29 april Battambang

Short bus trip today. 167km and ticket said 8.30 departure. Told to be ready at hotel at 7.30 pickup. Minibus arrived and we traipsed all round town to collect others then onto an old bus (at least windows weren’t broken like the one from HCMC) at 8.00. Headed off out of town for half an hour and stop at a big bus station. Everyone off. Next bus. Emma and Alice know what this means – next bus is worse. Hurry up and wait! Everyone on. Off we go again (this time it is 8.30) and go two blocks and stop to collect more passengers. Eventually we are away. 9.00am and the scenery looks awfully familiar – yes, back in downtown! but this time keep going!

Arrive Battambang, a french provincial town. We have a few things on our wish list. We were in search of the real Cambodia, the ordinary people. Had a wonderful afternoon in Tuk Tuk.

It was a bomb but the driver understood what we wanted. Got out of town on the dusty dirty lanes, stopped for weddings,

making rice paper for spring rolls, rice noodle and morning glory soup, sticky rice with black bean. Chatted with the locals (peasant does not seem to be a derogatory word here).

Finished with the tourist ride on the bamboo railway – a single 7km straight track. when passing one train is literally dismantled!

Another marathon bus ride tomorrow back to HCMC. Nobody able to say how long it takes or when it arrives. We will see. Hurry up and wait!

28 april Angkor Wat

Hired the tuk tuk for a day of temples. Talking to others at the hostel about how many days to do the temples. One bloke was into his sixth day! others doing three days. Lonely Planet advice was to take it easy and take a few days. Not us!  Get templed out on 11 and 12th century Khmer culture. Do the lot in one day. So armed with guide book with detailed floor plans and descriptions of bas reliefs and gods and demons off we went.

First up. The big one Angkor Wat, Yes wow! Found Vishnu on an elephant and Shiva on a garuda, amongst the army of soldiers and horses in grand battle, The King with 15 Parasols… Asparas and Devas, giant cobras, Churning the Ocean of Milk, The happy people in mansions in the 32 Heavens and tortured ones in  27 Hells, …Awesome

Next up. Ta Prohm. The temple with the trees and roots strangling the walls. Angelina Jolie and Temple of Doom. Unbelievable. Cannot believe that you can just wander about and look everywhere, I mean really explore and get lost in there.

Third. Preah Kahn. Fell for the two card trick here. The book didn’t tell us anything but the resident tourist policeman wanted to tell us all about it. Very interesting and we learned heaps about carved gods and demons, holy water basins, swimming pools, dancing room, the kings eating hall and library. Note that you shouldn’t worry about a crack in the wall until you can put your fist in it! Gave the policeman a small tip.

Fourth. Another big one. Angkor Thom, the one with all the smiley faces. Nearby is the 3000 piece jigsaw, taken apart and numbered, but the records were destroyed by Pol Pot regime. Elephant wall and hidden terraces – more fantastic carvings.

Finished the temples with a climb up the hill for classic sunset view but we were early and looked like rain was going to spoil it anyway. Home very tired but wow, wow, wow! Must do, put it on your bucket list. Up there with Petra and pyramids.

25- 27 april HCMC to Pnhom Pen to SiemReap

Today, appropriately (Anzac day) we went on half day tour to the Cu Chi tunnels where the Viet Cong hid, ambushed and made booby traps and eventually outsmarted the US in the Vietnam War. Mr Binh, Our Vietnamese  guide was a War Veteran working as “tunnel rat” for the US. He gave us a very biased version of the war. “You want me tell funny story” – I am sure his stories get better in every retelling. Later we visited the War remnants museum for “The Historical Truth”. Whatever side you were on, it was horrible. US army lost 5600 men, 3600 planes and 4500 helicopters and spent tens of billions. Vietnam lost 3 million including 10% of their civilian population and thousands more maimed by agent orange. All this after South Vietnam and “uncle Ho” had just got rid of the French colonial rule. Quite ashamed of Australian involvement.

Back through the city, just got under cover in the market from torrential downpour. Dinner and drinks for 120 000 dong ($6)

Next day 8.00 am bus trip to Cambodia. Unbelievable amount of electricity wires in street (don’t complain about it Australia). Our bus broke down in first two km and shortly after on our way again got caught on overhead wires! endless traffic via border crossing at Moc Bai/ Bavet

and a few hours in Pnhom Pen – a beautiful city with tree lined avenues and grand monuments, palaces and temples in a country being reconstructed after terrible pol pot.

Billboard reminders of The Cambodia Peoples Party and the three Directors throughout the country side  tuk and dinner. arrived in Siem Reap after midnight and find YHA.

Sleep in until 7am! Walked around down town. Nice place, much more relaxed pace, not much traffic, pub street full of pubs (surprice) and restaurants. Draught beer for 35 cents or fish massage for 15 minutes for $1 and free beer.

23 – 24 april darwin to singapore to ho chi minh city

Said our Farewells to Alice, bought new rolly suit cases Tony red, liz grey with Emma’s bright green strap. Now homeless and carless! and just as we were about to walk city to get airport bus it poured down rain. Yha  best bed after weeks of sweltering in tent  trying to avoid the mozzies. Plane on time. Uneventful trip to  Singapore. Arrived Singapore 10.00 pm, caught taxi to hotel half way to city. Sept well woken at 5.00am to catch taxi again to airport. Our Singapore experience totalled one return freeway trip in the dark.

Then next short hop to Ho Chi Minh City. Visa on arrival went smoothly. Caught local bus to town from HCMC airport. Armed with tony’s wod of dong we had carefully  carried from home, we had plenty of cash but in enormous notes. The bus cost4 000dong equivilant of 25 cents oz,. our lowest denomination was50 000. Obviously  we coudnn’t pay. Tony dashed to the coffee stall to buy a capuccino (!) at 40 000dong to get change and almost missed the bus.

Somehow found 20/323 pham nguo lao (Saigon backpackers). This means find a little lane at no.323 then find house no.20.  See pic for lane thru street stalls and market! double room. Air con on high continuously,  $20 cost includes breakkie of noodles and egg, iced coffe and bananas. (we had been paying $34 to put up our tent on unpowered site in Kakadu resort)

Chaotic traffic. madness Uncontrolled intersections that seemed to work. Observed a 5 way intersection close to our hostel for a good half hour. Scooters, buses, cars, dodged and swerved and inconcievaably merged and kept going. We saw no accidents but stats suggest a whole lot of accidents do occur. Don’t know where all the traffic comes from or goes to- reckon they might just be going around and around like Truman show.

 

20-22 april darwin with alice

a couple more nights in a tent fighting the mosquitos then two lovely nights in a bed at the YHA. Our passports arrived on Thursday and we collected them on Friday ready in plenty of time for the Mon pm fly out of darwin! Phew! Russian visas ok. here we go.

Took Alice to Foggs Dam on the wetlands near Humpty Doo. The place for a failed rice farming experiment. Saw what we would consider the big three- Jabiru, Brolga and jacana. Crimson Finch, spangled drongo and others (51 species in one day)

Found some geocaches, had a lovely time with Alice.

18 – 19 april Kakadu

We cannot drive 2 WD to Ubir so book a tour for guided trip to northern Kakadu. Turns out pissy amount of water on road and i am a bit pissed off spending money on something we could do ourselves. Get the tour of Jabiru town, and our driver gives a very biased opinion of Ranger Uranium mine.

After a poor start we arrive Ubir and learn more about rock art. Some places are used like school blackboards – drawings to explain ceremony or hunting etc, painted on time of each other. The view from the escarpment is amazing. Check out how GREEN the plains are!

Boat trip up the East Alligator River (named by some nong explorer who didn’t recognise a croc when he saw one). Ernie Dingo lookalike called Neville was our guide for bush tucker, spear chucking and short 5 minute visit to Arnhem land. Very interesting and enlightening.

16 – 17 april kakadu

A few days in Darwin, then out to camp at howard springs and on to Kakadu. Find a bit of swamp with lots of water birds and our first jabiru.

First day  walked 12km loop around Nourlangie (rock art and amazing scenery. Smashed the “6 to 8 hour walk only for fit person” in just over 3 hours. We must be a little bit fitter than average! A great walk climbing up through cliffs and rock shelves and rock pillars. They call this the Stone country of Kakadu. See 20 000 yr old rock art and 100 yr old art.

Bowali visitors centre is a good place to rest and take in a video in the aircon. Visit Cooinda at yellow waters but cannot get near the river without doing a tour (walking travks closed -crocs). It is the in- between season, after the “knockem down storms” and currently patchwork burning is being done before the dry.

11 – 12 april Katherine to Darwin

A short detour to Edith Falls was disappointing as we are now discovering that we are really a few weeks early to access all the walks and pools. The tracks are still closed for the wet season and many of the pools at the bottom of the falls have saltwater croc warnings. The locals say that it is not just overprotective park management. The salties come up the flood waters, the water recedes and the crocs cannot get back down.

Still hot up here (35 deg) so it was good to find another detour off the highway, this time a lovely walk to Robin Falls on George Creek and swim in some pools. On we go to Litchfield NP for magnetic termite mounds which are over two metres high but so is the grass.

more swimming (Buley Rockholes and Florence Plunge pool) and bush camping.

Two conspicuous and noisy birds show off for us (Silver backed grey butcherbird and Blue faced Honeyeater). Hot night followed by early moring walk in monsoon rainforest and swim in Florence plunge pool again.

Today a short drive up to Darwin to stay at Alices. Her unit is right in the CBD, walk to everything! Darwin looks like a great place, with clean shopping malls, parks and gardens, walkways to the wharf. Pity about the homeless drunks staggering around early in the morning. We are noticing this in NT towns. Had a few days with Alice now on her days off. Went to fantastic museum and art gallery, gardens and coastal parklands, mangrove boardwalks. Signs everywhere not to swim cos of crocs but somer great places where you can swim (the wave pool and lake alexander)

8 – 10 april Alice Springs to Katherine

Three nights in Alice gave us the chance to catch up on washing, have a day trip to East MacDonnell range to Ross River and back. Emily and Jesse gaps good for rock carving and water hole, sacred Coroboree Rock and another gorge. Ross River looked pretty rugged and rocky, met the bloke looking after the place bragging he was good mates with Grollo (the owner). Wedding happening so didn’t hang about. Can see it would be a tough place for a rogaine.

Back in Alice, station closed so not able to see where Ghan stops. Indigenous people roaming about not much to do maybe. We went to the fantastic desert park. Saw an outdoor nature show where semi tame falcons and kites swooped in to be hand fed. acres of park with several walk in aviaries (counted 45 bird species today but is really cheating).

Drove north for 375km on Sunday, then 708km  on Monday, stopping to get fuel, coffee and look at a town whose past claim to fame was a historic telegraph station or WWII air strip now trying to be famous for the Alien capital of the world (Whycliff Well) or the oldest pub with the cliche underwear hanging from ceiling and car number plate, foreign money and business cards display (Daly Waters).

See pics of us playing marbles and Tony in a giant split Malteser.

Mataranka is a lovely place, stopped over at caravan park (we are still camping). Thermal springs, Brolgas and nesting pair of Whistling Kites are the highlights today. Then on to Katherine where the trip to the gorge is disappointing. Swimming closed due to floods and crocs.

4 april Kings Canyon to Alice Springs

Well they said the gravel had just been graded on the Larapinta Way- no worries in 2 wheel drive, Ok. After a shuddering 150 km of dirt road we arrived at the beautiful Glen Helen Gorge and stay over fot the night. Swim and relax in the pub and looking at Albert namatjira prints and reading about his life.

Next day stopped at every wonderful gorge for the view and swim. Arrived at Alice Springs. Tony keen for a bed for a change to sleeping on the ground but no budget rooms available. Tent again in dodgy caravan park but next night in a nice clean caravan park. Lazy day (Good Fri) and catch up with blog!