5 July 2009, 7:30 pm local time. At an internet cafe in Koh Phangan (island off the East coast of Thailand), and I'm covered in red hand marks from slapping myself silly to keep the flies off! They don't seem to be getting the message… grrr!

Sawatdee Kaa from me, and Sawatdee Khrab from Daniel! (Yes, 'hello' in Thai has a sex!)

Since our last update (which feels like ages ago), we've been in Cambodia, and from there have made our way back to the beach where we are enjoying more sun and sea on Thailand's tropical islands of well-known Koh Samui, and less-known (but arguably nicer), Koh Phangan. As always, let's back track a touch and start with Cambodia...

Cambodia left an unexpected, but beautiful imprint on both our hearts (I know, a little OTT, but if you've been there you'll understand). For many reasons, Cambodia has been one of our favourite places 'by a clear mile' (starting to sound like Simon Cowell on a good day!). We arrived in Siem Reap on the 23rd of June, and had 5 days to visit our pick of literally thousands of ancient temples and monuments. Nick Ray, the author of our Lonelyplanet guide, says that "there is no greater concentration of architectural riches anywhere on earth". Thanks to Katie, who gave us the book, we were able to efficiently plan and navigate our way through this expansive and fascinating city (and in the process become self-proclaimed gurus on Cambodian temples, and history!). We managed to see a whopping 25 temples/monuments (including the most famous and impressive ones of all - Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom) in 3 days time with the guidance of our tuk tuk driver, "Lucky." I could sit here all night writing about each temple/monument we visited, but that would be cruel, and boring, so I'll just tell you about the two biggies:

Angkor Wat ("temple that is a city")

The best time to see Angkor Wat (according to EVERYONE!) is at sunrise. We didn't realize that the sun rose extra early in Siem Reap so up we were at 4:30 am. In the dark of morning, Lucky picked us up at our hotel, and drove us to Angkor Wat. It took a good 15 minutes just to walk through the impressive entrance way, and as we walked we were approached by "James Bond" the coffee and hot chocolate guy! Mr. Bond escorted us to a spot right in front of the temple by the lake (on the left hand side). He told us this was the best spot for pictures because of the reflection of the temple in the lake. He was right. Comfortably seated with hot drinks in our hands we waited patiently for the sun to reveal itself. Unfortunately, we didn't see the blood red and bright orange skies we had read about and had hoped for, but it was still incredibly memorable, and a really great way to start off the day. We spent a good few hours exploring Angkor Wat, and discovered all sorts of interesting things...

- The temple faces west, which is symbolically the direction of death. This led scholars to conclude that Angkor Wat must have existed as a temple AND as a tomb for Suryavarman II

- The exquisite bas-reliefs wrap around the outer wall for almost 1km!

- According to inscriptions made in the temple, the construction of Angkor Wat involved 300,000 workers and 6,000 elephants, yet it was still never completed

Angkor Thom ("the great city")

After a couple of hours at Angkor Wat, Lucky drove us over to Angkor Thom. In the blistering heat of the early afternoon sun all we wanted to do was go back to our air conditioned hotel and crawl back into bed, but we persisted on as good sightseers do.

Angkor Thom was built by Angkor's most celebrated King, Jayavarman VII (1181-1219), and may have supported a population of 1 million at its height! The 10sq km city is enclosed by a square wall that is 8m high, and more than 13km in length, and is encircled by a 100m-wide moat said to have been inhabited by fierce crocodiles back in the day! Five immense gates control traffic into and out of Angkor Thom, and the East gate featured in the film "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider." The focal point of Angkor Thom is the mysterious and almost comical temple of Bayon. Bayon has 54 gothic towers decorated with 216 smiling, enormous faces that are said to resemble King Jayavarman VII.

In sum, Angkor must be seen to fully appreciate its magnificence in terms of scale and detail, and the brilliant ingenuity of the Khmer Empire. Quoting our dear friend, Nick Ray, once again, he describes Angkor as follows:

"Angkor* has the epic proportions of the Great Wall of China, the detail and intricacy of the Taj Mahal, and the symbolism and symmetry of the pyramids all rolled into one... If Europe owes a debt of gratitude to the Romans, Southeast Asia must thank the Khmers**"

*Angkor was the capital of Cambida's ancient Khmer Empire; The Angkorian period spanned more than 600 years from AD 802 to 1432

**Khmers are the people of Cambodia

Beyond Angkor are hundreds of other temples that are unique and breathtaking in their own right. Some of the more fascinating temples are those that have been "reclaimed" by nature. Trees with expansive root systems seem to be busting out of every corner, and in some places, the temple is no longer supporting itself, but is being held up by the huge, imposing tree(s)! Ta Prohm is a classic example of a temple that has been left to be "swallowed" by the jungle...

Amongst all the architectural beauty Siem Reap has to offer, the people of Cambodia are still its greatest treasure. The people of Cambodia have been to hell and back (which I rather not talk about as it's far too depressing), but they have prevailed with a smile. No one leaves Cambodia without a great deal of admiration, and affection for its inhabitants. No one.

Other highlights:

The evening we arrived in Siem Reap we booked ourselves onto a tour to see the floating village of Chong Kneas located on Tonle Sap Lake. What an incredibly unique place... it felt as if we were transported to the set of "Water World"! Everything in Chong Kneas floats: the school, the health center, the petrol stations, and of course, the homes! The inhabitants of this village use the lake for EVERYTHING... for fishing (obviously!), to wash their dishes, to bathe, for leisure... life as they know it revolves completely around this enormous, plentiful freshwater lake. After taking it all in, we stopped for dinner atop a massive boat in the middle of the village to watch the sunset, and enjoy some yummy local delicacies (including snake!).

The children of Cambodia are extraordinary! I've never met such friendly, intelligent little munchkins! As we cruised through Siem Reap by foot and in our tuk tuk, the children we passed would yell out: "HEEEELLLLLLOOOOO!" and wave until we were out of sight. What's more heart warming are the children we met by the temples selling all sorts of goodies including water and coconuts. Instead of just hassling you to buy something, many would engage in witty conversation... a common conversation with me went something like:

Child: Hello lady!

Me: Hello sweetie!

Child: Where are you from?

Me: Canada

Child: Capital city is Ottawa!!

Me: How did YOU know that??

Child: [Big grin on her face] Would you like to buy a bottle of water?! Etc…

Typical conversation with Daniel:

Child: Hello Mr.!

Daniel: Hello!

Child: Where are you from?

Daniel: Spain

Child: Hola! Que tal? Como te llamas!?

Daniel: Muy bien, gracias!! Me llamo Daniel! Y tu?? [said with genuine shock... after all, this little guy is maybe 5 years old!]

Child: Hola Daniel! Me llamo 'Thon'! Quieres una botella de agua?? Etc...

I can't even tell you how many bottles of water we bought from these kids... an average of 2-3 an hour, easily!

Thai Islands

After 5 full days in Cambodia it was time to move onto the second beach break cure of our trip. Say hello to the Thai islands!

First stop was Koh Samui, the largest and most popular Thai island on the East coast. One of the most memorable days was when we rented a brand-spanking new, lime green Honda motorbike and took to the Koh Samui roads. Not sure when I last rode on the back of a motorbike (if ever), but it's a really cool feeling... butterflies in your tummy, and the sun shining on your face. The drive along most of the island offered splendid views of the beach and sea. The only downfall is that the road literally hugs the shore's edge leaving a very thin strip of beach as a result. Many hotels, consequently, "straddle" the main road (especially in Chaweng) because they've run out of space to build on the waterfront side! It slightly takes away from the ultimate relaxing beach experience when you have to cross a busy road to get to the best parts of the hotel i.e. restaurant, pool and beach.

Anyway, back to our motorbike tour... while venturing about we saw Big Buddha, who stands 12m high; trekked to, and swam in, Namuang Falls I and II; And visited the slightly perverse "Grandpa and Grandma rocks", which are rocks shaped like male and female genitalia??

After a few days in Koh Samui we took a boat ride to the more remote island of Koh Phangan. From a beach standpoint, Koh Phangan is much more beautiful, but from an entertainment/shopping point of view, Koh Samui takes the cake. Without shops and attractions to distract us, we're charged with the difficult task each morning of deciding how to spend our sunny days… Beach or pool? Read or nap? Snorkel or kayak? Thai massage or reflexology? … what can I say? It's a tough life, hehe!

In two days time we plan to head further afield to the even more remote island of Koh Tao, which is said to contain an array of fish as bright and varied as those found in the film "Finding Nemo!" From Koh Tao we'll make our way back to Koh Samui, and then fly to Singapore, which (dare I say it!) is our LAST STOP! Where the heck have 3 and a half months gone?

Finally, I'd like to dedicate this blog to the phenomenal people of Cambodia who have suffered a great deal in recent history (1970s civil war), but have the courage and heart to remain peaceful, remarkable human beings without a vengeful bone in their bodies.

Big hug,

Jennifer & Daniel