Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Tonight is my last night in Cambodia. It's 12:30 am and I just finished packing my backpack, only to realize that half of my clothes are still at the place I dropped them off to have laundered. Hopefully they open early, I'm leaving at 8am. I stayed here in the port/beach town of Sihanoukville for a nice, relaxing and lazy eight days. Not a lot of sightseeing, partly because its been raining almost everyday (mixed in with blistering sunshine), but mostly because there's not a lot to see. Spent some of my time at the beach, Sihanoukville has several decent ones, and most of it by the swimming pool that is just steps from my room. I also spent a few days riding around on motorbikes checking out the area. There's a small mountain in Sihanoukville, at the top of which sits a beautiful temple, Wat Leu. The temple has a nicely landscaped garden with several interesting sculptures, as well as sweeping views of the Sihanoukville peninsula. I visited a beautiful waterfall, Kbal Chhay, about 15 km outside of town. On the way back, I stopped for lunch at an interesting place, the Snake House and Crocodile farm, where a live crocodile sat about 8 feet away from me watching me eat my lunch. They had dozens of displays of live snakes from all over the world as well.
I have my visa for Vietnam in hand, and tomorrow morning I leave for the island of Phu Quoc. Should be an interesting travel day as there's no real direct way to get there from here and I will have to wing it from the Cambodia/Vietnam border. Once I cross the border, I will be taking a boat from the town of Ha Tien. Hopefully there are several trips a day or I may have to spend the night and catch one in the morning.

The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek and the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

Today I took the opportunity to visit two sites of great importance to Cambodia's grim and brutal history, the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek and the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.
Tuol Sleng, formerly know as security office 21, or S-21, was created under the orders of Pol Pot and designed for the detention, interrogation, inhumane torture, and killing after confessions of the detainees were received and documented. S-21, formerly Toul Svay Prey high school in which the classrooms were turned into small cells, was created on April 17, 1975 after the forced evacuation of the entire city of Phnom Penh - at this time a population of about 3 million. Between 1975 and 1978, more than 17,000 people were imprisoned, tortured, and later taken to the killing fields of Choeung Ek. The Khmer Rouge leaders kept meticulous records and each prisoner was photographed. These photographs are displayed in room after room of the prisons walls, and serve as a very important reminder of the atrocities faced by the people of Kampuchea.
As I arrived at Choeung Ek, an ominous thunderstorm loomed in the distance providing an erie backdrop to the already somber experience of walking amongst 86 communal mass graves, now large pits in the ground. 43 others remain untouched. It was strangely peaceful walking around the well kept grounds and hard to imagine that such horrors took place at this very spot. Although, it was a bit discomforting knowing that the remains of thousands of victims still lie in the pits I was walking among, as only the skulls were removed when the mass graves were exhumed in 1980. These skulls, more than 8,000 of them, are on display behind the glass enclosure inside the Memorial Stupa, built in 1988. Many of these skulls belong to the faces in the pictures on display in the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.

The Royal Palace and National Museum of Cambodia

Today was my first full day in Phnom Penh, a nice change after Battambang. Being the capital of Cambodia, it's considerably larger and much more lively. The hotel that I'm staying at, Her Royal Highness (yes, that's the name), is only a couple of blocks away from the Tonle Sap river and also the Royal Palace and the National Museum of Cambodia. Since I was so close, I decided to make these my first visits during my stay in Phnom Penh.
My first visit was to the National Museum. The museum consists of four pavilions surrounding a gorgeous courtyard and houses the finest collection of Khmer sculptures anywhere. Some dating to as early as the 4th century. There is also a permanent collection of post-Angkorian Buddhas, most of which were rescued from Angkor Wat when civil war broke out. Unfortunately most of the collection is off limits to cameras, but the pavilion and courtyard were definitely worth a few snapshots.
My next visit was to the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, located right next door to the National Museum. Its massive compound is located along the riverfront, hidden behind a huge protective wall. Being the official residence of King Shamoni (it was his birthday the day I visited), most of the compound is off limits to the public. Visitors are only allowed to visit the palace's Silver Pagoda and its surrounding buildings, and picture taking was not allowed here either. Probably for good reason. The Silver Pagoda is named in honor of the floor - covered in over 5,000 tiles made of pure silver, each weighing in at about 1kg or about 5 tonnes total! Inside you will find the Emerald Buddha, believed to be made from Baccarrat crystal, as well as a life-size gold Buddha decorated with 9584 diamonds - the largest being about 25 carats. Although more than half of the pagoda's contents were destroyed under Pol Pot's regime, the Silver Pagoda was preserved by the Khmer Rouge to "demonstrate its concern for the conservation of Cambodia's cultural riches". How thoughtful of them...

In and around Battambang, Cambodia

Left Siem Reap Friday morning for the boat trip to Battambang. I was picked up at my hotel around 6:20am and we arrived at the ferry terminal near the floating village of Chong Kneas on the Tonle Sap Lake, about 11 km away, just in time for our 7am departure. As I mentioned in a previous post, I had reservations about taking this trip, and upon seeing the boat that we were about to be making this journey on, my fears certainly were not alleviated. The trip could take anywhere from 5-10 hours, depending on the water levels, and there were about 10 more people than this boat could comfortably hold. After piling all the luggage on the roof of the boat, 25 people somehow managed to squeeze on to one of the two benches on either side of the boat. Once we started moving, the boat was so loaded down that the wake from the front of the boat was almost coming over the side. Very unsafe. But this is Cambodia, if they can make it work, they will.

The trip took about 8 hours, but after 20 minutes I abandoned my seat on the crowded bench and went on top of the boat with the luggage, dried fish, and who knows what else. Much better as far as comfort and room went, but now I was sitting directly in the sun. Good thing I have a decent tan already, this could be a long journey. I put on some sunscreen anyway and got comfortable. The journey certainly was scenic - crossing the expanse of the Tonle Sap Lake, passing through protected wetlands and floating villages, and following narrow waterways, and brushing past overhanging trees. Every few minutes I would have to wave back at one of the many children seen along the way swimming who were always so excited, yelling "helloooo" to the foreigners. About halfway along we stopped briefly at a floating village for a lunch and toilet break. Some people ate the dish that was on offer, I opted to stick with the baguette and bananas I bought from a child at the boat dock before we left. The "toilet" was interesting. As I walked around to the back of the dock to this outhouse looking building, I enter to see nothing but a hole cut out in the boards of the dock with a bunch of fish swimming around below, eagerly awaiting for whatever it was I was about to deposit. Too bad for them I only had to pee.
We soon were on our way again. I got caught in the rain briefly, but 20 minutes later the sun was blazing and dried me right out. Several more hours later we arrived at the "ferry terminal" in Battambang, which was nothing more than a set of metal stairs on the hill of the riverbank. The awaiting tuk-tuk and moto drivers were all there, competing for your business and offering free rides to whatever hotel it was that is paying their commission. To tired after the long ride to be walking around for the perfect place to stay, I chose a driver for a hotel that sounded decent from what I had read in my (somewhat) trusty Lonely Planet Cambodia guidebook. It was just so-so. Stayed there for two nights and moved to the Seung Hout Hotel, which I found while just roaming around one day. It was much nicer. Newer and cleaner and the staff was very friendly and helpful. Not to mention it was cheaper, and they had the best view around from their rooftop chill area - a completely unobstructed 360 degree view of all of Battambang and the surrounding areas. Great for watching the lightening and storms that came through.

Overall, there's not a lot to do in Battambang. The selection of restaurants or bars is extremely limited, and a nightlife of any kind here is almost non existent. Very unlike Siem Reap, which of course is a direct reflection on the amount of tourists the two areas see. I would have to say one of the highlights of my visit to Battambang was the boat trip itself. Although, I did spend three of my days there riding around the countryside on a motorbike. The countryside can be absolutely stunning at times, but this also provided me with the opportunity to visit some very amazing sites outside of Battambang as well. One of them, Phnom Banon, resembles Angkor Wat to some extent, but sits at the top of a large hill (Phnom means mountain in Khmer). There are stone and cement stairs all the way to the top. 358 to be exact. A bit of a climb, but the views from the top are great and the temple itself is very beautiful. At the top, I had a handful of little Cambodian children following me as I looked around. They were there with their families and were very sweet, and I was thankful they weren't bugging me to buy something or asking for money. They had these little woven reed fans and seeing that I was very hot, they followed me around fanning me trying to keep me cool.

Another place I visited was the Killing Caves at Phnom Sampeau. At the summit of Phnom Sampeau are several temples - some of which are fairly new, being built with donations from Khmer who live and work overseas. Unlike Phnom Banan, I was able to ride my motorbike to the summit. However, there are a series of stairs/steps and trails that allow you to be able to climb to the top if you are feeling energetic. The summit provides more spectacular views of the countryside. Most interesting though are the Killing Caves, found about 300 meters off the access road, halfway to the top. A staircase descends down into a cavern with an opening at the top, kind of like a skylight. At the bottom of the cavern you find a golden reclining Buddha sitting blissfully next to a glass walled memorial filled with the bones found here of the victims of the Khmer Rouge. Many of the victims were bludgeoned to death before being throw into the cavern via the overhead "skylight". I took a few photos, nothing around saying I shouldn't, but I still didn't feel right about it. A monk nearby handed me some burning incense, so I placed them in the urn and said a prayer for the victims of this terrible tragedy.

The Cities and Temples of Ancient Angkor (part 3)

Today is my last day here in Siem Reap. I just made my travel arrangements for tomorrow's trip from Siem Reap to Battambang by speedboat. I was a little apprehensive about these travel arrangements as I've heard that the boats are prone to breakdowns and that during the dry season (which were just now coming out of), the trip can take up to twice as long because of low water levels. I've also learned on this trip not to believe everything you hear or read, and that it's always best to find out for yourself, so I booked it anyway. Besides, the trip to Battambang is "arguably the most scenic in all of Cambodia". We'll see. I'll let you know in a couple of days. Back to the temples...

Day 3 - Banteay Kdei, Banteay Srei, Kbal Spean, and Pre Rup (click for pictures)
For my third and finally day of visiting the temples, I decided not to torture myself again by mountain biking out to the temples and opted for my original mode of transportation - the Tuk Tuk. This also provided me with the opportunity to visit a couple of the more remote temples, Banteay Srei and Kbal Spean, located about 40 and 50 km respectively outside of Siem Reap. My tuk-tuk driver picked me up around 11am, and we head out. Along the way we passed by Banteay Kdei so I decided to stop for a quick look. The temple, being Buddhist, is similar in appearance to the Bayon, with face-towers at its entrances. Its ruined state appears much as discovered, giving it the same mystical feeling as that of Ta Prohm. Although being much smaller in size, making it for an easy visit.
After leaving Banteay Kdei we continued the ride on to Banteay Srei, still about another 25 km away. This gave me the opportunity to take some good photos of the countryside while wizzing by on a tuk-tuk. Banteay Srei wasn't even discovered until 1914 and while not a royal temple, is still a temple of remarkable beauty. It was built by one of Rajendravarmans's counsellors, who had been granted this land by the king. I was surprised at how small this temple is compared with the other I'd seen so far, but what it lacks in size is more than made up for in its beauty. Nearly every surface of this temple is completely decorated in intricate carvings.
Next, we continued on for another 12 km or so until we reached Kbal Spean. Kbal Spean actually isn't a temple, but a series of rock-cut sculptures in which all three gods of the Hindu trinity are represented. Some washed by rapids, others submerged in natural pools along the river, and still others cut into the rock faces above the water line, covering a stretch of about 150 meters between a natural stone bridge and a waterfall. Reaching this place requires hiking/climbing about 1.5 km up a steep hillside and makes the waterfall a nice refreshing reward for your efforts.
Along the way back to Siem Reap I took more photos of the country side and stopped at one last temple, Pre Rup, to catch the sunset. This was a quick visit though, as I arrived just in time to climb to the upper terrace of this temple-mountain to catch the sun dipping below the horizon. This marked the closing of the temple, and the end of my whirlwind three-day visit to the Cities and Temples of Ancient Angkor.

The Cities and Temples of Ancient Angkor (part 2)

Ok, my last post was getting a little long and I needed a break, so I took a mt. bike ride and went and had a late lunch. Back to the temples...

Day 2 - Ta Prohm (click for pictures)
Feeling inspired by my first days visit to Angkor, I decide that for my second day I would rent a mt. bike and ride out to the temples on my own. Initially I planned to ride out there early enough so that I would be able to catch another sunrise, this time from another temple's perspective. But after that first full day of exploring the temples in the hot Cambodian sun, my legs were tired and I just couldn't see getting up at 4 am again. Lucky for me it was raining that morning, so I decided I would ride down in the early afternoon and stay through sunset instead. Back to sleep I went.
I awoke several hours later and prepared for my ride out to the temples. My intentions were to visit the temple of Ta Prohm and maybe a few of the other nearby minor temples, then try to catch the sunset at the Bayon. The weather that day, however, couldn't make up its mind and just as I was heading out of Siem Reap it started to downpour. I stopped and waited it out at a restaurant, and soon it was sunny again. Although now the roads were a soupy mess and the humidity just increased dramatically. One thing about Siem Reap - it's either dusty or muddy, depending on whether its sunny or rainy. I continued my ride, but by the time I reached the outskirts of Angkor I seriously considered abandoning the ride all together and turning around. The tank... I mean bike, I was riding weighed a ton, gears didn't shift properly, had a broken pedal, and I was drenched in sweat. Not sure what made me think that riding 20+ km's in mid-day sun of 35 degree (celcius) weather was a good idea. Anyway, I pressed on, but abandoned any thoughts of visiting any temples other than Ta Prohm that day. Eventually, I arrived at Ta Prohm, tired and sweaty, and just in time for another downpour. I waited this one out at one of the many vendor stalls that are outside all of the major temples, bought a large bottle of water, and sat down to cool off. Spent the next hour waiting for the rain to stop and being accosted relentlessly by little children trying to sell me everything from bracelets and wooden flutes, to tee-shirts, post cards and books about the temples. The children are amusing though, once you get past the constant harassment for your dollar, and will amaze you with their knowledge of the country you come from.
Finally, the rain stopped and I was able to visit the temple I most looked forward to. There's something very magical and mystical about Ta Prohm. The Ecole Francaise d'Extreme Orient (French School of the Far East), who's efforts are largely responsible for Angkor being visitable today, chose this temple to be left in its "natural state" as an example of how most of Angkor looked on its discovery in the 19th century. This involved a huge amount of work, to prevent further collapse, and enough clearing of vegetation to allow access. Ta Prohm has been maintained in this condition of apparent neglect ever since.
The trees, growing intertwined among the ruins, are largely responsible for the mystical atmosphere of Ta Prohm. These trees, the larger silk-cotton tree and the smaller strangler-fig, initially take hold in a crevice somewhere in the superstructure of the temple, usually where a bird has deposited a seed, then extends roots downwards towards the earth. In the process, the roots work their way between the masonry and stone, eventually growing thicker and gradually wedging open the blocks of stone. Over time, the tree becomes a support structure for the temple , but when it dies, or is felled by a storm, the loosened stones collapse as well. Sadly, these trees - now the support structures for large portions of the temples, will eventually become the cause for their destruction.
I spent the rest of the afternoon, up until around sunset, at Ta Prohm, then proceeded with the long ride back to Siem Reap. The weather that day made the chances of a decent sunset next to zero, but at this point I didn't care. Exhausted and over-heated, I was just glad to have made it back.

The Cities and Temples of Ancient Angkor

After a few days spent around Siem Reap, I was feeling ambitious and decided it was time to visit the temples. Rather than giving long, detailed accounts of the history and backgrounds to all the temples, I will leave it to you to do a web search for any additional information you may want to know. Here is a brief synopsis of the temples I visited with links to pictures:

Day 1
For my first visit to the temples of Angkor, I opted to hire a tuk-tuk driver to take me to the temples. The temples are about 10 km outside of Siem Reap and this seemed to be the best option as I wanted to arrive in the early dawn hours so I would be able to catch the sunrise over Ankor Wat. My driver picked me up at my hotel at 5am and we headed out. Upon the approach to the Angkor Archaeological Site, you are required to purchase a visitor pass for access to the temples. The passes cost $20/40/60 for a 1/3/7 day pass. It's not possible to see everything in 1 day, but 7 days seemed a little much, so I opted for the 3 day pass. There is no way around purchasing a pass either - all roads leading into Angkor are guarded and all the major temples have security that check tickets upon entering. The area itself is so vast and surrounded by dense patches of jungle that it's not possible to get close enough for a quick peek. And getting caught in the area without a ticket will incur a hefty fine. Since I decide to get only a 3 day pass I knew there wouldn't be time to see everything and decided to focus each day on some of the "heavy hitters" that I knew I wouldn't want to miss.

Angkor Wat (click for pictures)
The first temple I decided to visit. I arrived early enough that all I could see of Angkor was a dark silhouette of the temple against the purple/blue background of the pre-dawn sky. This in itself was pretty amazing, but as the sun slowly started to reveal itself in the horizon behind Angkor, so did the amazing detail and grandness of the temple itself. Angkor Wat, not only the largest and most important temple in all of Angkor, was also a city. Built in the first half of the 12th century under the reign of Suryavarman II, both as the capital and the State Temple dedicated to Vishnu, the Protector, the God who preserves universal order and fights to restore harmony in the Hindu Trinity. While it is frequently (and mistakenly) said that Angkor was "discovered by the Europeans", the Khmers themselves never forgot the existence of their treasures. And while the majority of their temples were overtaken by the jungles and fell to neglect, the temple of Angkor Wat itself always remained occupied and a place of worship.

Angkor Thom: The Bayon and Royal Palace group (click for pictures)
It's impossible to absorb everything you are seeing in one visit to Angkor, and subsequent visits I'm sure would reveal much more of the details and intricacies that the temple has to offer. But after several hours of exploring Angkor, I decided I should move on and come back to Angkor Wat later if time allowed. Besides, I was getting quite hungry and needed a cup of coffee so I stopped at one of the many food vendors outside the temple and had a terrible omelet and an even worse cup of coffee. After breakfast, I met up with my driver and we proceeded to the South gate of Angkor Thom, one of the largest of all Khmer cities. This is the first point of entry to the city from the road from Angkor Wat and Siem Reap. There are 5 gates that enter the city, but the S gate has been the most extensively restored and the most complete as most of the heads from the statues at the other gates have been stolen.
Upon entering the south gate you will approach the Bayon. The Bayon, widely recognized by its numerous carved faces, is one of the most enigmatic and powerful religious structures in the world. The temple is extremely complex, both in its structure and in its religious symbolism, having passed through different religious phases from Pantheon of the Gods, Hindu worship and Buddhism. Angkor Thom itself was so well fortified that subsequent kings found it easier to just re-model the Bayon rather than remove it and build their own State Temple - resulting in several architectural changes over the centuries that have contributed to this complexity.
After a couple of hours exploring the Bayon I moved on to the Royal Palace. The site where Suryavarman I built his royal palace continued in use through from the 11th to the end of the 16th centuries, and like many structures in Angkor, also underwent many restorations and transformations during this period. Recent excavations however, have revealed remains that date back even before this time.
A quick visit to a couple of nearby minor temples, Thommanon and Chao Say Tevoda (click for pictures), afterwards left me quite exhausted. This, in addition to a dead battery in my camera, prompted me to call it an afternoon. I decided to go back to the hotel and charge the battery for my camera, rest a bit, then come back in the evening for the Night Festival at Angkor Wat. This allowed me the opportunity to see some of the performances by the Apsara dancers and Angkor Warriors, as well as see Angkor one more time - this time lit up in all its glory at night.

Siem Reap, Cambodia...

A little over a week ago I left Ko Chang for Siem Reap, Cambodia. The journey was long, about 10 hours, and except for a few attempted scams upon crossing the border, was fairly uneventful. I was picked up from my bungalow at 7am and after picking up a mini-van full of other passengers we headed for the ferry terminal on Ko Chang. It was a somewhat somber ride as I watched Ko Chang get smaller and smaller as the ferry terminal pulled away and headed for Trat. We arrived at the Aranya Prather/Poipet border crossing a several hours later. However, right prior to reaching the border, our driver stops at a restaurant (like they do every hour or so along the way because they get commissions) where a lady insists that we must get our visas there before crossing the border. I knew this wasn't true, so I informed everyone that we can get our visas at the border for about half of what she was trying to charge us. We told our driver that we'd take our chances and get our visas at the border. The lady wasn't happy, and I'm sure he wasn't either - no doubt he was getting a commission from that as well. We leave and a little while later pull into the Cambodian Embassy just down the road from the border and go in to get our visas. Even here we were charged about 300 baht more than we would've paid at the border, but were told that it was a fee for "express service" and that we could do it at the border if we choose but it may take several hours as the people at the border have to come back here to get the visas anyway and sometimes wait until there are several to get. Whatever, we paid the extra amount and got on with it. Sometimes the hassle isn't worth the couple of extra dollars. Finally, our driver drives us to the border, at which time our he hands us over to his Cambodian counterpart who proceeds to lead us through the border crossing. Upon departing Thailand, I paid my 500 baht fine for overstaying my visa for one day, which I expected, but cringed when I had to sign a form with a statement stating that I "have resolved this matter with Thailand police". We cross in to Cambodia without incident, and our new driver takes us to the bus station where we will transfer to a bus for the rest of the ride to Siem Reap. When we arrive at the bus terminal, the driver tells us that we should exchange our money here. I asked him about the exchange rate and he immediately starts trying to tell me that I wont be able to change it once I get to Siem Reap because of "problems between Thailand and Cambodia" and they wont accept baht. Immediately my bullshit alarm went off and I ignored him. Later, at another restaurant stop on the way to Siem Reap, I was talking with a couple of the people who were on the bus with me. They paid in Riel (the Cambodian currency) so I asked them what the exchange rate was at the bus terminal. It was horrible, they lost about $60 on $250 exchange, and I'm sure there were more commissions to be had by the taxi driver because of it. Ok, you've been informed, enough about the scams.
My first impression of Cambodia was that of impeccably manicured rural farmlands and rice paddies interspersed with sugar-palm. The road to Siem Reap is now completely sealed so the journey was smooth and went quicker than I expected. We arrived in Siem Reap around sunset which put a nice glow on everything and I was immediately impressed with how well set up the town is. Being the backbone for Angkor's tourism, I can easily see why it is one of the most popular destinations on the planet. Accommodations here can run from as low as $3 a night to several thousand. I'm staying at a wonderful little mini-hotel, run by an incredibly friendly and attentive family, called the Encore Angkor. It's in a very convenient location, near the Old Market, the Night Market, Pub Street, and the Stung Siem Reap (Siem Reap River). The room was extremely clean, with crisp linens, satellite t.v., air con, and nicely tiled bath. Not to mention the amenities such as free wi-fi, swimming pool, laundry, daily cleaning svc, and free breakfast. Certainly a bargain at only $15 a night! Highly recommend.
Rather than rushing off to see the temples of Angkor immediately, I spent the first few days just checking out Siem Reap and lazing by the pool trying to keep up my tan from Ko Chang. I spent a lot of time wandering around the markets or dining in one of the may restaurants found on Pub Street or the "The Alley". I found a good deal on a much needed 8GB flash drive then proceeded to go to the "Boom Boom Room" (not that kind of boom-boom), where I purchased some much needed music. The Boom Boom Room is a store that sells iPods, accessories, t-shirts, and music downloads of pretty much anything. Up till now I've had no music with me, and being a dj this has been torture. I NEED music. Right now I'm chillin' in my sweet little hotel room, working on my blog, and listening to a Bargrooves compilation - one of the 30 cd downloads I picked up for less than 75 cents a piece.
The last few days were spent exploring the temples of Angkor and some of the rural Cambodian country side. Tommorow will be my last day here in Siem Reap so I will be making travel arrangements for my next destination, Battambang, and will also post a blog entry about the temples with pictures. If you want to see pictures from around Siem Reap, click here. The pictures taken in the rural country side were taken while cruising by in a tuk-tuk, but still give a good impression of what the country outside of Siem Reap and around Angkor is like.

Goodbye Ko Chang... until we meet again.

It's been a long time since my last post. Nine and a half weeks, and two visas later I finally left the island of Ko Chang. My initial visa, which I obtained in Vancouver prior to leaving for Thailand, was good for two months. It expired a couple of weeks ago, right at the begining of the celebration of the Thai New Year, Songkran. I realy didn't want to miss this so instead of moving on in my travels, I made a quick run to the Cambodian border and renewed my visa for another two weeks so I would be able to stay just a little longer.
The Songkran celebration was fun, although much more subdued compared to the celebrations in Bangkok or Chang Mai. In Thailand, the new year is celebrated over 3-5 days and consists of lots of partying and lots of water throwing. Squirt guns, buckets, hoses, etc., whatever is necessary. And EVERYONE is fair game, at anytime. Its basically a three-day water fight. Lots of cell phones and cameras getting ruined during this time. But when you get a bucket of ice-cold water dumped on you by a five year old making a sneak attack, you cant help but smile. It's all in the name of fun.
So finally my second visa expired last Sunday and I felt that this was a good time to move on in my travels. After nine and a half weeks on Ko Chang, I saw a complete change in the seasons. It went from high season to low season for tourism during this time, and week by week there were less and less people. This was ok with me though, by this time most of my friend were either locals or other travelers who had been around as long as me, and I kind of enjoyed the new quiet feel the island had to it. Even the seas changed considerably during this time - they went from being dead calm to almost surfable. And over the last couple of weeks I watched the beach completely change shape as the seas pulled all the sand back into them until the next change of seasons. That's how my days were spent on Lonely Beach - swimming in the sea, laying on the beach, playing frisbee, watching the sunsets, and observing mother nature at work. Definitely time well spent.
It was hard to leave Ko Chang and I know I will definitely return again one day. Maybe a month or two from now, maybe not for several years. But Ko Chang is one of those islands that makes you not want to leave, and when you do it makes you promise that you'll be back. I look forward to seeing the successes of friends who have set up lives for themselves on this island and to them I wish all the best of luck. And to all the friends I've met there from all around the world, who knows where we'll meet again, maybe in Holland, Spain, England, Sweden, Turkey, Canada... or wherever, I'll always have the memories of all the good times that we shared on this little slice of paradise... Until we meet again.
(Photo album for Ko Chang has been updated with lots of new photos. Click on the slideshow link to the right)