Hello from Cambodia!

It wasn't until yesterday evening when I met up with my tour group and got ready for our departure around Indochina. I was very anxious about the sort of people I would be sharing the next month with, but I am pleased to say that it is a really nice group. Apart from 2 lovely Swiss girls, everyone else is English and the majority of the group have just graduated from University and I get on with them extremely well!

Last night, after meeting the group, we all went out for dinner together and then for more drinks. Most of the group seem to be up for a good time, and some of them even decided to try fried crickets I mentioned but I think I will continue to pass on that one!

Today we began the very long journey across the border to Cambodia. Although it wasn't too bad because we were in relatively nice buses, the journey was excrutiatingly long, especially when we got off at the border as it took us several hours of queing before we got our visas and were allowed to cross.

As we began to drive through Cambodia, it instantly took my breath away. I could not believe that over a 2 hundred metre distance the landscape changed from well-built roads into dirt paths and quite an extreme sense of poverty. It probably did not help that it has been raining for most of today, so although it is still very hot, the paths turned to mud which we had to slosh through with our bags.

Once we got away from the border, you begin to see what Cambodia is really like. Away from the major towns, all there seems to be is rice field after rice field with wooden huts along the sides of the roads. It was quite shocking for our guide to tell us that the majority of Cambodian's live on less than US$1 a day. It made it all the worse when we reached Siem Reap to see that out of nowhere the roads become lined with extragvagant 5*hotels.

Although the poverty was clear to see, from first impressions I really like the chilled-out nature of Cambodia. Although there is still people trying to sell you things, it is not as forceful as Bangkok and there is a much slower pace here. I have to say that I was particularly enjoying this slower pace due to my continuing lack of sleep!!! I have never felt jet-lag quite like this and am currently living on a pathetic 4 hours sleep a day, and for anyone who knows me well enough that is definatly not enough!! So, I am trying my hardest to explore each place we visit but am constantly exhausted. Fingers crossed for sleeping tonight as we are off to visit Angkor Wat tomorrow, which is regarded as one of the seven wonders of the world and a hidden city of ruins which I am really looking forward to seeing!

I hope everyone is well at home and I will update as soon as I get to the next computer x