hello, just a quick one, crossed the cambodian border at Poipet yesterday, it was certainly an experience!!!! Our tour leader Da is from Cambodia and is very very informative even about things he's not supposed to be (political situations etc).

The difference in the countries is unbelieveable, the road to the border was smooth and western style garages and pit stops etc, once we crossed over however, talk about a culture shock!!!!! The poverty here is overwhelming, especially in the countryside. But in unlike other places you dont get hasstles too much to buy things or give money!

We had a 6 hour drive from the border to Siem Reap (which is basically a stopping point for the ankor temples and just full of pubs and hotels and restaurants but still quite nice, they do have a night market which is very very good!!!) the road here was bum,py like you wouldn't believe, loose rocks all the way my arse was killing me by the end!!! Our guide was explaining that the government have a deal with thai airways and so the road has not always been maintained but that actually its tyhe best it has been in years at the moment and during the wet season some parts are impassible!!!!we passed many small chioldren eatoing things like small biords that did not hatch from the egg, rats and other things, Da explained that so many people here have literally nothing to eat and did not have anything to eat during the Khymer Rouge that they eat what ever they could catch.

The politics is the thing i find most shocking, and the reason for the poverty, the Khmer people are lovely and friendly, the kids in the coiuntry were still celebrating new year (same as Thailand) suirtiung the bus with water and laughing at the white people inside. But our guide is about 30 and only been with intrepid one year, he explained to us the state of the economy, the political leaders and their corruptness, the way the Khmer people are forced to live. Its both really upsetting and totally enraging!!!!!!!

We wnet on a tour of the Angkor temples today, stunning, as unbeliveable as the pyramids and really enchanting. At new year the people of cambodia have recently re started coming to the temples, it was packed with locals and people who had literally just been trucked in (20 or 30 kids in the open back of pick up trucks you can;t belive your eyes)they werwe praying and having pic-nics, our guide explained how lots of them would not have seen a foriegner beforew so we spent the day with young children running up and staring at us!!

Our leader sorted out his friend Mr Lucky to guide us around and he also told us that in the quiet areas Mr Lucky would be able to tell us more about the situation in Cambodia over the past century. Mr Lucky was in the army for 5 years and 2 years a \Buyddhist monk. He was also really interesting both in telling us about his personal experoenmces and in the history of the temples we visited!!!! I can't really put into words what being here is like, but certainly the next actor who complains to me might just get an earfull and a history lesson!!!!!!

So far what i've seen this country is a massive mix of happy and sad beautifull and ugly but i know the worst is still to come interms of history when we get to the killing fields. feel like i've been here forever the amount of history has been pumped into me over the past few days!!! It wil be hard for anything to top the Angkor temple though!!!

So far ive learnt how to master the squat, piss and wipe while not falling into the massive bucket of water infront of you at the "wee wee house" as Da calls it, only buy from locals and not from the korean shops unless you want your money to go to the government, that pad thai really is better in thailand, chop sticks are good fork bad, and dont drink the rice wine if you dont like snake blood! I'm sure there are mnany more to come.

If youyr reading this and think i've turned into a school teacher or something, tough, you come here and try not to be moved by the stories you hear!!!!!!!!!

My group are lovely too, although i feel a bit bvoring and old, mnostl 22 year olds at the end oif 6 months travelling looking to go out get pissed and meet other travllers of the opposite sex. They keep on saying things like " oh year my broithers 28 and even though he's old he's still cool"!!!

Anyway, for today the essay is over and i'm off for a shower before dinner tonight.

Dave -- no snakes yet and apparemntly you dont need to worry about them because like the shark "in your country you see snake you run, in my country if cobra show his face we kill and eat so no cobra show there face very often"

Simon, i miss you, as soon as i can find somewhere to make international calls to mobiles i'll call you, or e-mail me your home number, i dont have it!

Mum, Dad - Love you both.

Catryn -- give me Sam Robinson now and i'll show her small!!!!!!! ;o)

Anyhow, the essay is over, its just nice to get these things down while i remember them, i'm sure there are many more experiences to come!!

Floationg village tomorrow.

xxxxxxx