Cambodia

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After Borneo we arrived in Cambodia. Our first thoughts where that it reminded us our India, the busy streets and parks, bustling markets - all with their conflicting aromas, and the return of the street seller - although selling a little bit different this time - deep fried (huge) spiders, cockroaches, beetles and flies to name a few of their wares which neither of us were brave enough to partake in - Simon's theory being that if there is no flesh then what is there to eat - good point!

We spent a few days in Phnom Penh, the capital, and then headed north to Siem Reap to see and experience Angkor.

In Phnom Penh I began to understand more about the sad and devastating recent history of Cambodia, our tuk-tuk driver told me his tale of how he escaped to the mountains when the Khmer Rouge were in power, how he hid away for 3 years in fear of his and his wife's lives...they now have 6 children born since 1980.

He then drove us to the Killing Fields and the S-21 prison museum, his regular route for visiting tourists. I cannot describe in words what emotions
A steep ascent from the top of Angkor Wat
seeing all of this provokes, it is quite unbelievable that all this was happening only 30 years ago.

In Siem Reap we saw such a contrast, obviously there is Angkor, but also the place felt more developed, more westernised and for me, further from the emotions I had felt over the last few days. We got up at 5am to watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat, which was great once we had speed walked past the masses, lining their Canons up for the postcard shot.

It's amazing at Angkor, you can just clamber all over everything, nothing telling you to 'keep off', 'don't touch' and not to photograph - although there almost should be a limit on the photos as there are only so many you can take of various arrangements of stone.

We really enjoyed Cambodia, it has so much to offer, a lot of which is hard to describe here, hence the short entry xx

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Comments

[Fee Sands]

Hello
It is always so good to hear from you, I have so much admiration for you both; the way you really embrace each country and it's culture, god i wish i could do it too! Your stories are so engaging and heartfelt - i almost feal i am experiencing it myself. Have you met up with Jackie and Linda yet? Take care, still miss you my darling and can't wait to see you again. Fee xx