Flight to last stop Siam Reap only 45 minutes. First impressions very flat with so many huge hotels all looking like they are 5 star spa hotels. All here because of the temples. Very very hot!!
Town has the feel of a frontier town with backpackers and people of every nationality though English seems to be the language of choice. Markets galore. Lunch in a delightful khemer restaurant light and airy with such attention to presentation and subtly flavoured food. Afternoon boat trip on Tonle Sap the huge inland lake which feeds into the Mekong. It's being developed for the tourists with a canal feeding into the lake taking tourist boats to the floating villages. Along the channel were simple houses on stilts and basic boat building using huge hardwood planks. Once on the lake proper small boats came alongside with women and children on board begging for dollars. The children were pathetic pleading and in dirty ragged clothes. Many had snakes around their necks. All very disturbing. Saw a floating school and boarded floating viewpoint with inevitable retail opportunities. With added pen full of just alive crocodiles and a big box of pythons. On the boat again and two little boys going round giving neck massages for a dollar. Important to tell all these children they should go to school. Cambodian schools are free but corruption is everywhere and to get any where kids need to pay for extra lessons. Many do not go to school at all.