Freejan

Busy busy day eventually! I went for a walk round the area near my hotel and got back in time for the city tour bus to pick me up. We set off from coach park in a little mini bus that was thankfully air conditioned. Joyce our guide proceeded to guide us around. We started in Little India but Joyce obviously not that keen as she dashed us round -with our little red stickers on -saying we’d stop longer in Chinatown. She did allow some of our party to buy some Indian sweets. We proceeded to Chinatown, the area she was born in and we reminissed about what used to be there before the large financial institutions took over. We were allowed 20 mins here so i went in the Buddha temple. Large beautiful and gold. Nice knockers on the doors. Those of you who know me well know i have a thing about knockers of the world. I plan to do a talk on them in my dotage. We swiftly moved on to gemstone factory where the saleslady confirmed i was rich if i could travel. Not daft that woman! I ended up buying a lapiz bird – small and unidentifyable- but 40% off. She was pleased with me. And i was pleased with her and the bird. We then went to see the Merlion down by the marina. About the height of 3 tall men or very tall women, with the head of a lion and waist down a fish all in white – not marble but something white, spouting water into the marina. I bought an iced lolly there, mango and lychee. Joyce said if I was going on the boat trip later I had better not buy any lollies as you can’t take them on with you – luckily it was before that! We next went to the 1 Altitude Bar and Gallery where we could go up 63 floors to see a 360 degree view of Singapore. Joyce was getting friendly with me now and took my photograph up there. I think she warmed to me when i said I would join another couple on the tour and go on a river cruise – $20 or £10. Nice while it lasted but we only got about 25 mins instead of 40 as she told us it was. She had told them to see us off at the Fullerton hotel so that we could catch a metro back to our respective hotels. I thought she said she get us put off at Raffles. Anyway, all was was not lost. I started to wander about and came across a bus stop. Two lovely Asian gentlemen said i needed the No 57 to Beach Rd to get to Raffles Hotel for my Singapore Sling. $1.60. No change given so was $2. I asked him to tell me where to get off, yes he said. Next thing he shouts he should have set me off the stop before. Oh, I say, then you’ll have to turn the bus round – much hilarity on the bus but didn’t turn round! So sorry he said. Fine i said. By the time i got to Raffles I was glowing – that’s what ladies do isn’t it?! I proceeded up to the Long Bar where they let any riff raff in only to find there was a queue. No worries I am on holiday got all night. Not too long after, after a photo shoot with a cardboard man outside – the inventor of the ‘Sling’ Ngiam Tong Boon, a barman who invented the cocktail so that ladies could drink alchohol. Bravo is what I say! It was very nice and reasonably priced at nearly four times what i paid for my pizza on the way home! Now 11pm and tomorrow my last day in this hot steamy place. Do you know the govt here makes you save for a home as soon as you start work? Yes, you pay 22% of your wage and the employer 14%. By the time you want to leave home you have a deposit for your own home! If you buy one of govt places it is very reasonable if bought new but if you buy a second hand home it will have gone up as property here is expensive. Very few people live in the centre as out of reach in price.
That’s it for tonight. Hope i can get up in the morning!

Well as you’d expect from me i overslept this morning – after going to sleep at 8.30 after writing my blog – which seems to be lost in the ether, I woke at 9.50 this morning. No wash or hair done I dashed down to breakfast which i thought finished at 10 (and was free – well, in with room). It finished at 10.30! Chicken burger and hash browns, toast, apple, sweet orange juice I had to leave and of course tea! I grabbed water and 2 cups of tea (Jude or anyone ever holidaying with me will know this ritual). My $20 was gone on taxi and meal last night so then dashed (if you can dash in this heat!) to ATM for cash. Came back to hotel and booked the afternoon city tour. Phew! Now back in room having just had shower and put air conditioning on to sort myself out. Forgot to pick up inhaler at chemist so hope i don’t run out! Housework calls so will check in later!

Twinings breakfast of course! 4 hours to kill so charging phone before i leave for Singapore. Was really cold on plane and realised i am now 8 hours ahead of myself. Wide awake most of what is night in Uk. Nice couple sat next to me who are going to live in China. She’s from Singapore originally and he Bristol. Watched the Steve Jobbs film – what an interesting if not very nice man! Also found old TV series called Mike and Molly with Melissa McCarthy. Hilarious. I love that woman. Got to serious problem in cafe it’s eggs with everything or omlettes! Oh woe is me!

Got up at the crack of dawn – 5.45AM! Left for the airport at 7am. Traffic not too bad so in airport early. Through security – got my bag searched – forgot to take my kindle out! Now in Frankie and Benny’s being served by a very sweet french girl but incompetant waitress. I wanted butter as well as marmite on my toast. Oh you want ze butter also? Yes please. Goes off and serves someone else……grumpy old woman at this time in the morning! I am relaxing into the idea of my trip. Case only weighed 15kg so can easily fit a nice Maori in to come home! Next update Singapore. Exciting!

Had time to go down town this morning to the silk shop and then the market. I went with 3 other women, Lesley, Virginia and Fran. Good company, as have all my fellow tour people. We came back in a tuc tuc – rickshaw driven by motorbike at the costly sum of $5 or £3.50 for 4 of us. I had a shower, met the others for a snack at 2 when we had to vacate our rooms and waited to leave for the airport at 4. We flew from Siem Reap at 6.30 and it took about 45 mins. We now have 5 hours to pass before flying to Gatwick at 12.15. We arrive, if on time, at 6.45am. Then for me it’s the National Express bus to Heathrow and my flight to Manchester. Goodness knows what planet I’ll be on by the time i land in Manchester! But, i loved it all.

Today has been like being on a film set for so many reasons – atmosphere, romance, excitement, surprise, wonder and awe! The temples were Buddhist and Hindu and at times changing from one to the other. TaProhm Temple was where the filmed parts of Tomb Raider with Angelina Jolie; tree roots had grown in and around the stone of the buildings and nature had taken over. Gobsmacking!
In Angkor Wat there was a moat all around it 1.3m X 1.5m and about 300 metres across. The place was huge with many cone shaped towers of different thicknesses and heights.There were beautiful carvings of patterns and people and along a very long wall was a carved frieze depicting scenes from battles and history. It must have gone along a wall for about 100 metres or more and being about 10 metres high. There were many steps to challenge me! We climbed up and up and still there were more steps until i decided i had to go down! It truly was a wonder of the world! I came out and walked to the west gate where we were all meeting. On the way i took a photo of the reflection of the temple in the waterlily pond – real poatcard stuff ! I have been having problems with my eyes in that they run and i squint and then can’t see. It seems to be related to the bright sunlight. They are hurting me now so i will come back later, tomorrow even and go to sleep now.
Back again! Now by the pool the next day( not sure if it’s thurs or fri!). From the temples we went for our last lunch as a group at a wonderful restaurant called Champey. The food presentation with orchids and pineapple tops was lovely and the food even better! We were then given an hour break back at the hotel before setting off for Angkor Thom – an old city with a bridge with carved figures on either side along tthe walls. On the right were the demons with menacing faces and the left the happy, more benevolent faces.
We then had another treat in store at our next temple – Bayon. Here we again climbed up spotting the many Buddha’s faces on the towers. Again here were wall carvings telling about the life of the Cambodians and their wildlife. It was dusk and cicadas were screeching and the sun going down. So very atmospheric. We reluctantly left to go back to the hotel after the guide took ‘trick’ photos of each of us with our noses touching a Buddha. I was hot and bothered but very happy. I had a shower and went down to thw pool bar for fish and chips which were delicious. Another very special day on my trip! Bye for now!

Had morning free so went to Friends Restaurant – a project supporting street children. Then to airport (again!) and 45 flight to Sieum Reap. Short city tour as going dark and then free time in the wonderful Angkor Miracle Hotel. I went in the salt water (mild) pool, did 10 lengths and then sat by pool with new friends having food. To bed as 6am wake up call! Sorry it’s short but wifi a bit iffy! X

The prison was an old school which the Khymer Rouge used to torture people until they confessed and then took them out to the killing fields. It was another sobering, thoughtful day. Hundreds of photos of all the detainees and photos of dead and being tortured photos. Horrific. We then went on to the killing fields, now known as the genocide centre. This was previously a peaceful chinese cemetary and now it is a peaceful place of rememberance. There are flowers and trees around the many mass graves (129) which coyld hold up to 430 corpses. Some had been excavated and the skulls saved as evidence. There were men, women and children and so far, 2 foreigners who have not been identified but dna tests are now being done. There is a monument housing over 8000 skulls in the middle of the ‘park’ which was built in 1988. We left in sombrw moid after seeing how the bones and clothing coming up from the ground after the rains. Man’s inhumanity to man, woman and child! The tribunals are still taking place with many many Khymer Rouge officers now in government postions. Amazing! Needless to say it was Happy Hour when i got back to the
hotel and vodka and tonic were 2 for 1 so i had 4!
i needed to let it go. I went up and had a shower and took myself out to the Foreign Correspondent Club and had a shrimp green curry and rice. Lovely! I walked home and peomptly fell asleep knowing i had no wake up call! Bliss. Bye for now folks!

7am wake up call and off to the royal palace by 8.30am! It was already hot and as requested had put a longer sleeve t-shirt on out of respect for the king. They seem to worship him as some kind of living god and when a king dies they put up a monument to him. Apparently the current king was a member of the Khymer Rouge and many governnent officials are too. The most popular party is the one with these people in. Weird or what? But our guide tells us corruption is rife and they have been in power so long they are not questioned when they do a dodgey deal etc. I digress! The palace was amazing set against a Dali blue sky. The royal yellow was in abundance with beautiful tiled roofs on all the buildings. The king was in as a blue flag was flying but he didn’t pop to see me! We saw the impressive throne room but were not allowed to go in. We could go in the silver pagoda but i was surprised to see it wasn’t silver. I took my shoes off and went in only to realise that the floor tiles are silver, weighing 1kg each apparently! You wouldn’t want to drop your iron on that! They had carpeted over much of it. The Bhudda was green and surrounded by gold ornaments. We had a happy room stop and then went into an exhibition bit where you could see the elephant place ( no elephants now for king to ride on. We saw a mock up of a simple living quarters and then went through a corridor of pictures all about the king since he came onto the throne at 18 years old. Then all aboard the pink bus – yes very pleased it’s pink again! – and off to the museum. Here we saw Gurada the half man half bird god in the entrance standing about 7 foot tall carved from one piece of stone ( don’t know why they say this because by my reckoning if they use several pieces it will fall apart!). Here were lots of old artefacts going back yonks, rescued before they were pilfered and sold abroad. The garden here was very pleasant with Buddha sitting calmly in the middle of 4 ponds. Exhausted in the heat we were taken for lunch at an air conditioned buffet place where you could pretty much anything you wanted of the food here. And here we will have a break and i will finish the day tomorrow. It is 10.45 and i am outside in the garden of the hotel drinking vodka and tonic. Do you know why? NO wake up call, cases out by 12 and we leave the hotel at 1.15!!!

We had a relatively easy day with a 45 minute flight which flew by as we completed all the forms ready for entry into Cambodia or Kampuchea as the locals still like to think of it. We had the photo, $30 and the forms. We handed the forms to immigration for a visa along with our passports. We had given one form to a man which related to ebola. I didn’t mention my cold as knew it was air conditioning and heat etc. Then we moved to another queue where we waited for our names to be called and then paid our $30. Bobs your uncle off we go! We went on a city tour and then were deposited at the hotel. I had a dreadful time as my room wasn’t quite ready. SO i had to test the 4 beers they produce in the hotel micro brewery! Blooming nuisanxe but someone has to do it! Bit like i remember in Vancouver where they give you a small glass of each to sample. I have to report all were delightful! I got up to my palatial room with a kitchen area, dressing room, bathroom and bedroom/sitting room which is enormous. I was tempted just to collapse on the bed but got myself together and went on a river cruise with meal for $20 – about £14 for 4 courses. Only ruined by some french people doing the karioke in English in the middle of the 45 minute cruise! I returned to my room ans collapsed in a heap! Hence my late posting! We had a wake up call at 7 so no rest for the wicked. The hotel Himawari is by the Tonle Sap river and there is wonderful breeze which can be a problem for the hotel staff who try to keep tablecloths on! Going for shower now after our 32° day!