The Jungle, Book selling children

In fact, because we would be crossing yet another time zone we essentially rose at 2.30 Cambodia time. To our great surprise breakfast had already been laid out (we are now of the opinion that cosmopolitan hostel is one of the best we have stayed in on the whole trip) so we munched away and set ourselves up for the day. A painless trip to the airport and a two hour flight later we hit the tarmac in Cambodia. After purchasing the first of a few very expensive visas we exited and met 'Adam' who had come to pick us up (Stu got very excited about seeing his name on a sign at this point). As we followed him through the car park we soon realised we weren't heading for a minibus or car but Adams' Tuk-Tuk! This was our first proper Tuk-Tuk experience (the ones in southern Thailand really don't count) and it was hilarious. After quite a size able journey Adam refused to accept a tip, but did recommend his services for vising the Angkor temple area over the next couple of days. It turned out his prices were very competitive, his English was pretty good and we liked him so after settling in and sampling very cheap and very delicious food from the guesthouse menu we planned a two day attack on the temples with him, the two days being the current day and the next!

So at about 11 o'clock, with us feeling like it should be about 6 in the evening we set off on his 'big loop' which included five temples of various forms and sizes. I can't really describe the atmosphere in and around the temples, but it was a damn good day. Adam whizzed us around and we were free to explore each one at leisure, taking as long as we pleased. As soon as we popped our heads back outside he would appear out of nowhere to take us to the next. The temples are magnificent and a Tuk-Tuk really is the way to see them, sheltered from the absolutely baking sun and humid heat (40+ and the humidity has to be experienced to be understood!!) as you travel with no effort required, at a fast enough pace to make a good day out of things with Adams entertaining anecdotes to boot. The other side of the day was the constant harassment by locals trying to sell you every imaginable product under the sun. All of them for a dollar it seemed. 'Cold drink for you', 'Pineapple Sir?' etc. Sometimes this is entertaining, but when little kids are trying to sell you postcards, or are tugging on your arm to persuade you to buy a book with little puppy dog eyes it can also be heartbreaking. You have to have a heart of stone to turn them down, but you simply can't buy everything!!
By the time we reached our guesthouse in the evening we were whacked, but fulfilled. It was OK though, because day two was sunrise at Angkor Wat, and a 5am start!! Straight to bed...

We woke up early and couldn't find Adam, then we realized he was sleeping in reception! After he emerged and saw us waiting he ran around like an idiot apologizing profusely despite there being absolutely no need. Thinking he may have compromised our chances of seeing the sunrise despite being maybe two minutes late, we sped to Angkor Wat at extreme speed overtaking all the other Tuk-Tuk drivers! We had not missed the show, and despite not getting the most beautiful or colourful of skies there is certainly an impressive atmosphere at this majestic and very well preserved Wat in the morning light. See photos! We spent a lot of time looking around and also fell foul of restaurant number eight who gave us good price on breakfast and a lady selling paintings completed using a spoon. We have these paintings rolled up in our bags and have absolutely no idea how we are going to keep them in one piece and get them home, but hey we got good price there too. In fact, we seem to be really lucky everywhere we go; we always get special good price. On this particular occasion we got special morning price. Just for us! How privileged we felt...

Anywho, after Angkor Wat, with the temperature soaring at about half past nine in the morning, we completed the rest of Adams' 'little loop' and once again had an awesome experience doing the rest of the more famous or unique temples in the area. By the time we reached the last one we were feeling a little 'templed out' but we felt it was well worth spreading out our exploring over two days, if only to spend some more time with Adam, who we realised had been taught English by someone who was very camp! That evening we sat around sharing stories with other people in the guesthouse and had planned to go out that evening with Adam and some of the other staff, including Mr. T, 'like in the A-team' who was great fun, but who also, after scooting back to get us in a rather tipsy state gave us a really interesting insight into how lax drink drive laws are and Cambodian dating/marriage. He had a few very heart wrenching stories relating to the very archaic cultural rules that still apply out here, which are genuinely very shocking. He also got an HIV test after simply kissing his first western girl... which was clear... and then got three more tests at his mothers demand just in case. Our early starts and the heat caught up with us though and unfortunately we didn't make it out and just continued to sit around talking to fellow travelers and other Cambodian staff and Adam as they dipped in and out.

The next day we completely changed our Asia plans (sorry mum, most of the dates on that email are now wrong!!) and after cycling into town and looking round some markets we headed straight to Phnom Penn where we have been holed up in Nomads with a couple of English girls from our dorm. The evening we arrived we went out for a few drinks together and yesterday, after going to the wrong museum, finding out the royal palace was shut and getting lost in a market we had a very sombre day as we explored S-21, a Kymer Rouge interrogation and detention centre and Cheung Ek killing fields, both being as horrific as they sound, shocking us to the core as we learnt about this countries troubled (and by god, recent) past. Even our Tuk-Tuk broke down in protest. We are still mystified a) as to how some of the atrocities committed under Kymer Rouge rule could have happened, and b) why no bloody bugger did a thing to stop it. The Kymer Rouge still had a recognized seat in the UN in 1990!!! What the F***.

In the evening we went to a curry house and made ourselves very ill by eating a huge selection of dishes and Lassi's (all you can eat rice and chapattis playing a part) before finding an Irish bar to watch the FA Cup semi in, getting very excited, drinking beer and then shamelessly celebrating in front of Tottenham fans. Mwah Ha Ha.

PS. Larry is dead. R.I.P.
PPS. Has no-one noticed the theme to the last few posts yet?!