Cambodia!

Hello!

my first blog post! After three nights in bangkok Khao san road (foreign backpacker ghetto) which to me now is like a mini tokyo with the flashing neon, selling phoney ids from media passes to fake degrees on the street, everything black marcket street stalls for twenty cents to gems \scams this is classic bangkok There is actually signs saying "we sell to underages" For those who have been to Tokyo it looks like a real miniture version of harajuku/east shinjuku but dont think the black market exists in tokyo the way it exists in bangkok tho w ell not for foreigners anyway ! , Had massages galore ($3- 5 ) for one hour drinking singa beer for 80c (US) with fellow backpackers who gave me tips about cambodia riding on creaky franrtic public river boats that have little life rafts to visit wats, museums and the royal palce . I flew to Phenom penn from bangkok , A bit of drama getting to the airport though i missed the airpost bus that was meant to pick me up at 5am i slept in I packed up my stuff in record time .. i ended up getting a taxi to the airport oit normally takes an hour to the airport my driver got there in 30 minuites flat in a harrowing drive ! had a dispute over the price as he diidnt use the metere and kept on yelling at me sayting "400 baht "to airport . I was like "meter only"he ended up stopping the car in the middle of the freeway and i almost got out on the freeway as we couldnt come to an agreemnet(crazy!!) . We then came to an agreenent to reduce the fare by 50baht. Once saftely arrived in phenom penn settled into the guesthouse .. got approached by a moto driver that he could take me on a day tour to killing fields and to tuleng sleng prision (where they captured high ranked officials and others before transferring them to the killing feilds for extermination) I hvae found a new passion! riding on the back of a motorcycle- i love it liberating driving round the countrysidea nd in the city (no buses) - (soon im hiring a scooter on an island in thailand - close enough) went to the killing fields yep youve got to see the skellingtons to see it to believe it many of the pits where people were bludgeoned to death are still there- it certainly chills lls you to the core.Phenom penn is intense for the idependent travelller especially if your a woman. Cambodia is an extreamly extreamly poor country especially in countryside and in parts of phenom penn. walking tound is harrowing i get haranged by EVERY SINGLE moto driver that has no customers asnd children gravb onto me not just one but twenty at least, gbegging for money or food. when i approasch a moto driver who normally speaks next to nothing english thwen everyobne within that area comes up and listens into the concversation once i had an audience of entire market, some travellers say some of the behaviour and what the travellers will experience is like India. The look of shock on their faces seeinga western woman is classic im used to it after japan and malaysia, lao, thailand etc but this is is more genuine open mouthed shock like what on earth...? Got some contact details for a orphanage in phenom penn contacted and hopefully doing a day at a orprphanage on my way out of cambodia Got a little tired of being harraged especially evertime I would be eating some food these children will try to be sell me something like blackmarket books normally stuff on cambodia or travellers tales books and they dont leave they sit beside you hoping you will eventually budg eand start to dream away so you end up buying themn a meal . Its pretty sad the poverty here and they are pretty despararte and dont give up easily . So then ended up getting a bus ticket to sihanoukville as had enough opf city life and had two other kids in the seat next to me one cambodian child ended up falling asleep on my lap . Sihanoukville has some me great beaches and wildlife where you can view monkeys and dolphins possibly snakes and tigers too! . We ended up laxing x out on the beach all day today having mango and lemon shakes , and tomorrow may visit waterfalls and national park. Full moon party on the beach 2nite plan to dance the night away on the beach!! have fun!