Cambodia

Our journey into Cambodia was long and very, very dusty. We had wanted to get to Phnom Peng on the river but this proved impractical if not impossible. After a lengthy border crossing we arrived in the city of Kratie with enough time to shower off before watching an absolutely spectacular sunset and having some loc-lac for dinner. The next morning we went out on the Mekong to see the rare Irrawaddy dolphins before heading down to Phnom Peng in another horrible bus. Vendors tried to tempt us along the way with fruit and spiders, and we eventually arrived to find most of the accommodation fully booked. We settled into a hotel and went out to wander along the river and to have dinner in a restaurant training street children in catering skills to enable them to get jobs. The following day we had a tuk-tuk take us around to the

S-21 museum where political prisoners were held and tortured under the Khmer Rouge and the Killing Fields 15 kms outside the city. In case that wasn't depressing enough, I stopped by a dentist to get a very painful mouth ulcer checked out (and had my teeth cleaned while I was there). The rest of the day was more light-hearted. We saw a buddah made of gold and precious stones, did some reading on the breezy balcony and had a volcano -- meat and vegetables cooked over an open flame. The next morning we finally caught a boat up the Mekong. This was definitely a case of 'be careful what you wish for'. As bad as the buses were, the boat was worse. Simon will give you excruciating details but suffice it to say that we gratefully arrived in Siem Reap and found a room and enjoyed wandering around the city. The next day Bill Clinton decided to come to Ankor Wat with us -- an amazing place, even though we never personally saw the ex-president. Simon has been raving about the temples, so you can tell it was fairly extraordinary! We left the next morning to KL to start our extended journey to Perth. E