South East Asia Day 9

April 2008

We caught the tuk tuk in the morning out to Tonle Sap Lake, were we spent the morning on a boat visiting the fish farms and seeing how the people live on the water.

That afternoon we caught a flight to Phnom Penh, and was caught in flooding on our way to Romdeng Restaurant, which belongs to a group that trains street children in hospitality and cooking. We also tried the deep fried tarantula, which wasn't very tasty....

We finished off the night in the Foreign Correspondents Club, enjoying some cool drinks in the balmy evening.

South East Asia Day 8

April 2008

We started the day early, with the iconic Siam Reap trip, sunrise at Angkor Wat, it truly was spectacular, even though the photos aren't so much.

We then visited the Banteay Srei, which was built in 960 AD and only rediscovered and reclaimed from the jungle in the early 1900s.

We then visited a local family that produces palm candy, before enjoying a Khmer massage and lunch at our hotel.

That night we had dinner at a local village, dancing the night away and watching the local children play with balloons!

That night DH went out to the local bar and disco tech, where he was offered a massage in the toilets!

South East Asia Day 7

April 2008

I can't tell you how long I've wanted to go to Siam Reap and see the Angkor Wat Temples, and I finally got to do it.

We visited 4 temples on this day:

• Preah Khan

• Angkor Thom

• Ta Prahm (or the Tomb Raider Temple)

• Pre Rup (Sunset Temple)

We were visiting during the wet season, so yes it was hot and humid, but it was relatively empty, there were few people and absolutely no crowds. Some tips, drink plenty of water, split your day so during the hottest point your back at the hotel having lunch, a nap, swimming or all three!

We then visited a local orphanage in the afternoon, amazed at how the groups that run these facilities can do so much with so little.

We finished off the night with dinner at Arun. Make sure you try the fish Amoc.

South East Asia Day 6

April 2008

It was an early morning start as we took the bus from the hotel in Bangkok to the Thailand/Cambodian boarder. The 3 hour bus trip went rather quickly though, and I guess considering the bus was comfortable, climate controlled and in good shape it's not surprising.

After clearing both sides of the boarders, and going through no mans land we finally got on the bus to take us on the "Dancing Road". This trip was definitely not as comfortable, the bus was old and there was no climate control, but I have to say we saw the true Cambodia in that 4 hour bus trip. Most people catch the plane from Bangkok to Siam Reap due to the state of the roads and the difficulties at the boarder, they pay exhorbitant prices due to Thai Airlines bribing the Cambodia government not to fix the road, and they miss out on seeing the rest of the countryside.

We checked in to our hotel, the wonderful Freedom Hotel (I highly recommend it), before going for a group dinner at Khmer Kitchen.

We finished off the night looking around the night market set up for tourists, and I still regret not buying a set of black and white photos of the temples.

South East Asia Day 5

April 2008

After a bit of a sleep in we decided to head off to the Grand Palace, getting distracted by the Marble Temple along the way.

The Grand Palace has a dress code (covered legs and shoulders for both male and females), but don't be too worried if you don't have appropriate attire as it can be borrowed at the entrance.

We then went to see the Reclining Buddha, this impressed me the most, the size of their feet!

That evening we met with our Intrepid Tour group for the week and enjoyed a spectacular Thai dinner in one of the markets. Who said it's not safe to eat off the street?