Siem Reap

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I had a smooth journey over here with good flights and a night in the Arrivals hall of Changi Airport in Singapore. I had a rather decadent time on Singapore Airlines between ChCh and Singapore, eating lots of lovely food and drinks. A woman from KL who is Christian was seated beside me, which seems to be a recurring theme at the moment as I had dinner last night with a team of missionaries, which was fine until one of them decided that I needed to be saved by the Lord. Then there was a group prayer in which I found myself to be one of the main subjects of the session. All of them were Asian from different countries, and I was informed that India was indeed a very Evil place (my next destination). I wonder why these people have to settle here to inflict themselves on the unsuspecting Cambodians.

Siem Reap seemed to be in the middle of a heat wave when I arrived. Coming from the midst of a New Zealand winter, it was difficult to cope, especially as i was initially given a sweltering room on the top floor of Bou Savy. Now that I am settled on the ground floor things are much cooler and private, although a little bit dark. This guest house is very good value, and for US$ 6 I have a TV, fridge, private bathroom (no hot water), room servicing and breakfast, plus 2 bottles of water each day. Another factor is that it seems very safe, and an honest family runs the establishment.
Tomorrow I start the Angkor temple tour stint with an Australian woman who is based here,
volunteering, and has her own driver. One should haul lots of water out on this journey as it's a searing hot, unrelenting mission exploring the temples. I think I had better brave the streets now to buy a sim card for my phone. Being contactable is a big thing here and my new friends are insisting that I do so.

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