... and i wish you all a merry christmas, wonderful days with your family (or if not enjoy the experience to spend christmas somewhere else) and the best for 2009!

take care,
christopher

... now a certified open water diver and almost back home! i'll be back in vienna sunday night - looking forward to returning.

see ya,
christopher

... and almost on koh tao to spend my last days on the beach and to do a scuba diving course.

i'll be back home pretty soon and i'm already looking forward to getting the xmas feeling. i think i have to have a couple of mulled wines and glogges to be ready.

see ya soon,
christopher

... on my whereabouts.

after sightseeing in siem reap (the temples are stunning) and a wonderful boattrip i am now in battambang. i enjoy my last days here in cambodia in an artist school for poor kids. yesterday i saw an impressive show by the kids from the circus and the music department after attending an exhibition of the art department. the video clips/cartoons produced by the animation studio are really professional.

tomorrow i am going to go back to bangkok and from there further on to one of the islands to relax at the beach and to do some scuba diving.

see ya soon,
christopher

... and cobra libre!

the first day at angkor wat was impressive. we had a good tour guide, who could give us a lot of information. furthermore he invited us (two aussies and me) to his father's farm and yesterday we had a wonderful day there - khmer food, beers and finally rice wine (with a cobra in the bootle) with coke and lime. after a relaxing afternoon he showed us some bars and a nightclub where the locals go.


the rubbish dump project


phnom penh


angkor wat at sunrise


khmer lunch

today i am going to explore some more temples by bicycle.

see ya,
christopher

... welcome siem reap.

after two intense days i am now in siem reap and really excited to see the temples around angkor. the plan is to go by tuk-tuk plus guide to the temples tomorrow (sunrise inclusive - so i have to get up really early) and a second day by bike.

yesterday the focus was on the dark history of cambodia and especially the genocide by the khmer rouge under pol pot from 1975 to 1979. Thus i spent a couple of hours in the toul-sleng-museum - also known as s-21 - which was a school used as a prison during this period. after seeing pictures of the torture methods and of the victims the killing fields memorial at the site of mass graves was an impressive add-on.

take care,
christopher

... one of the most touching days in my life!

check out the link for the 'rubbish dump project' and you will understand why!

after meeting at 10.30 we went to buy food (bread, bananas, oranges and apples), went to the dump, distributed the food to the kids, distributed some donated clothes as well, had a look around and two doctors helped the kids to clean wounds and to get rid of lice. it's amazing to see how little can make kids so happy! thus i had to donate part of my travel budget.

take care,
christopher

... and first hours in cambodia.

i just arrived in phnom penh, the capital of cambodia. was a hard day on the boat, two mini-vans and finally on a big bus. but it was no problem after some relaxing days on don khone (one of the islands of the 4000-islands in the south of laos). what did i do over there - relaxing, relaxing and relaxing! had a great time over there - spent some time on the beach, some time exploring the island on a bicycle (far too small!), had a beer lao in the hammock on the balcony in front of the bungalow at night, read, eplored the island around on a boat, visited two waterfalls in the area and watched the famous river dolphins, ...

during the next days the focus will be more on culture again - sightseeing in phnom penh (visiting all the places reminding of the cruelties of the red khmer and pol pot) and afterwards enjoying angkor wat.

see ya,
christopher