"Spiders and larvae and crickets... oh my!"

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Geo: 11.5588, 104.917

Hello from Cambodia! I am once again back in my favourite country in the world, although Vietnam is now giving it a very close run for its money!

However, in the 8 years since I have been away, Phnom Penh has become almost unrecognisable. There are still glimpses of the ramshackle buildings and makeshift homes that make up my memories of the place, but along the wide streets of the city are air-conditioned buildings, shops selling gleaming motorbikes by the hundred and 5 star hotels snake along the river-front boulevard, enough to rival any such stretch in the coastal USA.

Our 6 hour bus journey passed by with little hitch. One small glitch did threaten to rear its ugly head: I packed my passport photos in my back-pack and stowed it away under the bus. Contrary to my belief, we did not have to carry these through the customs at the border and therefore access was denied! In order to gain a visa for Cambodia, each traveller must attach a passport photo of themselves to the visa form. I, obviously as they were stuck in the underbelly of the coach, did not possess such a thing. Fortunately, Emma had one which the tour guide suggested I use! I'll paint a brief picture of Emma: size 8, 5'7, dark brown hair... in fact it was the fastest image change I have ever done! To our good luck, the immigration officials were not worried about such matters, and must regard that all Westerners look the same, as they waved me through without a second glance. The food at the border was.... inedible really. So, Pringles for lunch had to suffice!

Our hotel were not expecting us to arrive, but they soon allocated us an acceptable room on the 3rd floor. Now, to my recollection, rooms in Cambodia were 2 - 4 dollars and 6 for luxury. This one cost us the merry penny of $25. Things are changing in Cambodia, but it's in all probability better for the nation's economy, if not for the reminiscent traveller!

Once we had settled into our room, we made our way down to the Foreign Correspondent's Club for Happy Hour. With an air of a 1940s Journo's bar, we were treated to 1 dollar Angkor, with stunning views over the adjacent river. The rest of the group from Vietnam were there, and we spent 2 beers putting the world to rights and discussing the much-anticipated next part of the evening for me... Local street food.

Oh for Pad Thai, or its Khymer equivalent! First up on our gastronomic adventure along the river-front: Deep friend tarantula. Now I'm not fond of spiders alive, but deep-fried? Hey, at least they can't do that freaky running at your feet thing if they're dead! So, I chomped on down on one of its legs. To be fair, it was actually incredibly tasty. It had been deep-fried beyond recognition as anything more than very crispy crackling. So far so good. That was our ''amus-bouche" out of the way. Now for the appetiser: Snake on a stick. Lacking in taste, this was simply tough and difficult to swallow. I had another spider leg to wash it down (more delicious than the first!) Then, a new challenge: larvae. Not quite so appealing: in fact it was one of the most rancid things I have ever tasted, and I kept it in my mouth for a mere 3 seconds, before succumbing to my gag reflex and spitting it river-wards. The main course was cricket and again, this was quite crunchy, but lacking in any real taste. Spider wins. hands down.

We meandered along the boulevard, JP picking up lotus seeds (which I worried would be hallucinogenic having read The Odyssey). They were rather like a cross between garden peas and chickpeas, and therefore most favourable to me! We also had sticky rice cooked in bamboo tubes with beans: DELICIOUS! A good meal of tarantula leg and sticky rice would suffice for me!

Dinner that evening was a far more sedate chilli and chicken with rice. Then, to bed!

An early start to another harrowing day at Cheung Ek and S21 beckoned.

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