Bus to Bangkok, train to Ton Sai

Its been a busy few days of traveling. First we made our way from Siam Reap to the Cambodian border at Poipet. The tourist bus to the border took about four hours. On the way a big water tanker was spraying the road to keep the dust down (parts of the road are still under construction). Andy could see the tanker slowly heading towards our bus and he was apparently 'paralysed' . The day was hot and the windows in the bus were open. Seconds later there were screams all along the left side of the bus, as people were woken by the cold shower.



We dodged the touts at the border and walked through. At the other side we caught a tuk tuk then public bus to Bangkok. The public buses are infinitely better than the tourist buses. This one had big seats and a large TV screen showing the latest 'Mummy' film.

On the 19th January, our Edinburgh friends Massimo and Claire arrived. They've joined us to do a bit of climbing in the south of Thailand. Having 36 hours to kill in Bangkok, we ate at several places including Cabbages and Condoms - a project that educates people about HIV and Aids. It also has a fine collection of condom sculptures.



The next day, Claire and Jen also went for a very relaxing Thai massage whilst Andy and Massimo went to the Snake Farm and Luphini Park. The Snake Farm is run by the Red Cross. It produces anti-venom and also educates people about snakes and how to treat bites. Andy learnt how big snakes can get, especially King Cobras!



Luphini Park was impressive for its Water Lizards. They're meat eaters and some are almost two metres long. Most were found swimming in the lakes or on the banks. However, looking down through a drain cover revealed a particularly large one resting below.



Yesterday (21st January), we arrived at Ton Sai beach after a 22 hour journey. You can see from the picture below that it was worth the trip...