Surfing and Flying

Last night was really cool; very busy in the bar and lots of interesting people to talk to - couple of girls from Edinburgh Uni who were a good laugh - two were really into sailing so had a long talk about Cowes week etc; can't wait to get back and get out in a boat!

Long night though and we were up quite late - had breakfast in the hotel - it is pretty awesome to literally have a hotel room 15meters from the beach!

Then we said bye to Rupert; as he headed back to Phnom Penh. Our group is just 5 now, getting smaller by the day. After the farewell, Ben, Andy and I went for a swim in the waves; there still isn't a lot of sun, but there were some cool waves to go body surfing on - great fun! At about 3 we did some "flying" - handing out flyers along the beach for the bar, then chilled out for a bit. Ben and I went swimming and surfing in the waves again, as the wind seemed to have picked up.

Now, as I sit on the beachfront under the shelter of the hotel  awning, a huge monsoon has just rolled in. You could see it coming out at sea - massive black clouds rolling towards the land. Then suddenly huge wind and rain and the visibility drops massively - quite dramatic!

Another night of just a few drinks I think; seemed to work well yesterday, still had an awesome time - it's just pretty cool talking with new people and about their travels.

Cloudy Day At The Beach

Another great night last night, having a good time in the bar. Woke up feeling a little tired this morning and had some breakfast.

Pretty much chilled out for the rest of the day - read more of my book. This afternoon we went up to a really cool little cinema up in town run by an American guy. We watched 'Hot Tub Timemachine' - it sounds terrible and it was shocking, probably one of the worst films ever! That might be a little harsh actually, there were some funny moments, but it really wasn't worth $4 -out here that is about equal to about £15! But hey it killed a few hours because the clouds stopped us making the most of the beach.

Going to try and have a quite and earlyish night tonight, and hoping for some sun tomorrow.

A Lazy Day On The Beach

Last night was crazy - the bar got moderately busy, but still was amazing. From sitting eating free BBQ watching the sunset, to pulling people in from the beach and dancing on tables. It was great to have a good night out. We crashed reasonably early at 2:30 and slept pretty solidly until midday today, I think we were pretty shattered from the last few days and from not feeling so great a few days ago.

Once we had coaxed ourselves out of bed, and grabbed a free ice coffee and lunch, we walked along the beach handing out flyers. It's a great way to get chatting to people that you might not normally talk to and because the bar owners know the food ladies along the beach we could just have free spring rolls etc. -perfect!

In the late afternoon I sat reading 'The Killing Fields' it's very interesting to really learn about the history of this fascinating country.

Now, after a short walk into town we are chilling out for a bit before starting the evening 'shift'. Probably take it a bit easier tonight, but still have an awesome night.

We came travelling to have "experiences" and staying and working here is certianly a new experience for me, but a really good fun one, and it's great to chill out for a few days before we head home.

Crazy Arrival In Sihanoukville

Yesterday's night bus was alright actually - far better than the Vietnamese ones and because I was so tired I managed to get a decent night sleep.

Arrived in Sihanoukville at 6:30 in the morning, got a hotel and pretty much crashed out for the rest of the day - reading books and listening to music on the beach. The hotel is really cool - right on the beach, good food and nice rooms. Sihanoukville is also really nice, reminds me a bit of Croatia; White beaches with offshore islands. So we just sat and took it in for a good few hours.

This afternoon something really cool happened though. Ben and Andy spotted a sign in the bar next to the hotel saying "western staff wanted" and went in to ask. Long story cut short; Ben, Andy and I have got a job working next door for the next few days, no pay, but all our food and drink is paid for - awesome! Tonight is going to be another exciting one I think! We start learning how to run the bar in 45mins then go from there - can't wait.

An awesome and relaxing day - looks like it will be followed by an amazing and lively night - Epic!

Temple Time

I think that I ate a dodgy bit of chicken last night and was up for loads of the night feeling pretty rough, and only getting about 45 mins sleep in total. Not a great start when we had to be up at 4:30 to go and see the sunrise at the temples.

I was well worth it though. Sat watching the sunrise over Angkor Wat was amazing and we got some fantastic photos. Then we had a meal of pancakes and coffee at the side of the lake that is in front of the temple - that made me feel a fair bit better.

After breakfast we all piled back into the tuctuc and headed round the whole complex of the temples; they were fascinating, and although we were all feeling pretty shattered and not exactly at our best, we enjoyed it all the same. We went to the Tomb Raider temple and had great fun doing loads of stupid Lara Croft positions in the doorways and openings.

The temples have an interesting history and although we didn't have a dedicated guide, we picked up on a few conversations that were of interest, like how the Khmer Rouge smashed the heads off all the Buddhas in the temples when they were in power and how the places are being restored after some almost completely collapsing.

It was a great day and we all really enjoyed the experience, but by midday, having had a good five hours looking round the majority of the temples on the "Short Tour" we called it a day and got the drivers to head back into Siem Reap - there is a limit to the amount of stone you can look at, however stunning and beautifully crafted!

Back in Siem Reap we went to a supermarket to grab a little lunch, then Tom, Rosie and I went and sat in a really cool bakery/cafe for a good few hours and just chilled out and talked. I spent quite a while on the wifi looking at the feasibility of doing a four day cycle touring trip from the Isle of Wight to Lands End and back in mid September - looks like it could be a good way to build up the fitness a bit more for a few September races.

Were back at the hotel now, with a couple more hours to chill out before we go and grab a meal and then get on the night bus to Sihanouk ville (the beach), which is our last destination, before going back to Phnom Penh. Looking forward to a good week on the beach; perhaps some snorkeling and cycling and a bit of island hopping (not so much the night bus, but hey).

A great day and it's really cool to have the big group of 8; can't wait for a few days on the beach.

Markets and Angkor Wat Sunset

Ok, so last night did prove to be exciting, and very lively, and hilarious. We went to two bars and in the first proceeded to get everyone either watching or participating in a huge drinking game. Then in the second one there was a lot of shocking dancing.

As a result we were all pretty wacked out this morning, and didn't really get going until about 11. We went for a large Khmer breakfast (rice, noodles and more rice), and then went and wandered round the market. I reckon the Market was the best that we have been to, I bought a couple of things, and we all had great fun bartering down prices etc. It's going to seem quite strange having all fixed prices when we come back to the UK in a week and a half.

In the afternoon we went back to the hotel and just chilled our for a few hours. Then at 4:30, well actually more like 5 (he was late - as they always are in Cambodia) our tuc tuc arrived to take us to the Angkor Wat.

Despite the cloud, the sunset at the temple was amazing. The scale and history of the place is huge and it was fascinating to see how the architecture has been preserved. It is no wonder that the place has influenced so many writers and film directors; films like Jungle Book and Tomb Raider both use the setting. Can't wait to go back and see the sunrise and the other surrounding temples tomorrow.

We're now back at the hotel, just about to head out for dinner. It's been a relaxing day, and has certainly sparked my eagerness to see more of the temples tomorrow.

The Journey To Temple Land

Today we had a massive lie in, then caught the bus at 11:30 to Siem Reap. At first the air con wasn't working and Tom was saying we should have hired a helicopter to get there! Eventually after a few guys climbing on the roof though it all got working.

Pretty uneventful bus journey really apart from the whole bus watching Ben having a piss when he had to get off because he was almost wetting himself.

Arrived in Siem Reap at 5:30. Booked into a hotel and booked our tuc tuc to see the temples in two days time. Then went out for an awesome Mexican and now sat in a bar called "Angkor What' playing Irish snap and drinking buckets of whisky - this could be an exciting night!