Cambodia - Monday 18 June to Thursday 21 June

Monday 18 June:

We caught the six hour bus ride to Phnon Pehn in Cambodia. As we didn't arrive until late me and Carl disappeared to the Frog & Parrot and played Jenga and Scrabble. No one will believe this but I won at Scrabble. We didn't play for points though which is probably why.

Tuesday 19 June:

A tuk-tuk driver (we bought him a beer last night) took me, Carl, Michelle and Jamie to the killing fields and S-21. He seemed to be the only one who wore the biggest crash helmet but we felt quite safe.

The Killing Fields which isn't as big as it sounds holds 129 mass graves, 43 of which have never been tampered with. Men, women and children were executed here in many different ways by the Khymer Roughe between 1975 and 1978. 300 people a day were killed. There was also a huge stupa which acts as a memorial to all 17,000 people who were killed here and holds the skulls of over 8,000 people including clothes which were found. A very depressing place but one that people should be aware of.

Svay Prey High School (S-21) obviously used to be a school but in 1975 Pol Pot's security forces turned it into a prison where they killed at least one hundred people a day. Men, women and children were brought here to be tortured and those unlucky enough to survive were then taken to the killing fields to be 'finished off'. This place gave off a more eerie feeling than the killing fields. It still looked like a school but everywhere you looked, whether it be the classrooms or the corridors, you were reminded of the terrible things that happened here. Five classrooms were full of large boards which held passport pictures of all those brought here and you could see the terror in their eyes. It was so sad. One room was dedicated to the few that survived (only six in total) and also Pol Pot himself (his photo had been removed because of vandals - you can understand why) and the torturers. By each picture was an explanation of where these people are today.

Wednesday 20 June:

The bus to Siem Reap took six hours. We stopped half way for a quick five minute break where they were selling caramelised crickets, cockroaches and fried tarantulas. On the floor was a bucket full of live tarantulas which you could take away with you. We didn’t arrive in Siem Reap until 7.30pm.

Thursday 21 June:

Carl and I chose to see the small circuit of Angkor Wat. We were told that we would be bored after a couple of hours so only bought a one day ticket. Our tuk-tuk driver took us around all day and told us which each ruin was. He was very helpful and you definitely need someone like that at Angkor. You have to hire a tuk-tuk because all the ruins are too far spaced out. As we entered Angkor we drove around the huge moat which circles Angkor Wat. It was really pretty. Our first stop was Raven Village and as soon as we walked up to the ruin a young boy came up to us and gave me a wooden bracelet. He was all teeth and gums and was so sweet. As we walked around the ruin he kept following us but stayed on the ground and kept shouting up that we had to buy a drink because he gave me a bracelet. So we did.

We absolutely loved Angkor Wat and didn’t get fed up with it once. To us it wasn’t a case of ‘once you’ve seen one ruin, you’ve seen them all’. We could have carried on but the weather was scorching that day. We got there at 10am and left at 3.30pm and managed to complete the short circuit. The ruins which impressed us most was Angkor Wat, Ta Prohn, Terrace of Elephants and Ta Keo.

Angkor Wat is huge. It’s the largest temple, standing sixty five metres high. The moat surrounding it is huge as is the bridge crossing over the moat. It didn’t impressive us as much as we thought it would. A lot of the other ruins were more impressive. But the size of this ruin is what makes it amazing. As we walked up the stairs a monkey was sitting at the top. Carl joked as he walked past the monkey about making sure that it didn’t bite me. What did it do when I walked past? It grabbed my leg with both hands and bit my leg. It really hurt but luckily it didn’t draw blood and I’m sure it was just playing because it could have had my blood if it wanted to. I kicked it off and then it bit a local guy.

Ta Prohn is where Tomb Raider was filmed and the ruin is amazing. Enormous trees are growing through the ruin and pulling down the building. There is a lot of work going on here though to try and keep it in its original state. All stones which have fallen are being numbered and put back in place. Many areas are shut off because it is too dangerous but with the chambers, halls, trees and wooden walkways around the ruin, it is easily our favourite.

The Terrace of Elephants is another favourite. It is not a building as such, rather a very long and high platform with elephants and other animals carved into the stone.

Ta Keo is a temple which stands fifty metres high. We climbed to the very top using the extremely small steps which are just about big enough for a two year old to walk up. You had to walk up sideways. On the way back down Carl was having a bit of a moment. I took a picture of him on his way down and he said ‘stop f’ing laughing at me because it’s not funny’. He’s not very good with heights.