Angkor Wat & Siem Riep 30th November 2005 Early start (ok around 0630 ish) to get to Siem Riep, gateway to the famous Angkor Wat. Connecting bus (4 dorrar) is late arriving to PP so we sit there until about 9am. Several men in suits get on at the last minute and proceed to re-organise the seating to their own liking moving the less well off and backpackers (one and the same?) out of their seats so they can be near the front. Me and the wife are locked in another battle of the minds, a scrabble fest which passes the 5 ½ hour journey quite nicely as it happens, mostly due to my inability to use the English language. No surprises as to who won this contest. Bus journey is pretty comical for a number of reasons, firstly due to the bus drivers complete lack of respect for human life, that's our lives if you were wondering. Most overtaking manoeuvres consisted of blaring the horn as loud as possible and hoping that nothing big was coming the other way. The air conditioning on the bus was pretty piss poor as well and so we arrived at our first 'service station' in a sweaty state. Need I tell you that it's around 30 degrees again? Let me tell you that I am NEVER going to criticise a British service station ever again. The toilets on this occasion consisted of an open field with an attempt at a concrete pissoir placed somewhere in the middle. After one had plucked up the courage to relieve oneself I was only grateful (once again) that I am not a woman. These were the smelliest toilets ever. We then turned our attention to the refreshments being sold at several market-like stalls. Amongst the token fruit there was a large basket full of live spiders. The spiders must have been about the size of a tennis ball and were the furry type with large abdomens (do I need to know any more about them?) Apparently these are a highly rated delicacy fit for taking home and sharing with the family over an open fire and nice bottle of red. There were also cooked ones which one New Zealand bloke was brave enough to try (but he refused to eat the abdomen, wimp) Our not so friendly tuk-tuk driver who had sat next to us on the bus purchases a bag full of live spiders leaving us to keep a watchful eye on them for the rest of our journey. At the next service station about 2 hrs down the road we decide to go with the flow and try our hand at cricket. Not the usual cricket played with bat and ball but the small ones that jump around. Basically you just have to 'pop them in' and give them a good crunch. The NZ guy was at it again as the ring leader (I think he was a bit of a cannibal) and came over to persuade us to eat them. Amazingly we were still up for it despite the several cricket legs dangling from his mouth. They tasted pretty salty and once you got over the whole "I'm eating a cricket" thing they were not too bad. Needless to say we had the s***s and were a bit jumpy for a few days afterwards (only kidding) We eventually arrive at Siem Riep and there is the now accustomed hoard of tuk-tuk drivers scrambling for our business. (There is actually a policeman batting back these guys so you can physically get off the bus). We arrive at our guesthouse which at 12 dollars a night is not too bad. It even has hot water. Nice meal down the road (I have tom yam soup) and Amy has some fishy thing. Few beers in the bar then we call it a night. December 1st 2005 We can't believe there are only about 20 shopping days left until Christmas. We are persuaded to get up early (0430) to see the sunrise of Angkor Wat (AW). Ok Amy is persuaded but I am just pissed off. Day starts off badly when we forget our photos for the passes to AW and we have to suffer the indignity of having our photos taken at 5 in the morning. Needless to say we both look like the living dead. So we get to AW and of course we don't know where to go or Wat (ha-ha) we are looking for. So we follow the other 100 000 stupid people who have got up at this ungodly hour to watch the sunrise. When getting the camera out I accidentally happen to throw it 10 meters across the sandstone blocks (particularly annoying as we were just talking about how stupid it would be to forget the camera after getting up so early especially for the sunrise). The camera then refuses to work for about 15 minutes and the sun is coming up!!! By some act of god the camera then comes on and we get a few pictures (see album). Pretty impressive and I forget the fact that we got up at some stupid time to see this. Those Angkorian dudes were pretty busy in their time. Angkor Wat and the surrounding areas are truly impressive. Unfortunately we and the rest of the world have now discovered it again and the place is pretty rammed full, of Japs amongst others. Where the hell do all these guys come from (Japan stupid). I mean one minute you are all alone at this ancient site then thousands of the little fellas come crawling out from cracks in the floor and between your legs and armpits and everything. What is it with these guys, it's like they have to go everywhere in a group as well. It must be all about the collective or something. And another thing, why are they always wearing brand new shoes? Every one of them, and they are all so clean and not sweaty or anything. To be a true Jap tourist you also have to walk around with the latest mechanical gadgetry on your head as well, keeping you cool. You must also never be more than 2 feet away from your tour guide or you will become instantly lost, even if it means pushing smelly, dirty British travellers out of your way in dangerous confined areas. Don't get me started on the yanks either. (Note to foreign reader: I am not really a racist but am just having a laugh, I am more than aware of my own deficiencies as a British person and would be grateful if you don't deface our website, sorry for any offence caused). We see about 85 more Wats before going to the famous floating village on Tonle Sap lake. This is basically a left over Vietnamese community who have been granted political asylum on a massive great lake in the middle of Cambodia. They attempted to charge us 20 dorrar to go see this place but we only had 13. So they let us go anyway. Nice boat trip and saw a few crocs (in a cage). I am sure the little kids only bale around in their oversized washing up bowls for effect. Get back to our guesthouse, we both have dirty dry, muddy necks, feet and orifices from a tough days sightseeing. We have dinner round the corner, I have sweet and sour pork and Amy has beef with rice. The beef is a bit chewy and Amy has her first case of deli belly. Friday 2nd December About 19 shopping days until Christmas. Do the outer loop of Angkor Wat today as well as Banteay Srei. The Wats are generally not as good today, maybe we are getting temple fatigue. Clime a massive hill and lots of steps to see the sunset over Angkor Wat. Bit of a circus up there (more Japs again and I actually saw one sweating). On second thoughts he may have been wretching, perhaps he had some of that beef as well. Sunset is ok, it's the walk down the steep precipice that was most fun. We get back at a decent time and go to the main tourist drag in Siem Riep, the fantastically named Bar street. I beat Amy at pool (finally a game I can win at....) Friday night is of course fish and chips night so we go for a western. Not ashamed cause it was good. Usual beers then bed. Saturday 3rd December. Better do some Christmas shopping folks as the days are running out.... We attempt to check out of our guesthouse as we are booked into fancy four star hotel for a bit of R & R. After the Spanish inquest as to where we are going next (every Cambodian is so helpful as they know just the place you want to go, which conveniently is not where you want to go at all). We get to our hotel which is just being completed and at 40 dorrar a night is a bargain. When looking for god knows what I open a cupboard door and it falls off landing on me big toe. It would have killed any lesser mortal but me big toe stood up well and was just badly bruised with a small cut. Amy goes down to get some ice and all hell breaks loose with, it seems, every worker in the hotel from the Kitchen Chef to the doorman coming to have a look at me toe and gasp in wonder at a white man's agony. Eventually the big chief turns up and sends someone out to get medicine even though it's basically a big bruise. We go for a swim in the afternoon then back to Bar street and as it's Saturday night it must be Curry night. It just so happens that the really important Spurs vs Sunderland game is on telly this evening on some obscure Cambodian channel. We are not complaining as it is an entertaining 3-2 win for the boys. Sunday 4th December. Sunday is rest day so we rest by the pool. Big lazy day and it's the first really relaxing time we have had in 3 weeks. (or is it 2 I can't remember anymore). Back to Bar street for a khmer meal (typical pork/beef/chicken with rice). We are cantching the Mekong express bus back to PP tomorrow on our way down to Sihanoukville. AW and Siem Riep were pretty impressive and it's one of those things that you have to do when in Cambodia as well as everybody else. Keep the emails and messages coming we still love reading them. Off for a swim in the sea now. Love Stu & Amy.