Floating down the river

A floating village in Tonle Sap Lake was our destination for today. Meandering down the river in our boat = perfect for people watching. 

Middle/right - moving house floating village style

Most people seemed to be fishing or relaxing watching the world go by. For those who wanted something more active, there was a floating basketball court. 

The best way to see Cambodia

Today's lesson: quad biking is possibly the best way to explore the countryside.

We spent a couple of hours zooming along red dirt tracks, past rice fields and houses on stilts. The countryside is amazingly colourful and peaceful, and the villagers so welcoming. All the while, the clouds were darkening and we could almost smell the rain. Second lesson of the day: don't wear a white shirt to go quad biking.

Safety first

Excited children came running out to say hello (very possibly in search of sweets). Still, they are all adorable. 

National Arbor Day

It was National Arbor Day, a public holiday where people are encouraged to plant trees. We randomly ended up on a trip to go and plant a tree as part of a campaign called 'One Tourist One Tree'. The trip was to the old Khmer Rouge headquarters, an area which was covered in landmines (now all removed!) Lots of trees were destroyed when the land was reclaimed, so the government wanted to replace the ones that had been lost. It was a free event, so we thought it would be a nice way to get a tour of the countryside (and get a free t-shirt and rather fetching hat).

It turned out that this event was quite a big deal. There were thousands of people, loads of soldiers, coaches of school children, politicians and even the future Cambodian King. The ceremony was loooong, with speeches from politicians and the King-to-be, traditional Cambodian dances, and a marching band. An interesting day out, and who knows, maybe one day I shall return to my tree (though if I can't stand the suspense, apparently we will receive e-mail updates with photos...!) 

Crowds of people gathered for the ceremony

Patiently waiting to plant our trees

Lots of trees needing a'planting

The King-to-be

Tim couldn't get the hat to fit. Either Cambodians have very small heads, or Tim's is very large. I think I know that answer to that one.

Smiling Siem Reap

In order to see a bit more of the country, we decided to get the 4am bus to Cambodia rather than fly. This meant having to cross the border at Poipot. We felt relatively prepared, having read about the many scams. A few small bribes later (“and 100 Baht for my pocket”) we managed to get our visas quite easily. However, we did manage to pick up a tout who followed us for over an hour…seems we’d forgotten the key rule ‘Never talk to touts’. Already feeling a bit on edge from our experience at the border, we dubiously accepted a taxi ride. After about 5 minutes, he pulled off the road, got out of the car, removed his ‘taxi’ signs and disappeared out of sight. We exchanged a few worried looks. It turned out all he wanted was a bit of privacy for a wee “comfort break”. After lots of crazy over-taking manoeuvres  and stopping to collect a package (!?) which he was to deliver for a small sum, we were transferred into a tuk tuk to continue our journey. This tuk tuk driver took us to a different hotel to the one we’d booked and swore that it was indeed the Golden Temple Villa. Upon closer inspection, it was clearly nothing to do with the Golden Temple Villa, but was in fact just another scam. 100 Baht later and a short journey round a few corners and we finally arrived. 

Never have we been so glad to arrive at our hotel and we were greeted by some beautiful Cambodians. After a lazy afternoon people watching and drinking coffee in Siem Reap, we’re feeling very refreshed and ready to explore this smiling nation.

Batmobile 

Who needs clothes to ride a moped?

Experiencing Bangkok

Bangkok…what a crazy city! We were very relieved to leave the noise and smog of Bangkok and head into Cambodia this morning. Our first night in Bangkok was probably very typical…getting lost many times, realising we’d been ripped off for a genuine fake (!) pair of Birkenstocks, offered trips to ‘sexy shows’, and a trip down Khao San road in the tropical rain, all of which resulted in us in need of coffee (thanks 24/7 McDonalds!)

Lost in Bangkok?! Yes, many times.

Chao Phraya river boat trip

Best Bangkok haircut award

Wat Pho Temple

First tuk tuk ride

All packed and ready for our lift to the airport!

Timmy Love - Gone Iver

We had a leaving BBQ on Saturday to say farewell to our Edinburgh pals. Our friends Drew and Joel surprised us with a little number they'd been working on. They will miss their Timmy. Thanks to Donald Duncan for adding the words so you can sing along at your leisure (!)