Wow.... Phnom Pehn, interesting city. Friendly, hot, humid and good food .. Spent the first few days exploring, did the standard, museum, temples, hired a driver, was pretty good intro to the city. Am only here a few days then off to Angkor Wat.

Met the Intrepid group that I'll be playing with for the next week. Nice bunch, chick, Sharon from the UK, great sense of humour already (gosh to have someone to laugh with, how horrid!) ... Aimee and John, couple from Tasmania who are on their honeymoon (oh, Aimee's brother just happens to work for Brown Brothers in Milawa and lives in Wangaratta - small world given I said 'oh you wont know where Im from, small country town in Victoria!!! ) ... Sue from California and two girls (Sarah & Grace) who worked in Dubai but came from India and Malaysia.

First day was off to Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, YEP !! not a good time to be held be all. Struggled through this like you wouldnt believe, I think maybe I took three photos and even now I dont think I could look at them. From here, there was more doom gloom and horror... a little heigh hoo heigh hoo its off to the killing fields we go ... same, struggled struggled struggled... oh how I wish I had a litre bottle of rescue remedy. I know this is history and its the most major part of this countries story, but it was so hard seeing it and hearing about it ... I can only remember little bits from the news at the time, and even as an adult its hard to comprehend how such atrocities could have occurred.

While at Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum I remember seeing a photo of a women who held a baby in her arms. She had tears in her eyes...despair, knowing, I could barely take myself away from the photo, it spoke more to me than anything else I had seen. I couldn't relate to the torture, the depravity that occurred, was all so far away from anything I can comprehend but looking into this photo and seeing the tears of this women as she held her baby is now my memory of the Cambodia Genocide.

Contradictions abound, we visited the Royal Palace that afternoon. hello... it was a different world. How this stood the test of the Pol Pot error is amazing. Gold, glittery, OTT .. was incredible. I think we all walked around with your mouths wide open wondering how in the hell could we have been at the killing fields this morning and now walking around all this opulence. I guess that what being a tourist is about .. right !

We did an amazing boat ride to visit a village at Tonle Sap Lake. This was so cool. This fishing village was basic, houses and huts all on stilts to accomodate the rising water levels. We walked through the village, bought books and pens and presented them to the local school. That night we did a home visit and had the yummiest food, oh man, was it good ... tried tarantula rice wine a few times.. can tick that off my list and say happily, I dont think I'll go back for more. A few of the local teacher ate with us and we sat with some local kids and spoke english to them. Was fun... the two girls I sat with were 14 and 16 - let me just say 14 and 16 yr olds are the same everywhere... they talked, clothes, hair boyfriends, they giggled, kept looking at their mobiles etc ... made me laugh, we were here to experience the Cambodia culture and here I was laughing at teenage behaviour thats identical to back home!.. I guess its all the same, just different ...

Next day off to Angkor Wat.. whoo hoo .. this is what I was here for!...

Quick flight, great motel, and bloody hot ... lucky the hotel has a pool, but whoops, not even a week into all that work on my tattoo... so no swimming for me! .. DOH !

Spent the next few days in and around Angkor Wat.. was fantastic. Loved it!.. did sunrise, sunset, loved Ta Prohm, and would love to go back to explore. Our tour guide really did talk to much, now this is coming from someone that sucks up all sorts of stuff on tour, Im the girl that asks questions, but, this boy, needed a big 'ol shut up!... our group looked like school kids being forced to endure a tour as opposed to having paid to come and see something grand. ANyways, everything was amazing regardless. So next destination.... India