I am writing this, trying to upload photos and killing time before I return to Phnom Penh. This return was unplanned; I was meant to be going to Vietnam today but due to some idiot who clearly didn't book me on the bus when he should have that has been aborted. So after reclaiming my money I booked with someone else to PP for tonight then on to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) tomorrow.

Going back to the last blog, Si Phan Don was a bit of a disappointment to be honest. It really wasn't the pretty island retreat I was expecting and the people working in most of the restaurants and bars were just downright rude. It was a bit of a disappointing end to my travels in Laos so I'm trying to block it from my memory and pretend I didn't go there! As it was, we decided to just stay one night before heading off to Cambodia. I've been pretty lucky with transport (i.e. not being ripped off) but this was where the fun and games that is Cambodian transport began! We booked a "VIP"bus to take us through to Phnom Penh - supposedly it had a toilet, air con, free water etc. We were told we got a free breakfast at 7.30am, boat to the mainland at 8am then the bus would meet us. I think we left at 9am, got on a minibus, headed the wrong way to pick up more people, had too many people in the van (four people sitting on a three person seat), a crazy Cambodian guy who just wouldn't shut up. We got to the border, had to pay $2 for the pleasure of departing Laos, $1 to have a fake laser gun pointed at my head apparently to check for fever (total con), $23 for a $20 visa then another $1 for them to stamp it. I had been warned about all these extra dollars but some people weren't aware of it hence the French couple paying some things in dollars, some in euros, some in Vietnamese dong etc etc. The actual border/visa process was relatively painless. It was interesting to see that both countries are building massive new immigration buildings to replace the wooden shacks that exist at the moment. Cambodia's is definitely closer to completion - I think Laos didn't want to be shamed by their neighbours! Anyway, we got on to a waiting bus which was not the VIP bus we had been shown. The bus itself was perfectly fine so I really don't see why they feel they have to lie to us. We got to Phnom Penh and they are clever here, the bus companies, as there is no bus station so they drop you off at their own office, in our case round the back in a dodgy car park, and leave you with no choice but to get one of their tuktuks as you have no idea where you are! I think we haggled a reasonable price and headed off to our chosen guesthouse. We treated ourselves with air con!The following day we went to the museum which was quite interesting but photographs weren't allowed and had a wander around including a stop at a market where I was very tempted by a fake iPhone but decided against it in the end. That evening we met Ben, the American we had met in Laos, and one of his colleagues and went for a nice meal at an Indonesian restaurant. The next day was the depressing one - a day tour to the Killing Fields and the S21 Prison. I think it's pretty clear this was not exactly going to be a happy day but I think these are things you need to see, especially as I will be the first to admit I don't know much about what happened during the Khmer Rouge years. When you walk into the Killing Fields the first thing you see is a tower which is filled with bones and skulls and clothes of people killed there. There is a tree which officials bashed babies against in order to kill them. There are pits which were mass graves, which still sometimes emit clothes, bones or teeth after heavy rain. The museum within the grounds shows a film giving more information. I think when 30 people walk out of a room in silence then they have been made to think! The S21 prison was as equally horrifying - the former school was turned into a prison by the Khmer Rouge and held anyone they felt was a threat, men, women, children, babies. The cells were tiny and some are still standing. Some of the torture rooms have awful pictures of bodies that were found when the city was liberated in 1979. There is also a display of photographs of lots of people who were taken there as the Khmer Rouge kept detailed records. It was particularly harrowing seeing pictures of little children, and women holding babies. After we had finished there we returned to our guesthouse as I think we just needed to chill out for a bit - it was all quite intense!

As this was our last night in PP we had a few drinks but we were leaving for Siem Reap the next day so it was nothing major.

The journey to Siem Reap was hassle free and upon arrival we got a tuktuk to our guesthouse. We ended up hiring the driver to take us to the Temples of Angkor the next day. There are some nice streets and alleys with bars and restaurants in Siem Reap but the whole experience is slightly clouded by the constant stream of beggars and children trying to sell things. I'm not going to go into how I felt about this as it's a tricky subject but it does get quite tiresome.

The Temples of Angkor did not disappoint. We got picked up at 5am so we could see sunrise but that wasn't very good due to rubbish weather. It did, however, mean that we could look around a good few of them before the major crowds. I think my favourite was the Bayon which is the one with all the faces. We looked at a few within the old city of Angkor Thom and this is where I had my little fall which is still affecting me. And when I say little fall I mean a true Kiera-style spectacular fall. I also learnt that I definitely cannot fly. I'm not too sure what happened, but I think my ankle gave way as there was a slight dip in the floor but I went flying to the ground landing on my left arm. My elbow and wrist, although not broken, are definitely 'not quite right' but I'm hoping they are just sprained or at worse, the ligament is damaged.

After a few more temples which were ok we headed to the big one, Angkor Wat. Here we got lucky as we must have missed the morning crowds and got there before the afternoon ones as there was hardly anyone there! It was great to explore without being stuck behind tour groups which is what had happened to us at one of the others. WE were there for just under two hours and as we were walking out we saw lots of tour buses pulling up and spilling out there passengers - so glad we missed that. We headed back to the guesthouse after Angkor Wat, I'm glad we did it last as the other temples would have been disappointing after it. WE went out that evening to a bar called Angkor What? But it should be renamed Angkor What happened the night before? Yes, we may have overindulged leading to a night time hunt for Western style junk food. Therefore the next day we didn't really do anything!

It was time to leave. Another eventful day was ahead. We got picked up at 7am by a minibus to take us to our bus which was departing around 7.30. We got on the minibus drove about 25m then we were there! Ridiculous! WE got on the bus and waited. Then we found out this wasn't the bus, this was taking us to the bus station where we would get on another bus. Off we went, onto Bus 2, to wait around some more. We departed and headed straight back into town to a spot down the road from our guesthouse! It's now 8.40am and I'm pretty annoyed to have been up at 6.30 for no good reason. Off we go at last. Then we heard a huge bang, pulled over, flat tyre. Everyone off the bus while they fix it. Off we go again then we stop somewhere for no reason, we stop so the driver can get some fish (???), then we stop at another bus station but not our destination Battambang. I'm quite used to these stops and not being told what is going on but it becomes clear this is no normal stop as the Cambodians start going mad at this man from the bus company and there is lots of shouting. Turns out we have to get off the bus, get in a car, get on another bus and pay $1 for the privilege. No one says way (we later find out the roads are flooded and buses can't pass). On principle the 6 foreigners refuse to pay more money, and the Cambodians aren't budging either. Eventually a compromise is made and we move to get in the car. The car turns out to be normal sized pickup truck. There are 18 adults, 5 children and all our luggage sitting in/on the tray at the back. We head off and stop to pick up more people. I actually saw more overloaded ones than ours! We were on this death trap for quite a while before getting to another bus and eventually Battambang. By which point I needed a stiff drink.

Next day Lianne left to head back to Bangkok for her flight home and I went on a "countryside tour" by tuktuk. This took in a temple up a massive hill involving lots of steps, a bamboo train which was great fun, some big bats, another temple up a hill (I hired a moto and driver to take me up this one) which also had caves cheerfully named Killing Caves (another Khmer Rouge legacy). It was nice countryside and there clearly don't see that many westerners as every kid shouted hello and even some adults.

I got a night bus to Sihanoukville, a beach/party town, but I was a bit ill here so didn't see much of it. Stayed at a nice guesthouse though. Then it was on to Kampot - home of Kampot pepper. It's a really sleepy town, with old run down French colonial architecture so it's nice for a wander. I went on a day tour yesterday on the back of a motorbike which went to more caves (which weren't that exciting), a pepper plantation (quite interesting) and the old seaside resort of Kep which was a favourite of the French. I went to the crab market and wandered round some abandoned buildings before returning to Kampot.

So that's everything for now, hopefully I will eventually get to Vietnam at some point!

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