Cambodia

Yesterday did not start out good, not good at all! Our alarm went off at an extremely unsociable 6.16am, I woke up with a slightly dodgy stomach - never the best way to begin a 12 hour bus journey! I insisted that the best thing to do was line the stomach (usually the cure for everything in my book) so we went to some scabby cafe on Kao San road to get some breakfast. The stomach decided to reject the toast and coffee that I fed it, making me dash off to the toilet. I half walked/half ran in the door labelled toilet only to be faced with 2 urinals (definitely not suitable for my purposes) and one hole-in-the-ground toilet. This wouldn't have been the end of the world, except for the fact that the "toilet" had a good splattering of poo not only inside but also around where your feet are supposed to go. Of course I walked out again, but tragically realised that I basically had no choice, I really needed a toilet. With some seriously impressive use of thigh muscles and some very careful positioning of my feet, I managed to use the toilet (thank god I had my own toilet roll!) I washed my hands, only to then walk out and bump into the toilet door labelled "ladies." That is some bad karma to start the day!

We set off on a mini bus only an hour or so late (not too bad by Thai standards). Luckily from this point on, things improved a lot. We had a really good journey, with only 3 other people and the stomach behaved itself (probably scared into submission by the thought of another toilet hell hole!) We had all heard stories of scams and dodgy officials at the Thai/ Cambodia crossing. We built this up so much that by the time it came to cross, we felt like we were going into battle, we had established battle ranks and made sure noone got left behind, every form was scanned suspiciously. As it was, we passed through scam-free and unscathed. The most traumatic thing was trucks loaded down with pigs crossing at the same time as us, all piled on top of each other and squealing away as they went to meet their fate. (I swear this trip will turn me into a vegan).

The bus journey through Cambodia was quicker than we thought, passing through lots of very flat countryside and picturesque little farming communities. The only slight concern was the bus company owner who drank a can of beer when we stopped and then proceeded to sway about in the aisle, doing borat impressions and stage whispering that we could go to him for some good price wacky backy (we declined). As long as he hadn't been drinking with the driver then I guess it's all good.

We arrived in Siem Reap and we like it here a lot! We have a fantastic guesthouse for just $8 a night, complete with hot water and a TV (which means Brett can flick through the cartoon networks to his heart's content). The people here are a breath of fresh air after Bangkok, especially the children. They have so much character and flock around trying to sell you stuff for coins. They are like little entrepreneurs - they never miss a trick and they can banter easily in near-perfect english but they are extremely good natured and everything is said and done with genuine good humour.

Siem Reap itself is just lovely, set alongside a river, they have beautiful trees and buildings, with a definite french influence. We were quite surprised how many expensive hotels there are here, knowing how poor he country is. Brett and I rented bikes today and cycled around town, crossing down a street at one end of the river we came across the poor side of town, with shanty style housing and markets. It still had a real charm to it though. Brett is in his element again, cruising around, chatting to other cyclists as he rides and high-fiving kids. I, on the other hand, have to put all my concentration into just riding straight and not getting myself killed by a tuk tuk or motorbike or any other such deadly contractions. So far though we have survived and have plans to cycle out to Angor Wat tomorrow (7kms on rickety bikes with no gears - what could possible be a better idea?!)

For tonight, I want to go to see a short film that they show to outline the history of Cambodia and the genocide. That's right - I'm going to educate my limited brain! The maybe some ice cream.