Blazing Machine Guns and Golden Palaces, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

 

The border between Laos and Cambodia goes a little bit like this, first walk two kilometres on a dusty road to a small Khmer style hut. Second, get a horribly fake mandatory medical inspection for swine flu, then bribe the “doctor” about 1 US dollar, phew!! Now your safe from swine flu. Third, go to the next hut and Bribe for your Immigration documents. Fourth, bribe again for your stamps… they say the ink apparently costs money, yes ridiculous I know. Ok now you should be almost there just a few more bribes here and there and then finding your way onto a local bus. Now Cambodian local buses are no ordinary buses, they come equipped with every South East Asian essential, at about 8 pm the lights turn off and are replaced with a array of colourful lights that make the roof of the bus look like a disco dance floor, and of course what Cambodian bus isn’t complete without Karaoke in the front and a driver who’s drinking whisky and smoking pot wile swerving the chaotic roads of Cambodia.

Well the ride was interesting but six hours later we arrived alive in Phnom Penh. Phnom Penh is a dirty chaotic capitol city… but I absolutely love the place. Most South East Asian cities are very western and have lost there character, but not Phnom Penh. My hostel was a pretty sweet dig, its name was the Royal Inn, only costing me about 10 US dollars and located in a very central area…. But at night the area becomes somewhat sketchy. The first night in Phnom Penh included finding a ATM in the really sketchy backstreets, and then enjoying some questionable meals.

I woke up the next morning to a beautiful sunny day. Me and my girlfriend met a couple from England and hired a Tuk Tuk (a motorcycle with a carriage around it) for the day. Our first destination was of course the shooting range. At the local shooting range you can test everything from a revolver hand gun, too a rocket propelled grenade launcher. But I decided to go with the classic bad guy gun the AK-47. Firing a machine gun with a fat moustached Cambodian ex soldier was a exhilarating experience, you really have not been to Cambodia tell you do this. We then strolled past beautiful countryside in our Tuk Tuk, after about two hours we reached the Choeung Ek aka the Killing Fields. Cambodia’s history is a ruff one, during the Khmer Rouge Pol Pot the Communist leader of Cambodia ordered his soldiers to take over 17 000 Cambodians here to be executed. Upon arrival your greeted by a large Cambodian style building, when you go inside you are shocked too see its contents, the building holds over 5000 human skulls. Then you follow a trail leading you to see the many mass graves around the area. it’s a horrible thing to see but a very eye opening experience, everyone should see this sight in Phnom Penh. Feeling depressed we lightened our mood by going to see the Emperors Palace. Its Beautiful temples and outstanding architecture brighten your mood and make you ponder about the country Cambodia was before. After the palace we paid our driver a whopping 8 US dollars…. Pretty sweet deal eh!. That night we put our less dirty clothes on to hit up the local bars and Karaoke clubs, turns out we got lost and ate some fancy foods on a stick at the market.

The next day we walked ourselves to a few Buddhist temples in the morning ( Wat Phnom being the best), the temples here are great, the powerful smell of incense and the relieving feeling of getting of a congested street and into a peaceful and quite temple is a great one. Once we were relaxed it was time to hit up Phnom Penh’s intense main market. You can buy just about anything at this market. One must buy is of course those “Cambodia Landmine” T-shirts, no trip to Cambodia is complete without one. About an hour later I spotted my girlfriend covered in the latest fake apparel Gucci and Chanel and Prada and….. Well every brand out there that Cambodia could make. I snatched her up and the crazy streets became our playground, Its great fun but incredibly dangerous playing chicken with the crazy streets in Phnom Penh (kind of like the game Frogger), its kind of a initiation to being able to say “I survived Cambodia”. Eventually after seeing my life flash before my eyes a few times, we waved a Tuk Tuk down and taxied our way to Toul Sleng Genocide Museum, here you can see some more of Cambodia’s brutal history. Once it was a Kindergarten school but the evil Pol Pot changed it into a horrible facility to torture his enemies who were usually just innocent peasants who did not agree with him, again a horrible place to see but we cannot ignore Cambodia’s history we must inform ourselves in these sights to learn the mistakes of others. To cheer up once again we went to a Russian owned Sheesha bar (sheesha is a middle eastern tobacco smoked through a water pipe), and who cannot forget about Cambodia’s favourite past time… karaoke. When returning that night we were hit by a Monsoon. In all my travels I have never seen so much rain in my life. The streets were flooded with about 4-5 feet of water, every time a rain drop hit you it felt as if a bucket of water just fell on you. But because of Phnom Penhs location the water quickly diminished into the river.

We woke early the next day to get on another crazy local bus to Siem Riep .. But that’s a whole other story.

Indiana Jones was there, Lawrence of Arabia was there, and now Stephen, Jordan

I started my journey in Dahab, Egypt. From there it was simple, two hour bus ride to the Nuweiba ferry, and a three hour ferry across the Red Sea to Aqaba. The two hour bus ride was great, I flagged down a micro bus on the side of the road, he pleasantly gave me to high of a price and I replied in Arabic that he was a cheap prick, and nevertheless I got my price. Next came the Nuweiba ferry. There are many words to describe this ferry, in order for me to keep it PG I am not going to write any of these words. The three hour ferry began with me being stamped out of the country and placed in a cold cement room. The three hours slowly turned into nineteen hours of sleeping on a cold bench and enjoying the cockroach infested bathrooms. Luckily my mother joined me for this part of the journey so I did not have to commit suicide. After eighteen hours the Arabs began fighting with the police and we were allowed on the ferry. Now my biggest tip is DO NOT USE THE BATHROOMS ON THE FERRY, if you do decide to use them come prepared or expect a life changing experience.

Praise Allah our ferry arrived after five hours, Aqaba was a beautiful sight, mainly cause I wanted off this boat as of twenty four hours ago. Aqaba is the city where Lawrence of Arabia crossed the Arabian desert and took the town through force, But in modern days Aqaba is no longer a small desert city, it’s a large vacation resort for all Arab people alike. My visit to Aqaba was not long because of the fact I wanted to get as far away from Western culture and resorts as possible by coming to the Middle East, So off I was. In Aqaba I met a very “interesting” taxi driver who agreed to take me too Wadi Musa via the Wadi Rum desert, for only 15 Dinar (about 25 CAN). The drive was spectacular we crossed deep red deserts and high chilly mountains, I become acquainted with my new found friend. My driver was a man who loved stopping every twenty minutes either for more Jordanian music or just to slap hands with a friend on the side of the road, he was also very fond of giving the middle finger to the police, regardless he made the trip very enjoyable and memorable. After about five hours we arrived at our cozy hostel named the Cleopatra, in Wadi Musa. The Hostel was managed by a very friendly family, the rooms were small but cozy and complete with thick blankets and rug wall hangings, the family gave us tea at every moment they could. But this is where I had to bid farewell to my taxi driver friend, but not before tea and more police hating conversation. That night we wondered off through the cobble stone streets and found some very tasty lamb Shawerma ( diced up lamb meat and heart in a pita bun), and of course Sheesha (flavoured tobacco smoked through a water pipe).

Early the next morning we strolled out walking through the towns twisty alley ways. It was about a hours walk before we arrived at Petra. This is where you truly walk in the foot steps of Indiana Jones. You begin walking through large colourful red canyons before the first sight of Petra peeking around the corner hits you. Petra is spectacular, definitely earning its title among the wonders of the worlds. From this point on we hike through the hundreds of burial grounds and monasteries. On our way up to the main Monastery I recognized a face walking beside me. I asked if he was on television, and he happened to be a travel host on the National Geographic channel. This was exciting apart from he wanted little to do with me… o well. When you arrive at the Monastery you step foots into the world of adventurers. It’s a large Monastery cut into the side of deep red rock right on the top of a mountain. The panoramic views and the monastery makes the long hike up here spectacular. I wandered around Petra for about seven hours taking in as much of it as I could that day. That night the Cleopatra hostel family invited us to have a tradition Jordanian meal with them. It was a wonderful mix of spices, kebabs, and different vegetables, and lots and lots of tea. And for dessert we wondered back to town for some excellent cheesy middle eastern dessert (the orange stuff is the best!!!!).

I Spent the next day at Petra again taking in its beauty and sprawled out sights, but the next day I was standing on the street corner with my thumb out trying to get a ride to Kerak. I eventually got a Mini bus and took the four hour journey to Kerak through the steep mountain trails. Kerak is a interesting place, the whole city is built on the tops of a mountain, and on the very top is a massive crusaders castle built by the Franks and conquered by Saladin. My hotel was cheap and included spectacular views from the window. Kerak city is a interesting enough place to explore, with its long cobble stone alley ways filled with the strong scents of spices and the colourful sights of Middle Eastern Markets. The best part of Kerak is there are absolutely no tourists in sight, most tourist skip this place on there way to Petra, so better for me. I awoke the next day early enough to get to Kerak castle when it opens. The castle is in spectacular shape. As you wonder its dark corridors you get the sense you are in medieval times, and every time a window appears you are faced with jaw dropping views, you can pretty much see all of Jordan from this castle. After Kerak castle I spent the evening in the cities cafes and markets living it up as the people do there.

The next day I bargained myself into a mini bus and bribed the driver into stopping at the Dead Sea and Mount Nebo. The dead sea is a slimy but fascinating experience, you literally do just float in that sea, you can stand straight up and your shoulders are above water even though your feet are above twenty feet of water, only down fall is when you get out your covered in a thick salty slime. After the Dead Sea we climbed to the top of Mount Nebo, this is apparently where Moses saw the promise land, for me it was a nice break from the ten hour bus ride. Finally I arrived in Amman the capitol of Jordan. Amman is great for a few days, I wandered its streets and markets picking myself up a Keffiyeh ( A red checker scarf worn on the head with rings), and in the evening having tea and sheesha. I met a fellow traveller from the Netherlands the next day and he accompanied me and my travelling mom up to Jerash and the Golan heights. Jerash is a well maintained Roman city complete with its very own Gladiator stadium were you can witness Gladiator fight re-enactments (you can easily lie and say you’re a student for more than half the price). After Jerash we climbed the large hill to see the Golan heights. Beautiful views and the fact my last name is Gollan made this fun for me. That night we tried to go to the only bar I had ever seen in the Middle East, turns out we had been their only customers that week, maybe its because of the countless posters of Baywatch and the dark red lights throughout the entire bar, who knows. After a few more days in Amman I prepared to leave this beautiful country and head for Israel, but that’s an entirely new story.

The Wild Wild East, Kosovo

Quick facts: Kosovo is the newest country in Europe it broke away from Serbia in 2008, Its Main religion is Muslim although there is a strong Orthodox presence, and the official language is Albanian.

Flying from any other European country into Kosovo is like flying into a completely different world. Instead of church bells ringing you hear the Muslim call to prayer, instead of smooth paved roads you encounter a mix of rubble dirt and chunks of pavement the Kosovars call a road, and finally instead of clean clear air the air is instead full of a hazy dust from the giant coal burning plant. Apart from all of this, Kosovo is addictive, the people, the culture, and there history gets under your skin and you constantly want to see more of this beautiful country.

I was flying from Budapest, Hungary, with my Father to Kosovo. My Father worked in Kosovo for the European Union , so I was obviously obligated to come visit him and explore this wild part of Europe. Landing in Pristina, Kosovo’s Capitol, is Chaotic. Pristina’s airport is basically just a open room with a few guards here and there, but no real security. After telling the customs official I was a tourist he laughed and said move along. So customs is easy enough and then you pass outside the airport into the barrage of taxi touts yelling at you to take a ride. My fathers friend picked us up from the airport and drove us back to his apartment. After arriving I decided it was time to explore, I spent the next few days wondering the smashed streets of Pristina, the city is almost completely constructed of red brick giving it a very third world feel to it (makes an interesting twist considering your in Europe). My father introduced me to many different UN workers and EU workers, these people are every where, it seems that they pretty much run the country but hey maybe this is a good idea considering they have been through thirty years of civil unrest and war. About the third day I was in Pristina I wandered into the main market, the market in Pristina is equivalent to a market in the middle east. There are men with turbans bartering, a massive surplus of vegetables, goats and other livestock, and the odd stand selling small handguns and switch blades. Wondering through the market was great, although you get many stares they usually end up being a smile or a toothless man asking you where you from and who you work for. After the market I stumbled across a large beaten down mosque, I investigated and it seemed to still be in use, I soon discovered this mosque was four hundred years old!!!. Kosovo puzzles me because it’s a Muslim country but lets just say the women don’t dress modestly….. At all. After the Mosque I rambled through Pristinas Museum, they’re history is brutal but very interesting, and finished off the day with a beer at 92 the bar down town…… yes I know a Muslim country with every kind of alcohol you can imagine. The next day I took a Taxi up to a shopping mal call the “Mini Max”, now first of all Mini Max is incredible, it’s a shopping mall filled entirely of fake brand names and burnt music and DVD’s. Copy right has not yet made it to Kosovo, so you get to shop your heart out….. But you cant legally take any of your awesome purchases outside the country (that sucks!!!!). After Mini Max I shot a few hand guns at the firing range and explored some more of this crazy congested city.

The next day we drove out to a city called Peja, It takes about three to four hours to go barely a hundred kilometres. This is because the streets are broken and smashed, the traffic is horrendous, and you constantly are stopped by herds of sheep crossing the roads.After what felt like forever we finally arrived in Peja. Peja is a great city, its not as crowded and congested as Pristina, and the air is much cleaner out near the mountains. Peja is filled with tiny European style streets with many bakeries and clothing shops. There are Various Mosques dotted around the city and there is almost no UN or EU vehicles on every corner. We spent the day wondering around this town and made our way back to Pristina.

We woke up early because we knew the drive was going to be long today. We drove half way out to Peja and stopped at Mirusha Waterfalls. It was about a two hour hike through a unmarked trail, it involved hopping across the river on small rocks, and fighting our way through bush that has not been hiked in a long time. The Mirusha waterfall was beautiful, its waters surrounded by thick bush makes a great swimming hole. After Mirusha we drove to Peja for lunch ( Kosovo’s food can be broken down into Middle Eastern Kebabs, and a fusion of Italian and Greek food.). We then drove into the mountains to Decani Monastery. Decani is set in a jaw dropping mountain valley surrounded by thick forests and clean clear air. The monks of the monastery are more than welcoming and willing to show you the Orthodox religion, and there huge monastery. Inside the monastery there is paintings that date back seven hundred years!!!, and at the end a gift shop selling silver and gold crosses the monks forge themselves, also wine from the winery founded by the monastery. We departed from Decani and took the long drive to Prizren. Along the way we passed many small towns filled with small shops, Kosovo Harleys ( a mix of what appears to be a lawn tractor and a Motor cycle?), and the occasional brothel. We arrived in the evening to Prizren, Prizren is spectacular, it’s a cultural mix of Turkish and Italian Architecture, with a little bit of a fairytale castle thrown in. The streets here are all cobblestone and its complete with a eight hundred year old Turkish bath (which is no longer in use). You could spend weeks wondering around the tight alley ways and cobble stone vistas of Prizren and not see it all. I ended up inviting myself into a Turkish art gallery and was pressured to by a painting… which I didn’t ha!!!, and spent the rest of my time experiencing the place by walking around. We drove back late at night to Pristina stopping by at Gracanica Monastery, another great and interesting Monastery filled with history.

The next few days I spent exploring more of Crazy Pristina before flying back into western Europe. Kosovo will always stay with me as being the Wild Wild East of Europe.