MERRY CHRISTMAS! With love from Lauren and Laura in Cambodia!
This is what we got up to in Siem Reap.

After a close shave with an uncooked piece of chicken at the tour group introduction dinner I was feeling surprisingly chipper for our 6.30am departure. Otherwise that 7 hour journey could have been an interesting way to get to know my new family…
The Cambodian boarder is 4 hours from Bangkok and we had our first ‘Happy stop’ aka toilet break 2 hours in. Outside the Lemon Green store on the side of the motorway under a Gondola we parted with our visas, passports and 1400 Baht (46 USD). Felt dodgy but I’m sure it’s legit, the tour group had organised an agent for the border.

We enjoyed the smooth tar seal roads for the last time, driving past paddy like fields, small townships, scattered homes and markets. Almost similar to Bangkok on a much more spread our and vegetated scale. There were small Chinese influences in the style of the buildings and gate ways along the roadside too showing the influence of this culture has remained in the outer areas of Thailand long after many have returned home.

Our first destination was just before the border. We left our mini vans backpacks on, passports returned, main packs loaded on to carts for the porters to transport across the border. Gain one life line, lose another.
Our last part of Thailand and out first taste of Cambodia will be spent on foot as we walk across the border.
Although very safe, sound and standard there’s something about crossing the boarder on foot that automatically makes it feel illegal and a little badass.

A few stamps, staples and queue waiting on the other side saw us as official entrants of Cambodia, seus-day (I don’t know how to spell it but it’s hello). Now to find that bus and bags.

We took a public bus to our tour bus and were properly reunited with our bags, by seeing them tossed through a window from one vehicle to the next.

The difference between Cambodia and Bangkok/ Thailand was almost immediately evident. The general cleanliness and up keep in the smaller towns was much greater, any vehicle despite it’s original purpose is a people mover and petrol is sold by the 1.5L coke bottle on the side of the road, the wrong side of the road.
It’s also beautiful.

We arrived safely and spent the evening, not resting as the others but exploring our new home. Following a dinner of food much similar to Thailand but less spicy, I miss spicy but I’m making up for it in $2 mojitos we hit up the neon light streets of the night markets, saving for pub street for tomorrow night…
Our room has a king bed and a king single, it’s huge but lacking the plants sprouting from the window frames in others rooms.

We’ve made good friends with our tour group, here’s Laura and Taylor in tuk tuk, she’s from Australia but it’s alright.

Meet Hung (like hungover but he wasn’t he reassured us) our incredible, hilarious, energy filled tour guide for the day. He knew his stuff, though I think he made up bit of the carving stories, was partial to the odd sing-a-long to Michael Bubble (not bublé), Celine Dion (his fave) and Beyoncé dances. He can also be credited with the sayings: Same same but awesome and OMB (oh my buddah).

Angkor Wat time do you want us to get up this morning!?
Another 4.45am departure to see the much anticipated sunrise behind the local landmark.

The area consists of 295 temples and today we’re visiting 3 of them. Dear me, more Wats.
On our arrival we joined the hustle of other tourists as eager as sleepy folk can be.
We walked into the well worn temple over the moat in darkness, fantastic environment for a coordinated person like myself.
Name explain:
Angkor- City
Wat- Monastery
Used to house 2 million people before the king decided to move to Phnom Penh due to the constant attacks and wars because of it’s location to the border and it was built facing west so King could use it for his burial. Though it’s still unfinished so I doubt the Kings waiting for it.

Here’s a long time lapse of the sun rise over the stunning temple and grounds. We forgot the go-pro but it’s same same.

And here are the masses I had to complete with to get these shots.

We stayed on as the place almost cleared out post sunrise for some temple exploration.

King Rama and demon war, pattern not repeated for the whole gallery.

Stepping through the first of these door ways you can see the beautiful library and if you hit your chest it echoes and is a lucky prayer location.

There are over 1000 goddesses on the walls, 37 different hair styles between them and real bodies.

When the evening sun shines through these columns they form the temple with their shadow- genius.

Ta ProhmA.k.a Tomb Raider Temple
(Insert Lara Croft jokes here).
This is the temple the King dedicated to his mother. It is set in the jungle and has been overcome by it’s surroundings since it was abandoned. It was also the scene for the more widely known (than the Kings mother) Tomb Raider and transformer 3 movies.

This temple has been my favourite so far. The temples within Bangkok were stunning in their vibrant colours and nothing will beat the experience of waiting in the dark for the sun to rise per Angkor Wat but there’s something about the way this temple is slowly being reclaimed by it’s environment and the history it once had that’s absolutely beautiful. These trees now support the temples structure.

Used to house jewels, stones and precious metals hence the tomb raiders and was guarded by army. Now there’s just holes.

Some significant Tomb Raider spot.

Angkor Thom– big city or Bayon Temple. Got tired so didn’t listen to the history and some
Sounded like he was just making up stories. How can you know they were eating steamed rice from a carving?
But there’s 49 towers, 5 gates and all have the 4 faces of the Buddha, they believe odd numbers so all combinations add to 9 in some way or another. Got semi Aztec vibes because of the faces but obviously there are no Aztecs here.

Laura kissed a Buddha but was disappointed with the photo so kissed a fish too.

This evening we went to the New Hope Center. This is a charity is backed by G Adventures as well as other NGO’s and Rotary organisations and works within the slums of Siem Reap, where families earn as little as $30 a month, teaching English to all ages, hospitality skills, free medical services and social workers. They currently have a role of 1200, new facilities and are building Khmer school in the new year, most kids attend a school like this in the morning. A far cry from the 35 students they began with at their old location that is now a shelter. They’ve also worked hard to clean up the area and remove the Karaoke bars that were used for prositution. We visited the old New Hope Centre first to meet some of the young children they work with, they sung us happy and you know it, head and shoulders and the water melon song. They were awesome and so excited to receive a balloon and talk to us. Can’t imagine what a kid back home would do if you gave them a balloon, “where the hecks my new ps4!?!?”.

After this we visited the new New Hope Centre the advanced English class were having their final exam these kids ranged in age from 12-18 and we conversed with them and helped them with their lessons. Then it was dinner time in the restaurant that’s used to train those students interested in hospo. The restaurant is open to the public and I highly recommend it the foods delicious, staff are amazing and the drinks are cheap though you can’t help but want to tip a bit more. We also tried crickets… Odd after taste.

Pub street post dinner. Got a pedi and a free beer. I was in hysterics the whole time, so much fun when you’re ridiculously ticklish! Had a Few more drinks, awesome cover bands and took the 18 year olds to their first night club for a boogie- hope they didn’t take Laura and my dance moves seriously…

Ps saw our first of many lady boys, reow.