Angkor Wat

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i spent loner than expected in the quaint town of Kampot. my guesthouse had a floating bar on the river, and i would swim in the brown water every morning before breakfast. apart from chilling out i did some voluntary work teaching English and helping to build a house in the paddy fields. the only reason i left this beautiful place was because my visa had ran out.

i went to the touristy city of Siem Reap where i was to see the magnificent Angkor Wat (i usually try and avoid these tourist hot spots but this is the pride and joy of Cambodia). i was in awe of the vast complexity of the many ancient ruins that lie in the national park. on my first day i went by tuk tuk with Julian, a German psychiatrist, to the Beng Melaya - a crumbling ruin, overpowered by nature. as it was quite far out of Siem Reap and not yet a big tourist destination, it was extremely peaceful, and we felt like adventurers, scaling collapsed walls to get better views.

on the second day i was exhausted from cycling 30km on a rickety old bike with a flat tyre to see 7 temples. the next day i rented a moto and driver to see some far out temples which, after seeing so many, were still spectacular. the next day i spent 11 hours cycling around the Angkor complex with Derek, a uni student studying in Singapore.

although the ruins were amazing and very enjoyable, after 4 days i was completely ruined out, and i don't think i can see another ruin or temple for some time to come.

i payed off the police for having overstayed my visa and got a flight to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

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Photos

getting involved
the whole community helped us build this house for a poor widow and her 4 children. it only took a day to complete.

Angkor Wat
this photo really dosent show the pure grandure and magnificence of the place

our long (and wrong) road
i lead us on bikes a few miles down the wrong road... nice road though