5 foods which freak me out in Cambodia

There are some weird foods here!  It's kinda like, shooting for the mark, but JUST missing...

1./   Insects or crawly things!! 

Got a pregnant craving for deep fried tree ants?  No problem if you're here in Cambodia?  Want to catch up with some friends over a nice plate of deep fried tarantula? Easy!!  

I know its a very sustainable option! I know that it takes less energy to produce food with insects than it does cows or larger animals! I know it's healthy!  I know it's a very logical and sensible thing to eat these!  the only issue is... have you ever had a dead but perfectly looking spider half the size of your hand come at your mouth?  No? It tastes good, really, but boy you need to man up to trust the sucker has no more life in him!!

See my post about eating tarantula, with a video here.

2./  Fried morning glory...

I can only think of the other morning glory.  Not.  Necessary!!

3./  Cambodian Cheese (Prahok)

Not cheese at all.  Salted, fermented, fish bits.  It smells terribly which is why it has the nickname Cambodian Cheese...  I can think of something else that smells which you could name it after!!

4./  Nut flavoured milkshakes... 

This is just odd.  I've seen peanut and macadamia (I think).  They also mix it with other flavours like Vanilla and peanut milkshakes...  How do you blend that??

5./  Whiskey with animals in it...

OK, not a food, and I haven't had it here in Cambodia, but it's readily available.  Have you had whiskey with a scorpion in it?  What about snake?  I had some in Vietnam on a study tour a few years ago and you know what I learned?  The bad taste isn't from a rotting animal in your drink.  Mekong whiskey is just plain awful and gives you a hangover like no other!!!

Lastly, here is a great blog post I found about why foreigners get Cambodian food "wrong".  Interesting if you are coming here!!

What is the weirdest food you have ever eaten?

Until next time,

Daniel

Follow me on twitter @TheDanFactor

4 ways to not die overseas. Really.

(Source: http://www.flyingdoctor.org.au/Health-Services/Clinic-Services/Health-Promotion/In-Focus---Diabetes/RFDS-and-Diabetes/)

I know this seems like a far too sensible and also morbid thing to write about!   But recently two Australians have died here in Sihanouk Ville, one is an awful story, so I thought it somewhat appropriate.  

Dying, generally, isn't good for your health, so isn't usually recommended.  One recent death seems to have been an Aussie Navy boy, so details have really surfaced as to how he died.  But the second guy, an Australian traveller did not do his country any justice when he died doing two of our national sports - drinking and swimming!  This poor sod got so drunk that when he went for a swim in the bar pool (yes, the bar has a pool) he passed out, and slipped under the water never to resurface.

Now, just in case you thought that was bad enough, and it is, let me tell you the rest.  Someone pulled him out of the pool and proceeded to give him CPR even though they had no idea what they were doing, until two ex-military chaps took over and performed CPR for 20 mins - to no avail.  He was cold when they pulled him out of the water, so he had been there a while.

But wait, it gets worse.  The ambulance took so long, that the man's body was placed in the back of a tuk tuk, to meet the ambulance half way to the hospital.  

Remember, this guy is dead. His body was given from the tuk tuk driver to the ambulance who drove to the first hospital which, get this, REFUSED to take the body because he was dead.  So the ambulance  then took him to another hospital, which also refused him.

So, what would be the right thing to do here?  Doesn't matter.  What happens next takes the cake.  The ambulance drivers took the body… BACK TO THE PUB!!!  No fucking shit!! They took the body back to the pub and left him outside on the footpath with a sheet over him until morning when the police could come and deal with him.  Not the most dignified death I'd say!

It is definitely a reminder that while Asia is definitely a place to party, and Sihanouk Ville is definitely known as a party town, it still should be remembered that bad things can happen and things overseas are different to your home country (especially if your home country is vastly different in culture).  You don't want to find out all this when you are actually in trouble!

So, four ways how to not end up dead!

1./  Be Australian and drink smart!

I'm not saying don't get drunk and don't have a good time, but jeez, have a buddy with you and watch yourself.  And all real Aussies know you don't go for a swim when you're tanked. Idiot.  Real Aussie's know how to hold their booze!  Remember, here there is no responsible service of alcohol in some countries.  That means, your actions and the consequences are your own and yours alone.  

2./  Take out travel insurance.

I know, this one is boring and obvious.  But here is Sihanouk Ville, the closest hospital with western standard health care is a 12 hour drive away in Bangkok.  This isn't unusual in developing countries around the world.   So make sure you take out insurance so, if the need arises, you can get airlifted out!  Remember, there are other accidents besides drinking accidents (I know! Who'd have thought!!).

3./  Illegal drugs - Just don't.

Like I said, 12 hour drive if you OD and if you get caught with enough illegal substances some governments will kill you themselves!!

4./  Occasionally, think of your friends and your family.

Think of your friends, coz they will be explaining to your family how and why it happened and have to deal with the grief.  And think your family, coz they will learn the stories about how your carcass was transferred around town on the back of a motorbike, only to end up on a pavement until dawn…

…and then they need to come and get your body.

Until next time,

Daniel

Follow me on twitter @TheDanFactor

What is your favourite drunk travel story??

I've done it again... I got on the turps and now I'm having to pay the consequences...

After too many gin and tonics, and shots with Germans the choice of whether to pack or have a bacon and egg baguette game up.  I hate that stupid question!!  Here is a video I made the morning after my big night celebrating my scuba certification and being on Koh Rong! Magic!!!  Sorry its long winded, but I was hungover and had a bit of a hangover!

So, question for this post is, Where is the best place you've ever got drunk, what happened?

Good news for me is, after missing my ferry, I got offered another adventure... Until tomorrow!!

Comment below with your drunk place/story!!!

Daniel

Follow me on twitter @TheDanFactor

Koh Rong (Monkey Island) - a little tour AND TOP SECRET REALITY TV STUFF!!

On our first night at Koh Rong, Tash, Margaret and I managed to down quite a few gin and tonics while playing cards and managed to meet a few locals and travellers, two of whom, Joe and Pierre, offered to take us on a boat tour of the island the next day, which we agreed to!!

Pierre, a cambodian, did all the negotiation and managed to convince a local fisherman of the ripe age of eighteen to give us a tour of the island for ten bucks a head.  Sorted! We jumped on board a vessel which looked in worse shape than one of the boats you see sinking full of refugees on the news, and started fanging around the island.

Setting sail.  Margaret, Tash, our captain, and Pierre.

The first stop was Koh Rong's longest beach, 7km beach. Actually, its 6.5 km, but I don't think that has the same ring to it, do you?  It's a beautiful beach with clear waters and squeaky sand that sings to you as you walk along it!  The sand flies can be bad there though, so don't be falling asleep after a cheeky joint like a certain Swiss traveller named Lewis did, or you wake up looking like you have the chicken pox!  However, the flies didn't bother us at all on our stroll along the beach.  In fact, aside from finding Lewis, we were the only people on that whole 7 km stretch of sand!  The good news is, if you don't have a boat, you can take a trek through the jungle for about one hour to get there as well.

Check out some of the pictures!!

Our boat arriving at 7km beach

Tash and Margaret taking a moment

Tash and Margaret counting their blessings, and listening to the singing sand

You can't see it, but at the end of this beach is a village where we had lunch, and saw secret stuff!

I just love this pic of Margaret!

Getting back on the boat to head to the village for lunch!

After walking about half the beach, we got picked up by our captain and cruised to the village at the end of the beach.  We had lunch on the wharf and found out that the village is currently shut off to foreigners! We were told their was a french film crew set up who were filming in the village, and one of the requirements was that no westerners we to come to the village.  Pierre was Cambodian, so he had a few discussions with the local chief while we ate on the pair.  Rumour around the island is the the FRENCH crew were there filming a reality television show about SURVIVING.  Read between the not so subtle lines.  Quite funny considering it is a one hour trek to town, with restaurants, beer, and a ferry off the island!

The restaurant we had lunch at.

I really like this pic of Tash and I put it up just coz she'd HATE it. She'll never know though because she doesn't read this. Serves her right. Bitch! :)

The SECRET green tents are the TV crew.  Right next to bungalows....  How will they SURVIVE so far from civilisation....

After lunch we headed around to another beach where there was a river inlet. We had some coconut juice fresh from some coconuts and did some snorkelling where we saw heaps of crabs.

We finished the day with darkness falling before we got all the way around the island and us crashing through a swell which probably got to 2 metres at some very brief times.  The local captain was very good, if young, and I swear he deliberately made the bow go under in order to get us wet, while somehow miraculously staying dry himself.  Little bastard.  The below pics are of a sunset the next day, and also the sunrise the morning after that.

Sunset 

Sunrise

Sunrise

After the cruise, Pierre organised for me do to my scuba open water with the local Dive Shop.  That was three days of joy which culminated with me having a massive night on the turps with some of the local divers and travellers.  More of that to follow...  :)

I made a quick video after my first few drinks, which I was going to post, but  decided to leave out as I have covered most things here... but wait for the next post and the hungover! :)

Until then!!

Daniel

Follow me on twitter @TheDanFactor

I found paradise, and the toilets don't flush...Koh Rong!!!

Hello all!!
Sorry I have been offline for so long!  As planned I travelled to the islands of Cambodia and we stayed on an island called Monkey Island or Koh Rong!  Koh Rong is paradise!! Well, paradise without electricity, internet, and flushing toilets.

The beach on arrival

I stayed at a resort called Monkey Island Resort (their website is here).  There are a couple of things that you initially need to get used to. Obviously, there is no electricity, except by generator which supplies power for about five hours after 6:00pm, and therefore no internet. This is all quite fine because the weather is mild and its nice to be away from Facebook! Then there are the no flushing toilets.  This is overcome by pouring water into the toilet after your done until everything has gone away, which also isn't too bad.  My bungalow was small, but comfortable... though it may have had a rat! :) Thankfully there are also cats!!

My Bungalow at Monkey Island Resort!

But the biggest thing to get used to is the pace.  It's just non existent.  If you want to swim, swim. If you don't, well... thats fine too. Monkey Island resort has it's own restaurant and bar which is excellent! Cheap drinks and good food, especially the thai menu as the owners wife is the chef, and she is thai! Its seems, the biggest decision you need to make at the resort is where will you drink your gin and tonic, at the bar in in a hammock... you chose the view you'd rather!!

The main village area is about 500 metres long, with most of the restaurants being on a strip along the beach about 200 metres long.  The restaurants are basic, but the food is great!! The hardest thing to chose after the type of food you can have is, again, which view you want!!

The local seafood restaurant!

Getting there:

Koh Rong is an island about 2 hours ferry from Sihanoukville, off the coast of Cambodia.  The ferry costs 7.50 each way.  Once there you can choose from a variety of accommodation from dorms and 5 bucks a head to rooms ranging from 8 bucks to 30 bucks, depending on space, facilities etc.  But everywhere is just a place to stay, and I'll talk you through my island trip next post!!

Until then,

Daniel