Battambang, Phnom Phen, Sihanoukville & Kampong

Ok so not much photo's for you to look at this time as someone stole my camera a couple of nights ago. I was walking back to my guest house in Sihanoukville and I had my camera clipped to my bag which was over my shoulder and chest and as I normally try and do I was walking towards the oncoming traffic (not that there was any as very quiet side road) but I didn't pay attention to the two guys on the moped parked at the side of the road and as I passed the passanger he reached out and grabbed my camera and they drove off. I grabbed it back but the strap of my bag ripped and I stumbled and they got away with the camera - we tried to chase them but as they were going downhill onto a main road they were well gone!! Shame it wasn't the bag they grabbed as the camera would have fallen on the ground when the snap broke and I had less than $20 in the bag!! ......as you can imagine the air turned blue for a few minutes as I cursed them rotten. I was initially really angry at myself as I always clip my camera onto the front of my trouser belt as well as any bag I am carrying but in retrospect it was probably better that I hadn't as the camera would have still been able to grab the camera and I would have been dragged along with it - and these guys won't stop till they get what they want one way or another. Though not sure if they have ever dealt with someone as bad tempered and stubborn as me but probably better not to have found out!!

The ironic thing is that after all the times I have walked about on my own down poortly lit streets etc I was actually with a guy when this happened (Arnaund from France - who also tried to catch them) and only a short distance from the guest house. Though I was probably paying less attention to my surroundings than I would when I am on my own (too busy chatting!!).

I am sad to have lost my camera which was my leaving gift from some of you but most of all I'm disappointed that I have no photo's of most of my stay in Cambodia and I won't be able to pick up a new camera now until I reach Saigon at the end of the week and have to deal with the insurance company!!

Despite this though I have loved my time in Cambodia and refuse to let this spoil my memories of the trip (just have to come back soon for more photos!!) at the end of the day these things happen everywhere including home....

Anyway, after my last update I finished visiting the Angkor temples and then made my way to Battambang which was a nice peaceful town with old French style buildings. I hired a cycle one day and cycled 17km out to Phnom Sampeou which is a temple on a hill where they found caves full of bodies after the Khmer Rouge had been in power in the 70's. I think I must be the only person in years to cycle there as even the police were quite amazed that a tourist cycled along the very bumpy dusty road and didn't take a tuc tuc. The views from the top were impressive. The next day I went on a moto (motorcylce taxi) to another temple which was ok and onto the Bamboo train - which was basically just a metal frame with bamboo strips and a small engine thrown on that the locals use to go up and down the track between villages. We got the train back towards town which would have been much more fun if it hadn't decided to pour down all the way. There was one point that day when we stopped to take shelter out of the rain and some guy came over and started speaking to my driver who told me he was demanding money from him and me - I told him he could go sing for it as I wasn't giving him anything. The driver said he was scared as he had to work here and gave him some money - but to be honest i wasn't convinced it wasn't a scam with the driver involved!!

Next I headed to Cambodia's capital Phnom Phen - the city itself was dusty, polluted and not that inspirational. I only stopped here for a couple of days and I went to visit the museum and palace one day and just explored the areas just out of the city.The next day I went to Toul Sleng Museum - which used to be a school but was used as a prison camp by the Khmer Rouge who beat and tortured hundred's of people (children included)here and amazingly enough kept photographic documents showing this - it was so sad i cried (yes I can do that now and then) - but in fact the sadest thing about if for me is knowing that stuff like that is still happening in other countries. Then I cycled out the 15km or so to the Killing Fields (the one's in the movie) where the prisoners from the prison would almost likely get sent for execution and disposal - really cheery day out!! But I felt it was important to see this, I have read a couple of survivor books about this time and seeing these places give some more insight into what Camodian people have been through as this happened so recently most people in Cambodia were directly affected by it. But what amazes me is that despite this and the other recent wars here they are still so friendly and generous and always happy to smile and laugh with you even if they can't speak a word of English (and i have only mastered about 3 in Khmer!!) yet you see starvation, begging and the unfortunate victims of landmines which still injure and main thousands every year!!

After the trauma's on Phnom Phen I decided a few days on the beach at Sihanoukville on the southern coast would set me up for my trip into Vietnam - but of course that came with it's unexpected drama!! But it was still nice to chill out at the beach for a few days and I was lucky as it seemingly rained solid for 3 days before I arrived. The people in the guest house I was staying at - staff and other guests were all very concerned when I got my camera stolen and kept checking I was ok and looked after me well. So though I had my worst experience of my travels here I still have good memories to away. Especailly watchin the most amazing sunsets every night - and as I had no camera for 2 of them I did actually watch them rather than photograph them!! Photo is of one of these kindly passed on by AD who I sat and watched it with.

So arrived in small town called Kampong late this afternoon - doesn't look like there is too much here so will probably hire a bike tomorrow and spend a day exploring before heading to the Vietnam border as my visa not valid for entry to Vietnam for another few days.

I will hopefully have a camera at hand again very soon so that I can share some more of my travels with you - the photo's say it much better than I ever could!!

Bye for now.

Jack xx