Hi again,

Apologies for the VERY late blog entry this time. Things have been kind of hectic and finding a decent internet connection in Cambodia is not as easy as it sounds!

We have not left Cambodia :o( and moved on to Saigon but just thuoght we'd update you on the happenings of our last days in Cambodia?

After leaving Siem Reap we went on to Kampong Cham where we spent the day bike riding on the opposite side of the river. It was great fun after so many hours spent on a bus and the locals seemed excited at seeing foreigners there (although I must admit waving and saying hello to every person there got tiring after a while). The next day we then moved on to Takeo for our home stay with a brief stop-over in Phnom Penh for lunch. The home stay was great, although not as remote as we had hoped/ feared. Still we ate and drank tea with the family while learning a few basic words in Khmer. Sleeping arrangements were fantastic with Paul sharing a room with pink satin sheets along with 5 girls?not sure if that was heaven or hell for him!

After the home stay we headed for the beach town of Shihanoukville. The weather unfortunately wasn't great but we did manage to take a trip to the national park (swimming in waterfalls and trekking was awesome, but did leave a little battered and bruised) and I (Mette) took a cooking class with one of the other girls on the tour. It was really good to see how they cook so will look forward to recerating some of the dishes we've been enjoying once we get home.

Shianoukville was followed by a stay in the capital of Phnom Penh, a very basic town despite being the largest city in Cambodia?definitely not comparable to London in any way! We started off our stay with a somber visit to the Killing fields and genocide museum, an awesome experience for lack of a better word. The history of the place is mind boggeling and the fact that it is all so recent made it all the more real. The following day started with an uplifting trip to a Kiwi bakery (mush to the delight of our friends from New Zealand) and a tour around the city visiting the national museum, royal palace & silver pagoda (slightly dissappointing as the silver floor was mostly covered) and the russian market. As it was a hot day we thought a visit to the waterpark would be a fantastic idea, however, the description 'waterpark' was definitely an overstatement! There were 2 slides, a wave pool and water that could only be described as 'mirky'. Still, we had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed being cool for the first time pretty much since we got here.

The next day presented us with yet another early start and a long bus journey to Saigon?farewell to Cambodia but Vietnam here we come!!!!

Best wishes,

Mette and Paul xx