YOBAMA, Where you go?

I will explain the title of this post at the end.

It was the evening of the world cup semi final on my last night in Bangkok and after spending hours searching for a cheap way to get ourselves across the border, and constantly being told the expensive VIP bus was the only way forward, Paul and I eventually got wind of a train that would take us to the border town (Poi Pet). It was a 5:50am train, third class, no air conditioning and jam packed. However, on that evening, we were merry enough that it really did not matter. It was a five hour train journey, a tuk tuk to the border (past the scam at the fake border, I guess it's worth a try) and an easy walk across the Cambodian border (just a small bribe). All that for the equivalent of about $10 for transport, nothing like the $50 quote of the VIP bus and some discomfort thrown in for free. On the other side we got the cheap bus to Siem Reap and finally arrived after four hours in our new destination.

I was warned that Cambodia would be the saddest place I visited in South East Asia and that is definitely true. It doesn't take long before a five year old walks up to you clutching a newborn baby in the sweltering heat begging for money and food. It began at the border and remained rife in Siem Reap.

We stayed at a place for $6 a night, and we'd been told there was a swimming pool and air conditioning and everything else a man could want in this one room (after two months, you do learn to take everything with a grain of salt.) In true style, the air conditioning was broken, the swimming pool was being renovated and was going to be ready in a week (the sign looked about five months old) and the bathroom had a weird black liquid seeping from the drains. I guess it's hard to complain, at least we had a roof over our heads (just about).

Siem Reap is known for its temples (Angkor Wat) and its bustling night market (seen enough of both to last me a lifetime). The temples are supposed to be beautiful at sunrise, and of course, we were up at 4:30am to go but our tuk-tuk driver arrived an hour late (patience really is a virtue). We spent one day at the temples and that really was enough for me; I'd definitely describe myself now as "templed out." The children around the temples are pretty impressive, they don't just beg, they normally give you some kind of act and then expect some money. You name what country you're from and they can tell you your country's last five leaders, capital city, currency and the current political situation. If that doesn't quite real you in, how about a five year old who can count to ten in ten languages (I added one more to her list by teaching her some Luganda). The poverty here is so much more apparent than everywhere else I've been and it can be difficult walking around.

Siem Reap is also famous for its beautiful waterfall, which really was the highlight of the city for me. It's a bit of a drive by tuk tuk, after visiting the driver's home and waiting for him to do his shopping, we did eventually arrive. It was a great sight, with monks jumping off of trees into the water and doing tricks etc. The water was cool (not true for a lot of the region) and swimming was a lot of fun. After this and a few interviews in the city, we moved on to the capital, Phnom Penh.

Just a short bus journey this time, an easy tuk tuk and a quick look around, we decided to stay at 'Okay Guesthouse' (not the best name for your guesthouse, but at least it's not a lie). We got a good price for a room, it was not too far from the centre and I could get to my interview locations pretty easily.

Phnom Penh is where they really store the history of Cambodia. We visited the S21 Prison, where you can see the pictures of the many people massacred, tortured and killed by the Khmer Rouge during the genocide in the country. Despite being on the move for so long, the things humans can do to each other continue to shock me. In addition to this, there were the killing fields, where you can see the trees the Khmer Rouge would bang the heads of babies on to kill them and the remains from the mass graves of the regime that were excavated by the new government. It's not a place you want to spend too long.

For my interviews, I rented a motorcycle (sorry Mum) and rode around the city, in a place where traffic lights, no entry signs and even the side of the road to ride on are all just suggestions. It made it slightly easier to get around than tuk tuks everywhere but was definitely a steep learning curve dealing with this type of traffic. Cambodia was a unique experience for me because all of the NGOs I visited were local rather than international and I focused specifically on legal assistance for victims, it was really interesting learning about the legal system in the country.

Phnom Penh was also our hub for the world cup final at 1:30am. After a couple of movies in the room, we went outside to start the night with the tuk tuk drivers who had begun at sundown and then watched the game sitting with a bunch of Dutch fans (I really had hope for them). Disappointed by the result, the night ended for us there, but I am beginning to take it to heart that every team I seem to support can never seem to pull it out the bag (that's enough about England).

The food in Cambodia was great, especially the barbeque, and definitely some of my favourite in South East Asia. It's a common sight to see dogs spinning on the barbeque (not a great taste) but when street dogs are being extra mean and barking at me, I am consoled by the fact that they will soon be on a plate.

It was a flying visit in the country and after my final interview at the United Nations Inter Agency Project on Trafficking, we took the VIP bus (a bit of a cop-out but VIP literally means a seat and air conditioning) to Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City, swept through the border and arrived eight later in the city in the South of Vietnam. I have to say, I like Southerners in Vietnam a lot more than I liked the people up North, maybe it's just something about Southerners everywhere (UK, USA, Vietnam?) but they were definitely a lot nicer than their Northern counterparts.

I had my final interviews in Saigon and then paid a visit to the Cu Chi tunnels, which exhibit the conditions the Vietnamese lived under for 20 years and how they were able to win a war against the "capitalist devils" (their exact words not mine). It's a series of tunnels that apparently spanned 220km and was crucial to the Vietnamese winning the war. We then visited the War Remnants Museum (these guys really don't hold back) and saw the vivid images of the effects of chemical warfare and how the Vietnamese population continues to suffer the effects of the chemical bombs dropped during that war. The museum was filled with propaganda but was another stark reminder of some of the inhumanity that humanity can exude.

After a few days in Saigon, we got a little bored and had plans for a big adventure to a small town on the Mekong Delta. However, it monsooned, we copped out and ended up taking the first bus to a random town further down South. We found ourselves in the small city of My Thao, a land where English was scarce and so were foreigners. Dropped off in a random part of the place, we walked around searching for some kind of civilisation and our manger for the night. We found a guy who spoke a little English and told us to jump on his motorbike for a random destination (it is often hard to decipher if people really understand or are just agreeing for the sake of it). That said, we arrived at a hotel that was slightly better than okay (apart from the cockroach and leaking air conditioning but there is a such thing as too needy) and found or hub for the evening.

We decided to go out to this seafood barbecue place we had heard of. However, there were of course, no English menus and we'd forgotten the word for fish, so we found ourselves making signs and putting on quite the show. We thought we'd done pretty well until our food arrived, and every dish was a different variation of shrimp (what a dissapointment).

The next day we rented motorcyles again to have a look around the small city, although this experience was also hampered by the two hour monsoon. We then made our way to the bus station and found we had spent most of our money, had no access to an ATM and the last bus about to leave. We had 50 pounds, 50 dollars but not enough Vietnamese dong to pay the 24000 VND (1.25$) bus ticket. She refused our dollars (on the count of them being too old) and we ended up running around the place looking for a place to change our money (with the last bus soon taking off). Eventually, the motorcycle taxis agreed to change $1 dollar for 15000 VND (the normal rate is 19200 VND) and we made the exchange in desperation. Even after this exchange, still not enough and no more small change in dollars. We searched our bags, eventually found some left over Riel from Cambodia, changed that, paid the money exactly and found ourselves sitting comfortably on the last public bus out (a huge relief).

Back to Saigon for one night and then I needed to start heading north for my homeward bound flight from Hanoi. Paul left for Bangkok to get home and I took a taxi to the train station, because I wanted to take the 22 hour train to Danang (right in the middle of the country). As one can expect, no train seats available for the next three days unless I was willing to sit on a plastic chair in the middle of the aisle for that length of time. I gracefully declined and with no buses for two days, booked a Jet Star Airways flight at 4pm for $50 to Danang at 11:50pm. As I'd been warned, Jet Star Airways was three hours late and I arrived in Danang at 4am.

With no place to stay, I met this Spanish guy in the boarding queue, I agreed to take a taxi with him to Hoi An (a city about 30 minutes away). We arrived at 4:30am, he went to his hotel, I looked in my guidebook and rang the doorbell of a hotel I'd read about. Somebody came out, told me they had no rooms but they allowed to sleep on their bench until opening time (thank God). I did that and now find myself at Green Field Hotel, paying $6/night for a dorm room, with free access to a pool, sauna and the internet. In addition, there are free cocktails from 6:30pm-7:30pm by the pool every day, so who would want to stay anywhere better.

I'm in Hoi An Town, a world heritage site and really one of the more beautiful places in Vietnam. It is a place where tailors constantly invite you into their shops for "free looking," motorcycle drivers bug you a little bit less and the market is a great place for a bargain, if you can handle the stress.

With regards to the name of the blog, throughout South East Asia, I have really learned that Obama is a worldwide brand, something like Coca Cola or McDonalds. People constantly ask me to come into their shops, offering to make me a suit just like Obama, or in restaurants I have had a restaurant owner respond to my order with "Yes, Mr. President." The line in the title however is one I got about an hour ago from a motorcycle taxi soliciting work. He then held my hand next to his and uttered the famous line, "you, me...same, same...but different."

On that note, I'm going to end here. I'm heading North, back up to Hanoi tomorrow, two days there, a flight to Hong Kong, a day there and then back to London.

Now I really have to stop because free cocktails are calling.