Villa Langka Phnom Penh

... squidgey, a bit like a maggot I guess which I couldn't quite get out of my head! I think I'd do very well on I'm A Celebrity! I did draw the line at the huge fried spiders which Jamie and Lauren ate though.....

Today I went on a Cambodian Cooking Course which was excellent. I learnt how to make Cambodian spring rolls, chicken and banana flower salad, tiger ...

... of the hostel and into the sweaty, humid streets for a walk to the markets. These were never reached and we decided to stop for lunch instead. Before, during and after lunch, we became well-aquainted with a man selling sun-glasses for '$3? $3? You no want 3? I make it $2! $2 Ray Ban! $2!'
After lunch we began our endeavours inside the Royal palace. We went inside Throne room and the Silver Pagoda, as ...

... joking to one another and telling stories. One of the men spoke good english, he was a pilot for cambodian airlines. He asked about my and my travels and I took interest when he told me about Cambodia. After working up a sweat with the older guys I ended up agreeing to send a postcard to one of them (he works for the Cambodian foreign affairs office and his friends work with the Cambodian Olympic committee (my connections ...

... have far to travel and had our ticket and were in the grounds by 9. Some of the temples were interesting enough but we were glad we opted for 1 day, although if we’d paid for a 3 day ticket I would’ve spent the whole time feeding the elephants. I don’t think I could ever get tired of them, they’re just so funny. After feeding them all twice we’d seen and done everything we wanted and were on our way back by 4 o ...

... of bars and restaurants and we found solace in a great little Indian just around the corner from where we were staying. The Magic Sponge held weekly poker nights and so one evening myself, Mish and Rob duly attended, hoping to win the odd Dollar or two. There were some interesting characters around the table with each person playing the game with a differing degree of seriousness. A combination of bad cards and terrible play meant that I left the table first ...

... saying and they couldn’t be older than six years old. They were running around a gate of a place where thousands of people were killed and they were so poor. I was angry at the situation, but I was more angry that I felt like either their parents or the government had let them down. They were begging for money and I felt like every person who gave them money was somehow helping in the process of selling their childhood. Maybe this is naïve or a useless emotion ...

... who would run up to the road when they heard our bikes coming.
Well worth the $20 each it cost us & we were picked up & dropped back as well

... is the most expensive (by a hair). Another unexpected sighting is .. many nice new 4 runners, Lexus SUVS, trucks and cars; more cars than anywhere we have been yet (not that we have been in one).

So after a few days we went to a small town a few hours south and experienced transportation, Cambodian style.... that means 24 people INSIDE a minibus (with 10 seats), and god-knows how many or what is on the top. Not to mention ...

... counted a maximum of seven people riding a single one, four of the riders being children. Hiring only one between us thus saved a bit of money which was instantly eaten up in the ticket price. It had taken us days to decide what type of ticket to buy. Should we buy a three day or a week long ticket ? Maybe three days was not enough but, on the other hand, a week might be too long. We eventually rested on three days. We had been told that all of the main temples and a few lesser ...