Hello!Still in Cambodia...just.Tomorrow we will probably head of to Vietnam. Still really loving Cambodia. After leaving the lovely Siem Reap we headed to Battembang (or bong, it seems to depend on the day of the week!) which was a funny little place on the Stung Sangker River.About 8 months ago we met a Canadian couple on a beach who said "if you ever end up in Cambodia check out the Smoking pot cooking course" well we ended up in that town and had a fantastic day, visiting he market and witnessing the most brutal Snake fish deaths (not squeamish but it was bloody horrible) and picking out our veggies for our dishes.We made (and they were bloody lovely!) Fish (brutally murdered) Amok and Beef Lok Lac.We also got a recipe book (for free) so will knock up some delights when we get home.After several (9 ish) dusty, bumpy and crowded few hours on a 70 year old bus we arrived in a Festive, New Years Eve Sihanouksville (spelling changes with the wind). We spent a very wet few days over the 3 day New Year in Sihanouksville, not wet from rain but wet from the buckets of water and water guns we were ambushed with at every opportunity!The tradition is also to talc people not just get them wet so a lovely mixture but makes for lots of laughs.New Year was from the 13th-15th and the 13th fell on a Sunday.Basically what happened was that places (Banks etc) would close well in advance of the new year, tried to go to the back a 2pm the Friday before only to be greeted by beer drinking staff and security outside and who were amazed (although very jolly) that we would want to use the bank.Everything sort of carry's on for another day after NY which was a Wednesday and the general feeling is that it's so close to the weekend what's the point in going back to work, lets wait until next week!!Then the next Monday it's hard to go back after such a holiday so they just ease in gently!!We got ambushed, soaked and talked, by about 15-20 children on the 22nd of this month we were on a bike in the back of beyond maybe they got their dates wrong or just enjoy the festivities a bit too much.They ranged from about 2 years and upwards and surrounded us on a road in the middle of nowhere, very funny, you dry off pretty quickly but end up with red earth ingrained in your skin.After Sihanouksville we headed to Kampot (don't start Emma on the pepper) and what a lovely peppery little place this is.Sandwiched between the ocean and the Elephant Mountains Kampot has been relatively untouched for years.Once a popular seaside resort for the wealthy French at the beginning of the last century, it was overlooked as the shiney new Sihanouksville became popular.Walking through the streets, some have tarmac! Traffic is very little and you probably have more chance of passing a cow than a car.Lots of pretty buildings still retaining the French charm and lots of friendly locals.High up in the mountains at about 1080mtrs is Bokor Hill Station.A once swanky hotel and casino built and then abandoned by the French during the Civil War.We are lucky we came now as the site has been purchased and is about to undergo a huge investment and become a 5* hotel/resort.Completion of the buildings (Americans are funding this bit) is expected to take 2 years.The road, which is very long and very bumpy, is being completed by the Japanese I think and will take about 10 years until total completion (they are also building a posh cable car to come up the mountain), the original path was cut to the loss of many lives, I know which job I would rather do.The place is really quite eerie, set amongst the clouds (built up here because of the more temperate climate more suited to us delicate Europeans!) you catch glimpses of the Hotel/Casino from the Catholic Church. Both shells are pretty much intact and you can wonder around (past the danger do not enter signs) at your leisure.Good fun running around the hotel rooms and suites, the grand ballroom, staff rooms and kitchens. Only the shell and some tiles in a couple of bathrooms remain but if you use your imagination you can almost imagine what it would have been like.Sadly there a no photos to show how it was as all were destroyed by the Khmer Rouge, who occupied this site as recently as the 90's, another reason for Kampots quiet status.The old Casino is perched high on the mountain with a beautiful vista that ends in a sheer drop down the side of the mountain.The Casino was eventually relocated down the hill due to the high number of suicides from people loosing everything and walking straight out the French doors, across the veranda and plunging over the side!The theory with moving it was that people could be observed leaving the new casino and if heading up the hill to end it there was time to intervene and try to dissuade the jumpee!!!That afternoon we went for a power shower and then back to sleepy Kampot for the best BBQ ribs!Headed off to Kep for a few tranquil days (can recommend Kep Lodge if your ever down this way) nestled in jungle looking out to sea and the Gulf of Thailand the wildlife is amazing here to see and hear.We spent hours driving around rural Cambodia and fell in love with it even more.Everyone is so happy, as you drive along you are greeted with waves and the "hello, hello" assault from the children everywhere you go.We visited a remote temple and had a lovely tour by some young children with torches.They of course get a tip for the tour from the few tourists that do go there, but ever hopeful there were several children on their way up there as we left, all clutching torches.We visited Kampots local market yesterday, the same as every other market we've been too pretty much.One part was filled with goldsmiths which was nice and quite amusing when one guys melting pot had 2 ft high flames coming from the flammable liquid inside of it.Everyone stood around watching and waiting for it to go out, which it didn't, so he decided to put an oily rag on top to stop the flame, this promptly set fire to the rag and his hand for a few moments.What now!?His friend offered him a plastic washing bowl to put on top of it….that didn't work obviously…after a few more minutes of watching the flames and the crowd grow he finally put a rag in to soak the liquid up, fire out and action over.Yesterday we headed back to Siahnouk…whatever and got our Vietnam visa's in 15 minutes.If we had gone to the city it would have taken 2 days, go figure!We arrived in a shared taxi which was basically a $5, 2 hour ride!Imagine a road like the A21 with a few big holes thrown in, several hundred cows, a few trucks, a couple of ducks, lots of mopeds and pedal bikes oh and handful of dogs, pigs and goats.Add into the mix a bashed up Toyota Camry with 8 of us piled in, including 3 orange robed monks sitting in the front with the driver (one was sharing his seat with him and sat by the drivers window if you can imagine that!).I do believe they were the only reason we made it, thank you Buddha.Anyway…we sitting around not doing a lot today and will probably head off the Vietnam tomorrow, have heard that in Ho Chi Min City that we should have nothing hanging off our bodies we don't mind loosing…looking forward to that!!!Will as always keep you posted. X x x x x x x