Ramble On

The Hong in Hong Kong

swiz — Thu, 3 Jan 2008 20:15:00 GMT

Well, the end is nigh. I arrived in Hong Kong about 3 hours ago. I have just 2 days to explore and conquer. So far, I have walked around the block! Hong Kong is rather... um, erm... colourful.

Not so merry

swiz — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 01:19:00 GMT

Uugh. Kuala Lumpur has become the definate low of the trip. There is a definite appeal from the beautiful beaches and hills of Malaysia, but KL is lacking any real gems. The accommodation has been the worst yet. I have been bitten six times since arriving, compared to just one bite over the previous seven days. The food and the transport has also provided much frustration. Oh, and the dysentry has kicked in.

On a plus, today we went to some impressive caves, where I saw and photographed loads of monkeys.

On a bigger plus, tomorrow we leave for Thailand :)

The stars don't shine so brightly

swiz — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:14:00 GMT

Okay, yeah.

We recently arrived in the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. It's such a dramatic difference from Phnom Penh, not only for the obvious disparity in wealth, but the sense of order. We spent our final morning in Cambodia visiting an orphanage. The kids were great, really enthusiastic. We donated a large bag of fruit and some much needed $'s. My soul has been saved.

I'm not sure what we're going to do in KL. The skyline is impressive in places and there're plenty of shops... there's also an interesting looking cave complex not far away. Anyhoo...

Phnom Penh

swiz — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 16:55:00 GMT

Merry Christmas yáll. We've been in the capital, Phnom Penh for the past two days. 'PP' is a crazy place. Poverty is rife and the roads are chaotic. Still, we have a great guesthouse and we've been keeping busy with the local... um, attractions. So far, today, we've been to the genocide museum and have just left the Russian market - sans Russians. Trying to find a decent internet connection has been a problem, but we'll be moving on to Malaysia tomorrow, so I'll flying through the WWW again. Toodle-pip.

The wow of Angkor Wat

swiz — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 22:54:00 GMT

Damn, 'twas an early start - 4:45am wake up - but it was worth it. We hired a tuk tuk and driver for the day and made our way through the dark to Angkor Wat. The sunrise was a little disappointing as the light wasn't great. All-in-all, Angkor is spectacular. I could write an essay on the beauty of the architecture and the fine detail of the carvings, even after 800ish years of harassment from nature... but I don't have time. I took plenty of pictures, hopefully some of them will be decent. Tomorrow we move on to Phnom Penh. Pip pip.

Bright lights... of Cambodia?!

swiz — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 00:53:00 GMT

And here we are, resting in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The journey from Bangkok turned in to something of an epic adventure. This was mainly due to the time it took - 8 hours in total. This left us all a rather fatigued and shaken (Cambodian roads).

Thankfully, our guesthouse is great.

We will be starting tomorrow at 5:00am. Angkor Wat awaits!

Bangkok, a go-go

swiz — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 11:47:00 GMT

So here we are. At destination number one. On first impressions,Bangkok is crazy. There's an obvious city feel, as testified by the skyscrapers, but as you head towards the suburbs, the sprawling tropical trees bring a definite sense of jungle.

We enjoyed some first class Thai nosebag last night, as we dined at the restaurant of a friend's Aunt.

Today we are heading off on a tour of some of the local highlights, by bus and by boat.

The final throes of pa... packing.

swiz — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 00:42:00 GMT

Here I sit. The repositories of my memory have been have been heavily thumbed. But the question still lingers... have I packed everything?

I guess the essentials are safely tucked, squeezed and packed, so sleep can come knocking on my door.

We fly in 11 hours.

Pre... well, pre many things, including depature.

swiz — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 18:13:00 GMT

And here it is!

Woop woop, another rip-roarin' travel blog; freshly baked and oozing ~~enthusiasm~~... ~~optimism~~... um, apprehension and a spike of trepidation.

We leave in three days.