Arrival in Phnom Penh took about 6 hours from Ho Chi Minh, the border crossing was surprisingly simple considering how hard it had been from Laos into Vietnam, maybe the Cambodians are more relaxed at the crossings? The journey did seem to take forever and I think we were all a little surprised at the ferry crossing in the middle of it, but Phnom Penh does seem to be quite a hectic city but nothing like Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh.

My guesthouse, The White Rabbit, is quite far away from most of the backpacker streets but I figured it would be a good way for me to get out there and do some walking and walk off some of those carbs I'd been eating for the last two months! Oh and it's another mattresses on the floor guesthouse! My first day in Phnom Penh was rather uneventful, I walked to the Thai embassy to see about getting a visa and met some random Del Boy type who told me he could get me a visa for $60 next day delivery and provide me with all the documentation that the authorities needed...sounded too dodgy to me.

OH!!! For some reason, when people find out you're from England the first thing they say to you is 'lovely jubbly!' I can't tell you how many times I've cringed!

My first full day in Phnom Penh and I decided to walk everywhere. I went up to Wat Phnom (which costs $1 for foreigners to enter...) and looked out over the city. It was a nice little temple with a great white stupa at the top of a small hill. It was kind of disturbing that there was a tree full of bats all screeching in the middle of the day though and there seems to be statues of a snake with 7 heads everywhere...no idea.

Afterwards I thought I would go walking down the Quay and couldn't believe how many bars there are offering beer at less than $1 per glass! I decided today to count up how many people were going to offer me a ride in a tuk tuk and I think I got to over 100 people before I made it back to the guesthouse. I went into a couple of the Wat temples on the way back and pretty much gave up after I was chased by some rabid dog through one of the temple grounds. I seriously thought it was going to bite me after it came running towards me growling! I pretty much just walked around today as I'm getting a visa from my guesthouse I'm going to be in Phnom Penh for a good 4 days or so.

I went to the night market tonight and it is just like most of the night markets I have been to, except they have a very strange food section. Basically you take this little shopping basket thing and put whatever food you want to eat into it and they cook it for you. You're then pointed to a mat on the floor and they take the rubbish away for you. It was nice, although I did almost eat duck foetus again. It looked like a scotch egg, and to be truthful it was...however the egg inside was duck foetus so I promptly put that back after a French girl told me what it was!

Originally I said I would only spend a couple of weeks in Cambodia but now I think I have found some other towns I would like to visit. Which means everything is going to get bumped by a couple of weeks. I don't think it matters too much, just as long as I don't run out of money and I still make it to Australia in time to meet everyone like I said I would.

The picture is of Wat Phnom.