Blogs from Siem Reap, North, Cambodia, Asia

After yet another less-than-perfect bus journey, we arrivied in Siem Reap at 4am, only 6 hours late thanks to the driver stopping for a nap! With it being so late we had to rely on our bus guide to take us to his friends guesthouse in his own tuk tuk which he promised was very nice, can't realy afford to be fussy at 4am and not sure what's got 24hr reception!! We arrivied at Siem Reap Temple Villa and were pleasantly surprised!! Our room is massive, huge beds, balcony, own bathroom, hot water AND there's a lovely little swimming pool!! Only downside is we're on the 4th floor, so plenty stairs to climb! We arranged with Nan, our bus guide come tuk-tuk driver, to take us around the temples for a few days and so he ... read more

Our journey to Siem Reap was less eventful than our previous, other than the fact that our lift to the station didn’t materialise and so we almost missed our early morning bus. However, when we did get on board, we kind of wished we had missed it, as we were trapped in a hot bus with broken air conditioning and sealed windows all day. Things did pick up at sunset, when we changed buses and cruised the last few hours of the journey in cool style, in an actual VIP bus. Tired from our three day trek and the previous day’s long journey, we took a day off from sightseeing, and slowed down the pace with some light shopping, and a trip to the Children’s hospital, where we both decided to donate a pint of our ... read more

Angkor Wat is amazing..Civilization and nature forming together was a sight indeed. I did the 3 day pass for the temples which is what I would suggest for people to do. Any less is not enough, anymore and you will be templed out. We're talking about 24 hours solid of walking around and site seeing. Had a guide the first day and then did the rest on our own..It was really a sureal time in my life...Oh, lots of pictures on this one.... read more

So Day 3 was supposed to be an early start ... you know I said I was going to have an early one well that didnt happen and I did bump into the guys I met in the taxi crossing. Needless to say after several bars and several buckets of Mekong whiskey I missed the alarm call. How my eyes opened at 7 am is still a wonder, 2 hours late for my trip to Angkor Wat and still a little pissed. Cold shower and a forced breakfast sorted me out pretty quickly and by 8 I was on a tuk tuk to the Temple. What can I say Angkor Wat is amazing really amazing and its no surprise its one of the wonders of the world. Its huge and something you cant and wouldnt want ... read more

After the three days of working with TB, we were very keen to see the Canadian Emergency Response team do their stuff. Gina and I headed out to TB headquarters early and meet Ellen and Thumi there. Unfortunately there is little action at the depot. We later found out that some of the gear that the canadians are relying on has been delayed in shipment so the whole exercise has been thrown back a number of days. Not really too much of a surprise over here so we have to go with plan B. Thumi and Ellen head off to do some exploring on their own. As we have a couple of days left in SR Gina and I decide to do a bit more exploring. The previous evening, we met Sam, Nick, Elle and Alex ... read more

After a pretty good nights kip last night at my hotel in Bangkok I was woken by the phone at 530am ready for my 6 oclock pick up back to the Bus Station and Day 2 of the tour. The bus station was 10 minutes away so when i got there I grabbed a coffee in a cafe and asked directions for buying a ticket, thankfully the lady that served me spoke pretty good english and after walking past it a couple of times I finally managed to get myself a coach ticket to the border at Aran for less than 4 quid. Air conditioning and free drink of water and Taro bun thrown in ....excellent no issue here. Roughly 4 hours later Im dropped off at a bustling market along side the Thai side border ... read more

Our first day at Trailblazer Foundation. Early in the morning Ellen and Alex make their way over to our hotel from their new accomodation, a cheap but clean guesthouse near the town centre called Orchidee. We take a tuk tuk around to the I Win guesthouse to wake Sam and Nick knowing that an early morning start for these guys is unlikely to be achieved without some assistance. With little real trouble we get them going and we make our way across town arriving at the TB depot at about the agreed time of 8.30. The day begins with a briefing from the manager Scott who then turns us over to his Cambodian team leaders. TB is an American based charity that operates in Cambodia, its chief concern being the delivery of fresh drinking water to ... read more

As we took a bus from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, I couldn’t help but be overcome by a certain vibe and atmosphere. As I listened to my favourite music and sat by the bus window, I stared out at the dry and dusty dirt taking over my view. Further in the distance, there were small dwellings, with dirt floors and patchy wooden roofs. Stealing my attention was the beaming faces of the children waving from the side of the road. Waving back at them, I began to smile. The children were riding bikes, playing with their friends, chasing their dogs, or holding their mother’s hands. Barefoot and covered in dirt, they were unspoilt and innocent. We arrived at our hotel accommodation to be greeted by the locals as they smiled and ... read more