Siam Reip, Cambodia

If it weren't for the Angkor Wat temple complex, Siam Reip would be a sleepy backwater that no-one ever went to. Instead, in the evening, it is a heaving mass of tourists in search of cheap drink, cheap food and cheap trinkets.

Incredibly, just as we stepped off our bus at Angkor Wat we bumped into Andy Martin, Fiona's old boy friend. We met up again in the evening and had a catch up session over a few drinks.

The temple complex, of which Angkor Wat is the largest and most intact, is truly astonishing. The oldest parts date back over 1000 years and are not in a great state of repair. I'm sure that at home you would not get within 20 yards of most of it but here thousands of tourists climb all over the temples every day. See it now before it all falls down.

We spent a full day clambering over the 5 most important sites. Pum Bayon, is the temple with the towers with 4 huge faces, each with a slightly different expression. I had trouble with my camera here and didn't get it going again until the afternoon so sorry about the lack of pictures. It was extremely photogenic so it was incredibly frustrating. In the morning we also saw the Heaven temple, the Leper King temple and the Jungle Temple. The Jungle Temple is also astonishing in that it has been partially reclaimed by the jungle. The trunks and roots of massive trees envelope the walls and in many places the buildings are leaning over at crazy angle, only held upright by the trees. The temple has been used as a film set - Tomb Raider was shot here and they still remember Angelina Jolie fondly. Another one to see before it's gone.

In the afternoon it was off to see Angkor Wat itself. This is a massive site, still in a good state of repair. Originally a Hindu temple, it was taken over by the Buhddists. The architecture is quite unique with 3 levels in height and access. The top level equates to heaven. Each level has many beautifully detailed carvings of battles, temple dancers and deeds of daring.

We left Angkor in the early evening, very tired, very hot and very wet.

After a quick shower it was out again to visit another charity project in the slum area of town (that doesn't narrow it down much). The project comprises a health clinic and a school for the surrounding area. We had a nice meal there (first course - deep fried crickets) met some of the kids and made a small donation.

Up at 5am to see the sun rise over Angkor Wat. There were thousands there even before us ready to take that iconic picture. Unfortunately, the sun rose behind clouds and we were all disappointed.

Decided to skip another cooking class and spent the most of the day lounging by the hotel swimming pool. In the late afternoon we set out on a quad biking tour of the surrounding farms and villages. After very brief instruction, we set off at high speed through the country side. It's not until you get away from the roads that you can appreciate how pretty the villages and fields can be. Most of the houses are built in the traditional style - wooden buildings on stilts about 8 feet off the ground. I'm not sure if the height is to protect the house in times of flood or to give the animals some cover in the rainy season. Many of the village houses had very pretty kitchen gardens and at that time the villagers were choosing the vegetables for that nights supper. We passed through rice fields and close by ponds where water buffalo were wallowing in the mud. We stopped for a time to watch the sun go down over the fields and then sped back with our lights on scattering scooterists as we went. Great fun!

This was David and Rosemary's last evening with the group. They had been with us from the start of the tour in Bangkok. Before that they had been in Mayamar for a month on their own. In their late 70's, they tried absolutely everything and their stamina and enthusiasm put the younger ones to shame on many occasions. I'd like to think that we will still be as game if we manage to reach their age.

Sat up in bed watching the "live report" of the Caley / County match and getting Bob's update 5 minutes before the BBC transmitted the goals. Fell asleep at full time. Great result - great day.