Hello Everyone,

Hope you're all well and coping without us.
We're leaving Cambodia for Vietnam in the morning so we thought we'd update you all on our adventures in Cambodia.

After a fairly hassle free journey from Bangkok to Cambodia (4 half hour bus to station, tuk tuk to border and hour wait at passport control, government bus to another station and then 1 half hour share taxi to town with 2old japanese men and tuk-tuk to hostel) which is extremely notorious for scams and being turned away for no reason. The guest house in the 1st town (siem reap) was beautiful and all the staff very friendly. Tuk-tuk drivers wait outside the hostel and will take you wherever for very cheap. Our first night the driver recommended a huge buffet hall with lovely cheap food and traditional Cambodian dancing.

The next day our original tuk-tuk driver picked us up from the hostel and took to the amazing temple of Angkor Wat (you can google it whilst we try to upload photos) and we spent the whole day being dropped off at all the surrounding temples in this huge sort of national park where they're all spaced out. All of the architecture was so beautiful and we got to climb up stone temples, some with really dangerous steep stairs (mum would have loved it, Ha!) Easily the best day we've had so far, though the only dampner was the whiney children who surround you and try and guilt you into buying their souveniers. Steve even got the comment, "Ah Mr. England Man, you make me cry" because he was too tight to buy a bottle of water : )

Siem Reap town was lovely and peaceful with really modern bars and restaurants, which we were'nt expecting at all after our journey through the country and seeing all the ramshackle farm houses, stray dogs and cattle.

Next to Phomn Penh, the capital apparently, where our hostel (called 'me mates place') is less cosy but has a bar and lots of friendly staff. Plenty of bars and restaurants near us on the river side but bigger city. Our only full day here we spent with another tuk-tuk driver who took us to see the royal palace (lovely, but not as spectacular as Bangkok's) and the killing fields and genocide museum (old highschool converted to a prison). These last two places were where thousands of people were torchered and killed during the 70s by a communist regime. Really harrowing and touching : (

Thats it so far, massive bus journey tomorrow to Ho Chi Minh city so we'll update you when we next get a chance. We're on an organised tour for 12 days so we wont know where we're staying yet. Sorry there arent pictures yet, all of the computers so far dont like to upload well. Let us know if there's any news

Lots of Love

Katie and Steve xxxxxx