Vietnam FAIL!

So today we woke up at 5 to catch a crazy taxi (transportation here is such a wonderful adventure; putt-putt van that couldn't close it's door cuz it picked up too many passengers on the way) to the bus station where we went down to Cambodia's capitol Phenom Penn (this bus the WHOLE TIME played Cambodian music videos on it's little LCD TV BLARING LOUD!) to transfer to our bus to Ho Chi Minh City.

Get on the bus and a bunch of REALLY CUTE Chilean boys get on right after and sit all around us. And there was no TV, and lots of leg room and we were able to turn off the air con (the other bus was stuck on). This was going to be a good bus ride.

Bus attendant comes through to collect passports for the boarder crossing as soon as we take off.

Takes a look at our Visas...

Bus attendant: "Wait, you two have to get off the bus right now"

Us: "uh, wha?? We have our visas!!"

Bus Attendant: "Yes, but they're not valid until tomorrow"

Us:*looks at visas* Sure enough the dates are 3/6 - 4/6. Vietnam 1, Jamie Mikaela 0.

So we got thrown off the bus and had to trek our way back to the bus station to change our tickets to tomorrow (thank god they didn't charge us extra) and we spent the rest of our day in the Cambodian Royal Palace.

So tomorrow we will be off to Vietnam!!

PEACE OUTSIDE
Jamie

Ang Kor mission complete!

Ang Kor thoroughly defeated us. We bought a three day pass and spent sun-up to sun-down on the first two days but today (3/4) we decided that we've seen all we can see so we came back around 11am and are now zoning out on the computer. I think my ass might walk off in protest (we biked our butts around the whole time; Tuk-tuk tour for $3 only? ha! All day bike for $1).

Tomorrow we're catching a bus to Ho Chi Min (Vietnam) and I hear that it goes all the way (doesn't drop us off at the border to leave us fending off tuk-tuk and taxi drivers). It'll be a 12 hour trek (longer than a flight from America to Japan!) but it only costs 17$ so whatever.

So far I like Thailand better but I like the Cambodian people the best (they're so friendly and the little children always wave and yell excitedly when we bike by! So cute!!!!!) The Thai people are much like the Japanese when it comes to foreigners and that they're just so used to seeing them they don't care.

I'm excited to see what Vietnam will be like! And I can't wait to share all my stories! I've been keeping track in my Journal. There are so many things I want to talk about in regards to comparing all these different cultures with Japan and with each other! Some MASSIVE blog posts coming up when I get home.

It's nap time.

PEACE OUTSIDE!
Jamie

Buddhists

Are full of knowledge and good advise.






They are also very good at scamming you out of your money.







(they better make sure my name is in BOLD letters on that new desk for little ko-ko).













(I kid, of course it's all for a good cause and they need it more than I do).

In Cambodia~

So we made it into the land of the Khmer~safe and sound. We almost got in trouble with our taxi guy taking us to a different hotel but I was able to tell him straight; no, I will not get out of the taxi. no I don't wanna try out this hotel, please take us to our hotel *points frantically to map to emphasize desired location*.

But we got to the hotel we wanted and it's hotter than hell here. I'm already missing our beach paradise we had back on Koh Chang in Thailand. No electricity, running water only from 5-6pm, white beach, blue water, beach front bungalow for $3.00/night and some of the most amazing food I've ever tasted; I was in Heaven (my skin on the other hand hates me and is protesting loudly by peeling and itching like mad; tan fail, sunburn win). And we met so many wonderful people while we were there as well!

But I'm looking forward to our adventures here in Cambodia. It's nothing like Thailand and the poverty is visible everywhere we turn. Blind people being pulled along by children begging for money wind their way through the throngs of fat (mostly French) tourists. It's truly a heart wrenching site and I wanna just gather up the children and take them to a better place. But giving them money is useless because more than likely they'll never see it (I might break and give them some food though).

Other than that, we've only been here for about 3 hours and the people are so nice and smile and wave at us all the time (more than in Thailand). It's just so different here than in Japan, i'm having a hard time wrapping it all around my little head. I'm going to have so much to share with you when I get back, my lovely readers. So stay tuned!

Tomorrow we're going on a tuk-tuk tour up into the mountains and we're going to ride on a bamboo train and visit the killing fields.

Now it's shower time

PEACE OUTSIDE
Jamie