Well, after a rather long drive from Saigon to Phnom Penh, which was by far the nicest bus journey I've had, we arrived in the early evening, had a short explore of the town before dinner, then drinks, then bed. A chance to recouperate.

Cambodia is by far the poorest of the countries in South East Asia, and the lower standard of housing and clothing on the people was apparent within 20 minutes of the border crossing. Many of the children we naked, and without footwear, the houses were more shanti-like than anywhere else I had seen. That morning we were taken by our local guide Raan, firstly to the Tuol Sleng Prison. Now, to be a bit boring, Cambodia's history is one of the most disturbing of all modern history, yet no one really knows enough about of the regime of Pol Pot back home. In 1975 Pol Pot took over the country as an extreme socialist and communist, and believed that the only way to improve the country, was to put everyone out in the fields to work. He abolished religion, currency and the education system. He destroyed the hospitals, and put to death anyone who was intelligent, educated and likely to cause an uprising. To cut a long story short, Pol Pot was putting people to death for sometimes as little as wearing glasses (a sign of intelligence), and in 4 years killed 2million of the 7 million population in a genocide on par with Hitler, and yet the world did nothing.

Our guide lost 2 brothers and both his parents to starvation under the regime. He was bitter and frustrated, and very careful about who was around us when telling us his views. He also said he came close to killing a man who he knew was responsible for the rounding up of teachers, and putting them to death. The former leaders of Pol Pots regime are only now being brought to justice', but the country is still so corrupt. For example, where people lay homeless on the street, they may be woken up and asked to move by government or police officials who are driving around in Hummers!

The scenes inside the prison were pretty savage, the soldiers used to torture the victims to death and make them confess to being educated. Some of the soldiers were only 14 or 15 years old, armed with the latest weapons from China and Russia supporting the conmmunist regime, who had been brainwashed since a young age out in the countryside. They would also eat the liver from the dead persons body whilst still warm, as they were told it would give them strength. A creepy place.

The next day, in the afternoon, we headed out to the infamous killing fields just outside Phnom Penh. It was here that people in their thousands were shipped out from prison camps and executed, then buried in mass graves, maybe 200-300 at a time. A problem however, was the amount of bullets they were using, so often they would simply beat the person half to death with shovels and picks, and just pile bodies on top, burying them alive. As you walk across the killing fields, there are bits of bone and cloth still in the ground everywhere you look. It is only when you visit that you perhaps realise how fresh in the minds of the people it is, and how utterly shocking it really was...it was only 30 years ago!

Now, on a lighter note, I had heard a rumour that you could shoot a cow with a rocket launcher in Cambodia for 50 quid! I thought this might not have been completely accurate, but I went to find out anyway. Raan took me to a military base outside the city, where it turns out, I had the choice to fire any gun under the sun, including a rocket launcher, but not at a cow! I decided to fire off a Tommy Gun, like from the film The Mask, and so I was all set up and ready to shoot my 40 rounds, when the guy pops his head up beside me and says..."ÿou want shoot chicken?''!!! well, I could hardly say no. I was in the zone after all, and they do say that war does strange things to people. I neednt say what happened to the chicken! I also, (because you dont get to do these sorts of things every day) decided I was going to throw a live grenade. Now unlike the filmic visions I had of chucking a grenade, and sprinting off in to the distance, a more leisurely throw into a pond was what I was restricted to. Still though, there was some serious power in it, plus the fact that when you actually pull the pin out of a live grenade- your life is literally in your hands! I still have the pin from the grenade too, which is sweet.

The next day we travelled to Siem Reap, which is hugely developed compared to the rest of the country. It is roasting here, and my hotel has a pool which is a touch. Later on that day I went on what seemed like a 400 mile bike ride again into the countryside which was really interesting, but another harsh insight into the poverty here. The children love when you interact with them, so small things like just joining in in a game of catch, or throwing something really high into the air gives them great laughs.

This part of Cambodia is very touristy, but understandably so, as it is the border town for the Ancient temples of Angkor Wat. These temples date back to 900ad, and are solid stone, carved and crafted down to the last detail. Each is different and slightly grander than the one before it, apart from 2. The first is called the ''jungle'' or ''lost'' temple, and this is because when the cambodians fled it, no one ever went back, and the trees over a period of 500 years have grown up, in, and all around the ruins, simply stunning. The next is Angkor Wat itself, which is the tallest and best preserved. We went at sunrise this morning, 5am, to watch the sun come up behind the temple. It was magic.

I am so gutted that tomorrow is my last day in these countries. Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam have blown me away and I wish I had more time here. I will definitely return, hopefully when the conditions are significantly better for the people, which, I think, is slowly happening. Tomorrow I have a 6 hour journey back to Bangkok.

p.s I lost 5-0 to a girl at pool last night. absolute joke.