As I mentioned a couple of days ago… When we first arrived here in Sihanoukville, Cambodia – Me and the old ball and chain went off on a little day-trip to one of the Islands off the coast of Sihanoukville called Koh Rong. So here’s a little bit about the place, a few pretty pictures of the beaches and village on Koh Rong and a how to get there kind of thing.

Firstly I’ll have to explain that the Islands around Cambodia are nothing like those in neighbouring Thailand. For a start there are no big speed ferries shuttling hundreds of backpackers from one to the next on a daily basis. Also there’s not much in the way of electricity… But what they lack in those areas they surely make up for in pure paradise charm, unspoilt beaches, clear turquoise waters and curios locals.

The boat from Sihanoukville to Koh Rong is little more than a large longtail boat, currently it runs once in the morning (7am from Sihanoukville port to Koh Rong) and then back again at 3pm, food is provided on board as well as tea and coffee and there is plenty of room and shade. The journey takes two hours and the waters are pretty much shaded from the open sea so things stay pretty calm. More services are starting soon  but as of now the best way to get a seat on the boat is pop into Monkey Republic and ask at the bar.

When we first arrived on Koh Rong we were dropped at a small village which had everything you could need, we sat and chatted with the locals for a while which was pretty fun and had the obligatory beer or two… Then got on our way.

What I wasn’t expecting to find on Koh Rong was such a simple sense of untouched beauty, beach huts and jungle huts here seem to have been made with a certain amount of sympathy for the surroundings. They seemed somehow more honest and upfront.

We met up with a guy who runs the guest house in the jungle and he was explaining about Island life and how the local villagers and craftsmen on Koh Rong keep things “in house” they want work to be done by people living on the Island, not outsiders…. Which if you ask me was something that paid off… You could see in their design and build quality that they were superior to some of the skanky holes you can get lumbered with in Thailand.

We only had a few hours on the Island but we are going back soon and when we do I’ll knock up a nice big photo essay…

Once we’d had our fill we headed back into the village to wait for the boat and as usual in Cambodia things don’t always happen on time… Although to be honest we had a great time with the villagers waiting for the boat, the children were completely mad about Georgie and her camera, there was plenty of cold beer and plenty to keep our eyes busy.

As with most small villages, off the beaten track that we’ve been to – the hospitality and generosity is often the thing you notice most. At first it’s easy to get caught up with a scabby looking dog or a pile of rubbish but what you have to remember is… This is how it is…. For these people this is life. Once you bother to scratch the surface you’ll get a whole lot more back than an empty stare. In fact as we sat in the shade watching people load the boat Georgie was off taking pictures of the locals, she asked one lady (I reckon about 75 years old) if she could make a picture, the lady giggled a bit and said yes.

Georgie set the shot up, took it and then when she showed the lady the picture… The old girl laughed so hard she fell flat backwards off her bench… I mean – wham. She didn’t even attempt to put her arms out! She was fine don’t worry and when we go back I’ll print the pictures off and give her a copy!

Koh Rong – Sihanoukville, Cambodia was originally published by HappytimeBlog - Backpacking around the world - Learn how to make money travel round the world with you

Since we’ve been here in Sihanoukville I haven’t had time to sit and write, we’ve both been balls to the wall busy. I’m not trying to make it sound like we’ve had not time to ourselves at all… No no no… There’s been plenty of that but something had to give and unfortunately it was this.

So…

What I’m going to do is briefly fill you in on what’s been going on and then go into each of them in more depth…

We’ll start with work, both Georgie and I are working now, we do a few shifts at Monkey Republic, managing the bar staff and making sure the music keeps everyone happy. Georgie is also starting a new job today, working reception at a massage place… More for the free treatments than the money. And I’m building a new website for Monkey Republic (click to have a look)…

The upshot of doing their website has lead to us both becoming volunteers for a local street children charity M’lop Tapang... I went along to a concert one night thinking we were just going to watch a few bands, have a few beers and stagger home… WRONG. It turned out to be an absolutely cracking night of much much more, the night was put on by M’lop Tapang and it showcased all the children in various acts and performances. From tiny little kids singing with a full band to circus tricks and juggling all topped off with a dollop of good old rock and roll, to which I taught a bunch of kids some of my famous dance moves (not sure if that’s actually a good thing but hey).
I got chatting with the lady that started M’lop Tapang and she invited me down to help with the building of their new website…. I jumped at the chance! And when I got home to Georgie (she didn’t come because she was feeling a little ill and thought, like me it would just be a piss up) she kicked herself for not coming. But, not to worry, after my first visit to meet the guys I’d be helping they told me they would really really want to get into making videos… I said I know the perfect person…. And Georgie is now also volunteering her services as a video creator.

Of course all work and no play makes Aaron a boring fella… So we’ve made sure we keep a balance. There’s been a few good nights but the one that sticks out is the Monkey Republic Halloween party (see the pictures on my facebook)- Fancy dress… Absolute cracker! I have no idea how she came up with the idea but I went as a bunny and Georgie went as a… Carrot, somehow it worked!

In other news we’ve also been out to the Island paradise that is Koh Rong, a stunning and pretty large Island two hours off the coast of Sihanoukville. It was technically work but we made it fun and who doesn’t like a nice paradise Island. I’ll do a pictorial about the Island visit soon.

So on that note I’m off…

Balls to the wall, Sihanoukville style was originally published by HappytimeBlog - Backpacking around the world - Learn how to make money travel round the world with you

As you may or may not know we did eventually come to a decision about what we were going to do – either stay in Sihanoukville with all our mates and work on Koh Ru or go back to the UK… Well we are going home!

It was the sensibly choice really (not that we really do sensible) and a few things swayed it for us, if it hadn’t been such a quiet low season and we could have got more work then we would have probably stayed but as it is – there wasn’t and we’re not. So if your reading this from the UK then see you soon!!!

Armed with our decision we spent the last few days setting the homeward bound wheels in motion, flights needed to be changed and things needed to be planned. It was actually a day of mixed emotions, we are very attached to the people and places in Sihanoukville and after a week or more of thinking we were staying, suddenly going home was a hard thing to tell everyone there. But we then had the elation of being able to tell everyone back in England we will be home for the summer… Despite the sadness of leaving Sihanokville and all the amazing people there we knew instantly that we had made the right decision and put it away so we could carry on having fun with them all before we left.

With only a few days left we spent them wisely – top daytime priority was to get oily and horizontal on the beach so we could return to the UK golden brown – texture like sun. Sessions had another re-launch party, this time for the all new menu so that was a must and just like every other night at Sessions bar we all ended up completely pissed and having a large one. Oh and for the record the food was absolutely superb!

The next night was a slow starter and with no real plans we all sat about at Monkey Republic having a few jars. Jimbo (of Sessions fame) was working and that’s a man that likes it lively, so faced with a bar full of people half asleep he decided to have a cheese night, cheesy music that is. 1000 riel per song request and within half an hour shots were being lined up, people were dancing on the bar and we had already heard such cheesy classics as Meatloaf – Bat out of hell, Duran Duran – Rio and the theme tune to Cheers…

The night ended with Georgie cuddling the bin next to the bed, trust Jimbo to be able to drag a party out of a half dead bar with only a handful of ex-pats in it… Top night

That leads us to yesterday, or last day In Sinhanoukville for the foreseeable future. We spent most of it on the beach and it was a scorcher, not a cloud in the sky and the sun was beating as hard as we have ever seen. We had Otres beach almost to ourselves and the sea was warm, sparkling and crystal clear. A beautiful last day on a beautiful stretch of white sand… What more could you want. Georgie was a bit over keen and when we got back to Monkey in the late afternoon she started to feel as she put it “strange”. Nonetheless we had things to do and places to go, first stop was the pharmacy for all those things that require a prescription back in the UK but in Cambodia are easier to come by than a newspaper. Next up, return our moped (shitty little thing wasn’t a patch on the beast I had in Laos) and get started on the arduous task of packing, something told me we’d be in no fit state to do it by the time we went to bed.

In fact I think it was the fact we were headed down Sessions again for dinner… Dinner turned into a few beers and then people started getting silly, mainly our friend Kate and Georgie, they gold of a bag of tinsel and bin bags and for some reason made me a bin-bag suit complete with a tail, wings and a tie… I think the idea came from a drunken conversation the two had had the previous night and for some reason I fell foul to it… But I will say this – I rocked that bin bag suit all the way back to Monkey, I looked damn good! If not a little like a rubbish covered Fred Flintstone.

We went back to Monkey for a few more beers and a few shots then Scott finished working and we all went back to Sessions where once again things got a bit messy… We staggered out around 2am, had a few teary goodbyes with lots of hugging and handshaking and then we were gone…

We will definitely go back and it will be for a longer period but it just wasn’t the right time this time round.

Once again we have had the time of our lives in Sihanoukville and it’s all thanks to one of the best bunch of people we have ever met, they are all so warm and welcoming, friendly and fun and it was really hard to leave that all behind yet again, but we made a decision, the right decision and we can’t wait to get back to the UK to see everyone again and start planning our wedding…

Our bus left this morning at 7:15am we managed four hours sleep, were still rather pissed and feeling very much worse for wear but trust me it was all fucking worth it!

If anyone in Sihanoukville is reading this then thanks again and thanks for everything we actually love you all with all we’ve got…

Thanks Lee

Thanks Scott

Thanks Duncan

Thanks Lucy

Thanks Grumpy Dave

Thanks Stuart

Thanks Clare

Thanks Kate

Thanks Eddie

Thanks Dave

Thanks Mr Thy

Thanks Tac and all the others at Monkey

And last but certainly not least thanks Jimbo, for me at least it was hardest of all to say goodbye to one of the soundest blokes I’ve ever met – top lad!!! MAD FER IT!

Because there are just too many pictures of our last days in Sihanoukville I have slapped a slideshow up for your viewing pleasure… Enjoy.

Sihanoukville… Goodnight, God bless and safe journey home. was originally published by HappytimeBlog - Backpacking around the world - Learn how to make money travel round the world with you

Life in Sihanoukville is going pretty good, we have been struggling with plans on what to do next and it’s been hanging over us for a while now but finally we have some stuff set in stone. The very very original plan from way back when was always to end up here in Sihanoukville and try to find some work… But of course that all changed all over the place. With all sorts of ideas flying around somehow we have managed to come full circle and ended where we planned to – in Sihanoukville looking for jobs, we have a sort of interview later today for both of us to manage a small Island resort an hour off the coast called Koh Ru on Bamboo Island, we have been there before and to be honest it’s a paradise. We are still at a bit of a crossroads as to what we actually want but if we get a job offer we can then make a proper decision… If we don’t, then its back to the UK with us. So thats the final plan of our whole trip – fifteen months and the end is very possibly in sight.

As for life in Sihanoukville we have been hob-nobbing with the ex-pats and travelers alike, Sessions bar had a re-launch party after a recent face lift and teamed with an afternoon of free beer it ended as most nights down at Sessions ends – in a big mess. I blame the free beer at 5:30pm, I mean what’s a man to do, all self control goes out the window when someone re-fills your glass and asks for no money! 7:00pm came around, by which point Grumpy Dave and I were well leather-ed (Georgie apparently has self control when it comes to beer) the free beer dried up and so did our interest. We popped back to Monkey Republic for some big food to soak it all up then headed down the beach to tackle the free BBQ and new shot bar at Sessions… Georgie had to put me to bed by 11:30pm, I had watched a rather large Russian sink six shots in a row and decided I would show him who was boss, bear in mind I had already had a few too many courtesy of Jimbo, Mike (Canadian friend) and Grumpy Dave but I got seven lined up and sank the lot… I’ve never drunk so much that I can’t remember anything the next day and let me tell you I’m not really a fan, apparently the shots were a cocktail of absinthe, tequila and whatever else was to hand and the next day I was rudely awoken by my very first proper hangover. I can’t even remember leaving Sessions but it’s OK because luckily Georgie filmed the whole walk home and everything for a giggle… She has since shown most people we know.

The hang over lasted a whole day and most of the next and the only time we really managed to get out of Monkey was for free beer time, this time though I exercised some self control in the name of self preservation!!!

Apart from that we’ve been busy on the job hunt and trying to get to the bottom of what we really want to do. We had a nice afternoon with all the ex-pats at a BBQ yesterday and I thought maybe after that we would be much more eager to land a job but I don’t think it worked, once we knew we going to head home we both started to get excited and now there is a possibility of a job we really don’t know what to do… We will wait to see if this fella wants to leave the running of his business in our hands and then decide but to be honest if not then we will go home happy as Larry to see friends and family again and happy in the knowledge that – we’ve seen amazing things, been to beautiful places, met the best bunch of people and blown a lot of money having the time of our lives…

Sihanoukville or bust… was originally published by HappytimeBlog - Backpacking around the world - Learn how to make money travel round the world with you

With almost a week of Sihanoukville monkey business now behind us it feels like we never really left. The days following our glorious return were spent out on the very fine and well kept Independence beach, although it’s technically a private beach owned by a very flashy hotel we have never had to pay to use it and we never get any hassles there either.

The nights however were a different story – beer fueled rampages, tower after tower of Anchor beer and for Toby a couple more nights sat around the blackjack table. Georgie and I left the casino to Toby and a few other people we have met and instead soaked up that Monkey Republic atmosphere we have been so very addicted to.

Toby had to leave and head back to Bangkok early Tuesday morning so of course we had to have a real bender on Mond ay night to see him off proper, it’s a shame he had to go so early and we will miss having him tagging along but he has places he needs to go and if we were to back to Thailand again we would be broke… So we’re going to stay here in Sihanoukville for a while.

Sadly though Lee is off on a mammoth ten week holiday and last night was his last night with us, we started the day as usual… Coffee and recovery breakfast but by the time the afternoon came around we’d recovered just enough and caught wind of a local rival bar offering free beer (100% free no catch) between 5:30 – 7:00pm… I have only ever seen two free bars in my entire life but I have never had the chance to  take full and proper advantage of them… I felt if nothing, that I owed it to Toby to drink his share too, also it worked out perfectly with Lee’s leaving party which was arranged in town for 7:30.

Georgie took a little longer than usual getting ready and I sat at the bar talking to Grumpy Dave (the sausage king of Sihanoukville) working up a very unhealthy thirst.

Dave headed off to go and get started and I rushed Georgie along, by 6pm we were there and the beer began to flow. Bless them, I don’t think they anticipated the thirst of a bunch of tight arsed backpackers and expats to be anything like it was and with  everyone shouting at passers by “Oi you… Free beer” the place was soon rammed and I don’t think the tap stopped once until the first barrel was empty… Thats when things started to heat up because in the time it took to change the barrel everyone had finished off their beer and was demanding another – they had created a thirsty, beered up mob and the only thing to calm us was more beer. 7pm came around a lot sooner than any of us would have liked and with that a good slice of customers who had just been walking down the street to do laundry and stuff staggered off to finish whatever they were up to before we dragged them in. By 7:30 we had all finished up our freebies and it was time for us to get to Lee’s party.

Georgie, Grumpy Dave and I staggered down to a Tuk Tuk and rolled into the Khmer restaurant Cabbage Garden spot on time but thoroughly pissed. All the Monkey staff were there as was half of the Sihanoukville expat community, we kept the beer coming and ordered far too much grub but it was a cracking meal and it came in at only $6 a head… Somehow it didn’t seem fair – having drank and eaten our own weight in beer and excellent food but only forked out $12…

Back to Monkey for a few more drinks and last goodbyes to Lee which had Georgie welling up and then off to bed, as Grumpy Dave left he slid over to me and said “same time tomorrow boy”

to which I replied “of course sir”…

Toby and Lee leave us but some idiot gives away free beer! was originally published by HappytimeBlog - Backpacking around the world - Learn how to make money travel round the world with you

With all the constant moving from place to place over the last week it’s a big relief to finally get back to a place where we can dwell for a week… Or two… Monkey Republic!

With the night at the casino behind us we sorted out tickets down to Sihanoukville for the same day, packed up and checked out. It was a scorching hot day in Phnom Penh, by far the hottest I’ve ever been in my life and of course the bus was running late… Huddled together in the shade pouring sweat from places we didn’t know we had – dreaming of getting back to the beach was all that kept me standing.

We had a nice bus, not VIP but plenty good enough and the six hours passed in no time. Excitement about seeing the Monkey bunch again set in as we started to make our way into Sihanoukville as did the feeling of being somewhere where everybody knows your name.

We were met at the bus station by one of the Monkeys named Stuart, he was handing out flyers to all the tourists. We had never met him the last time we were here but heard all about him and vise-versa so he phoned ahead had saved us a couple of rooms, turned out to be a bloody good job because we somehow managed to pick the slowest Tuk Tuk driver in the world and every other tourist passed by and beat us to Monkey… Didn’t matter much though because we arrived and were met with a warm welcome from Big Chris and Jimbo (of Sessions Bar fame), Georgie went ape shit (excuse the pun) and the last of the rooms were in the bag… As is the policy – all newcomers get a free beer on arrival and as is my policy, everything else can wait if there is free drink bounding around.

Georgie got straight on the phone to Duncan and Lee to announce our arrival and demand their attendance while Big Chris decided it was indeed a time for celebration and got us all a beer tower… Although not to attempt another beer tower challenge (last time we were record holders for quite some time).

Lee and Duncan turned up and we kept the beer towers coming until the wee small hours, Jimbo danced like a loon behind the bar as usual and despite a few minor renovations everything was as we left it and we wouldn’t change that for the world!

It was so good to see everyone again and be back at Monkey but it’s a big shame all the others who were there last time weren’t again. New party picture boards are up all over the place and it’s good to see that we are plastered all over them, looking fancy in our costumes and Georgie in her rather amazing homemade jellyfish and flower outfit (pink and glitter party and seaside party).

With the Monkey bar running dry and the staff wanting to get to bed so we left them to it and took Toby along the nearby casino, Fortuna casino – the cheapest casino we have ever been in and seeing as we are a super tight budget it almost made actually going to it seem like a good idea… The fact I was having serious trouble standing and even seeing didn’t bode well but we took a single crisp $10 note, halved it and somehow with roller-coaster luck on roulette and blackjack managed to stay until 7:30am… Free beer, cigarettes and food kept coming promptly on demand and although something inside me felt super sleazy staggering out of a Cambodian casino at 7:30am pissed up to the eyeballs, something else felt damn good… Eight hours of food, beer and gambling for $5 each… That’s how we roll.

Back in Sihanoukville… Back in Monkey Republic… Back in the game. was originally published by HappytimeBlog - Backpacking around the world - Learn how to make money travel round the world with you

We had a couple of days that went just the same as most others spent at Monkey Republic but the day before we all left was a hell of a day. It started as early as ever, the crack of 11am with a quick breakfast and then on the moped and into town to get pics developed for a picture board, find presents for Leroy and Duncan the two owners we made friends with and sort out costumes for the looming Seaside party! Well it might as well have been a big leaving party for our bunch because everyone was set to leave the next day.
We dropped our pics off after popping to the bus station to ask Lee where it was then off to the fabric shop for Georgie to get some raw materials to create another fasion masterpiece, she was up to her eyeballs in all sorts of crazy colours and frilly things but we had loads to do and she was very objective. That done it was time to find me a costume, so we had a little razz around until an inflatable dolphin caught my eye and a pair of really loud flowery shorts shortly after… Picked up our pictures and went to the rock n roll shop to get Lee and Duncan pressies, we got Duncan a T shirt and Lee a big skull belt buckle… We had no idea if he would like it or not but for some reason it seemed right. Back to monkey for a greasy lunch, erect a picture board so everyone passing through can see the pink and glitter mayhem and a few pints while Georgie set to work immediately on her uber costume… A jellyfish!
A few hours of what can only be called crafting and Georgie was all done and the jellyfish was… amazing!!!
My costume however didnt really cut the mustard so I decided to gut the inflatable dolphin and wear it like a skin, it actually worked a treat.
The seaside party kicked off the same as the pink and glitter party, with us lot of loons all coming out in drips and drabs in our costumes taking over one side of the bar until everyone is out and drunk and the bar is packed… We also took on the beer tower challenge again…. and beat our time… 3 boys 1 girl 12 pints … in 1 minute 55 seconds, it cant physically be beat im sure!!! We also set a mexican shot record of 34 people around the bar doing a shot of monkey brain in a mexican wave fasion… Somebody came as an ice cream and brought a bottle of shaving foam to the procedings, so of course everyone ended up covered in that from head to toe but he didnt tell anyone it was super menthol! Needless to say it was an amazing night, a fitting goodbye and I passed out…

Our last days in Sihanoukville was originally published by HappytimeBlog - Backpacking around the world - Learn how to make money travel round the world with you

All recovered from the full moon party someone suggested a trip to the nearby waterfalls called Kbal Chhay waterfalls, so a plan was made to meet at 12 as before at the bar. About half 12 everyone was up and had breakfast and we ordered a picnic from Monkey republic to take, we all squeezed into 2 tuk tuks and away we went, it took about 20 minutes to reach the waterfalls and all the way we were trying to decide the theme of the next party Leroy had said he wanted. The waterfalls were pretty big and fairly impressive, they were the biggest we have seen yet while traveling. We were all feeling quite peckish so we set off across bridges and through streams to get to a little picnic area where they have big tables you can all sit on and hammocks swinging around and eat our little picnic and have a few tinnies. While we were loads of little girls selling a whole load of snacks that they carry in a basket on their heads came and sat with us and had a little giggle at us. Just as we were finishing up a woman in pajamas came over and said she wanted $2.50 for the use of the tables but seeing as we had already paid an entrance fee we knew she was just trying her luck so we finished up and headed for the falls, she did however manage to pinch Cloe’s flip flops. We all got in our swimmers and hopped into the water and gingerly walked over the slippery rocks into the falls and had a good old splash around for a couple of hours. While we were all sitting chatting the tuk tuk driver came down and said that rain was coming and if we didn’t leave then the dirt road would turn to thick mud, so with that we all got back in the tuk tuks and headed back to Monkey. After everyone got cleaned up and had a nibble it was time for drinking games! Ring of fire was the game and by 10pm we were all in a pretty disgusting state, hopped in tuk tuks and went to the beach and Sessions to get even more hammered yet again, we ended up in Freddy’s room at about 6am and thats when we called it a night and strolled home to bed. The following day was spent in bed, at Britannia for a roast dinner or at the cinema, basically recovering yet again…

Waterfalls and ring of fire. was originally published by HappytimeBlog - Backpacking around the world - Learn how to make money travel round the world with you

The plan was be up and ready for 12, easier said than done after the night at the casino and made all the the harder because there was 11 of us to assemble, but by half 12 we had managed to eat breakfast and get down to the beach ready fo a boat trip to Bamboo Island. The first people we asked said it was too windy to go but due to the enterprising nature of the Khymers it wasn’t long before another chap had said he would take us, he also said that the water off serendipity beach was far too choppy to leave from so all 11 of us got into the back of his pick-up truck and wwent for a spin to the next beach along where there was shallower water and smaller waves. Apparently that was the only spot on the sea that was. The boat ride over was in fact the worst boat journey ever, the waves were massive and the boat tipped from side to side and up and down so much that you had to hold onto something or you would be tossed out. An hour into the journey spirits had fallen sharply so we started singing songs to get them up again, and drinking gin… Once we got there though it was beautiful. A few rattan huts right on the beach front and a little resturant where we all sat round and had a wicked meal wondering how we survived the journey. Then we just bummed out on the beach for a while and watched a rain storm wash over the mainland… At 5 oçlock the boat driver said it was time to leave so we all nervously climbed aboard again and as we did a big monsoon swept over the hills and right over us, the next 20 minutes was more about survival than anything and we all huddled together to stay warm under some towels while the rain pelted down, one plus was that the waves seemed alot calmer, still fucking big and throwing us around but calmer than the way there. Back on dry land and the fun didnt stop there, we landed where we had set off from but because the tide was in it washed over the little sand bank we had to cross to get back to the beach and as Freddy walked across it swallowed him up to his thigh, it was like quicksand so we carefully took his bags off him while he layed flat and crawled out. I made a run across another part and luckily managed to avoid it and we all finally were back on dry land… We all had a mega time and loads of fun but fuck doing it again!!!
That night was full moon so of course there was a party down the beach, we were all pretty exhausted from being so tense all day that it took a while to get things going but once on the beach at Sessions the buckets came out and we all got royally mashed, danced about and sat on a bamboo tower that we stormed and evicted its french occupiers then sang and played drinking games until the sun was up….
The following day was spend asleep, watching movies in the tv room and generally recovering nobody left monkey republic all day, then we all went to a Greek resturant called Angelos for some amazing food before hitting the hay… again…

Sea adventures and full moon parties was originally published by HappytimeBlog - Backpacking around the world - Learn how to make money travel round the world with you

We slept in pretty late and to be honest I think we needed it, the sky was quite overcast which only justifies staying in bed a bit longer. We spent the best part of the day just popping about on little eronds, buyin tee shirts and getting supplies etc and when we werent doing that we were playing pool or hanging about round Monkey. But come the evenin it was all go, firstly Leroy booked us in for a pastie dinner at Britania so we razzed there for some quality nosh, pastie, peas and mash and secondly to Fortuna casino for a little flutter and take advantage of the free food and beer…
Being a complete novice at it all I played it carefully for a while while some of the more serious gamblers were working systems out and betting large, Leroy explained the art of roulette to us and away we went, Georgie’s first go and 1 chip down on 1 number came in… $35 just like that, and of course she got a taste for victory! I managed using Charlies system to slowly but surely build my pile of chips to a good $90 while by this time Georgie was back down to $20 which was what we both started with, then she was soon scrounging more from my turgid heap with the desperation of a seasoned gambler. I stock piled my chips and cashed up our original stakes so whatever happened we walked away even and considering the pace we were necking our complimentary beer we were going to walk away up whatever. Georgie got quite a taste for it so I sneakily changed up some more chips and hid them in my pocket, out of sight out of mind. By the time we walked away from the table we had cashed our original stakes and I had $40 stashed in my pocket and still plenty of winnings to hit the blackjack tables for an hour, which Georgie also got a taste for and when everyone else had ran out of money and stopped recieving free beer I had to peel her from the table whilst she begged and pleaded… But $47 up and well pissed made for a good evening. I think only Duncon, another owner of Monkey Republic managed to walk away up, everyone else lost the lot.
We staggered down to Nap bar then Sessions bar and the beer just tasted so much sweeter when it was paid for by winnings, we finally hit the hay around 3am again but not before Georgie made a stop at the shop on the way home for bread and cheese. It was glorious…

Casino Royale was originally published by HappytimeBlog - Backpacking around the world - Learn how to make money travel round the world with you