The overnight bus from the slum that is Sihoukanville (the town next to Koh Rong Sanloem) was surprisingly good with beds that were completely flat and privacy curtains as well as a pretty straight road meaning we got a fair amount of sleep. We checked into our hotel which we really liked and had a lazy day pottering about the town of Siem Reap. We organised a 7 day Angkor Pass so that we could potter about temples rather than have to have full on days with early starts for the 10 days we were there. The pass gives you a month to use it so really good value for around £60 each. We visited the temples on 6 days; 3 days on mountain bikes, 2 days in a tuk tuk (1 with a guide on our final day when we just picked our favourite ones to learn more about) and one on a scooter to visit those that were further away along with a national park that has carvings (lingas) in the river. We decided against the sunrise over Angkor Wat with the hoards but did attempt sunset views twice which failed dismally and once in a pretty wet way.

The mountain biking was hot work especially with the putting on and off of clothes for the temples for me (shoulders and knees must be covered). I had a dress which I popped over the top of my shorts and top each time- ok first thing but by 3 o’clock this wasn’t a pleasant experience😂! The breeze was good though and cycling through the countryside was fun. So many people waved at us and shouted hello- we think they must have been laughing at the mad farang cycling in the 35 degree (but feels like 44) heat. We had seen some temples previously on a quick trip with Euan and Kate in 2019 but even when visiting for a third time with the guide we saw different amazing sights. There is so much detail and beauty there, that it’s hard to see everything in both the Buddhist but especially the Hindu temples.

We also had a great day visiting the Apopo Humanitaian Demining centre. Having heard so many terrible stories about the land mines and war on our travels, it was so good to learn how Cambodia is moving forward to solve the situation. The female African Giant Pouched rats (they call them hero-rats) get trained in Africa, have to pass an accreditation over about a year and then get transported to Cambodia to work with a specific handler. They can search and identify land mines within an area the size of a tennis court within 90 minutes scratching in the sand when they smell the TNT but as they weigh so little they don’t set them off. They can also identify tuberculosis better than a microscopic test in a lab and are more accurate checking 100 samples in just 20 minutes. They gave a demonstration to find a mine with TNT in it and it was amazing to see Jenny ( they are all named) in action. We even got to hold one – they’re huge and feel like you’re holding a cat rather than a rat.

Most evenings we sat by the river to eat from the food carts there where there was a mixture of tourists and locals . The food was amazing though Callum was less than impressed with the little chairs. Made me laugh every night- he really needs to do some yoga 😂. The only part of this we didn’t like was the constant trickle of beggars, both adults and children, as we ate. People with disabilities and children constantly ask for money or for our empty cans. We have read up on this and everything says you shouldn’t give them anything as it encourages both adult begging and parents who get the children to beg rather than go to school but give to the NGOs instead. That’s all well and good but it is hard when the child looks to be 3 and appears to be alone.

We were sorry to say goodbye to Siem Reap but our visa was running out so we had a quick trip to Battambang before heading to Thailand again.It is a small town on the river and is famous for its bamboo railway and bat caves. We used a tuk tuk as we needed to drive at night and we had a lovely tour of the countryside as well as a visit to these 2 places. The bamboo train came about because the Khmer Rouge destroyed the countryside roads and most of railway track but the villagers collected the bits of track and constructed it so that they could use left over truck wheels and fit them with a bamboo platform on top to transport their rice. This is fine except there is only one track so when a cart comes the other way they have to disassemble the wheels and put them and the platform to the side to let the other pass and then reassemble it. We did this twice in our trip. The trains move pretty quickly; 40 km/hr feels quite quick at a low height.

We also went to the killing cave where the Khmer Rouge used to throw people down from the top of the mountain into a cave to get rid of them. It was all pretty gruesome especially the skulls on display. While we have been here, we have been welcomed, waved and smiled at by every person we have met without exception and it is so hard to equate this with how this country brutally murdered half of its population. We recognise that tourists with money are usually given a warm welcome but even as we have cycled through local areas and not spent any money it has been the same. We’ve wondered whether their friendliness is as a result of the horror or whether it was always there. The cave now has lots of shrines within it and on its top and to front 2 huge Buddha statues and a frieze are being carved into it next to the bat cave. At 5:30 every night, millions of bats leave the cave in a huge stream which lasts for at least 15 minutes to feed on the insects over the paddy fields. It was a pretty amazing sight though they were interrupted by an idiot flying his drone, not Callum, who the French man sat next to us went to have a rather a strong word with.

We have loved Cambodia as much as our last very brief visit , have learnt so much and seen amazing sites. We’re off to Thailand next with a long day and a land border crossing and hoping for a bus not a minivan.