Battambang

Battambang is less frequented as a city by the tourist hoards, making it feel a little more ours for the time we were there. It was one of the biggest cities, yet not large in the scale of things (see the Khmer Rouge bit in the Phnom Penh entry).
Our new friend ‘Kim’ (who was the loveliest, friendliest guy ever) drove us around the countryside in his Tuk Tuk, teaching us about all of the history, horticulture, bats, temples and introducing us to the famed ‘bamboo train’.

Kim our trusted tour guide for the day …possibly our favorite part of the trip was hearing his amazing yet scary history tied up with all of Cambodia’s hardships.

Chilies drying in the sun

Peanuts drying in the sun

Some of the very very friendly local kids

Us at the temple of the tour, neglected under the Khmer Rouge

So this is the infamous Bamboo train …they have taken the track wheels from old tanks and put a flat bamboo tray on top it, then they stick a motor on it, a couple of ten year old kids for drivers and hay presto a new form of transport.

Ok, we did not mention brakes and other trains above… there are no brakes and generally there are only other bamboo trains in the way. You come to a gradual rolling stop where you argue with the other train, generally the one with the greatest load gets to stay while the other train is disassembled and put aside. This is us recreating our train.

Cambodia, Siem Reap

With a quick dip into Thailand we shot off to the wonderful friendly Cambodia …a mission across the border, and on to Siem Reap. Siem Reap contains a large area called Angkor Wat, and it for sure should be one of the 7 wonders of the world. It is an expanse of temples and palaces with a cross between Hindu and Buddhism, amazing sights for an amazing couple of days. Sorry there are no really good pics of the main Angkor Wat Temple.

Jarrod and Logan eating delicious noodles at our awesome (very regular) side of the road joint.

The boys outside one of the temples


Climbing one of the impossible (and impractical) stairs to the high temple center.

Feeble shot of Angkor Wat

A couple of temples, the faces carved everywhere were brilliant!

Kolkata

Our last stop in India and a chance to catch up with Sam's friends Nathan and Kirri, who are living and working here.

The Victorian Memorial.

Taking a dip in the local snake lake. Didn't realise it had snakes in it till after.

Nathans neighborhood.

Jarrod playing with fireworks.

Khajuraho and Varanasi

After Agra we headed east to Khajuraho and their dirty karma sutra temples. Very cool and clean town with our nicest hotel yet. Even had waffles one night.

Hired some old school bikes and toured round some of the eastern temples. Sams kept breaking!

One of the spectacular Western Temples. Very intricate and detailed.

Some of the dirty sculptures that cover the temples.

Then on to Varanasi and the most sacred river to the Hindu people, the Ganges River. A very interesting time here as we walked along the ghats that line the river. We witnessed dead bodies being cremated, a man with his hand up a goat pulling out a stillborn, a buffalo giving birth and hundreds of people bathing in one of the most contaminated rivers on earth.

Chaos at one of the ghats.

Buffalo taking a mid afternoon dip!

One of the cremation sites.





Time for some chai tea! Disposable terracotta cups.

Crazy ceremony happening on one of the ghats. Its a nightly thing.

The Taj

We've all seen it in pictures, but the Taj Mahal lives up to its reputation. It is an amazing building, brilliant white against a clear blue backdrop.

The view from one of the many rooftop cafes. The area immediately around the Taj is pretty rubbish which was surprising.

The entrance.

Himalayan Ranges

After an arduous 6 hours winding up hill... we arrive at Syanachatti in the Himalayan mountains. From there we did a mini trek with the Hindu pilgrims up to the source of the Yanuman river, the second most sacred river in India. The well trodden path, covered in Donkey crap took us up through the ranges. Really cool views but a not-so-spectacular Yamanotri temple.

One means of transport to and from the temple.

The view up the valley to the snowy peaks.

The view from the top of the valley... from our lunch spot.

The Yamanotri temple.... not what we expected.

Us up above the clouds.

Skimming stones down by the river in Syanachatti.

Amritsar

From Delhi we caught a hellish bus up to the Punjab region to a city called Amritsar. Its the home of the famed Golden Temple and it was spectacular..... its the Sikhs most sacred place and coupled with their welcoming nature it was an awesome experience being there.

They bath in the waters that surronds the Golden Temple.

Us with one of the Sikh's. They're pretty cool.

We went back at night and it looked even cooler....

After visiting the temple we headed out to the India-Pakistan border in Attari. Everyday they have a ceremony there for the closing of the border. Its closest comparison would be the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace but with a much madder, bollywood, flamboyant style. It was absolute chaos and incredibly hot. Both side of the border cheer when their soldiers strut down the catwalk!! A very random but cool experience.

Thousands in the purpose built stadium. The Indian girls had all just been up shaking their booty's... very amusing.

The Indian and Pakistan flags being lowered simultaneously as the sunn sets. We felt sorry for the poor Pakistani's who didnt have much of a supporting crowd (see empty stadium behind)!