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Leaving Laos behind, where we really had "been there, done it, got the t-shirt" we knew the next 30 hours were going to be bad. Looking back, I'm glad I didn't know quite how bad!!
So in a nutshell our journey went something like this...
We departed our guesthouse by tuk tuk at 1pm, headed for the main bus station where we picked up a coach, destination, Vientianne. At 5pm we arrived and were faced with a 2 hour wait until our sleeper bus departed. There was little to amuse us at the bus station so time was spent catching up on our diaries. The prospect of travelling by sleeper bus filled my head with images of Harry Potter, as he was once starnded like us, in the desolate bus station. However, Harry was rescused by the Knight Bus, filled with four poster beds, candles and a wooden interior, I wondered if our bus would resemble this!? 7pm soon arrived and I'm back to earth with a thump. It was fun while it lasted but in reality our sleeper bus was cramped, cold and apparantly flee ridden as I left with 3 bites as a momento.
Next morning we awake early with what I believe to be the deliberate and constant beeping of the horn by our bus driver. Grrr. We are hurried off the coach, in a daze of both tiredness and confusion, on to one of several waiting coaches. The coach departed only to stop every 20 yards down the local high street as the driver and his mate loaded the aisles with bloody shopping bags and cardboard boxes. Have these people never heard of health and safety!? This continued for over an hour. I was not amused.
Soon after the coach came to an abrupt holt. We once again are hurried off the coach on to a mini bus, then onto another mini bus then another mini bus, hours later switching to what I only hoped and prayed would be our final coach for the remaining 4 hours of the journey. At 1 am we arrived in Siem Reap. Finally.
The main attraction of the surrounding area of Siem Reap is of course, Angkor Wat and the dozens of temples and ruins in the surrounding area. Most people spend 3 or so days exploring the site as it is so vast but as were pushed for time (hard to believe as were travelling for an entire year!!) we do it in 1 day. Angkor Wat really is one of those annoying places that has to be seen to be believed. Although, for those of you who've seen Tomb Raider, you're half way there!! 7 hours later our desire for exploration has come to an end, tired and sun burnt we head back to the hostel courtesy of our lovely tuk tuk driver who has spent the entire day waiting round for us. Bless. A day definately not to be forgotten.
Our first full night (and last) was spent visiting yet another night market. To be honest they were all starting to merge into one big blur however, I was never one to resist a bargain and can't resist the urge to rumage around the countless stalls for items which I can neither carry nor fit into my rucksack! Don't judge, shopping is an addiction! It proved impossible to look at anything though, the women working at the market were rude, pushy and borderline aggressive. Not the shopping fix we had hoped for.
Next morning we awake with a start, we've slept in and our bus to Phnom Penh was due to depart 20minutes ago.....
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