Sunday, March 27, 2005
circle in the sand
Well, greetings. I see it's been another quiet afternoon in BBC Sport. It's the little old ladies, struggling to pay their licence fees, that I feel sorry for..
Now, returning to old themes, when Blue Peter weren't discovering the Terracota Army, they were busy saving Cambodia with their annual summer appeal. So, arriving in Cambodia, I was anxious to see how the proceeds of all those bring and buy sales had been spent. Obviously those in 'the colonies' won't understand this fully. Nor will those who are far too cool for Blue Peter and instead spent their formative years hanging with the hood in downtown Detroit.
We arrived in Phom Pen directly from the Laos border. Travelling there took the best part of a day and involved, stats fans, 3 different boat rides and 2 taxis. Cambodian immigration compromised of a wooden hut on a sandbank. With only 20 or so people crossing here per day, the police can't make much from the $2 bribe we both had to pay.
After 90 minutes of the imminent death experience that is travelling by speedboat along the Mekong, we opted for the taxi route the rest of the way. Teaming up with new found friends from Japan and France, we hired a taxi for the 8 hour drive along possibly the worst road in the whole of Asia. The Blue Peter money, and justifiably so, was clearly not spent on creating many paved roads.
In exchange for $80 and driving us the whole way, I gave the young lad a free driving lesson. He now knows that it is dangerous to drive on the wrong side of the road cutting bends, no matter if everyone else does it. Equally he only overtakes with my permission and knows that when it gets almost dark it's a good idea to switch the headlights on. If we ever visit these parts again, then lesson 2 will involve how not to drive at full speed at any obstacle barring our path.
Anyway, Phnom Pen. Having spent too long in Laos we didn't really have time to do much. Which was just as well as it was possibly the hottest place on earth.
The 2 memorials dedicated to the victims of Khmer Rouge were particularly shocking. What makes these atrocities even worse is that most of the perpetuators escaped justice and exist alongside other Cambodians today. At the Tuol Sleng prison museum the photos of thousands of victims stare out at you, whilst the killing fields includes a huge memorial filled with skulls recovered from nearby mass graves. It's not surprising that many travellers come away with negative impressions of Cambodia when most visit these places.
Now, returning to old themes, when Blue Peter weren't discovering the Terracota Army, they were busy saving Cambodia with their annual summer appeal. So, arriving in Cambodia, I was anxious to see how the proceeds of all those bring and buy sales had been spent. Obviously those in 'the colonies' won't understand this fully. Nor will those who are far too cool for Blue Peter and instead spent their formative years hanging with the hood in downtown Detroit.
We arrived in Phom Pen directly from the Laos border. Travelling there took the best part of a day and involved, stats fans, 3 different boat rides and 2 taxis. Cambodian immigration compromised of a wooden hut on a sandbank. With only 20 or so people crossing here per day, the police can't make much from the $2 bribe we both had to pay.
After 90 minutes of the imminent death experience that is travelling by speedboat along the Mekong, we opted for the taxi route the rest of the way. Teaming up with new found friends from Japan and France, we hired a taxi for the 8 hour drive along possibly the worst road in the whole of Asia. The Blue Peter money, and justifiably so, was clearly not spent on creating many paved roads.
In exchange for $80 and driving us the whole way, I gave the young lad a free driving lesson. He now knows that it is dangerous to drive on the wrong side of the road cutting bends, no matter if everyone else does it. Equally he only overtakes with my permission and knows that when it gets almost dark it's a good idea to switch the headlights on. If we ever visit these parts again, then lesson 2 will involve how not to drive at full speed at any obstacle barring our path.
Anyway, Phnom Pen. Having spent too long in Laos we didn't really have time to do much. Which was just as well as it was possibly the hottest place on earth.
The 2 memorials dedicated to the victims of Khmer Rouge were particularly shocking. What makes these atrocities even worse is that most of the perpetuators escaped justice and exist alongside other Cambodians today. At the Tuol Sleng prison museum the photos of thousands of victims stare out at you, whilst the killing fields includes a huge memorial filled with skulls recovered from nearby mass graves. It's not surprising that many travellers come away with negative impressions of Cambodia when most visit these places.
// posted by courtney and pete @ 21:35 
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Old ladies these days do not have to pay the licence fee although some of us do like the sport
Nan Carol
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Nan Carol
# posted by 
: 10:17 am
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