So one of the best parts about our stay in Siem Reap was that our hostel had a pool. A lovely clean, refreshing pool!! Within 10 minutes of arriving we had checked in, dumped the bags, grabbed swimsuits and jumped in. Definately the only way to recover after a long, hot bus journey.

The main attraction at Siem Reap is the Angkor Temples. So the next day we arranged a sunset visit with a tuk tuk driver where we could get tickets for the following day and see the sunset for free the night before. We spent the majority of the day enjoying the pool before being picked up at 4pm in time for the sunset. We set off from our hostel with the sun shining and feeling very warm from the heat of the day. However, as we neared the temples clouds began to gather and we joked that we might not get to see the sunset...... As it turned out not only did we not see the sun go down over the temples but we also got caught in a massive tropical downpour and got complete drenched right through to our underwear!!

Undeterred by being soaked through the night before, we got ourselves out of bed at 4am in order to see the sunrise over the Angkor Wat Temple. And what a sunrise.....the washout of the sunset was completely forgotten by the time we were watching the yellow sun peep over the horizon with deep orange and purple skies providing a spectacular backdrop to the Angkor Wat Temple...amazing (pictures to follow). Due to the early start we had a good few hours to see the temples in cooler temperatures. By 9am we had covered quite a few temples and it already felt like lunch time. By 1pm we have seen all the major temples and had been particular impressed with the Ta Prohm Temple where huge trees are growing in and around the buildings, and the Bayon Temple where all the towers and steeples have large faces smiling out in all directions.

That afternoon we were glad to return to the pool :-)

The nightlife in Siem Reap was all focused around one street...cleverly named "Pub Street". We spent a few nights enjoying the different bars and local drinks with people we'd met and had such a good time that we all stayed an extra 2 days.

On our last day I booked onto a cooking course in order to 1) eat more food and 2) learn how to make the fabulous Cambodian yellow curry!! And I wasn't disappointed. Ben and a mate (Dean) came along for moral support and to eat as well. For around 7quid I got to make 8 chicken spring rolls, a large Khmer Curry and rice and a banana dessert. This was along with a visit to a local market and a t-shirt thrown in. All 3 of us tucked into the finished products and were absolutely stuffed by the time we'd finished - bargain.

That evening we walked around the local nightmarket and art shops before booking our bus for the next day onto Laos.