The Rose Apple Siem Reap

... terminal had been empty where as the LCCT terminal is packed. It takes another 15 minutes to get our bags scanned and find our checkin desk, we join the queue behind 5 Malaysian guys trying to take 12kg on as hand luggage and finally check in with 5 minutes to spare. So we are departure minus 45 mins. We head to departure lounges, have our passports procesed by some miserable bored attendant ...

... much every meal we ate in Siem Reap was great.

So that’s about it for Siem Reap. We got the early morning bus the next day at 7am to Compong Cham and on from there to Kratie.

Real Time Update: It is 16:45 on Friday 27th of November. We are in our hostel in Ho Chi Minh city in Vietnam and Kate is napping after doing some shopping and not getting a great sleep last night. Hope everyone it well at home, missing you all.

... br>In Cambodia, at least in the places where there are tourists, everything is in US$: hotel rooms, restaurants, mini marts, souvenir shops, canned drinks, etc... On one hand, it's very convenient since we don't have to change currency, on the other, it makes this place a lot more expensive than VN, whereas it should not be, since the economy here is poorer. The whole country feels like it's a dollar store: everything is a buck... canned drinks, books ...

... carved of red sandstone.

On the way back stopped to see how locals make candy from Sugar Palms. Tastes like maple sugar. Got a lesson in using the various kinds of fishtraps. And a lesson in how hut roofs and walls are woven.

Back to Siem Reap for a sidewalk table at the Red Piano--a cold drink and a large plate of fries.

... breaking the cycle of poverty which is so important to these amazing people living here around the ruins of the temples.

Crocodile is a popular meat here and it is also farmed for leather. During the storm some of these farms appear to have mislaid their contents. Just another thing to bear in mind when you are wading though water two foot deep. The villagers are thrilled and fishing expeditions are in full swing.

... did in order to go to these lengths to get it. It’s the deceiving bit that gets at me. Especially when in a county like Cambodia where everyone needs help - some just more genuinely than others. It’s also the first time than sort of thing has happened with a westerner since I’ve been travelling which is difficult as for the past 11 months all I have experienced is a sort of unwritten trust between fellow backpackers which is wonderful. In hindsight there are a few ...

... so knew injury to anyone, if at all, would be minimal. Seven minutes later the tuk tuk was on its side and Sunrise was in a puddle. Funny stuff.



We woke at 5am after two hours sleep to see Sunrise bright as a button waiting for us in his tuk tuk. He was taking us on the temple tour of Angkor Wat, the major tourist draw of Cambodia. We were driving for around fifteen minutes before ...

Our intro to Cambodia was a bit hellish. We got into Siem Reap at about 8.30pm in the dark and the bus dropped us off in this blimmen alleyway in the middle of nowhere. Then tonnes of tuk tuk drivers harassed us "miss, you want tuk tuk, miss I have good deal for you." It was MADNESS!

In the end we found a good place to stay for $12 a night with AC, private bathroom and nice soft beds.

Cambodia is definitely a lot better and ...

... James, Rich and another James! So we moved on to another bar and had a few drinks with them, and agreed to meet up for the next few nights, which was really nice. They are two days ahead of us so we had some useful advice and compared travelling stories over 50 cent beers in the middle of Cambodia, good times.

So there was a happy ending to our ...

... sure that both of them will be able to hear us when they watch the video at home!

Som took us home and we said our goodbyes. He will pick us up for the bus if he does not have other customers tomorrow. I ran up to the room and got some things for his children - glow sticks, stickers and bubbles. He was thrilled that they were from Canada.

I did some work on the internet and then went to bed. It has been a long day, I am still wiped out and not 100% yet.