Ginger DJ Rob

Our rep and driver seemed a bit paranoid to get us to the airport on time as he wad waiting for us 30 mins early. Something about traffic on the main road but that non existent. Plus the early arrival meant even more time to wait as our flight was delayed for 2 hours. We started guessing that with UK airports struggling with snow we could be down on numbers for the main Vietnam holiday. Our short flight of an hour and a half landed but no rep to meet us no matter how many times we looked for our names or Exodus. it was a lot more hot and humid in Ho Chi Min than Cambodia . Taxi drivers were starting to hassle us so had to call the local agent to find out what transit was arranged. None was the response so got in a cab with a price of $23. No wonder the cab driver was in a smiley, chatty mood as this was an extortionate rate when we were refunded. Traffic consisted of swarms of crazy moped riders cutting in and out. As we approached the hotel the buildings and shops got grander. ...

Tried the hotel's French toast for breakfast, good attempt but coffee burnt. Found out that Cambodians use English language for texting and their contacts on their Mobilephones instead of Sanskrit . First destination was the further temple of Srei by car. Driver went about 40mph. Temple was beautiful with detailed carvings but really busy with tourists. On the way back we stopped at the land mine museum where local orphans got adopted and a local hero diffused mines. Also stopped for scarecrow photo opportunities and to see palm sugar being made. So tasty we bought some. Two more temples also visited: a tall sandstone one and the other where many Buddha statues had been found buried. We amused our rep swapping methods of wolf whistling - he grabbed his bottom lip to do it. He was also amused by my anger which I explained about the Incredible Hulk as he'd only been exposed to Eastern culture. We learnt that his uncle had stepped on a landmine and although survived turned to...

Early start at 6.45am for 8am tour. Breakfast was really busy with mainly Chinese tourists but the food was a lot better than Phnom Penh . The elephant terrace temple was busy with what looked like marching band scouts. Nice introduction to Angkor Wat getting close to elephants and a monkey family with papa displaying his bits. Small disaster of day was dropping my lens filter down a stone staircase watching it bounce and miss other tourists trying to catch it. No scratches but the thread is slightly out. Lunch at a Khmer restaurant which did some simple food for those a bit fussy or jetlagged as myself. Plenty of photo opportunities for dilapidated temples with trees growing out including the famous one. A few kids try to sell flute or postcards etc. The rep offered us the chance to visit the national museum which I thought would be interesting but a bit of an expensive mistake at $13 each. It was like a Las Vegas shopping centre with quite sparse items. Once you've seen a d...

With the jetlag in full grip we got up earlier for a sub-standard hotel breakfast of flat orange Fanta, stale cornflakes and weird toast. The coffee tasted like it had been mixed with oily noodles. We ventured out wandering back towards the Royal Palace in the blazing heat getting used to crossing the road and avoiding a very persistent hammock salesman. Eventually we came across a cafe that served a luxury American breakfast around the corner from the hotel. We also ventured into the local market that sets up at 5am. Lots of very fresh fish ie still alive plus fruit and veg I'd never seen before. The same hammock salesman was still pushing his wares - mate, if I didn't want it the first 3 times I'm not gonna want it the 4th. Our driver picked us up on his own and thankfully less chatty than the guide. He was very interested in wedding traditions and costs. After taking the scenic route past embassy houses arrived at the Museum of Genocide , an old school converted into a...

Flight was a mixed experience. Malaysian Air had on-demand TV but the screens kept stalling. Watched Inception again and The Girl who kicked the Hornet's Nest even though I haven't finished the book yet. The plane's food was excellent. The Malaysian guys in front jabbered on like talking penguins with all 4 of them sat in 3 seats. We made our Kuala Lumpur transfer in good time. A nice modern airport but with no real snack or drink places to buy from. We met an old Oz guy who's living in Cambodia who gave us some tips during the 1.5 hour trip. The cabin music was like a snake charmer vibe and the announcer saying "ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls" like it was a circus show. Although the food was ok, after about 6 meals I wasn't really in the mood. The Haagen-Daz ice cream was appreciated. The airport visa process was a little hurried with a passport photo and $20 to start then a bank of officials stamping and checking until our first names. With o...