Temple'd out

As you'll have gathered, I made it to Cambodia, and first stop was Siem Reap. Despite a shakey start in the country, I actually reaaly like Cambodia. I don't think it can be compared to Russia, they're a world away from each other, but otherwise certainly has had the best impression on me so far. Siem Reap was a lovely place and everything seems all good, although it is another country with a currency to mess with my head. I'm now dealing in Riel, which again works in stupidly high denominations, 4000r to 1US Dollar. Not that this matters much, all transactions are quoted and made in dollars, and cash machines dispense nothing else. Generally, but not always, riel only comes into play for amounts less than the dollar and change will be provided in the form of a mix of both currencies which is always fun. The weirdest thing about money here is no-one ever has change, no matter how little an amount is owed, the tender will always have to run off next door to gather more funds. I've also found a note of $20 or more is nearly always impossible to use, which makes it annoying when ATMs here happily dish out bills of $50s and $100s.

Accomodation here has improved significantly too compared to the cells of Bangkok where I was lucky if I could find something as simple as a power outlet in my room. Now $5 a night will sort me out with somewhere with a bit of charactor, a private bathroom, cable TV and free internet. And although the living quarters were still real basic, the attached bar was one of the best. A barn style shell filled with railingless open platforms of seating and hammock areas scattered upto 3 stories high. At the bottom there's a crocodile pit. I read there were ducks there too, but I didn't see any, I think maybe the crocodiles could be to blame. This isn't a safe place to get drunk, but an amazing place to drink.

Aside from arriving to a very nice change from Bangkok and enjoying a small layed back town full of inviting restaurants/bars/cafes, and finding every local super friendly (eating at one family run pavement cafe, we were unable to leave until we all hi-fived the family's young boy and waved back to them all down the street until we'd turned a corner), I was here mostly to see the temples of Angkor. I feel I should say something about them, but I'm not sure what. Feeling templed-out after having them in my life since mongolia, the grandure of Angkor couldn't disappoint, even after a straight 8 hour stint there(and a painful early morning). With my own personal tuk-tuk driver (and tuk-tuk) for the day, I must have visited more than 10 of the temples and although feeling done by the end, I could have seen more. Each temple was different, from the world renowned image of Angkor Wat to the Lara Croft setting of the tree ridden Ta Phrom. Legend has it, there is another temple out there that everyone knows exsists, but no-one quite knows where. I think the idea is that the only people to ever find it have died trying thanks to Cambodia being the most densely landmined country in the world.