We left the hotel in HCMC at around 5.30am to get out bus. It had tipped down with rain in the night, and was still pretty heavy, so we had to wade through water up to our ankles to get to the taxi, gross! The bus was late, as per normal, but once on was pretty nice compared to our previous bus experiences so we couldn't complain too much. Mike had been worried about the border crossing into Cambodia due to the horror stories we had heard about how corrupt some of the inspectors can be on the border. However the crossing was really smooth and took hardly anytime at all as the bus helped with visa forms and processing.

Driving through the Cambodia countryside was interesting. A lot of the land had flood water collected as it was the end of the rainy season. All the houses are built up on high stilts to protect them from the flood waters. You see lots of the children swimming and playing in the waters under their homes, and lots of houses seem to have their own boat prepared to get around when the floods are there. For the houses that aren't flooded, families and communities gather underneath the house to talk/relax/etc, and most have hammocks set up.There are also loads of religious statues and gateways around Cambodia, so the journey was pretty interesting.

Our first few hours in Phnom Pehn were a nightmare. We had pre-booked a hostel from reviews online, but when we arrived the staff we more rude than anywhere we'd been before and the place was full of people we didn't want to be with. We then got a tuk tuk to get some money out and go for food. The guy took us to the other side of the city, claiming there were no atms nearer, then to a restaurant that had closed down and tried to charge us $20 for the privileged. After a lot of arguing we left him with $3 and walked away. Luckily Stephanie (Who had almost become a tour guide for us as she kept arriving to places a few days before us!) had got to Phnom Pehn the day before, so we planned to meet with her and after seeing her hotel decided to change for the next night as it was better by miles. The staff in the second place were extremely friendly which was also a bonus! In the evening we got some food with Stephanie and heard about what an amazing time she had had in Phnom Pehn, which reassured us a bit for the next couple of days!

The next day we took a trip to the killing fields and S1 prison museum. The drive there took about an hour in the dustiest road I have ever been on. After all that time breathing in dust we fished we had bought face masks! It was a harrowing experience, but the killing fields especially were presented to a fantastic standard. They provided us with an audio guide which allowed you to walk around the fields at your own pace taking in the information at different stops. There was also a detailed video and museum to explain further about the atrocities that had happen only 40 years ago. The museum wasn't overly gory or gruesome, but instead a tribute and platform of education in the memory of those that had been tortured and denied a respectable burial. The audio explained how the bodies had been recovered, and that bones were still being discovered today. It also provided eye witness accounts inside the camp and from families of those who had suffered. The prison was eery and represented the faces of the thousands that had been tortured their by their own people.

After the killing fields we went to the other side of Phnom Pehn to Wat Phom which is a big temple on top of a hill. It was quite picturesque, but probably better from the road at night when it was lit up. That bnight we went to get food at the Foreign Correspondence Club overlooking the quay which was really picturesque.

On our last day in Phnom Pehn we did a walking tour of the city. We saw the independence monument, the friendship with Vietnam monument, the national museum, the Russian market - which we thought was pretty horrid due to the meat blood/smells - the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda.

That evening we changed hotels again as our last one was fully booked. After walking around for an hour and booking our self in and our of one hotel which was disgusting we decided to go for one of the nicest hotels around the area. It turned out to be our best decision as the hotel had an amazing rooftop infinity pool with views over the city. We dumped our stuff in the room and headed straight to the pool to relax and look over the chaos of the city as the sunset which was amazing. There was also a restaurant on the top floor with great food and really helpful staff which made it even better! So far - apart from our first few hours - everyone in Cambodia has been so friendly and helpful!