Gay has been checking in again from Cambodia. She's up in Siem Reap now ...

Six hour bus drive yesterday to get here was a bit too long, though the muted film and music videos seemed to keep most people entertained. Too tired to go out and do anything exciting after that so ate at the hotel restaurant - for the first 20 minutes I was the only customer. Well, me and the rat....

My tuk tuk driver for the next few days is called Pisith which really sounds as though someone has a lisp. But he's a good driver. I had hoped to meet up
with P and S but had no idea of the scale of things here and missed them completely. Had a good look around Ankor Thom and the surrounding temples - so, so wonderful. But how they managed to get up and down those steps gracefully I don't know as many of them are just a couple of inches wide. There must have been a knack.

Then Ta Prohm which is the one that has been left overgrown with roots of strangling fig and silk cotton trees - really enjoyed that. There's one temple there called the Echo tavala. You can stand up against the wall and clap your hands, thump your legs and the sound is dead. You thump your chest and
it echoes hollowly - one of the strangest things I've ever experienced.

I hadn't realized how much I was missing trees until I got here - this is lovely. Lots of trails off the main tracks, certainly not silent as the cicadas see to that, but still peaceful in its own way. Making an early start tomorrow for a delicate temple that's further afield followed by a look at Angkor Wat. This is beautiful.

Then yesterday's email as she continues to explore:

Twenty km drive out to Banteay Sreay yesterday morning was a real treat -- Sunday, so more of a family day with pans steaming on the wood-burning clay ovens and fathers playing with their kids. Bumped into P and S there having missed them on the previous day and made plans to meet up for dinner at the Cambodian barbeque in the evening - great fun and a cook it yourself place in the street.

Note for when you make this trip - if doing it by tuk tuk, strap your boobs down firmly!

Loved this little temple - so delicate and ornate. It's like looking into the Aquarium Pool - the more you look, the more you see.

The Aquarium Pool is one of our regular wallowing spots here in Seychelles. At the beach just down the road from my house, it's one of many tide pools, home to tiny crabs, shrimp, sponges, corals and loads of baby fish. These shallows are wonderful for the kids, with sandy bottoms (pools and kids, come to think of it), little wave action and so much to see and learn. The name, by the way, is ours alone -- nothing official about the "Aquarium Pool".

But, back to Cambodia:

Just wish that there weren't quite so many other people around. Mostly Asian tour groups - well, you can imagine...

More temples this morning, then a silk factory visit and finish up with a Chai massage. Would be great to have you here.

Wouldn't it just!