Cambodia's capital

I'm in Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital. It is crazy here. Number of motorbikes and traffic is unbelievable. It's a contrast of beautiful French colonial architecture and, just few blocks away, extremely stinking and dirty streets and smelly markets. Asia. You're asking me if I like it here and I don't know what to say. There is no one answer.
Guys, you must be aware that travelling is not only taking beautiful pictures of mysterious temples and green rice fields. Think, that in all these exotic stilt houses there are people living in extreme poverty, with no drinking water, no bathroom, no education. That everyday I see children and disabled begging in the streets and there's 30-40 degrees at 9am. It's hard to say "yes, I love it". Sometimes it's too much...

Siem Reap and it's temples

Crossing border to Cambodia was interesting and gave us sort of feeling what to expect (e.g. at the immigration you need to pay couple of extra dollars that everybody knows going to the packet of the officials).
Siem Reap has EVERYTHING on offer for tourist. It caters not only for backpackers but mainly for package and upmarket tourist, often pensioners who visit temples by coach for whom this is a big trip to Cambodia and they are ready to spoil themselves and get the best. You can't imagine the number and high standard of beautiful hotels around, restaurants, craft markets, spa's, shows, etc. There is one street called "bar Street" and another bar street alley - as the name says - excellent restaurants and stylish bars that believe me you would love to have back home.
Cambodian people are very nice, friendly, smiling. Here in SR and around the temples it gets too much as they are VERY pushy to sell you anything and especially kids and people at the temples are just unbearable. That's hard annoying side of this kind of places that makes you screaming "leave me fxx alone!!!".
Temples, the famous Ankor Wat, and all others are great but... after 2.5 day I've got enough of temples and ruins for the rest of my life.
There is lots of international help and aid. You can see projects supporting and helping poor families, street kids, disabled, mine and war victims everywhere. It looks that all is going towards right direction, projects mean to teach people art craft, lots of silk making (you can buy beautiful silk and art craft, visit workshops etc.) Also the temples are restored by Cambodian and Japanese, Indian, Chineese projects.

Sunrise-sunset island

As soon as I arrived in Don Det - a small island in the very south of Laos - and I saw the bungalows all of them very basic and each of them with own hammock on the terrace over the sunrise or sun set side I understood why Dear Curro you liked it so much here.
Time seemed to stop there. Such a peaceful and relaxed place. The whole atmosphere made every backpacker feel the same. Riding bicycle around island to lye in the hammock for another 2 days and reading books.

Lao disco

In Luang Prabang I sateyed longer than I thought just doing nothing. I made freinds with people at teh neighbouring guesthouse - 2 guys travelling in Asia by old laud russian motorbikes which usually attracted attention of local Lao people. We were going to Lao disco by bikes (sometimes 3 people on 1 bike)and a noodle soup after that. Lots of fun. I made "spacial" friends with one guy but eventually always have to take another bus - inevitable part of travelling...
Vang Vieng is a backpackers ghetto - impossible to immagine if you never been there: a little place with bars ALL OF THEM showing Friends from breakfast till night, just different episodes. Everybody laying around on pillows, sipping beer or opium tea. Now Im in Vientiane, a capital, nothing special.