The day after we said goodbye to David- our travel co-ordinator and back-up man, without whom this journey would not have been possible!
BIG LOVE TO THE CHEESEBURGER KING!!!
08/04/10
And then the holiday was over and it was time to say goodbye! A 10 day whirlwind!
Chris found the similarities between my dad and his own dad in front of a camera lens uncanny. This picture is so a la Len Dobson.
Not sure what spurred this on- the thought of seeing his beloved Marit again or driving the length of Cambodia in 5 days, which can do this to a man!
Tji hi!!!
Unfortunately, Songkram and the new year celebrations were cancelled a few days later due to the clashes between the Red Shirts and the government.
Dad doing what he does best on holiday- buying t-shirts! How many was it in the end, dad? 12?
Chris getting his shorts mended on the pavements of Bangkok- in true Chris style- you don't have to ask a Dobson twice to take his shorts off in public!
View from the 23rd floor of the Meridien- our second 5 star experience on our travels! Very welcome after 3 months of village life
in Salalekpram!
Boozy night out in Bangkok!
David trying out the local Thai cuisine- CHEESEBURGER!
Young Thai girls practising national dances for Songkram- the Thai new year
Bangkok sightseeing with dad
Still pretty peaceful demonstrations while we were there!
Red Shirts appearing on the streets of Bangkok
Getting our clothes washed...and this time hopefully with some washing powder!
07/04/10
Le Meridien entrance
And straight into the luxury of a 5 star hotel in Bangkok! Welcome Hoyden!
Leaving Cambodia for the final time with mixed emotions...
Popiet (Cambodia)-Aranyaprathet (Thailand) border crossing
En route to Poipet and Bangkok! Again...
Flushing the toilet Cambodian style!
Coconuts all around at the Killing fields.
06/04/10
Bye bye Phnom Penh!!!
Jumbo after trying Norwegian 'snus' and before throwing up as a result!
Leaving drinks in our local Cambodian hang-out, Phnom Penh. With Jumbo and Cecilia (who works at another one of CamKids' orphanages)
Jumbo, our tuk-tuk driver and friend, sleeping off yet another hangover in his tuk-tuk!
Out for dinner!
Anyone for barbecued eggs?!
Silje's favourite street food ladies, Phnom Penh! Rice and coconut cakes in hot milk with chilli sauce! Mmm....
Saying a final goodbye to our friends at Capitol Guesthouse where we spent so many nights!
05/04/10
Back in Phnom Penh for one last day- and to say a final goodbye to Dom and Benita, and CamKids!
Back at Villa Vedici where we met Dutch Frank and Hans who'd relocated to Cambodia and ran the hotel.
Tree
Spot the chameleon
Hotel and casino
Bokor hills
Post office
Inside the church
Bokor Hill station- French colonial settlement on the top of Bokor national park built for and by the rich, included a church, casino, post office, hotel etc. Was taken over by the Cambodian elite when the French left and the king then built his own hotel. Again taken by the Khmer Rouge who was stationed and fought the Vietnamese here during the 70's. The station has since been deserted- with the fog drifting in over the national park and its ruined buildings it has quite an eerie feel to it!
Our guide who casually climbed the steep hills of the jungle in Converse shoes and without breaking sweat!
David, Chris and our brilliant guide, Tree, who spent years living through the Khmer Rouge regime (2 of which he was hiding out and living in the jungle and forests of Cambodia), serving as a soldier in Vietnam and clearing land mines in Cambodia with the UN!
Had a refreshing and invigorating hike up to the top through dense jungle! First bit of rain in over 3 months...lush!!
04/04/10
Day trip to Bokor Hill national park- dad opted out of this experience and stayed at home with the remnants of the tropical island stomach bug!
!!!
Stunning views from Villa Vedici over Bokor Hill National Park in the south of Cambodia.
Luxury at Villa Vedici in Kampot- after a trying 24 hours of island bungalow living!
Kampots 3 part bridge- one part French colonial, 2nd part bombed and re-built by the Khmer Rouge and 3rd part post-Khmer Rouge!
03/04/10
Arriving in the sleepy coastal town of Kampot- where the famous Kampot pepper is grown...
Deserted French colonial building where a Cambodian squatter family decided to move in and create the most beautiful of gardens!
A traumatic shower experience for some...
Dad's bungalow. He had some storied to tell from that bungalow by the time we left..
Catching the boat across from Kep to Rabbit Island for some of that tropical island experience!
02/04/10
Buying crabs down at the waterfront crab market. The freshest and tastiest crabs ever at £3 a kilo!
The biggest one yet!
Stopping off to buy juicy mangoes
01/04/10
Had a mammoth journey with Chris doing what he does best- rapid driving!!! Drove from the north of Cambodia down to the south by the coast in 11 hours! Having a well-deserved beer by the sea as we arrived in Kep just as it was getting dark!
Rural Cambodia!
Cambodian mode of transport!
Daily shower!
Ta Prohm temple
Spent a couple of hours with these girls who served us beer, noodles and of course dad picked up a t-shirt!
Having a bit of trouble getting down, David?
30/03/10
Highlight of the trip for dad- sunrise to sunset at Angkor Wat!
Needless to say dad absolutey loved the local Anchor beer at 3 kroner a pint, compared to 70 kroner in Norway (am I right??)
Back at Wat's Up guesthouse where we stayed the first time we visited, over 3 months ago! Chilling out in the knowledge that our Rav4 hire car got us to Popiet without a hick-up and that dad and David got across to us problem-free!!
David arrives at Siem Reap airport! And then there were 4!!! Yippeee!!!!
29/03/10
Yay!!! Finally he appeared on the Thai side of the border- how weird! Never expected to be meeting up with dad in Poipet of all places!!!
In Poipet. Waiting for dad to arrive.
Then the time finally came to meet up with dad and David!! We had an overnight stay in Battambang, north Cambodia, on our way from Phnom Penh to the border town of Poipet where we were due to pick dad up. David was due to arrive later that day in Siem Reap.
Spent the evening listening to local, young musicians- a very rare sight in Cambodia where youngens have very few opportunities to be creative!
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