Day 5 - 18th February 2014 - Kuala Lumpur - Phnom Penh

Apologies for the lateness of this post, ended up nodding off last night before I could do it!  Not a whole lot to report in this one, most of today was taken up with travel, we got up and headed out for breakfast, Giss went for the western option, I decided to hit my old mates at SK Corner again, for another roti.  After that we caught a taxi to KL Sentral station, and from there a train to the airport, rather than the usual bus.  It was all skin of the teeth stuff, we got on the train 2 minutes before it was due to depart, probably should have had a quicker breakfast!

The train was lovely, very spacious and so smooth once underway, much more comfortable than the bus and the scenery was great.  Unfortunately the train only goes to the main airport terminal, so we still had a 20 minute bus connection to the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT).  Once there we had plenty of time to check in, grab a quick bite and then wait for our plane. 

Buffet at SK Corner

It was around a 2 hour flight to Phnom Penh, and we were sitting next to a lovely Irish lady who is going to Cambodia to volunteer teaching English for 2 months, something i'd love to do if I ever got the opportunity,.  
Once we arrived in Cambodia we filled out all the visa application forms, paid our $20 each (US dollars only) and made it through completely unscathed.  First move when out the door was to organise a SIM card for our phone, thankfully there are several vendors right at the airport door.  SIM card, $3 sir, oh you want to call international? You need to add extra credit, $2.  I already like this place!  Then you are given a voucher for a taxi to the hotel, they have implemented set price taxis of $9 which makes it fairer to the drivers, as well as letting tourists know up front what the cost is likely to be.  The trip to our hotel was amazing, the difference between KL and PP is astonishing, I ca

Dinner at SK Corner

n't think of any other way to describe PP than Chaos.  There are moto-scooters and Tuk-Tuk's (motorbikes with carriages hitched on the back) darting everywhere, the horns are sounded almost constantly, driving on the wrong side of the road, or through red lights seems to be par for the course.  What is really amazing is that no-one gets angry. No one is abusing anyone, no fingers given, they just go with the flow and avoid the obstacles; the horns seem to be simply a device used to warn people where the vehicle is, rather than an angry beeping. 
The traffic was also chaotic due to school finishing at that time our driver informed us, so we spent over 20 minutes at a standstill.  It was still enjoyable just getting to enjoy such a different landscape and scenery.  

A sad reminder of the realities of tourism in Cambodia

Unfortunately I don't have many pictures at the moment, and i'm also running out of time to get going for the day, so I will try for a more comprehensive post tonight, today we are off to the killing fields and the genocide museum, so it will no doubt be a sobering and emotional day.