On the road again

2 weeks of white sands, blue skies and clear water were brought to an abrupt halt as the monsoon rains arrived signally the end of our 'holiday', so we took a boat and 3 buses to Siem Reap, Cambodia.

The city is quite small and has obviously had some money poured into it since the civil war as there are new roads and buildings and there is a laidback atmosphere in the tropical heat, although it doesn't take long to get away from the centre to see the the locals housing in wood and steel sheds on stilts.

After just 1 meal we decided we need to get find out more about the Khmer food so enrolled on a cooking course, there were 2 other couples on the course and after a quick trip to the market (where they were selling deep fried tarantulas!) we spent 3 hours wielding knives and applying liberal dashes of garlic and oyster sauce to our various dishes. At the end of the session we got to sit down and eat the food we had prepared which was delicious (even if I do say so), I'm not sure what it says about us, but the other 2 couples took away doggy bags, we had nothing left to put in them!

Siem Reap is all about the temples, so we hired bicycles and rose before dawn to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat. Unfortunately, due to the lack of lights and unmarked roads we were still on the bikes when the sun rose but it was a pleasant ride and we got to the temples nice and early, having to stop at one point to allow a school of monkeys to cross the road in front of us . The temples we visited were all impressive, with various styles, sizes and conditions including the famous Ta Prohm which is still almost a part of the jungle.

We are soon heading into the countryside/jungle where many places are lacking electricity nevermind internet connections, so unless we find one before then, Marry Christmas to you all!