Another early start at 5.45am, some people were hungover but I think my Springbok saved me from that. One lad was brushing his teeth in his Ray Bans as we waited in reception - if only we all looked cool with sore heads. Walked to the bus stop and caught the public bus, no chickens as we'd expected, but lots of locals. We stopped off twice on the way to have some bao bun-style food, and banana chips.

We arrived in Kampong Cham by the Mekong River and headed over to a local's house for lunch via Tuk Tuk - a convoy in fact! We had a selection of local dishes, followed by tarantula! Then a live one came out, at which point I stood up and backed off. I tried to take a picture up close, but the lads' constant touching of my back as I backed away meant I was far too jumpy! They must be a constant source of food, as the man's young sun went to put the live one in his mouth when given it! Eek!

After lunch we went on a bike ride across to one of the islands. The bikes weren't really up to scratch, and certainly tested our skills as we cycled along the roads with the motorbikes towards the so-called ferry. My brakes were like foghorns, so there was no chance of me being a silent assassin. The ferry was a huge section of decking with an engine - not the most reliable form of transport, but quite interesting to see all the bikes crammed on with the motorcycles and locals. The mass exodus was interesting as the horses were whipped up the hill - on the return journey their carts were piled too heavily with roof tiles and it struggled to move. We watched as the lads tried to help, careful not to send themselves under the tumbling tiles.

We cycled through the island to village school, saw the buffalo ploughing the fields, and helped a few children, who were actually eighteen, learn some English. The girl I was with came in her pyjamas and had no idea why this baffled me, apparently it's a fashion statement. She also had no concept of a fireman as we shared stories of what our parents do - clearly they have no fire service here.

We cycled past some outdoor aerobics back to the hotel, before showering and heading for some food at a little cafe place. A quiet night tonight!