(Just a quick note...the photo album for Phnom Penh (once its actually online) has hardly any photos of Tuol Sleng Museum or Choeung Ek - We didn't feel very comfortable taking photos in these places - just our personal preference)

22nd Jan - Mekong express bus to Siem Reap

We have booked ourselves onto the "Mekong Express" bus which will take approx 6 hours to reach Siem Reap and are pleased to hear we will be collected from our guesthouse! On arriving at the bus office, we disembark our minibus transfer vehicle. Immediately we are faced with numerous smiling faces offering newspapers and bottles of water. My initial thoughts - "wow - great service" as I consider reaching out for a paper, Andy points out that these people aren't from our bus company! My frequent naivety in such situations is of great entertainment to my husband!

As we try to get comfy in our seats, we are shocked by how cramped the seats are. It's not too bad for my 5'4 form, Andy can just about fit his almost 6' frame....but we don't know how the 6'4+ American guy across from us managed to even get into his seat, never mind get comfy!!

The 6 hour journey was fairly non-descript. Some of the scenery is absolutely stunning, true untouched beauty, not yet ravaged by the dreaded plastic bag. For large chunks of the journey though, the curtain had to be drawn to stop the blazing hot sunshine from cooking me in my seat!

Again, we were fortunate on our arrival in Siem Reap to have a tuk tuk driver pre-arranged to collect us, although for a short while we were convinced he hadn't turned up as we battled with the touts, insisting we had one arranged already (they blatantly thought we were lying, and even laughed at us!) Eventually we spotted our guy! The guesthouse we were staying in had a great location, just a few minutes walk from Phsar Chas (Old Market) and the surrounding bustling streets of restaurants and bars! Our most important task was to plan for our much anticipated trip to the Angkor Temple Complex the following day. "Angkor" simply means capital city or holy city, and thus the temple ruins in the Siem Reap region are the remnants of the capital city of the Khmer Empire, which existed between the 9th and 12th Centuries, AD. Trying to plan by reading all the literature available to us and following recommendations from the guesthouse, it soon began to look impossible! How on earth would we tackle this HUGE complex? After scouting on the internet for information, I happen to stumble across a travellers "recommendations for Siem Reap" website. Lo and behold, this guy stayed at the guesthouse we are currently in....he names the guide he hired to show him around the temples, raving about how impressive, useful, friendly, and just generally wonderful the guy was. Lucky for us...There is a telephone number! Within seconds, Skype was loaded up and Andy was talking to So Peng Thai, who agreed to be our guide for the following day. A quick chat to reception and we had a tuk tuk driver booked for the day also. Brilliant! Now we just had to concentre on getting some sleep...So Peng would be meeting us at 5.30am the next day - eek!

Our first dinner in Siem Reap is delicious; in a small restaurant down an alley next to "Pub Street" (no explanation required I am sure). One tradition that has rolled over from Vietnam...spring rolls. We just can't get enough of them!

23rd Jan
So, still half asleep, we stumble down to reception at 5.30am in search of So Peng. We are a little worried...as it is now 5.40am, and although we have located our driver, we still cannot locate So Peng! (The lack of lighting doesn't help) Fortunately, a few minutes later, he appears from the shadows - apologising profusely for not spotting us!

The journey to Angkor takes approx half an hour, on reaching the boundaries we leave our tuk tuk to purchase our day passes (complete with a photograph printed on them). Our first stop will be Angkor Wat to watch sunrise. It's hard to see what is surrounding us; all we can really make out are the shadows of the many many tourists, intermittently lit up by guides' torches flashing back and forth. It's amazing we don't all end up in a giant heap on the floor as we try to navigate the many steps, bridge across the moat surrounding the complex and narrow walkways on the boundary walls, in the pitch black darkness! We wish we had our head torch with us now.

As the sky begins to change colour gradually, and our eyes struggle to adjust to the new lighting conditions, the silhouette of Angkor Wat gradually comes into focus! The sheer enormity of the temple begins to dawn on us..So Peng knows exactly where to direct us to for the perfect view. Not only do we become aware of the scale of the building...but also the popularity of this destination, there are hundreds, if not thousands of people milling around! We walk down to the lake in front of Angkor Wat for the moment the sun fully rises and have the most amazing view of the reflection on the lakes surface (no wonder it is known as the "Reflective Pool")

We begin our walk around Angkor Wat - the largest religious building in the world, led by So Peng. His knowledge of the temples is astounding, as is his English! It's as if he has swallowed a textbook on the topic and can recall every tiny detail. He manages to describe the stories illustrated on the temple walls in a fantastic animated manner and you imagine it streaming like a movie. Every single detail etched onto the temple walls appear to be symbolic and indicative of an important piece of information relating to life at the time. We also learn a great deal about how the temple is constructed. Aside from the intricate carvings, this in itself is a mean feat! Each stone block is gigantic and some parts of the structure so tall. It is mind boggling how the temples were constructed and what sort of planning took place beforehand. Building these temples was definitely used as a method of exerting status, by kings at the time.

As well as Angkor Wat (which alone covers an area of 1 square kilometre) we also visit the fortified city of Angkor Thom, whose walls stretch 12km. Within Angkor Thom we visit various monuments. Firstly, we head to Bayon Temple (famous for its many (216 to be exact!) giant faces carved out of stone). Amazing carvings on the stone walls depict life in 12th century Cambodia, showing everyday realities such as cockfighting and childbirth! Before lunch we also visit Baphuon, with its large reclining Buddha on the Westside (only apparent when standing quite a distance away and your guide points it out to you!) then onto Phimeanakas, a sandstone pyramid structure; the tallest, scalable temple in Angkor Thom, located in the ancient Royal Palace compound. This was the Kings temple! From here we walked to the Royal Pools (separated into "his" and "hers") named "Sras Srei". Unfairly the men's pool was much bigger! Our final stops before our much needed lunch break were the terrace of the elephants and terrace of the leper king. One particular theory on the function of the former of the two was that the area comprised a stadium-like complex wherein ceremonies and parades would be conducted. The second terrace has a contentious name with some believing the fingerless statue that sits on the top platform is representative of a Khmer ruler who died from leprosy whereas others believe the statue is of 'Yama', the God of Death! Exiting through Victory Gate, lunch was a very welcome break from the stifling midday heat. You don't realise how much walking you've actually done until you sit down!

Our final stop for the day was Ta Prohm, also known as the Jungle Temple (made famous by that "wonderful" film Tomb Raider, which was filmed here). Massive fig and silk cotton trees grow out of the remnants of the towers. Not much restoration work has been done to this temple since it was discovered a century ago, which definitely contributes to its charm. This is definitely our favourite temple of the day! It is amazing how the tress have become part of the temples and vice versa! It is here we encounter an amazing chamber inside one of the temples. So Peng shows us that , whilst standing in the small chamber, if you clap your hands together (or slap your leg, arm etc) it just makes a flat, echo-less tone however if you beat your chest with the palm of your hand, it echoes around the chamber, as if a drum has been beaten. Amazing!

By mid afternoon we decide to call it a day. It has been extremely tiring in the heat, and I have been battling travellers' tummy throughout the day (thanks to a brief meal break on our Mekong express bus journey it would seem...). What a fantastic day - a trip we will remember forever, so different to anything else we have ever visited! So Peng has been absolutely amazing. He is such an inspiring person to talk to! As well as guiding us around the complex, constantly amazing us with his knowledge, we also hear about his life and his efforts to create a better life for himself, his wife and newborn daughter. He has so much he wants to achieve and so much enthusiasm for reaching his goals. All this and he is 26, the same age as us. He truly is inspiring and we would, without a doubt recommend him to anyone who visits Angkor! (Seriously, if you are visiting there and need a guide - contact us!)

After the days' exhausting schedule, we had a much needed low-key evening. Firstly stopping at an Indian restaurant for dinner and then wandering around the nearby night market, full of lovely arts and crafts pieces! Early to bed for us.

We had another action packed morning ahead of us, having booked ourselves onto a Cambodian cooking course at La Papier Tigre Restaurant. On arriving at the restaurant, we were pleased to see there were only 2 other people on the course with us, Beverly from the US and Thomas from Germany (who has been travelling for an impressive 2 years)! Firstly, we were handed menus so that we could choose what delicious (we hoped) dishes we could attempt to make. The menus read as follows:

Mr Bennett
Starter: pumpkin soup
Main: Chicken Lok Lak (traditional Khmer curry-like dish)

Mrs Bennett
Starter: vegetable spring rolls (obviously)
Main: Chicken Amok (another traditional Khmer curry type dish)

And finally, a joint effort for dessert: sticky rice with sweet potato (semolina type dessert)

After a brief visit to the local food market, wherein we had a selection of vegetables, fruits and seasonings pointed out (oh and some interesting bits of meat...a lowlight being a live tortoise squirming on its back. Different country, different culture - must remember that). It was straight back to the kitchen to be kitted our in our 'chef's attire'. The class was really well run, we're not sure how Channan, our teacher, managed to keep track of all the dishes we were preparing - but she did it superbly and none of us felt neglected! Fortunately, the kitchen was on the top floor of the restaurant, with open windows on 3 of the walls - a very welcome breeze could pass straight through - those gas burners gave off some ridiculous heat!

Well, the final results looked....amazing! (Even if I do say so myself) Not a single detail was overlooked, we were shown how to present our food beautifully (Thomas and I struggled somewhat with the dishes made from banana leaves - it's definitely easier to use readymade bowls). The trickiest part of the course was carrying our food back down the 2 flights of narrow, steep stairs to the restaurant, so we could enjoy our feast! We really would be gutted if it got fed to the floor before we even got a taste! I'm glad to say, no one took a tumble. Tasting all the different dishes we had created, we were all suitably impressed with our efforts. The course was a fantastic way to spend the morning and made lunch so much more satisfying. I just hope we can re-create these culinary delights back home!

We really enjoyed our stay in Cambodia. The visit to Angkor is definitely a highlight of staying in Siem Reap. If you have more time it would be worth getting a 3 day pass and spreading your visits to the complex over those days, although we think having a guide with you is vital! Although you could walk around the ruins, with a guidebook in hand, it would be pretty difficult to differentiate between the structures and ultimately, it could all end up appearing a bit 'samey'. It is definitely worth the early start and long day of walking (They estimate that you walk between 15 and 18 km in a day!). We have found the people in Cambodia to be so friendly and helpful! It has been so much calmer than Vietnam and overall there is a more peaceful vibe.

The Next morning we had another early start! A tuk tuk would be collecting us at 5.45am to go to the airport!

What next for the honeymoon adventure? Hmm..
A..b..c..d..e..f..g..h..i..j......KL! That'll do nicely...