Cambodia

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Cambodia has been interesting to say the least. Our first experience of Cambodia was the border. Apparently unless you have a guide to bribe the officier behind the desk to stamp your passport, you can not get out of Vietnam. We waited for a good couple of hours in the 40 plus heat, not impressed.
After a bumpy bus ride we made it to the capital, phnom penh.

The next day we headed off to the Killing Fields, a very sobering experience. Approximately 2 million cambodians were executed in the late 1970's by the Khmer Rouge led by Pol Pot.

We also visited the S-21 prison where thousands of people were held and tortured before their deaths. The pictures on display of these poor people left a lasting impression on us. We found it unbelievable that this went on only 25 years ago.

Next, we headed to the beaches of Cambodia, Sihanoukville. We spent three relaxing days there, chilling out in the sun and getting hassled by the local kids to buy their fruit.

Then it was on to Siem Reap, to check out the world famous temples of Angkor Wat, built between the 9th and 13th centuries.
We were blown away by the architecture, the huge scale of the buildings and the intricate detail of the artwork, it was breathtaking.
Sadly our US$40 entry fee went straight into the pockets of the oil company that owns the temples. Which is a shame because the temples are in grave need of skilled reconstruction and protection.

The bus trip to Thailand from Cambodia was hardcore, you could literally chew the air it was so thick with dust. Once at the border we played the waiting game once again and eventually made it through. The two towns either side of the border survive largely on gambling and smuggling, there was no customs control, and the locals wandered back and forth across the border with huge trollies of consealed goods.

We are spending our last week in South East Asia, in Ko Chang, an island off the eastern coast of Thailand. Making the most of the sun before we hit the UK.

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