Angkor Diamond Hotel Siem Reap

... heading towards Angkor Wat and there was a bit of a buzz in the air I thought. It had been a while since we had been up early
in order to see an important site and it was needed to experience something like this in Asia so it was good. It was pitch black when we arrived and we headed in over a bridge and into the complex and joined the crowds of people waiting for the sun to rise. The sun started to change colour and was pinky and Angkor Wat started to emerged ...

Currently under construction to restore some crumbling areas, Baphuon is a temple dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva. Most of the restoration work in Cambodia are donated by other countries (as Cambodia does not have the money or the resources to do so themselves). Germany and France are two of their biggest supporters ...

... but I really could do with aircon - it is not going to happen for $8 or 4.82 a night!

It just rained for the first time since I have been here. So nice and cool now.I love this place as there is a proper supermarket accross the road - yes a supermarket!!! civilisation at last!

... top of a hill, and Pierre, having lost some weight and getting more used to the heat, hiked up the hill at lightning speed, weaving through the hordes of slower tourists and escalating the steep and narrow steps all the way to the top without so much as panting a single time. Did I not say the man was getting sexier by the day? He was so proud of himself and so he should be!

The top of the temple is another story. Every Joe, Dick and ...

... hearing their laughter chiming out from their classroom. They seem such a happy lot. The staff are full of hugs for them and they reciprocate in kind. Once a week we take six of our charges to a 5 star hotel in town which is a great supporter of our work. The kids use it as an exercise in using their English and it gives the guests a chance to interact with our programme. The kids are rewarded with real fruit juice and a tray ...

... years ago and different even to anything I had seen on Lake Titicaca in Peru. All the houses and schools and churches (there was even a floating Catholic church) were individual and so the only way to get from one place to another was to swim or take a boat. We went up the river and to the mouth of the lake. Where there were several tiny boats with women and children waiting for the occasional tourist and then of course asking for money. We were also dropped off at this random shop ...

We started our day off with Adam getting his birthday card from our mates at work. Then jumped on a bus at 7am to Siem Reap in Cambodia (Kampuchia).

We're meeting some cool people in our travels, and often its when we're on tours or busing it somewhere.

So we're on the bus from Saigon, to Phenom Penh, then another bus from Phenom Penh to Siem Reap. 12 hours ...

... to last 100 lifetimes... I can't even imagine the stories some of these people have to tell. It's a bit of a sad and weird way to end my trip here in Cambodia. I have to say that Nam is still been my favourite country I've visited on this trip but I think it's Cambodia that's going to stay with me.

I did actually buy a couple of books from landmine victims (a lot of them sell books rather than just begging). They ...

... statues.



Now I know why... because we're freaking crazy to visit Bayon at 12pm ...

... took us to Aranyprathet, the border town in Thailand across from Poipet, in Cambodia. The border crossing was a little too complex, in my opinion, for the 100-degree temperatures we experienced. We had to stop at Aranyprathet, take a tuk-tuk to the border, stand in a line to check out of Thailand, literally walk across a 'no man's land' expanse where you really aren't in any country in particular, then stand in an incredibly long ...