For our last day in Siem Reap, Elaine and I did a cooking course in Le Tigre de Papier, which helps support local kids in the area. We were taken on a tour of the local market to show us how to pick fresh ingredients, then it was back to the kitchen for some serious cooking heat. I made a delicious papaya salad (with one tiny, spicy chilli in it) and amok curry. E made a veggie curry, minus the fish paste and chicken stock, so it was basically water…

We got to take home the recipes we made so everyone's invited to dinner when we get back!

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So I'm coming to the end of a month in Cambodia and it's been one of the best places we've been so far. I haven't blogged in a while as I've been too busy enjoying myself! We've probably spent a bit longer than first thought in Cambodia, but it's a great country with loads to see and do. Case in point; Elaine and myself were only supposed to spend about 3 nights in Siem Reap,the jumping off point for visiting Angkor Wat and the other temples, but we ended up staying for 10 days! The temples in Angkor where absolutely amazing, we had a great tuk tuk driver called Mr. Bunna who brought us around for three days to some amazing sights. It was hot and dry and sweaty but it was so worth it. Saying that though, we didn't hit the main biggy of Angkor Wat until late in our second day of touring and by then we had seen temples that were (for me) less crowded and just as interesting to visit, so I was a little underwhelmed by its swarms of Chinese tourists and blocked off areas.

Some of the highlights were getting blessed by a monk, he tied some cord around mine and Elaine's wrist and we thought maybe he was marrying us, but it was just for good luck; being followed down from a hill-top temple by a gaggle of kids whose only English was "you give me 1 dollar!"; seeing the amazing detail and artistry in Banteay Srei and getting a dose of some much needed rain. I liked Angkor so much I cycled in on my own one day and spent the day snooping at the bas reliefs in Ankgor Wat which we had kind of missed the first time and getting looks from the locals at the mad whitey cycling a bike in 40° heat. We also got to see part of Khmer New Year and on our last day in Siem Reap we did a cooking class. Mmmm Khmer curry...

From there we went to Battambang and I got an invite from my moto driver to go to a Khmer wedding, which was insane! All the old guys kept coming over to me and toasting with the hair-on-your chest 7% beer on the tables and I had to do about 20 "bottoms up!", so I was very merry in a short space of time. From there we went to Sihanoukville, which was a bit of a kip really, but it was handy to get our Vietnam visas.

Cambodia has been great, a real mix of experiences, some happy, some horrifying and some surreal, but all very worth it. Also someone leave some comments, I can't tell if anyone is reading this bloody thing!

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We're finally in SE Asia proper, or at least the route trodden by most "backpackers". We decided to start in Cambodia so we could get our Vietnam visa easily, plus it was the cheapest place to fly to from Kuala Lumpur… We're actually playing a bit more fast and loose with our travel plans, as opposed to how certain we were about our itinerary in the States and New Zealand. I suppose it's the fact of getting used to travelling, but I think it's also that we wore ourselves out trying to fit so much into a set amount of time and you can only see so much.

Phnom Penh is a bit of a contradiction, as is most of Cambodia – the people are so friendly, but they also want your money, there's amazing evidence of the glorious Ankgorian era everywhere and also the brutal legacy of Khmer Rouge. It's very odd to walk around a city and not see any people over the age of 50 or so.

During our stay in the capital we went to the Killing Fields and Toul Sleng Genocide Museum, where thousands of people were tortured and killed by the Khmer Rouge. It wasn't sonething you'ld really call a nice day trip, but it's a massive part of the history, society and culture here, so it was warranted. I felt slightly self-concious as a tourist to be walking over mass-graves and looking at the caved in skulls of innocent victims. Our guide was really appreciative that we had taken the time to learn about the history of his country and what happened to so many people, and however emotionally draining the experience was, it was worth it in the end.

in stark contrast to that was the Royal Palace, an improbable mix of Angkorian and French colonial architecture. We sweated buckets walking around but got some breezy relief afterwards in our tuk tuk. Ah the tuk tuk, moto-driven chariot of the Walking ATM (AKA a tourist). It's quite odd to be such a tourist, everyone wants you to buy from them or eat their food, or ride in their tuk tuk, as long as you have the Almighty Dollar handy.

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