Hi guys,

Since our last post we have moved to the capital city of Cambodia, Phenom Penh. Before leaving Siem Reap we had massages, which were an experience. Sophie describes the experiences as "torture, which at points made her question whether we were going to survive". Personally I had a more enjoyable experience untill the masseuse straddled me to get better access to my back, which was quickly followed by being beaten on the head. As our massages were slightly staggered I could anticipate this as I heard Sophie being beaten and the wails that followed. Once back at the hotel and with slighted crooked necks we attemped to shower the galloons of oil from our skin, yet this was impossible since we had become waterproof. That evening we went to a Cambodian barbeque, where there is on offer meats including crocodile, snake, ostrich, kangaroo, and goat. You are given the meat raw to cool on a hot convex grill, around which is a soup that you cook noodles and veg in. The table of four is given just a solo pair of tongs, so the whole experience involoved many hunts for the tongs to stop the meat burning. That night we were attacked by either a spider or cochroach in our room (I may have dreamt it however, but we werent taking any risks) it headed straight for Sophie's bed, where it promptly disappeared. This meant Sophie spent the night awake in terror of it making a reappearance and had to evacuate the site, kindly taking up the role as my bodyguard. We were also swarmed by an army of mosquitoes, which Sophie has become a notorious killer of, spotting them for up to two metres away and now a dab hand with her flipflop (she did try and make me stay in the bathroom with one particular specimin to isolate us, but then the overwhelming urge kill allowed me my freedom).

The next day we did not have to be ready to get the bus to the capital until 11.30, however as it goes, we were up by six. We had a tasty breakfast of banana pancakes, which we thought were omelettes when selecting them, before going for a walk into the town centre for a refreshing beverage. After taking up the challenge of packing our bags, and then picking them up off the floor (thanks to which I now have muscles begger than Popeye). We got a transfer to the bus station, a dusty street lined with five people selling the same thing (I was going to offer business advice that they are aiming at the sam market, but thought better of it once I saw how sharp their mango knife was, and carrying my rucksack I would not have been able to run very fast). Six hours later, and a long busride where we were offered an array of pastry snacks, we arrived in Phenom Penh. Once we had got off the bus we were harrassed continually by tuktuk drivers desperate for our custom - they were being held back from us physically, however our airconditioned minibus was waiting around the corner.

We made it to the hotel, where we are sharing our room with a colony of ants, though thankfully only on the floor - others are sharing their bed with the little things, along with many lizards or geccos (we are still at odds to which they are), one of which took the liberty to leap from the safety of the wall onto a group member as she walked along. It's not quite so hot here in the capital, thanks to the city getting alot of rain just before we came. We had our first tuktuk experience however, where you are driven out into the middle of a crossroad with buses and cars driving at great speed towards you. Apparently they drive on the right but we beg to differ. The second tuktuk we went in was an Adidas one, with striped seats and football stickers adorning the benches. We think that it was a limited edition as the driver seemed very pleased with his little vehicle, despite taking us down all the backroads where we thought we were going to be deposited.

This morning we visited s21, a converted high school that was used as a prison during the rein of Pol Pot, and where many thousands of people were tortured before being murdered. It was a very harrowing experience, especially seeing the tiny cells where people of all ages were kept, and the rooms upon rooms of photographs of the victims. We went from there to the Killing Fields, where the victims were taken to be killed. There were many mass graves, and since the tragedy only occured 30years ago, the paths are still littered with rags of clothing, bones and teeth. The area is very peaceful with butterflies and what look like lovely trees, until you read the signs describing how the children were swung by the legs against the trees to be killed, or how music boxes were set up to cover the sounds of the screaming. The victims who did not die instantly were buried alive before having chemicals poured over them to make their deaths certain. There was a small building in which all the recovered skulls were displayed, many of which were broken from having been hit with various weapons.

In the afternoon we decided to have a break from group activities, taking a tuktuk into the city centre to see the monestries and the grand palace, before having a walk through the streets (an attempt to get sunlight!).

We are moving on to Sihanoukville tomorrow, where the beaches are, so we will try and catch up in a few days.

Much love,

Soph and Elinor

xxx