Hello everyone.

We've had a busy few days since I last wrote the blog! I can't quite remember where I finished off last time...but I think we'd just arrived in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and been to visit the War Remnants Museum?

Well...the next day we went on a half day trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels which is a 200km network of underground tunnels used by the Vietnamese during the war. It was really interesting to learn about how the tunnels were made and used and to see examples of traps and weapons they made using bits of bomb they found. All very harrowing stuff but fascinating to learn about. It is crazy to think this all happened in very recent history, it's hard to believe. I had a go at climbing down in to the tunnel and closing the lid down on my head...I didn't climb through the original tunnel though as someone went before me and said it was very claustrophobic and bats were flying in their face! We did crawl down a recreated section of tunnels that had been made wider for western people! It still wasn't too wide but I could crouch and crawl along on my feet, it was very hot in the tunnel, we only crawled about 10 or 20 metres. Later on there was a shooting range where you could pay to fire a range of different guns, it was ridiculously loud and it creeped me out a bit that we were walking around these forests where people had been fighting and we could hear gun fire, it was quite haunting to imagine what had happened there in the past. Mark paid for 10 rounds on an AK47! It was so loud and powerful, I didn't really fancy firing a gun but Mark enjoyed it!

The next day we went on a day trip to the Mekong Delta to see the floating markets. It took 3 hours to get there on a cramped minibus and then we were transferred to a big wooden motor boat. It was fun to sail around the Mekong Delta and look at daily life. We sailed down a bit of the river that was supposedly where the 'floating markets' were...but it was essentially some people on house boats...our guide told us the market was from 5am to 9am every day and we were there about 11.30! It was interesting to see people living on the boats and a few smaller boats going past full of fruit and supplies, but it wasn't quite the 'floating market' experience we had been sold! We then got taken to a local village on land where they made coconut candy, they showed us how they make it and let us have a taste, it was very yummy! We then got taken to another village where they make honey tea, it was very yummy and they brought out a tray covered in bees for us to hold! It was cool to see these places but it was basically a sales pitch to get us to buy things! Never mind! We then got taken to another village to have lunch (rice, green beans and chicken)...we then lay in hammocks for a while and watched a man holding a giant snake around his neck!

The next day we got a 7 hour coach to Phnom Penh in Cambodia. The coach was quite comfortable with lots of leg room and reclining chairs! The border crossing was interesting! The coach driver basically just took our passports and we followed him in to a room where he handed them over to a man behind a booth who stamped them without looking at us...then the coach driver took them back and wandered off and took ages to give them back to us...he was just standing there with our passports in his hand for ages not doing anything! We finally got them back and showed them to a guard on the door who let us through...then the coach driver took them off us again with no explanation and told us to get back on the coach...we then drove about 100m and stopped at the Cambodian border...we were given our passports and had to queue up and have our fingerprints scanned and a photo taken...after all that we were given a visa to stick in our passports and were finally free to go! Phew!

Soooo...arrived in Phnom Penh about 5pm and got a motorised tuk tuk to a guesthouse that a friend had recommended. It was called Laughing Fat Man and was owned by a fairly large man who giggled alot! He was great! We were in a really great location, right near the restaurants and bars! We enjoyed lots of great food and Mark loved the cheap beer! They use American dollars in Cambodia which I found really odd but they except them everywhere!

The next day I went to the doctors as I had a bad chest and it hurt when I breathed! It turned out that I had bronchitis which is very annoying! I got given antibiotics and 2 liquid medicines - I was told by the lovely French lady doctor that I couldn't have any cold drinks or cold food (just tea and hot soups!) and I wasn't allowed to go swimming! I feel a lot better now, it doesn't hurt when I breathe anymore so that's good...still taking it easy though as not quite 100% better.

That afternoon we went to the National Museum and admired lots of amazing old sculptures. We also fed the fish in the courtyard which was fun!! We wanted to visit the Royal Palace but my shoulders weren't covered so we couldn't!

The next day we went back to the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda and took loads of photos of the incredible architecture. The photo for this blog entry is of the Royal Palace. It's very beautiful.

That afternoon we got picked up by a lovely tuk tuk driver called Lucky (a friend of my friend Sarah who lives in Siem Reap) - he is Cambodian cycling champion! He took us to S 21 which was a school and got turned in to a prison by Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge - it was a very disturbing place. We walked around the 4 buildings and read accounts of how they tortured and killed prisoners and looked at horrific photographs. They documented every prisoner when they arrived at the prison and sometimes after they had been tortured and killed. It was awful. They basically imprisoned anyone with an education or a skill, teachers, doctors, builders, train workers, as well as certain ethnic groups...men, women, children. One of the buildings had been left as it was found with barbed wire mesh over the balcony to stop people escaping, and the rooms were split up in to brick or wooden cells with barely enough room to lie down in. It was a very chilling experience. We walked around in silence, trying to take everything in. 1 in 4 Cambodian's were killed by Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, it's just unbelievable that it happened and that it happened so recently. Some of the people responsible for the horrific crimes are only just being put on trail and charged now.

We then went on to the Killing Fields - where lots of the prisoners from S21 were taken and killed. We walked around in silence listening to an audio guide. It was very chilling to see the places where the killings happened and to see thousands of skulls and bones, teeth and pieces of clothing. A very moving and deeply disturbing day but very important to learn about what Cambodians have been through. It's very hard to take in and imagine.

Yesterday we got a 7 hour coach to Siem Reap in Northern Cambodia. The coach journey was very long and they played Cambodian karaoke videos the whole journey! Thank goodness for ipods and a full volume setting! We stopped at rest stop and I saw a lady selling chargrilled spiders! Gross! I didn't see anyone buy any!

We checked in to our hotel and then went for dinner at an Irish Pub! We then explored the famous Pub Street and loved all the neon lights! We had a little wander around the night market and bought a few presents!

Looking forward to exploring Angkor Wat and the other temples tomorrow. I think it's going to take us a few days to see it all!

Better go and get some lunch now! Hope you're all well. Loads of love xxxxx