Hello all from Thailand.

What a couple of months it has been!! After a cosy time starting off in Ko Tao relaxing, went over the border to Cambodia. And what a change. From the moment you cross the border the road goes from cement smoothness to country pithole hell. I swear the whole bus needed new teeth and arses after the 5 hour bumpy journey to Siem Reap.

Siem Reap is home to Ankor Watt, a large collection of temples and statues. And when I say large I mean three days on the back of a motorbike large, touring the area. They are amazingly beautiful old buildings and scenes from Tomb Raider where filmed here. If you got there early, I am talking 4 am early people, you were completely alone in these ancient ruins. Was ruddy cool.

Cambodian women were so elegant on motor bikes, when riding on the back they go side saddle. When driving they seem to effortlessly hold dogs, talk on mobiles all whilst riding. One, I kid you not, was breastfeeding a baby when riding. Craziness. But I tried sidesaddle, can't be too hard I thought and when in Cambodia... Needless to say I nearly lost my life, how the heck do you balance like this and stop your knees getting chopped off is beyond me.

Then I went off to Phnom Penn, Capital of Cambodia and just an amazing place. I usually aim to get lost in a new city and explore, but here every few steps I walked I was asked if I wanted a tuk tuk or moto. Eventually I gave in and paid the 50p to get somewhere. The poverty in Cambodia was just horrible to see. Children were begging from you, or trying to get you to buy photocopied books or bracelets. They worked 12 hour days. But it was the babies and kids with the made up faces who got to your heart. Whose mothers offered to let you to 'babysit' them in your hotel for a few hours for 5 pounds.

The western men with the prostitutes made my blood boil. They were so blatant. In the restaurants, holding hands, acting like girlfriend and boyfriend. They were 50 years old and pretending that it was real, like these 14 yr old girls liked them. One informed me over a beer that prostitution helped women, that otherwise men would have to rape women as they would be so desperate. What pathetic, sad creatures. Needless to say I argued back far too vehemently and as I walked home I remarked to him that 'I had better go back to my hostel before it gets dark in case any men haven't had sex lately and have to rape me'.

Aside from the povert, Cambodia is a beautiful place and I did a two day trek in the jungle in Kampet, up to an abandoned French Colonial village, which still has its church and casino standing, eerily alone and quiet. The 4 of us the trek were left to wander alone round this village with instructions on how to get to the lodge we were staying at overnight. The mist descended and you couldn't see 3 metres in front, it was totally impressive and disorientating. Needless to say we got totally lost and were so tired after the walking, got a bit confused and a little scared. Then out of the mist came 4 monks who pointed us in the right direction. It was like a movie. WHo can say if they were alive... Ooohhhh...

On to Southern Laos I went, drifted around the Mekong River Islands and then up to Pakse, a town with the best curry house I have ever had. And by this time I had had enough of sticking to tourist trail. So I saw a plateu on the map, a few villages and took off down the street hitch hiking and spent the next 10 days happily wandering from village to village. I got picked up by mostly farm trucks and everyone waved and smiled on the tracks between farms when they saw me.

One village i got to I went on a three pound elephant ride across a river and round a waterfall, so beautiful it was unbelievable. Then a man approached asking if I would teach English that night for two classes. So I recited my abc several times and days of the week. It was fun and rewarding. But I could never be a teacher.

Was then due to head up to Northern Laos, but there was a flood and had to head back to Thailand. Am currently in the Northern capital of Chang Mai, loving the night market and walking around for hours each day visiting temples and having beer with various folk. Nice to be around English speakers again. In Laos I would be on my own for days and just have to make up conversations with people on buses. They would sort of shuffle away akwardly as neither I nor they understood each others part in the conversation. But i just needed to talk and I am sure they just kept telling me they didn't understand English as I nattered on about the weather, local sanitation and how the pound was against the dollar.

I loved Laos, sad I missed the North and want to visist again. Now going to spend a month around Thailand Islands experiencing the local food and drink. And why not???