17.06.2004
By the river
After an afternoon visit to the Royal Palace we decided to retire to the Foreign Correspondants Club, where old journo hacks gather round the bar overlooking the river to discuss unfolding events in Phnom Penh.
More...14.06.2004
Phnom Penh
I would pick up my Lonely Planet now to write as an pre-eminent expert on Khmer and French Colonial Phnom Penh architecture, but my attorney has advised me to act normal. Or at least less serious.
Regardless, I'm too lazy. Suffice to say the French had some construction input here while they played their empire games. Not that I'm caring too much right now - it's the gastronomical legacy that has me sold. Hot breads and pastries were eagerly devoured - almost had me whistling "la Marseillaise" but for the fact I don't know how it goes.
After some long walks around the city we've also given a double-thumbs-up review to the rice/coconut encrusted bananas cooked in the street woks.
13.06.2004
Sihanoukville
We made the 8am, four hour speedboat journey to Sihanoukville for 500 baht. The speedboat is really more a rivercat than anything else. In fact it was not designed to be operated at speed across the high seas.
More...12.06.2004
Koh Kong
A few days ago. Monsoon. Showers and the like. Restless, we were.
Today. We decided to leave Koh Chang. A transportational hop-skip-and-jump found us at Trat -> Hat Lek -> the border with Cambodia.
The 100 baht mini-bus journey from Trat led down an ever-narrowing strip of Thai land - the Cambodian border reaching hungrily down to the sea until the Thai side barely had enough room to squeeze a road through. Hat Lek is the final border town on the south east of Thailand.
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