Can Tho

I'd already decided to take one of the early morning cruises to see the floating market at Can Tho, and headed to the tourist information in town to see what was available.

As soon as I walked up to the desk, I had a piece of paper pushed into my hand and was asked if they could explain what was written on the paper. So I read it. At the top of the page it said: Never Argue With A Woman.

When I'd finished reading it (with a smile on my face), I looked up to find six expectant faces all looking at me intently.

So I set off trying to explain. At the end of my explanation, there was some talk in Vietnamese and then everyone fell about laughing. By this point there were about 10 people in the tourist information office, and the laughter is so loud, some people come in from the airline office next door.

After a few minutes, the laughter dies down, and there's a bit more Vietnamese. It goes really quiet, and then one of the girls says that they still don't understand.

So I explain in slightly more graphic detail - hoping no ones offended given that people in SE Asia are well known for generally being more conservative than Europeans.

I can see one of the guy's is starting to get the picture, so while everyone else is talking and trying to work it out, I explain again to him and one of the other girls. I see that there starting to understand the story, and explain to them the play on words, and how it's funny because of the "...having all the right equipment".

He explains to everyone in Vietnamese and everyone starts laughing again - this time because they get it.

It was one of the priceless moments - right place - right time.

In return, they gave me all the "inside info" on what to see, and how to get the best prices.

The next day, it was up at 4:30 am to meet the boat to go to the floating market. A quick cruise down the river as the sun was rising, and we got there just as the sun was coming up.

To be honest - it's a lot like Skipton market - except it's in boats. There are all these big boats moored up, with poles to which are tied the things they are selling. Then there are smaller boats driving around buying stuff, or selling things like coffee or food.

Here are some pics of the floating market:

Early in the morning, just as day is dawning...



Boats:



Sunrise:



The floating market:





Here's a couple of videos:





From there, it was down one of the small canals - which was one of the things I'd been told to make sure I saw by the guys at the Tourist Information.

Just like Skipton:



Unlike Skipton:



The boat then stopped at a fruit farm, where they grow all kinds of weird and wonderful fruit. Some that were familiar like: pineapple, coconut, and Mangoes. But there was a whole load of stuff I'd never seen before.

After having tried a bit of everything they grow there, the man who showed me around insisted that I try his home made rice wine. Which I did.

It was clearly very very strong, but tasted OK. Now, I've always been interested in the process of making alcoholic drinks - ever since I had alcoholic jam which had fermented on it's own. And so I started asking him about it.

He gets all excited and starts walking me through the process. The next thing I know, he's gone of to get this big jar which looks like this:



He proudly tells me that along with the cherries, there are ten snakes in the jar. I point at the thing floating on the top and ask him what it is:



"Cuckoo" he says, "ve' good for ri' wine. Cure all illness." He then fishes it out so I can take a picture.



After which he insists that I have another glass. Now this stuff is like the proverbial rocket fuel, and it's not unlike Tequila shots. Ten minutes after you've had two (large) straight shots of the stuff - BOOM - it hits you on the back of the head.

He wants me to have more, but I decline, and so he wanders off and returns with a sample of his home made fruit wine. Thankfully it's a smaller glass of the stuff - because it's even stronger. And despite repeated attempts to the contrary I decline to try any more.

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I got back to the hotel at 10:30 am, and decided on the spur of the moment to head for Ho Chi Minh City (or Saigon as it's more commonly known).

They told me it would take 5 hours in a minibus (I.e. the quick comfortable way) - Even though it's only around 100 miles between the two cities. And so, at 11:30am we set off. More than an hour later, we were still in Can Tho, waiting in the queue to get on the vehicle ferry to cross the river.

Perhaps the most annoying thing about the journey was the DVD they played (repeatedly) - which included songs from Miss Saigon. After The Sound Of Music, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Mary Poppins, West Side Story, Fiddler On The Roof, Annie, Oklahoma, South Pacific, The King and I, and Grease - this is my least favorite musical - so you can imagine how annoying it was...

At 16:30 we pulled into Mien Tay bus station. From there, it took almost an hour and a half to cover the 10km into the city center.

As it was a Saturday night, and Cambodia had been really quiet, I'd been thinking of going to one of the Backpacker bars in town and seeing if there was anyone who wanted to do a Saturday night out in Saigon. But with the early start, and the Miss Saigon torture technique, all I could manage was some food and an early night.

Never argue with a woman...

One afternoon, a fisherman comes home having caught nothing, and decides to have a siesta. And his wife - who knows nothing about fishing - decides to take the boat and sit under some trees and read.

After she gets to the spot she has in mind, she opens her book and starts to read.

About 30 minutes later, the local river ranger comes past on his boat and seeing the woman reading pulls up beside her.

"I'm sorry - but you can't fish here - it's restricted", the ranger says.

"I'm not fishing," responds the woman, "I'm reading," she says, holding up the book.

"I'm sorry madam - but you can't fish here - it's restricted," he replies.

"I'm not fishing - I'm reading," she replies, waving the book around.

"But you've got all the equipment - you could just start fishing as soon as I drive off," he says getting more annoyed.

"But I'm only reading and have no intention of fishing."

"Yes," he says, "but you've got all the equipment. If you don't move on I'm going to have to issue a ticket for illegal fishing."

"And I'm going to have to issue a ticket for sexual assault," replies the woman.

"But I've not even touched you," says the man.

"Yes," says the woman. "But you've got all the equipment."

The Road To Can Tho...

I must admit - I think I'd got stuck in Cambodia, and if it wasn't for the Vietnam visa starting on the 27th March, I think I'd still be there.

I'd have to say that Cambodia is the best place I've visited so far - which says a lot, because I've been really lucky to go to some amazing places.

The south coast in particular was really great, as it's so laid back and easy going. It was also really quiet, and the local people were so friendly I could easily have stayed. It's slightly scary when you walk down the street thinking: "I could live here" and then meet people who thought the same thing and never left. It's even more scary when your told about businesses that are for sale and start wondering whether you could make them work.

I think this picture sums up some of the things I felt about Kampot:



Yes - Heinz Tomato Sauce - a proven super food. There was enough of the comfort things in life to make Kampot appealing - like a great group of friendly expats, and some of the best restaurants I've ever been to, with good local and western food. There was even an unbelievably good Indian restaurant.

And so - reluctantly - I packed my bags and got a share taxi to the Vietnam border.

I always like crossing international borders - there's something really exciting about it. You go to the first set of offices and get stamped out - and then on through no person's land to the next office where you get stamped in.

While I'm walking across between countries, I always wonder what would happen if the next country refused to stamp you in - and then the country you just left said that you didn't have a visa?

After (thankfully) getting stamped into Vietnam, I got a moto to Chau Doc. The guy was a complete nutter, but I've gotten use to zipping around on the back of a moto. As with every other border - a few miles down the road everything changed. There is of course a different language (written in different script) and different money. Even the people dress and look different.

After a quick lunch in Chau Doc, and a hasty look around, I headed to the bus station to catch a bus to Can Tho.

The drive goes through the Mekong Delta, passed small villages, and across the various canals and rivers that make up the area. Three hours later and I was in Can Tho...

Tune in to next week's episode and discover why you should never argue with a woman!

Kampot

I came to Kampot specifically to go to the Bokor Hill Station - an abandoned town on the hill's above Kampot. But sadly it wasn't possible to go as it was closed. I even tried to bribe my way there, but no one would take me. Apparently their blasting the road, so it makes sense not to I guess.

Not much else to report. I'm still not feeling well, but thankfully the pepper burning has worn off. So I've spent my time reading, surfing the net, and eating in the many great restaurants in Kampot.

Just waiting for the Vietnam visa to start and I'll be off on the road again.

Kampot is a great place to hang out. Loads of friendly local people around, and zero hassle. Just what was needed I think.

Just one story from my time in Kampot: I'm walking back to my Guest House, when I hear music and talking over a sound system, and thought at first it was a wedding. But there's this big crowd so I decide to explore.

It turns out that people are playing...darts...yes really. The quintessential northern pub game being played in Cambodia. OK - it did have a slight variation on the standard approach. Instead of a board there are loads of balloons in holes, and you have to pop the balloons. The more balloons you pop the better the prize!

Here's two photo's from Kampot:

Er...no! (Check under the sign :-)



And looking across the river to Bokor:

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If your ever in Kampot - check out:

The Epic Arts Cafe: The best coffee in Cambodia - it was recently awarded the Dave Overton Coffee Standard award when visited by our recent reviewer. The French Toast breakfast with Fruit Salad was also pretty good as well. All of the money they make supports disabled and deaf children, some of whom help run the cafe.

Bar Red: The best curry this side of Bradford. Seriously tasty...

Bonkors Bar: A slice of home in Kampot.

Led Zep in Kep

As much as I was enjoying Sihanoukville, I decided to head further down the coast, to a place called Kep. Again - I wasn't planning on doing much - but thought a change of scenery would be good.

Between 1908 and the 1960's Kep was the place where the French and Khmer elite would come for their holidays. There was even a zoo here. The town was destroyed by the Khmer Rouge during the civil war, as it represented to them everything they hated about the bourgeoisie. Even today, there are empty villa's that were destroyed during the war.

Even though it's the administrative center of it's own province, it's not a particularly big place - it makes Haworth look like a city! And as a result it's very very quiet - but it makes a nice place to visit for a few days, and is famous for it's sunsets and seafood.

The trip here was fun, as I'd decided to avoid the "tourist" transport and go with the locals. So I headed up to the market and started the process of bartering for a seat in a share taxi.

When we finally set off, there were three in the front, four in the back, and two people in the boot, along with all of the stuff people wanted to take. A little old lady talks to me for ages and we keep laughing and she keeps talking, and then I say something and we start laughing. She can't speak English, and I can't speak Khmer, but she seemed to enjoy the conversation all the same.

At the half way point I had to change taxis, and this time there were five of us in the back, and four people in the front - yes four in the front: the driver shared his seat with another guy, and there were two people sitting on the passenger seat. I thought I'd seen it all - but apparently not.

That afternoon, I went with Jackie - one of the guides - to see some of the famous limestone caves of Kampong Trach. From the outside, it looks like a cone of rock, but when you walk through the caves, you come out into a weird open area - which is when you realize that the inside is hollow.

Kampong Trach from a distance:



There's then a series of caves with rock formation, and temples built into them. While each formation has a name, you have to have a crazy imagination to tie up what there pointing at to what there telling you. Fun though.

And then it was the long climb (and I mean climb) to the top to see the view. The climb consisted of scrambling / easy rock climbing up 300 meters of mud, including several 30 foot sections of sheer limestone - total fun.

The view from the top:



The climb down:



That night I headed to the crab market (what's up Crab Man!) for the two things Kep is famous for: sunsets and crabs. While the sun set, I had fried crab with Kampot pepper - incredible - one of the best meals I've ever had.

The only down side is that there were loads of fresh peppercorns in the sauce and I ate them all. About an hour later I felt really hot, like I was sweating pure pepper. Which didn't help things, because I've not been feeling that well for a few days, and this didn't help!

The crab shacks at Kep:



The sunset:



Two monks I met one evening - we got chatting watching the sun set:



The next day it was off to Rabbit Island, so named because it is said to resemble a rabbit - although I can't see it myself - unless it's one that's been run over:



The main beach on "The Island":



I spent the morning snorkeling, walking along the beach, followed by lunch. And then it was off for a walk to the top of the island. This was a Khmer Rouge stronghold at one point, and there's a concrete gun embankment right at the top. The path was really steep, and I may have (just for a moment or two mind) pretended that I was on "The Island" in Lost :-)

Here's a picture of "The Owl" well known Dharma Initiative look-out post :-)



Huge bug thingy on the way down from The Owl:



A bit more reading, and then it was back on the boat to Kep.



That night I had monster shrimps with more Kampot Pepper. Big mistake. With the sun burn from the snorkeling, and a double dose of pepper, I felt like I was on fire, and felt really ill.

I had an early night, but lay awake most of the night feeling like my skin was burning. So the next day I did nothing, except reading.

I did manage to walk to the other side of Kep to go to the Led Zep cafe (it'd be rude not to :-). They had pics on the wall of all of the guitar greats, including several of Led Zeppelin in action. The Pizza and fresh lime juice helped a lot as well (shame it wasn't lemon juice though :-):



Simple but effective menu:



One final sunset:



Okay - one more - but this time looking towards Bokor:

Lazy Days - Sihanoukville

I had a decision to make. Head north, and go into the rural part of Cambodian, or head south to the coast.

After a bit of guide book reading, I decided to head south to the coast, and have a bit of a change.

I got up early and turned up for the bus 30 minutes before it was due to leave, but they said it had already gone - yeah right...so I had to wait two and half hours for the next one. Thankfully the journey was fairly uneventful.

I'd decided to head for Sihanoukville - Cambodia's main coastal "resort".

Unlike the beaches of Thailand, the area is fairly undeveloped, and sees relatively few visitors, even though the beaches are pretty good. I managed to find a place to stay, and then went for a wander along the main beach. It's a small strip of sand, with palm trees growing up to the edge of the beach, and at one end a string of shacks sell grilled sea food.

For just $3USD, you can have BBQ Barracuda, grilled monster sized shrimp, chips, and salad. And during happy hour (basically all day :-) beer is 35 pence a pint - yes 35 pence!

Being that it was Saint Patrick's day, I had a look to see if there were any parties going on - but it was really quiet (the locals say that there are usually more people here at this time of year - I'm wondering if the credit crunch is impacting how many people visit). There was basically nothing going on - so I decided to celebrate anyway:



The next day, I decided to go and get a visa for Vietnam, as the consulate here has a reputation for turning them around quickly. It took all of 8 minutes and $40USD, and I had a shiny new stick-in Vietnam Visa in my passport.

The problem is - unlike most visas - this has a strict start and end date, and I'd assumed that it would start at any point in the next few months. I'd picked a rough date, but had various options in mind - including heading back up north. Unfortunately it means my options are a bit limited, and as there's not enough time to go the north of the country and back, I'll have to hang around for a week or so to be in Vietnam on the day my visa starts.

Which is not a problem, as I'd been thinking of taking some lazy days and doing not much.

Which is what I've been doing (or not doing - depending on how you look at it).

Plenty of reading, walks on the beach, and BBQ. I've also been listening to a bit of music (mostly Rush - the last two albums really rock), while watching the sun set...

Here's a few pics:

Not something you see everyday:



The Beach:



BBQ and Beer shacks:



Because there's not that much here, it gets really dark at night - and every single night there have been electric storms. Mostly off in the distance, so after dark it was still possible to sit and watch the sky lighting up. It also rained a couple of times - and I mean SE Asia style rain. In the space of two minutes, it's gone from dry to ankle deep water, and I got completely soaked the first night heading back to the place I was staying.

It's a great place to hang out - reasonably unspoiled - although there seem to be some hazy plans to develop the area into the next Ko Samui. Which would be a shame, because it's a really really nice place with just enough stuff going on to make it fun.

On a slightly bizarre note: there aren't any seagulls here - which is kind of weird...

Phnom Penh

A fairly wild ride here - the guy driving the bus was a manic. We ran one thing over on the way - not sure what - but it made a thud. I'm surprised no people were killed. Think - driving on the wrong side of the road, around a bind bend, horn blaring, while the rest of the traffic has to pull off the road.

But thankfully we arrived.

I wasn't sure of what to make of Phnom Penh when I first arrived. There was literally 10 or 20 people all shouting at you. Some for motos, some for Tuk Tuks, and others for hotel rooms. I grabbed my bag, said goodbye to the Swiss people I'd met on the bus, and walked away from the bus station as fast as I could.

After a bit of walking, I managed to find a place to stay, and then went out for food. I was really tired so I decided that an early night was in order.

After a quick breakfast, it was off on the sign seeing trail. Here's a run down of the what I did.

My first stop was Wat Phnom - a temple built on top of the only hill in the city. It's like a park, where people come to hang out, and maybe make offerings, or get a prediction for the future. You see people holding these wooden blocks above there head, stick in a small piece of wood at random, and then the priest reads the page you've picked.

I saw one girl who was in tears while she was praying, but after the prediction seemed a lot happier. Which was good. I felt sorry for her, because she did seem really upset about something.

The hill - with rather nice clock set in the hill side:



Inside the temple:



From there, it was off to see the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda. It's very similar to the Royal Palace and Temple of The Emerald Buddha in Bangkok - but much smaller. In many ways I actually preferred it, because it feels more intimate some how - and there weren't as many tourists. A real pleasant place for a wander around.

The Throne Room:



The rather pleasant gardens:



Wall paintings:



The Silver Pagoda is so called because the floor is made of solid silver tiles. I did try and wip a few into my rucksack while no one was looking, but they were stuck down. They also didn't allow photos - but it was really incredible inside.

I did notice this rather interesting bamboo scaffolding, tied together with black plastic bags. It held the weight of quite a few people. Nice to see that the health and safety fascists (sorry - I'm reading Jeremy Clarkson at the moment so can't help it :-) haven't got here yet - although it's only a matter of time:



Here's a video of some guy's playing traditional music - these guy's are going to be the next big thing - right up there with bag pipes and Country and Western :-)



From there, it was a quick look in at the National Museum, which was nice. Again - no photo's allowed, but it was full to the brim with carvings from all of the temples I've been to, arranged in chronological order - which was good - if you like that kind of thing.



One great thing about Cambodia is there are a number of initiatives here to train street kids, with the aim of getting them jobs related to the tourism trade. Which sounds like a great idea. I went for lunch at a place called Friends, and would have to say, the service and food were top notch. As good as any of the best restaurants I've been to.

The afternoon took a different turn, as I went out to see The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek. Thousands of people were killed here in the most brutal of ways - and often after having being tortured. It's such a strange place - because it actually looks like a really nice park with a lake.

And yet - there are these shallow graves that have been excavated. And in places, pieces of clothing and bone can still be seen in the ground.

This is the memorial to the dead - which contains shelf after shelf of skulls and bones:



Here are some pictures of the Killing Fields:







As I walked around, I couldn't help but think of Phi-Lay, and some of the experiences he had shared with me.

It's a sad place - but perhaps the saddest place of all is the Tuol Sleng Museum. This former school was the prison and torture center, where people were held before being taken to the killing fields.

The Khmer Rouge were well known for keeping extensive documentation on the people they killed - including pictures. Building B contains photo's of the victims. Each face a person with a story, a family, a history. A very few of the faces smile - clearly oblivious to what was to come next. But on many, you can see the terror.

The worst part was the board devoted to the children. Some looked to be only two or three.

It feels pointless asking why.

I'm not sure there's an answer anyway. But the full story is laid out for everyone to see. And so far, sadly, there has been no justice. The leaders are still awaiting trial. Perhaps so many powerful foreign governments (US, UK, China, The UN, etc.) are implicated that there's no will to move forward. Who can say.

There was one other place related to Cambodia's history that I wanted to see, and that night I headed to the Foreign Correspondents' Club. This is an upmarket bar and restaurant, where many of the press who covered Cambodia's past used to meet. It's a great place for a glass of wine, with plenty of comfy chairs - specially designed for that good book.

Phnom Penh is not the biggest place in the world, and it's easy to see everything in two days. So today I set off to see "everything else".

• The French Embassy - look's like a prison.
• The American Embassy - look's like a mental hospital.
• Hotel Le Royal - Five star hotel in superb French Colonial building. Famous for being the home of the press during the civil war.
• Boeng Kak Lake - Think: the lake in Springfield - home of the Simpsons :-)
• The Backpacker Ghetto by the lake - Bad haircuts, tattoos, and cheap beer.
• The Independence Monument - Angkor Wat throw back in the center of a roundabout.
• The Russian Market (PsarTuol Tom Pong) - Leed's indoor market on Speed and Red Bull.

Having been here for a few day's I've changed my mind about Phnom Penh. Yes - it suffers from "Big City Syndrome" and there's not much to see.

There's also loads of hassle.

Imagine walking down the street, and there's four men all standing together. The first one asks if you want a Tuk Tuk. So you say no thanks with a smile. He asks if you want a moto. So you say not thanks with a smile. And then the second man asks exactly the same, followed by the third, and then the fourth.

This is not made up - seriously. By the end of it, I was ready to ask them to take me to the driving range so I could shoot them.

But it's like that here - walk for five minutes and you'll be asked twenty times if you want a Tuk Tuk sir? No thanks. Need moto sir? No thanks. I take you to Killing Fields. No thanks. You want go somewhere. No thanks. Cheap cheap sir. No thanks. Where you going sir? No thanks. I take you somewhere sir? No thanks. You want smoke? No thanks. You want weed? No thanks? Marijuana? No thanks. Maybe later? No thanks. Where you going? Want massage? Want Tuk Tuk...

But there's something nice about Phnom Penh. Despite the hassle, the fumes, the dirt in the streets, it's got a life and energy to it that's so often missing from "developed" cities. And while there's not much to see - there's always something to see.

And after you've got past the need Tuk Tuk, moto, massage, weed - you can always have a laugh and joke with people. Just like the hassle - the smiles aren't in short supply either.

Prasat Preah Vihear - Day 2

I had to be up early to get the car to Koh Ker, which meant another 5:30am start. But as the village was already getting up it wasn't a problem. You could hear the cockerels crowing, kids crying, and people moving about through the single sheet of wood that made the walls of my room (think a wood hut surrounded by other wood huts in the middle of know where).

After sloshing cold water on myself from the plastic drums I packed my stuff, and set off up the hill for one last look at the temple, but just missed sunrise by about 10 minutes - although as I'm walking up the stairs the sun is a huge purple disc hanging low in the sky.



As you'd expect for a place that is part of a diplomatic stand off, there's a large military presence here, and when I met up with Sim to get the Moto down the mountain, he was chatting with some of the military guys. I asked if they'd mind if I had a photo taken with them and they said no. So here's me with some of Cambodia's Commando forces:



And then it was the terrifying ride down. Sim drove really fast, and the road is really steep and windy. At one point I thought I was going to slip off the seat and had to ask him to slow down. But thankfully it didn't last too long.

And then it was off in a Toyota Camry for the drive to Koh Ker. I got dropped off in a village called Srayong, but there was no traffic to get to Koh Ker, so I ended up chatting to a lad called Chien, who said he'd take me on his moto, and drive me around the ruins for $10USD.

I'll be honest - I was a bit disappointed by Koh Ker, and the lack of sleep and small bag of dried fruit for breakfast weren't helping.

I'll skip over most of the details - with the exception of a few thing's.

The one thing I'd wanted to see, was the huge pyramid that sits right in the middle of the temple grounds. The kind of thing you'd associate with The Mayans - and this one almost looks and feels out of place. Unfortunately you can't climb it as the moment as the wooden stairs are in a terrible state of repair, and there's no other way up (I did try :-). But it's quite an impressive sight.



The other thing about Koh Ker - and Cambodia in general - is the blight of land mines. As you drive through the country you keep seeing signs marking the land mine fields, and other signs that show where land minds have been cleared. At Preah Vihear, there's a huge uncleared mine field and they tell you to stick to the paths - although the main bit is now clear - thankfully.

Here's one of the many signs at Koh Ker. There's something really disturbing about standing on the edge of a mine field - after all - it just looks like any other piece of ground - except this ones waiting to kill or maim you.

You do think about the horror that waits for a small child who doesn't think to stop, and it brings home what the many amputees you see in Cambodia have suffered. The sign speaks for itself:



Here's one showing that a field has been cleared:



And finally, a random picture of a guy rowing a canoe on the moat at Koh Ker. Despite all the problems of the past in Cambodia - life goes on - people are trying to build a future for themselves.



As we'd driven into Koh Ker, it became obvious that there was no traffic on the road. Chien offered to take me to Beng Mealea (the next temple down the road (and where I was heading)). It was 60km down the road - and another 60km to Siem Reap. The only guest house was near Koh Ker, so it would have meant a 60km round trip, or go straight to Siem Reap in the same amount of time.

Chien said he'd drive me to Siem Reap, and after much bargaining, and a lot of laughing, we settled on 35 dollars. I think I paid over the odds a bit, but there was very little options, and it would mean I could finish the trip and get off to Phnom Phen. And in all fairness, Chien probably needed the extra dollars more than I would miss them.

So we set of for the 1.5 hour trip to Beng Mealea - which I'd have to say was incredible fun. It's as the temple was found - over taken by the jungle, with treas and jumbled rocks everywhere. You can either climb through the ruins, or walk on a boardwalk.

It was like being in Indian Jones...great fun. Here's some pics:







And then it was the butt numbing 1.5 hour trip back to Siem Reap.

Chien and my bag - waiting for me so we can set off:



I really enjoyed this trip. It was so good to get off the tourist trail and see the "real" Cambodia. It was a real experience. The people I met were so friendly and helpful - it's amazing how much people can communicate - even when there's no common language. And without the help of people like Sim and Chien, I'd have been stuck a few times.

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As an update on my trip - it appears that further fighting has broken out at Prasat Preah Vihear (actually the border near by) resulting in a number of deaths. You can read about it here. All I can say is - it was nothing to do with me guv - honest...

While I was there - the military guys I spoke to said that talks were going to take place with a view to resolving the situation - so lets hope that these bring peace to the area - as the temple is a magical place to visit. If you've not been - add it to your list - you won't be disappointed.