Up at 4am for our taxi to the airport and flight to Koh Samui. A bit nervous about what we are going to because this is the bit I booked :-/ Koh Samui is well known but not usually for its tranquil atmosphere and quiet beaches. We landed at an amazing airport. None of the steel and glass of the super slick Bangkok airport. A bit of a distance to our hotel but once we got there I realised had nothing to worry about. Extra special :D A little apartment to our...

This trip was just me and mum, two older guys and a very camp guide. He totally made the trip interesting :) We visited the bridge, the war museum and cemetery and had a couple of boat trips up the river. We heard all about the death railway, the POWs and the terrible conditions they worked under to complete the railway. We also went on the train for a fabulous ride along the railway (some of it original) with some amazing scenery. We met up with the others to...

On this route we stopped at a silk farm to see the silk worms and weavers and dyers in action as well as trying on the finished products. We then headed for the border where we stood for 2 long hours waiting to get in to Thailand. We could technically have paid to take the fast route but none of us were up for that on principle. 7 hours later we made it back to Bangkok in a rickety minibus with no lights and the door open to let some air in cause the air condit...

We had our first day of visiting the temples today. Not Angkor Wat itself but a couple of the 200 in the area. They were magnificent. The history involved means that there are a mixture of Hindu and Buddhist influences and some are particularly spectacular. Intricate carvings, lots of meanings, the way they moved the rocks and materials huge distances using just manpower in all weathers. We had fun thinking up random photos to take among all the learning. :) An...

It took us most of the day to drive from Phnom Penh to the homestay but it was one of the most interesting journeys. Lots of motorbikes going past with interesting cargo, lots and lots of houses on stilts and stalls selling allsorts along the roadside. Lots of people watching. As we got into the country there were carts pulled by ox or buffalo as well. We stopped on the way at Tarantula Town :-/ Yes lots of live ones and also dead cooked ones to eat :-s I did...