Life and Death in Phnom Penh

November 24, December 3-7,2011. Days 362, 371-375

“Oh, you’re going to Phnom Penh? You’re going to need a few days to let it grow on you.”

Those were the first words I heard from someone about the capital city of Cambodia. I wasn’t entirely sure what they meant other than perhaps it is like most cities and needs time for you to find its charm. Coming from Vietnam, the differences were immediately striking. I found it smaller(because it was) and surprisingly cleaner. There was certainly rubbish, but there didn’t seem to be nearly as much as the cities in Vietnam. I’m not knocking Vietnamese cities, just merely stating something I’ve noticed.

Independence Monument in central Phnom Penh

But the whole “need a few days to let it grow on you” adage? It didn’t apply to me. As soon as I arrived I felt drawn to the city. And in the few days I spent there(split in-between a visit up to Siem Reap and Battambang), I easily found a city that I could live in and relax in.

Straddling the Continents in Istanbul

Days 286-291, September 9-14, 2011

My last official stop in Europe. It was an odd feeling on that 24+ hour train ride from Bucharest to Istanbul. Part of me was sad to be so close to the end of this portion of my trip. Another part was excited with the prospect of new cultures and experiences that were surely to come. Istanbul was going to be a great way to ease into the culture shock as the city itself spans two continents; the only city in the world to do so.

Getting into Turkey was a breeze, though for Canadians it can be a ugly little dent to the wallet. Of all countries, Canada has to pay the most for their Visa, which can be purchased on arrival both at the airport or any land border crossing. The cost: US$60. And they only accept American Dollars or Euros. The train border crossing I went through at 3 in the morning was super easy. Stand in one line, get your visa sticker in your passport. Stand in the next line to get stamped into Turkey. Done and done.

A Week in Berlin

Days 255-262, August 9-16, 2011

Ok, let’s just admit that my previous attempt at a post about Berlin sucked. Like, really sucked. Hence why I’m redoing it.

With Pride in Amsterdam officially behind us, Jaime and I hopped aboard a train out to Germany. His destination: Hamburg. My destination: Berlin. An accident somewhere ahead of us on the track forced a major delay and had us saying our goodbye much earlier than expected. It was like tearing off a bandaid. It didn’t really have the whole sadness to it as I thought because it happened so fast(literally a “Jaime! You need to catch this train beside us that’s leaving in ten minutes!” moment). And with that, I was alone once again.

For another four hours at least. Waiting for me at the Berlin HBF train station were Jordi and Esteban, my boys from Barcelona, and who I would be staying with for my time in the German capital.

[No] Sex, [Some] Drugs, & Country Music

Day 249-254, August 3-8, 2011

There were a couple reasons I was excited to go to Amsterdam. First, it was Pride. You always hear about the craziness of European gay prides and Amsterdam was surely to exceed those expectations(for what Pride was really like, check this post out). But I think I was actually even more excited because this would be the first time I meet another fellow travel blogger on the road, Jaime from Breakaway Backpacker.

We had been planning this for months now and it was finally here! With our apartment booked and our train arrival times happening within a half hour of each other, it was time to head off. For me, it was a 20 hour train ride from Zagreb, through Munich and onto a night train to Amsterdam. For Jaime, it was a two hour train from Antwerp, Belgium.

Rome With Kelly

The following takes place on Days 214-217, June 29-30, 2011.

Rome. The Eternal City. A city filled with such majesty and history that it’s hard to comprehend at times. It’s a city that sparks any multitude of emotions and thoughts when you first enter it. And it means something different to different people, especially with the heart of the Catholic Church in centre of the city. And although Kelly and I had two full days in Rome, much more than Venice and Florence, for a city this big we’d still be rushing through it all.

As hell broke loose . . .

The following takes place on Days 199-200, June 14-15, 2011

The plan had always been for Kelly and I to spend a few days in Athens before heading off on the ferries for some time island hopping. There was no doubt about that part. What islands we would go to was a bit of a toss up. We knew for sure that we would go to Santorini as that island had the famous blue and white buildings everyone associates with the Greek islands. But beyond that, we were pretty open.

As it would turn out, our plan to leave on the 16th was going to be the best decision we made.