Departure today at 9.30am for Battambang the rice bowl of Cambodia Visited Angkor Artisans on the way out is Siem Reap and saw some very skilful artists doing silk painting, wood carving, stone carving etc - high quality products. It is a coop training centre for rural young adults to give them a craft skill they can use to earn money back in their home villages to try and reduce the deruralization of Cambodia caused by young adults moving into the cities withou...

Off at 5.30am for the sunrise at Angkor Wat Bit of an anticlimax but Angkor Wat itself certainly made up for it A massive temple with incredible features, towers,rock carvings etc We have seen a number of World Heritage sites in all our travels but this probably takes the cake Spent 2 hours wandering around with our guide Thy whose knowledge of his country is extensive Back to the hotel for breakfast then off to Tonle Sap Lake for a "cruise" to the floating ...

Temple day at the Angkor World Heritage Site just out of Siem Reap First to Bayon Temple in Angkor Thom city. Large temple and amazing Next to Taprohm Temple which was discovered covered in jungle and still has massive trees growing on it with their roots wrapped around the ruins Next Banteay Srei Temple which was small and ornate All amazing and so well preserved especially the rock carvings Back to the hotel pm for a swim and rest then out for dinner at An...

Off at 7.30am for the 7 hour private minibus drive to Siem Reap Road is being redeveloped but not finished for another 12 months so very rough, dusty and slow trip Hard to know how Cambodia will ever redevelop its major infrastructure because according to our guide there is very little foreign long term investment in the country because it is corrupt at the highest levels - all foreign investment $ has to pass through the King who pockets 20% on average so fore...

Off to the Killing Fields and Genocide Museum this morning with a local guide whose family was directly affected by the Pol Pot regime (he lost 5 brothers). It was very emotional for him and he did a great job with the history and context of the regime's rise to power etc Our initial view of PNohm Phen was of a dirty city lacking basic infrastructure but when you hear how the country and the people were devastated by the regime in just 3 years and only 35 years ...