A juddering halt in Paradise!

From Saigon to Hanoi the route is entirely Highway 1 and extends for between 1,800 - 1,900 kilometers depending on which road sign you select; it's still a long way. Cycling out of Saigon was very straightforward, in fact it could not have been easier. Far simpler than Bangkok or Istanbul. As always the locals ride by on scooters and look with mild astonishment or, as is more usual make some crack or gesture and say hello. So no surprise when a scooter pulls up alongside and the feller starts a conversation in English. He insisted on buying me a pepsi and during this interlude he tells me his name is Parat; he is 82 and looks 60 and used to work for an American Company as an interpreter. He took me to meet his family; we had iced coffee and then a quick trip through his village before saying goodbye as we rejoined Highway 1. As I have often  mentioned before, these people are very friendly and want to converse with visitors.

It took 2 days to reach Pham Thiet, a very attractive small city. I found a decent place to stay for the night before venturing out for something to eat. Parat had told me to visit Mui Ne which is a resort beach about 20 kilometers from Phan Thiet. The following morning, following a quick visit to the hospital, I followed the signs for Mui Ne. Having crested a hill, I freewheeled down and in front was an expanse of ocean: the South China Sea (Pacific). I immediately parked Cynth against a coconut tree facing the ocean and slapped the saddle in delight. I felt a wave of elation, which just took over. I suppose its the realisation that I had cycled from the Atlantic to the Pacific. When I started this journey, I didn't dare look as far as Vietnam; it seemed an endless destination, but here I was watching the surf crash onto the golden sand. It didn't take much for me to hit the surf and go for a swim. The water was like a hot bath and I just felt so good. It was one of those moments that would have been great to share with someone, I felt a real sense of achievement and just let the waves wash over me. There are loads of resorts and hotels extending along the bay; this is a quality resort location certainly international standard. The beach is sandy and just about everyone is kite surfing. It looks sensational; far more fun than wind surfing. I am staying at the Green Coconut Resort, not expensive and have a bamboo chalet with veranda and ocean view. Palm trees everywhere; swimming pool, restaurant, bar and private beach. Believe me its paradise; the weather is perfect, mid 80's with a warm easterly wind, no humidity. Definately worth a google! I was speaking to an Aussie guy who owns one of the kite schools and he told me that this place was gradually getting recognised and that tourism was improving but that there was definate mileage in tapping the European market. Currently the majority of tourists are Russian! Now these guys rarely speak to you; some do of course. The French then form the second largest tourist community, and like the Russians, they prefer to keep there own council. So if you are anything other than Russian or French (who don't seem to speak to each other either) then you hope to bump into Brits or Aussies if you want a few laughs. And thankfully, there are a few of them around.

I had been struggling somewhat with energy levels since arriving in Vietnam, much of which I put down to the humidity. Arriving in Mui Ne I was literally running on empty; had nothing left in the tank at all and felt exhausted. A mate of mine suggested I had travel fatigue, well whatever, and despite a couple days rest in Saigon, I decided I needed at least a week beach bumming. My enforced stay was also influenced by the fact that on my way to get some dinner in Phan Thiet, I was bitten by a dog. This necessitated the visit to the aforementioned hospital, and despite my rabies booster, the delightful Dr was very keen to fill me full of needles. So I have a course of 5 injections; 3 of which I could get while in Mui Ne and the other two on the way north. For my second jab, I was invited into the surgery; along the wall were nine chairs occupied by Vietnamese women and children; I started chatting to them and it was great, a ready audience to see the needle go in. Fortunately, she stuck it in my arm not my backside. Well the combination of surf, sun and cold beer seems to be working and the batteries seem to be recharging well. Midway through the week I received a text from Liz, my sister.

As a consequence of the brutal rainfall that has fallen on the south west in the Exeter area, it appeared that my house had not escaped and was flooded. At this point you need mates and a sister like mine to help out. Liz is a gem as I have mentioned on previous blogs (everyone should have a Liz!). She is forensic in just about everything she does and leaves no stone unturned. Once I had telephoned my insurers to grant her effective power of attorney with the claim, she has done a superb job coordinating what has been going on for my benefit. I should also like to thank both John for his advice and Quent particularly, who literally dropped everything to visit and prepare a claim report on the same day. You cannot buy these kind of mates; I'm very lucky, I have three who would go the extra mile without thought or complaint. To say I am grateful would be an understatement. So while the claim is being collated and the damage assessed, I have decided to stay here for another week; this will ensure that I am readily contactable, since on the road its not always easy to find an internet cafe; this will also allow me to get the 4th jab in as well. It had been my intention to spend 2 weeks in Ha Long Bay but this situation will now reverse that, although I will still visit Ha Long Bay it will only be for a day or two; besides which, the weather is better here. Must admit I didn't take much persuading.

So it has been an eventful few days; not quite what I had envisaged; but have set myself the 9th to set off when hopefully everything will have been resolved satisfactorally.

Saigon 8,742 kilometres

The ferry departed Phnom Penh at 8am, some 20 backpackers and I headed south for a 4 hour trip down the Mekong to Chau Doc in Vietnam. The journey itself was fairly uneventful, the banks of this mighty river giving way to small waterside communities and agriculture. Occasional larger water craft would pass, ploughing their way towards Phnom Penh. Three quarters of the journey completed, we pulled into a muddy river bank, climbed some steps at the top of which was a building that turned out to be the Cambodian checkpoint. The passport handed in, stamped, then back on the boat and off downstream to the Vietnamese border where a similar pattern was repeated. Thats the first river border crossing I have encountered, and it was very easy.

Chau Doc is one of several large towns and communities located within the Mekong Delta. As a town, it doesn't have a great deal to offer, but it is one of the busiest, especially with tourists, as its the link to Cambodia and a coach service also runs directly to Saigon. The following morning Cynthia and I set off to cycle through the Delta region. Humidity here is higher than I have experienced so far; to the extent that I became a dripping wreck within a few minutes. As the day progressed, every part of your anatomy sticks to other bits with the result that the constant sweat, friction and movement causes quite painful and uncomfortably raw tackle; thank goodness for showers and vaseline!!!!! For those of you who like route details, having left Chau Doc, the first port of call was Sa Dec and then Tan An before finally arriving in Saigon. The Delta region is characterised by an almost continuous number of villages and small towns; many of these communities set in small inlets surrounded by mangroves; the route also takes you over numerous large bridges beneath which are the tributaries of the Mekong. The scale of the delta region is quite something.

I have heard that people have deliberately avoided Vietnam because of a certain reputation it is supposed to have. Having been in this country for only 5 days (not long I grant you to form a conclusive opinion) from my experience so far, I would like to dispel all the negatives about this place. The people are equally as friendly as any I have met in South East Asia; maybe not as vociferous as their Cambodian neighbours (but then no one would be on that scale). I still get all the smiles, acknowledgements, the mick taken out of me and scooters coming alongside chatting and patting me on the back. Without question, the key is the way I am travelling. I'm not criticising backpackers, only a handful of years ago I backpacked through Australia, New Zealand and South America for the best part of a year and loved the experience. To some extent though, when you are reliant upon buses, trains etc to get you from place A to place B, you do isolate yourself from much of what is going on around you. That's not to say that when you arrive that you don't make the effort to integrate with the locals, which of course a lot of backpackers do. The difference is that on a bike, you integrate every minute of your whole journey and for me this is the most enjoyable part of the journey. I have no desire to see any more markets or religious icons, but to experience the day to day life of the people with whom you are sharing this brief experience is to my mind the most valuable and satisfying. There is a huge curiosity factor when I pull in to a street cafe for a drink; it is quite normal to sit with them at their request and chat, usually in sign language. Cynthia is a major curiosity in her own right (so rightly named if you know my ex-mother in law!), she attracts a group wherever she is parked up. When in Dubai I purchased a klaxon and I always know when I go in a shop or somewhere for advice, that someone will squeeze the klaxon; they love it. I always hear it everytime and when I come out I am met with wide grins. I can give you two instances so far where the locals have gone beyond the call of duty to help this idiot Englishman. On one occasion, a young girl who I had asked directions, got on her scooter and rode to where I needed to turn off (probably darn glad to get shot of me!). The second time was in Sa Dec, where I had just arrived and asked a feller and his son about accommodation for the night. No worries, they got on their scooter and again rode in front taking me to a superb hotel where the staff where unbelievably kind.

So what of Vietnam? Well one of the advantages of cycling is that you get a flavour of the people, the place and the driving conditions. The first two I have covered in the above paragraph, now to the real fun part. As you will observe from an atlas, Vietnam is thin and linear in shape; its not that big an area, but large enough to accommodate 90 million people. Given the topography, including the mountain region further north, then there is only so much room for these people to live and consequently, they congregate along the roads and water courses. Vietnam has a population that is some 6 times the size of Cambodia, so cycling through the Delta, pretty well every village or town is linked to the next to form a continuous urban scape along every road. The villages are bustling, always something going on and its clear that Vietnam is a wealthier country than Cambodia; there are a lot of building and construction projects in progress, notably bridges. Now to the traffic. Commensurate with the size of population their are millions of scooters, simply an unbelievable number. Having cycled for a few days I am now fully seized with traffic methodology. For a start, its absolutely fine to proceed against the traffic flow, and at all times, traffic entering the road from the left do so without sight or forthought, they just do it. In order to develop a successful technique, the key word is 'weaving'. Never stop whether you are on a bike, scooter or vehicle or a pedestrian; keep going in a deliberate manner and all traffic will weave in and out of you. The first couple of times, it is quite nerve wracking, but you get used to it. Another rule of the road is that it is quite ok to go round a roundabout the wrong way. This is great since your survival rate increases by missing out junctions to get to the one you want. The noise is deafening, everyone, but everyone seems to have the horn on non stop. I have to say though that the locals clearly recognising a foreigner when they see one, very often 'shelter' you by letting you come alongside and protecting you; they also are very respectful, well most are, so once you know whats likely to happen, its not too bad. Cycling into Saigon was not as bad as London, Istanbul or even Bangkok.

I shall be in Saigon for a couple of days only; its expensive and a typical big city. Big it is, having a population of 8 million; that's about the size of Bangkok. You are advised to stay in Districts 1,3 and 5 which is the modern downtown core, with all the fancy hotels and highrise offices. Its worth being here to see the traffic, strangely there are no tuk tuks here. From here its a cycle ride along Highway 1 to Da Nang and north. Highway 1 is a poorly maintained road, barely the equivalent of an average A road in England, more like a B road in many places. Have found a diner style restaurant just around the corner from where I am staying which is great to bulk up. For the last few days I have been living on street food which in some cases doesn't hang around too long in the digestive tract! Not sure when the next blog will be, probably Ha Long Bay. Cheers for now, time for a little exploring.

The land that smiles.

The ferry from Siem Reap to Battambang was smaller than I had envisaged. Seating along either side allowed for about 20 people, bikes were lashed to the roof. I had decided to make the 6 hour crossing between the two cities, across Lake Tonle Sap as a welcome change from eating dust and ingesting fumes from vehicles. A ferry also runs to Phnom Penh during the rainy season, but not today. The ferry was full and as the journey progressed, it was evident why the boat was the size and shape it was. Vegetation almost enveloped us at many points and some very careful navigation needed to avoid the propellers becoming jammed up. In between the dense 'jungle' were open tracts of water and numerous villages; the buildings either floating or precariously perched on stilts. The ferry provided a vital lifeline for locals travelling between these villages and if householders didn't possess a boat then they were effectively isolated. Villagers would be rowed out and would clamber aboard. You could see why the ferry doesn't run all year round because even at the end of the monsoon season, which this is, water levels in certain places appeared very low.

It was a welcome change taking the ferry and a great way to spend a day. Most of the passengers were tourists with quite a large Dutch contingent which was good as invariably they are good company. The ferry dropped us off in the centre of Battambang city on the west bank. Accommodation was easy to find and plentiful. I stayed in a small hotel on the east bank next to the large Kings Hotel, very new, the room overlooking the river; excellent quality accommodation for $12 a night. The Royal is a backpackers favourite and good value apparently. Coincidentally, I bumped into two of the Dutch couples who happened to be eating at the same place. They very kindly invited me over. and one couple Judith and Roel invited me over to their hotel on their last night for dinner. A really cracking couple who were superb company. Without question, if you find yourself in Battambang, the place to go is the Gecko Cafe. Believe me, this is as good as it gets. Situated close to the city centre, it occupies the first floor of a French colonial building, having an open seating area on two sides. It has a very welcoming atmosphere and the food, especially the breakfasts are sensational. The atmosphere is created by the staff, all girls who are a real delight, very friendly and speak some English. They are all employed as they have families to support, and on the back of the menu, there is a small cv for each girl explaining her background and intentions. Believe me, if you could transfer these girls to any hotel or catering establishment in the UK, people would be queuing at the door to get in. Oh another good place is Éves Cafe' on the waterfront. Great pancakes as well.

Mandi, a very good friend of mine, worked out here last year as a volunteer and I took the opportunity to look up where she worked. CCT or Cambodian Childrens Trust was set up a few years ago by a young Australian and she continues to be very involved. I met the local 'Manager' and a couple of the volunteers. This trust looks after some 300 children, the majority of which attend school. The trust collects children of all ages, from parents who are unable to fully look after them for a variety of social reasons; having attended the trust or school, they are then returned to their parents in the evening so that the parental bond is maintained. The trust also supports scholarships for more able children to give them a chance to develop their education which is so vital. I learned that many children once they reach a certain academic standard, leave school and return to their families to teach their siblings rather than continue to pursue a career. Most of the volunteer sector is supported by either Australians or Americans.

My purpose for visiting Battambang was twofold; firstly, to apply for a Vietnamese Visa and secondly, because cycling to Phnom Penh looked easier than from Siem Reap because of the larger towns on the way which were more likely to provide accommodation. My initial visit to the Vietnam Consulate lasted about 20 minutes entailing completion of the usual form. I explained to the official that I would very much like a 3 month visa as I was cycling and it would save having to make a sudden pit stop to Saigon or Hanoi to renew. Had I only wanted a 1 month visa, which is the usual length granted, I think they could have done that on the same day, but because I wanted a longer visa, the asked if I would mind returning the following day. This I did, and good on them, they granted the 3 month visa which of course I paid more for, but ultimately, it will save me a lot of hassle later down the line. They could not have been more helpful and hoped I enjoyed cycling through their country. Nice eh!

It took 3 days to cycle to Phnom Penh, in total 293 kms with an even space of towns in between, stopping at Pursat and Kompong Chhnang. The road was dusty although most of the way there was a decent shoulder lane, just as well since the apparent mild mannered people once behind a ton and a half of metal transform into Sebastion Vettal! The worst offenders are the taxis (all Toyota Camrys), mini buses and 4 by 4's. These guys hurtle down the middle of the road, horns blaring continuously as they try to cover the distance between Battambang and the capital in record time. I witnessed some near misses with cattle which frequently wander across the road and also children in villages, where the aforementioned group appear to accelerate as they pass through! There are numerous villages and cycling through you witness the poverty, yet always, people, kids especially shout 'hello' and wave. Yes, you always return the greeting even though after several hours on the road, it wears a bit thin. Its not much to ask, if these kids get a buzz out of it, then responding isnt so hard. I reckon that if I had a dollar for every 'hello' and wave I had given over that 3 day period, I could have afforded to fly first class around the world with Cathay Pacific and still have enough left to stay in a 5 star beach front hotel in the West Indies and consume as many Tom Collins as I liked!

Cycling affords the opportunity to at least connect with the villagers, who chat while passing on scooters or when you stop to buy a drink. I was invited, well directed, to two homes where I spent half an hour or so meeting the families and exchanging some very basic english. The Cambodians are so welcoming, hence the title of this blog. It would be difficult not to be sociable as these people (of all ages) are so friendly and genuinely approachable. How can you not smile when 3 girls on a scooter pass, wave, and say hello, or, when a feller on a scooter loaded with some produce in most bizarre fashion passes you with a smile. I must say that the humidity really takes it out of you; I found recovery time took quite a bit longer, but at least I achieved the timescale I had set.

Phnom Penh is a rapidly transforming city of about one and a half million people. As with most cities, the periphery is dominated by the poorer people, in fact the whole area seems to reflect a self contained market place for them, with every kind of activity imaginable including building materials, repair workshops, welding, cafes etc. These 'dwellings' front onto a dusty 'shoulder' which invariably becomes wind born as lorries and vehicles veer onto these stretches avoiding oncoming traffic. These areas bustle with people and a million tuk tuk drivers. Traffic flow is what you make it, there are no rules as such, well don't seem to be, at any given point of the road, vehicles, tuk tuks and scooters converge in various direction, weaving their way in and out. This occurs in the city centre so its a well tried method. The city centre is changing face; there is a mix of early 20th Century French Colonial, 1960's Khmer buildings and of course the ornate gold leaf temples and Royal Palace. Its a fascinating blend which I suppose sums up these people. Many of the older colonial properties have not been properly maintained and have fallen into some state of disrepair. I understand that a lot of these buildings are being acquired by hoteliers and converted into quality boutique hotels, clearly reflecting the greater demand generated by tourism and the city's ongoing development as a commercial and business centre. It is also good to see the Mekong River again, fast flowing, this river bisects the city and has helped it become an important port. It seems strange that only a few weeks ago, I was watching this river flow some 1,500 kms to the north at Luang Prabang. Its a bit like meeting an old friend. In truth the river at its central point of the city is an extension of the lake, but its classed as a river.

The west bank is where the life blood of the city exists, The tourist hub extends along Sisovath Quay with numerous hotels, hostels, restaurants, tour offices and of course millions of tuk tuk drivers who consistently invite you for the trip of your life!!!! I suppose from a tourist perspective, the place to visit is the Foreign Correspondents Club or as it is known, the FCC. This colonial building overlooks the river and at first and second floors, you can sit watching the sunset with some liquid refreshment attached to your hand between 5pm and 7pm (happy hour). This is the place where foreign correspondents collected during the 1970's particularly, when the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot played such a part in this country's recent tainted history.

Second only to Angkor Wat, the tourist destination to see is the Killing Fields and S21. In my humble opinion, a visit to both the Killing Fields and S21 is a must if you want to understand this country's darkest period of history and response to what happened. It seems improbable that these events took place during the 1970's and effectively shut out Cambodia from the whole world. The Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre (or as we know it as the Killing Fields) is situated about 15 kms from the city centre. A tuk tuk is the best way of getting there, and wear a face mask on the way since the dirt and dust is quite something. The entrance is low key being accessed down a drive. For $5 you get hooked up to an excellent audio set and so can wander to the sequential markers at your leisure, listening to the history of the site and personal tales from survivors and the guards. Pol Pot imposed his docterine of democratic communism during the mid 1970's until 1978. The son of a wealthy family, he studied in France, not attaining his degree but spending most of his time within the French Communist Party. On his return to Cambodia he taught (something of an irony as many of those murdered were teachers); he instigated his policy of no education, obedience to the party, work and revolution with unbelievable violence. As with many dictatorships, he created his red army from uneducated peasants, villagers and rural communities. These youthful recruits saw a future and he convinced them, which probably didn't take much. Teachers, professional classes of all description were rounded up, tortured and murdered. Throughout Cambodia there are believed to be some 300 killing fields, of which the one at Choeung Ek is considered to be the largest. Many of the others cannot be touched because of live ordnance resulting from USA bombings to prevent fuel lines to the Viet Kong. Walking around the Killing Fields, it is difficult to imagine the horror of what went on. The audio description is at times very graphic. To date 86 of the 129 mass graves have been uncovered accounting for almost 9,000 bodies of children and adults alike. Those that remain uncovered are likely to stay that way to afford respect to the dead. You will see that I have posted a few photographs; some explaining in words what went on; the sites where these horrific deeds took place and shots of the ground where you can see hollows where the graves have been uncovered, and where, through the effluxion of time, the soil has moved. Note also the picture of the tree; words fail me at this point. At this site, you just hang your head at the horror of what happened. This was where the red guards held the children (as young as babies) by their legs and feet and swung then so that their heads connected to the trunk. The brutality was unbelieveable. The largest mass grave uncovered contained 450 bodies. The central feature, or edifice, within the Killing Fields is the Memorial Stupa. Here the skulls and bones have been collected and displayed, dividing the skulls into sex and age group. The museum also shows the tools used to kill these people. It was considered a waste of bullets, so bludgeoning and hacking were the preferred methods of disposal!

Security Office 21 (S21) stands in the centre of Phnom Penh. This is now described as a genocide museum and was designed for detention, interrogation, torture and killing. All detainees were individually documented, some 20,000 were tortured, killed or moved on to the Killing Fields. Again ironically, this building was originally built as a school in the 1960's. Here you can walk into the cells; there are pictures of people and accounts of torture and confessions. Truly dreadful. You wonder how such apparently mild mannered people were capable of such inhumanity. Well I suppose that only a small number of 'focused' individuals appropriately motivated are needed to instill sufficient fear and obedience to a majority of the population; its happening all over the world. Over one quarter of the entire Cambodian population were murdered during this three year period; a staggering statistic. Of course not all the people involved were caught, and some may well be walking the streets now. Something I hadn't noticed, but Judith had, was the apparent few numbers of old people around by comparison with other places. This is true, furthermore, the trauma resulting from this madness resulted in women ceasing their menstrual cycle and therefore being unable to reproduce, so effectively you have a 'gap' of population, both young and old. Arguably one of the most incredible acts of world political decision making was the acceptance of the Khmer Rouge as a legitimate party by no less than the USA, UK, Australia, Germany and France, handing the Khmer Rouge a seat and a voice at the UN!!!

It is without doubt a sobering experience visiting these two locations, but fortunately the Country has recovered and it is hoped that this special land continues to smile in the future for all the right reasons.

I am contemplating taking the ferry down the Mekong to the delta region to Chau Doc in Vietnam. This will definately save on breathing in vast quantities of dust! This is a 6 hour trip and positions me well for the delta and the eventual destination of Saigon. That will be the next blog.

Facebook!!!!

G'day everyone, I just want to thank everyone who has taken the trouble and time to comment on my Facebook page and on the blog. I really am very grateful to you all. I must apologise to you for not replying to anyone. This is because the clowns at Facebook have shut my account down, and have done so for some time so I am unable to log on, receive, read or reply to any of your missives. To say that I am annoyed would be an understatement. The reason given is that there may be a security breach because I am trying to log on from different countries. Well there's a surprise; had they considered clicking on the blog link I think it may have been apparent that I was indeed visiting different countries and that if they had further concerns, perhaps an email to me asking for an explanation may have been a prudent way forward. But no, we are just computer numbers where if something out of the ordinary happens, then its lock down. Don't get me wrong, I applaud security, but lets have a bit of common sense to go with it, something in which Facebook are clearly deficient.So my apologies again; the intention to use Facebook as a social network site was to promote the aims of this challenge and help raise money for 'Children with Cancer UK' or, simply for those who were interested in reading about the journey. I hope that you will understand my inability to respond, and please continue to comment in whatever form you wish; hopefully on my return to the UK, I will be able to read your comments. Thank you once again for taking the time and trouble to find the site and I hope you enjoy the blogs in the future. Best wishes.