Banteay Srey Hotel Siem Reap

... it's first outing on the way down (thanks Neil, couldn't of got down without you). Trying to find Wanda with all the tuk tuks was challenge, plus he was hiding from us...that joker. Then we saw the tash....he found us.

That evening we decided socialising was the way forward. So we had dinner with a French man, who was kinda hot and his name was Jean Paul. We had the traditional dish of Amok....a coconut based curry. Truly delicious, until Alice wanted to puke. No fear, none arrived ...

... to sleep, out of the corner of my eye I saw this thing run along the wall in front of me! First off I thought it was a gecko (lizard, very helpful for eating mosquitoes), but looked up to see this massive spider on the wall! It hopped the ***** out off me, I have never seen a spider this big in 'real life'. After it disappeared & I got over it, we fell asleep, only to be woken up in the middle of the night to hear to geckos fighting. They were really load (making barking ...

... for some new people to hop in a taxi with and our 'friend' has a better idea. 'I have offer for you...you pay a little extra and you get taxi for just you two'...I tell him that we have already paid extra and that we should be allowed a taxi anyway but NO!!

After about half an hour of waitng we meet some others who we can share a taxi with...at last!! Hopping in we get on the way. The road is soft and smoothly tarmac-ed...no more de4ath highway which I guess is good for us ...

... carts, all sharing the same roads without the slightest hindrance to each other.

It hits me why they have to drive in the middle of the road.Not only they have to look out for oncoming traffic, they have also to constantly avoid the snail-paced bullock cart and bicycles.

The uneventful journey took almost 6 hours covering 315 kilometres.

Next:The greatest manmade wonder of the world, The Amazing Angkor Wat.

We were up at 4am feeling exhausted but excited. We planned to eat breakfast at the temple, a difficult feat for me as I typically begin to think about breakfast the moment I wake up. Our driver was there at 5am on the dot and we jumped in and headed out through the dark streets. It took about 45 minutes before we arrived to the ticket booths, looking like the entrance to a theme park. After paying our all-day ticket pass we jumped ...

... to the guard who turned me away 'don't worry, I've waited 30 years to see this place, another day won't hurt'....

Got there for sunrise instead (which unfortunately meant gettng up at 4.30am!) - It was amazing, because even though everyone goes there for sunrise, they all seemed to be respectfully quiet, and a lot of them don't stay long anyway, cos they want to head off for breakfast and come back. I managed to sneak in ahead of the pack, and ...

... br>The family selected for us for the tour was better off than most, because the father was a teacher. Teachers earn $100 per month in Cambodia, which is considered a very good salary. Still, they lived in a bamboo and thatch hut, and farmed rice.

Yes, I spent the morning planting rice. It is the most backbreaking, hot work I have ever done. And I learned how difficult life is for about 95% of the people in Cambodia ...

... your dead and dry skin!! Tickley as **** and as you can imagine they loved my sweaty flaky feet!! was cool tho and they did a great job. We then watched a film on Pol Pot the despot who was the cause off nearly 2 million deaths in Cambodia from '75 to '79. Cambodia has had it rough and its amazing that the people are still so happy and upbeat. After that Claire and i got a head, back and neck masage before dodging home happy to happy guest house. Today we are going to rent ...

... br>


We entered through the E.




Climbing the narrow stairways to the second ...

... steepness of these almost vertical stairs & there was no way she was going up there. I had to & set off up hanging onto the side of a low wall beside these incredibly narrow stone steps. Three quarters of the way up my support wall disappeared & I had nothing to hang on to. I stayed there for about 10 minutes in absolute panic, with my heart ...