Day 1 - The Temples ... well, some of them

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The evening before ...

Had a very pleasant evening last night ... despite it having been a very long day I did get a 2nd wind and after enjoying my first ever Khmer meal (Amok - fish curry in coconut, peanut and cashew sauce) which was delicious I ventured out to get some navigational bearings of the town. Found the night market which was as I expected - lots of clothing. Also found a very friendly bar - beer (in fact most drinks) are really cheap, if you pay more than $1.50 for draught beer you're paying too much. Most are 75 cents ... happy days! Made a few new friends - Kiwis and Australians.

Day 1 - The Temples ... well, some of them

Got up bright eyed and bushy tailed at 7.30am as I'd booked a tuk-tuk to take me to the temples. Delighted to see that I have Don again ... he's friendly with a good sense of humour.

Covered Angkor Wat, Bayon, Ta Prohm, Banteay Kdei and Sra Srang - in that order. Didnt go inside Banteay Kdei as feeling pretty exhausted from the heat. I've got a 3 day pass so I thinking I don't want to overdo things on my first day! Had hoped to have managed more than 5 hours but in this heat I guess I need to aclimatise. Really liked Bayon for all of the faces carved in stone and of course Ta Prohm aka Tomb Raider Temple with the jungle encroaching on the Back to room for a 2 hour siesta!!

I had a late lunch of pat si eiw (fried noodles w sweet black sauce, veg, egg & chicken) which again was excellent .... and yes, for those interested you can see the kitchen! Having only had bananas and cookies (I know!?!) throughout the day I guess I was pretty ravenous (or could that be ravishing Lisa??).

After a chat with fellow guest Graham (he's a saxophinist and been here 5 months) headed out for further exploration and to get some pics uploaded. Pub Street .... It's exactly what the name suggests and perfect for hen and stag parties. As I'm not on either I can now permanently cross that one off my list.

Had a massage at Seeing Hands massage parlour. I'd read about it before arrival and it was recommended. All the masseurs are blind ... and it was very good. Great value at $5 for an hour.

Found another market - bought a dress. Popped into my regular bar on the way back (I was there last night) and chatted at length to a couple from Reading of all places!!

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