So after 2 weeks in Cambodia I'm feeling fully in the swing of this whole travelling thing. From air conditioned bus, and nice relaxing boat trip to a horse and cart and pedal power, I think I've pretty much experienced every mode of transport possible!

The trip got off to an interesting start with a "team bonding" exercise on the back of a pick up truck. After crossing the border from Thailand in to Cambodia we discovered that life was a little more basic here. "Roads" and I use the term loosely resembled more like dust tracks, and where you did finally lose the dust this was replaced by lots of water as the roads flooded after the rainy season. So with 12 enthusiastic travellers (plus luggage), a guide and a driver we all eagerly jumped aboard the back of our pick-up truck, which was to be our home for the next 8 hours or so. Numb bum alert all round, and plenty of red dust to accompany it... When the road was flooded we had to get off the truck and walk through. Sevreal before us had tried and failed in their attempts to cross the river. Motorbikes fell sideways and a local bus lost it's whole wheel. Luckily we got through with nothing more than wet feet and some great photos!

But when we eventually caught sight of Siam Reap in the distance it really was an oasis of shining lights up ahead after what had been a very long day. Welcome to Cambodia...

Next up was Ankor Wat - an absolutely amazing set of temples set in the rainforest (and for anyone who's a Lara Croft fan, it's when they filmed Tombraider). Despite our long day previously, I decided that getting up to watch the sun rise over the temples would be an experience to remember, and I wasn't wrong. Without the crowds, and surrounded by water, there was a very moody atmosphere, watching from afar as the place came to life.

Lots of bus travel followed over the next few days, as myself and my travelling companions grew closer, and no doubt more smellier! We visited some smaller provinces, away from the cities where you could really see the local people. At Kompong Cham we cycled around a small island, visiting local children in their school and trying a variey of different fruits and foods. We also took a motorbike ride to see the rare Irrawaddy freshwater dolphins in the Mekong river at Kratie. There's only four places in the world you can see them and we were lucky enough to catch sight of a group of about 10 dolphins as the sun set over the river - amazing.

After Kratie we moved back to the city and the capital Phnom Penh. We arrived in the middle of the annual water festival, which attracts people from many other provinces to visit the city. It was heaving, but we did manage to make it as far as the river to watch some of the dragon boat racing - not that we understood the commentary though! A trip out to the killing fields the next day was a very sobering experience. Trying to comprehend how Pol Pot could have brainwashed so many people, emptying an entire city and forcing children to murder their own families was very humbling. The locals say they can grow to forget but they will never forgive.

As we left Phnom Penh behind it was time for a taolly different experience...a homestay in Takeo where we spent the night in a local house with the leader of the village. Our room consisted of a foam mattress on the floor above the cow shed (slightly smelly, but great fun!) The family cooked us local food and it was great to experience their everyday life in such a rural place. We spent the night getting acquainted with another local delicacy - the Mekong bucket - a delightful mixture of Mekong rum, whiskey and red bull. After the illusion of drinking cough mixture had passed, it really didn't taste that bad, all helped when you're drinking it while swinging in a hammock...

Then finally we reached the beach for a few days. Sihanoukville is still a relatively sleepy little place, with a wonderful white sandy beach and clear blue sea that's as warm as a bath. I'm glad I was able to see it now, as I think in a few years time development is inevitable and the Costa del Cambodia will be well underway. We took a boat trip out to a wonderful tropical island and enjoyed an amazing bbq fish lunch on the beach. After lots of swimming, snorkelling and snoozing I was exhausted! It's a good job we had another bus ride the next day to get over it all...and then Vietnam awaited...