for dinner which unfortunately consisted of us cooking our own food over table top gas burners which gave off so much heat in an already boiling room that it was quite uncomfortable - nice idea but westerners can't take the heat.
Joanne especially suffered with the high temperature and practically cleared the restaurant when she fainted outside the men's loo and bashed her head. Much splashing of iced water and she was still not really coming round so we called for a paramedic who arrived with a wheelchair and wheeled her off up the road to the clinic for a check up! Thankfully she was ok ( huge relief all round) and we were able to go back to the hotel with a packet of berrocca ( hospital medication!).
What a day !

Day 10 - Angkor Wat

The dreaded 5am start! Taken by Tuk Tuk (along with all the other hundreds of visitors) to Angkor Wat, which is a big deal in Siam Reap as this the ancient capital of the area going back to 16th century. Every one was jockeying for position along the banks of the moat all intent on getting the magic sunrise photo - tempers got frayed and very nearly turned into a punch up at one point when an American woman had a very loud shouting match about being pushed!
My camera struggled somewhat with the challenge of near darkness and I had to wait until the sun was nearly up until I could get a reasonable shot, but I learnt a lot. With that in mind I then managed to take some lovely sunrise shots of which I am quite proud albeit Joanne pointed out that the silhouette was very phallic so I am not posting it on the blog!!
From there we had our photo shoot with the monks amongst the old ruins- very scenic but way out of the comfort zone. We had a monk each and were expected to pose and photograph
them using the skills we had learnt - not something I want to repeat in a hurry even though they were really friendly and helpful and stood still for ages while I fiddled about with my camera settings trying to get all the elements to come together! A collective sigh of relief could be heard when it was over and the monks very kindly had us over to their pagoda for a blessing and we gave them gifts as a thank you.
After lunch we practiced lighting and exposure inside the ruins at Preah Khan and then moved on to Ta Phrom to see the renowned exposed tree roots that have grown over the top of the ruins. These are the most amazing natural sculptures created from the roots of trees that survive on very little nutrients from the soil but have grown to phenomenal heights and completely encircle the remains of the old buildings. They have a slightly Harry Potter and Hogwarts feel to them and were also used for the Lara Croft Tomb Raider movie. Unfortunately most visitors seem to just want to queue up and have endless photos taken of each other under every root!
By now the temperature was heading towards 40 degrees and we were all flagging but Greg and I just about managed the final building called The Bayon which has an internal stairway to the top and affords a great view of the surrounding park but was also home to a colony of bats and the smell soon had us rushing back down again.
As we had the afternoon off, Joanne and I spent the time by the pool and after dinner we went over to Greg 's hotel ( HanumanAlaya Spa) for a workshop with Eric on photo editing.
A long day but a good one and tomorrow we don't leave until 8.30, hurrah!

Day 9 - The Mystery Assignment

This morning after breakfast Eric was being very secretive about where we were going and what we were doing which was slightly unnerving, but we got on the bus anyway and drove off to Battambang town centre where our driver was directed to pull in beside the main market and we all got out.
Eric then told us that we had an hour to complete an assignment for him - we were to go into the market for one hour and take photos but choose just three of the best we had taken to show him. The subjects were to be - one portrait with an uncluttered background, one of something red and one that was typically Cambodian. Once having chosen our best three we had to delete any others we had taken.
It didn't sound quite as daunting as it might have a few days ago but when we entered the market it was very dark and had very narrow passages between the stalls. It also seemed that there were separate areas of sales like the hair and beauty section, the dressmaking section, jewellery makers, shoes, food etc. anyway I found a red cap, almost immediately, hanging over a ladies flower stall so that was one done. The portrait proved much more difficult as nearly everybody had really busy and cluttered walls behind them and I also had to try and get in close to the subject. This for me was the hardest as I found about five people and took the shots but they really weren't very good and all looked like police identikit photos!! A lovely jewellery maker was my final choice and although not a technically brilliant shot he was my favourite. I found my typically Cambodian shot in the food market as piles of plucked chickens with feet attached had become a common site and there in front of me was a huge plateful and behind them was a basket of eggs as well - result!
Once settled in a cafe for a well earned and much needed cold drink it was time for Eric to critique our work. Thankfully I didn't do so bad although my backgrounds still need some work!
We headed back to the hotel to check out and then boarded the bus for a long 3 hour drive up to Siam Reap where we will be staying for 3 days at the Lotus Lodge. Joanne and I checked in and had lunch by the pool (the food was really nice) before we set off again for a photoshoot with some monks at Angkor Wat. Unfortunately it was the Buddha Festival today and the monks were not allowed out until tomorrow so gratefully we decided to have an early finish as it was about 37 degrees and we also have to be up at 4.30am tomorrow in order to catch the best light at sunrise - so early dinner and bed.

Day 8 - On the River

Early start this morning! We were all ready for breakfast at 6am and knocking on the door of the restaurant - unfortunately the staff were not so ready, in fact still sleeping!! Just barely cooked toast all round then!
Narro, our driver, took us off to the floating village and our guide Chamrong negotiated a motor boat for us to go out in (could have seated twenty people!) and we were on our way.
We had a fabulous trip on the river with all the working boats going in and out of the floating houses and some of us took some fabulous photos - unfortunately I wasn't one of them! I could blame my camera but it turns out it was me and I need to relearn some techniques, so back to the drawing board for the rest of the day.
Once back on dry land we wandered in and out of the shoreside market - lots of timber for the stilt houses, palm beer (local hooch), live eels and fried insects! I mention this because Joanne and I had agreed that we would both try a fried cricket as it was a local delicacy and here they were in a bag, together with a lot of other fried things like cockroaches and locusts! Chamrong picked out one each for us and we ate them (as you do!) and they were actually quite nice - a bit like the really crispy bits on Peking duck - another tick off the bucket list !!
A quick trip back to the hotel to check out and we were on our way to Battambang where we were visiting the mountain site of the killing caves from the Khmer Rouge regime. Another monumental climb (quite literally as the site was at the top) where there were several temples, a fee large gold buddhas and one very happy monk who appeared to be smoking something suspicious- I shall say no more but he looked very happy.
Again, numerous vervet monkeys were up to their tricks entertaining the visitors and making mischief and providing some light relief from the very chilling reality of the killing caves. People were taken to the edge of holes in the mountain and knocked into the deep caves where they were left to die. The site is now a memorial to all those who were so cruelly killed and many of the remains are still visible inside what is now a shrine.
Once out into the warmth of the day again we walked back down the mountain on our way back to the bus when we were absolutely astonished to see hundreds of thousands of bats rushing out of a cave in the side of the mountain - everyone stopped to look as the swarm continued spewing out of the cave continuously for at least 15 - 20 minutes. Our very own 'Life on Earth' moment!
We dined at 'The Gecko' cafe in Battambang and it was probably the best meal we have had so far and will be recommended to everyone.

Day 7 - On the Road Again

Our last breakfast at the Hilary Hotel in Phnom Penh where we were presented with yet another unknown fruit! Looked a bit like an apple on the outside but had white sticky flesh inside - Joanne promptly saved the seeds to take home and germinate!
We checked out, said our goodbyes and boarded the minibus for the journey northwards to Oudong, about an hour away. On arriving at the temple site we were immediately surrounded by children of all ages wanting to either fan us, guide us or sell us something but we gently avoided any commitments and set off up the trail to the base point of the hill where we were told by each of our volunteer 'guides' that there were 509 steps to the top! Off we went only to be met a little way up by a vervet monkey who, spotting an opportunity, grabbed some flower heads from a small child, sat down to eat them and prompted a virtual cascade from the trees of monkeys who also wanted a share! We ventured on and finally came to the newest temple where chanting could be heard from inside which apparently was because this was a special weekend and many visitors had come to pay their respects.
I much prefer the older temples (or burial shrines) as the stonework is a more natural colour and they look all of their 350 years and there were a few more on our route up and down the hills. My young guide, Dorn, had an amazing command of the English language and knew a great amount about the history, which he was keen to tell me. It was also very interesting to talk to him about life as a 17 year old Cambodian, I think he will do very well.
We set off to find somewhere for lunch and finally settled on a sort of transport cafe but unfortunately no one spoke any English so Erik had to ring his wife so she could speak to the cook and tell them what we wanted!! Not our finest meal it has to be said!
Back on the road and two hours later we arrived at Kampong Chnang and checked in at the Sovann Phum Hotel before setting off with our guide, Chamrong, to visit the pottery village.
Very clever craftsmen and women produce the most amazing handmade pottery bowls, cooking ovens, bricks etc using the most basic of equipment and firing techniques. They generally do not have their own kilns but bake the sun dried pots on a layer of wood about 4 metres square over which straw is laid and set alight. This means a constant replenishment of hay is needed in order to ensure the firing process is complete. At the time we visited the fire had already been alight for two hours with just one man keeping it going.
This was easily the most charming of villages in a very rural setting with a wealth of local talent - a really nice end to the day.

Day 6 - Cameras Roll

Slept so well last night (hurrah! finally!) that was woken by the alarm for the first time this trip. Breakfast was at 7.30 and Erik collected us at 8 in the Tuk Tuk to go into the city centre for coffee and instructions as to how the day was going to go.
We were told that we would be going to the market first and he wanted us to take a photo of someone, show them the photo and attempt to engage with them in order to get better shots!
We were also to take note of the backgrounds and any relevant detail, such as what they were selling and if they were preparing the food etc. he promised he would keep a watchful eye on us all and that we would be fine!!
Easier said than done!
As a nation the Brits are not particularly pushy and it felt awkward to deliberately (and obviously) take a photo of a stranger and hope that they wouldn't mind. The market was absolutely heaving with people, stalls, smells, motorbikes, live fish (which flapped out of their baskets onto the path) weird vegetables and chickens! But we tried and after a while when we realised that actually they quite liked having their photo taken and it was all a bit of a laugh ( oh how they laughed) things became a whole lot better, even if it was still rather bizarre!
We moved from the market to a pagoda, a place of religous contemplation, (which also housed glue sniffers) where we were able to photograph one of the monks and go inside to view the Buddha and paintings. From there we went onto the White Building, which was anything but white, (being marked down for regeneration) and housed many poorer people of the city whose enchanting children were only too happy to pose for us.
After lunch it was time for the visit to the Tuol Sleng genocide museum which, although interesting, was also quite painful. The reminders of the Khmer Rouge Regime and what actually happened to thousands of Cambodians was all very evident and real. Both Joanne and I felt uncomfortable photographing some areas of what used to be the prison but, as we left, one of only two survivors of that time was in the compound and he personally signed a copy of his book for Joanne.
A quick walk around the cremation shrine of the late King and we were on our way for a well earned beer and then back to our hotel.

Day 5 - Back to Phnom Penh

I have to say that if Tripadvisor asked me, I would not be recommending the 7 Makara Hotel in Kampong Cham. Yet again the dreading cock crowing and dog barking woke me at 5am (despite the earplugs) and then someone starting singing and moving furniture around. Luckily we were picked up by Mr Cheay's Tuk Tuk quite early and taken to the Mekong Crossing for breakfast and then our taxi driver from Phnom Penh collected us at 11am for the trip back. It takes about 2 hours travelling but there are lots of things to see on the way especially as the life out here is so different from England. There are very few concrete or brick houses out in the countryside ( although more are being built as skills improve) so all are made of wood and/or corrugated iron and the majority are traditionally on stilts.
It is also amazing, and more than a little bit scary, how they drive, as there doesn't appear to be any highway code whatsoever. Everyone drives in the middle of the road until something comes from the opposite direction and then they take evasive action!! Motorbikes, scooters and pushbikes are loaded to the breaking point with goods or people ( I have counted 6 on one motorbike) and all cars toot their horns everytime they overtake as a warning!
It was a relief to get back to the peace and tranquillity of the lovely Hilary Boutique Hotel and just in time for lunch!
We lounged around the pool for the afternoon until it was time to get ready to meet our Photographic guide, Erik de Vries, and our American guest, Greg. We all made our introductions and then went by Tuk Tuk into the city for dinner and a briefing about the plans for the week ahead.
Both Joanne and I like Erik's work and are keen to see how he can help us to take better photographs, but are a little apprehensive as to how we will cope with the very crowded street market assignment that is first on tomorrow's agenda ( Greg has previously been on a workshop with Erik so is a bit more in the know ). The trip sounds really well organised and our first day will be in Phnom Penh and then we start to travel up through various towns until we reach Siam Reap.
We returned to the hotel about 10.45 which is later than either of us have actually stayed up since we arrived so we went straight to bed ready for an 8am start in the morning.

Day 4 - Visiting Arafin

8am and we are waiting outside for Vong (our man from Plan International) to collect us for the drive to visit Joannes's sponsored child in Danbae village about and a half drive away.
When we arrived the whole family plus extras were waiting to greet us. Jo spotted Arafin immediately and I also recognised the huge smile from his photos - everyone welcomed us and we were ushered into their wooden hut to meet the family one by one. His father was still working and his eldest sister was at school but there still seemed to be an awful lot of people there ( I do remember the children's names but I can't spell them so just take my word for it!).
Jo gave them the gifts we had brought and a special book that she had made for
Arafin showing photos he had sent her of his progress over the years and her photos of family and life in England. They all wanted to know such a lot and were also happy to share their life with us although Arafin was very shy about whether he had a girlfriend or not ( it is quite usual for them to marry at about 16). Everyone's favourite gift was the inflatable world globes Jo had taken and all of a sudden most of the village seemed to turn up as word got out!
For a distraction Joanne produced a length of elastic and started a jumping game that gathered even more people and caused a lot of laughter.
They are delightful people who have very little but enjoy such a lot and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit (albeit for a very short time) and were pleased that the charity has done such a good job to improve the lives of children in Cambodia.
We drove back to Kampong Cham stopping for a comfort break( although the facilities kind of stretch the meaning of the word comfort ) and lunch ($3.50 for 2 meals!!) on the way. We also made a quick stop to see the bamboo bridge which is built every year after the rainy season to enable people to get across the Mekong river to an island. Joanne was accosted by a monk who asked if she would have her photo taken with him - quite bizarre but she thinks it was because she was white!
We discussed the day back at the river 'pub' over a few beers and then our friendly Tuk Tuk driver got us back to the hotel. Leaving tomorrow to go back to Phnom Penh.

Day 3 - Kampong Cham

Woke on time and lounged about by pool to wait for Joanne who had forgotten to set her alarm so was rudely awoken by me at just gone 9! Had Cambodian brekkie of fried rice and veg ( bit like finishing up the Chinese take away I should imagine) and fruit.
We stayed around hotel for a while before our taxi picked us up for the drive to Kampong Cham. This is the nearest town to stay before we go to Arafin's village, it took a couple of hours but was interesting to see the different lifestyles of Cambodian people. Nearly everybody has something to sell and they set up stalls or just baskets etc outside their homes. Most houses are on stilts (their animals also live underneath) plus hammocks can be slung from the struts for quite frequent siesta times.
We arrived at our hotel called 7 Makara to find that nobody understood or spoke a word of English ( and we only know how to say hello and thank you in Khmer ) so we played charades for a while until she agreed we could have our rooms! Not as luxurious as the Hilary Boutique but adequate for a couple of days.
On venturing out to find food and drink we mimed our way onto a Tuk Tuk (small 3 wheeled open air wagon) and were taken to the Mekong Crossing Restaurant & Pub by the river which seems to be a haven for travellers of European background. Our waiter ( called Red) was very patient and helpful and quite taken by a photo of my mother who he thought was very beautiful!
This time 3 beers, a meal, a coconut and cup of tea was still only $8 plus $1 for the guy who had waited about 3 hours to drive us back in his Tuk Tuk.
Looking forward to what tomorrow will bring.

Day 2 - The Journey

11.5 hours in the air! Thank you to Thai Airways for decent amounts of leg room and nice food. We had a 2.5 hour stopover in Bangkok where 32degrees of heat hit us - and then on our way to Phnom Penh (only 50minutes) where Joanne bought a Cambodian SIM card (incredibly cheap) and we were on our way by taxi to the hotel.
Phnom Penh at night appeared quite dark (the lighting came from literally hundreds of motorbikes and scooters) but full of life! It took less than half an hour and we were at Hilary's Boutique Hotel. The entrance led to a tiny but beautiful garden with a pool and day beds and our rooms are large and very well equipped.
We decided to grab a quick meal and go to bed as there had not really been much sleep on the plane. Angkor beer is very good so will prob be our drink of choice this trip and two drinks and a meal was only $8.
Tomorrow we have booked a taxi to take us to Kampong Cham where we will stay for a couple of nights as we are going to visit with Joanne's sponsored child, Arafin.

Day 1 - The journey begins

Well today is the day! in about 1.5 hours Jon will be taking  me and Joanne up to Heathrow for a 9.30pm flight to Bangkok then a transfer flight to Phnom Penh.

Bags are packed (almost) and weighed ( seriously hovering on the max!) so nothing really to say until we get there.

Watch this space!