February 4th to February 8th- Siem Reap, Angkor, beards, birthday

   We're staying at Bun Kao guesthouse. If you're ever in Siem Reap, the staff are unbelievably polite, friendly and helpful. Just have to sit in the lobby and you're brought a glass of cold water and fans around you switched on. There's a driver who gives you free touk-touk rides to town, AND breakfast is included. On our first day we took our free ride into town to look round the old Market. Siem Reap is so lovely, pretty river and buildings and old red dusty tracks. Lots of smelly meat and vegetable stalls at the Market, with so much unrecognisable meat, think they had skinned bats hanging up.. 
   The next day we had our first day touring the Angkor temples. They're all so amazing and beautiful, unbelievable that they're from years around 800 AD and still standing. The jungle ones were particularly incredible, with HUGE trees growing out of the walls, they're massive roots winding around the bricks and doorways. The first temple was quite a long way from the others, and we had a lovely journey through Cambodian villages watching people go about their daily lives. Tiny little kiddies in oversized school uniforms peddling adult sized bikes home for lunch. Stopped to buy some delicious sugary sweet things from a lady on the side of the road. They're made from sugar palm liquid boiled down to solid then wrapped in leaves for packaging. When we stopped for lunch Ben got hit on by a Cambodian teenage boy who started stroking Ben's arm and giggling. He was so camp and very sweet, mouthing that he liked my freckles and that emily needed to comb her hair, then pulling a comb from his pocket and doing it himself. Was very funny. We realised he was deaf when someone came up and spoke to him in sign language. A cute little minx came and sat with us and asked for 'UK coin for me UK coin?'. They don't have coins in Cambodia so we fished out a 5p and gave it to her. She shoved it in her pocket then demanded another one.
   For dinner we decided to go to a restaurant we'd read about called Cambodian BBQ to try some unusual meats. We ordered a big selection of crocodile, frogs legs, snake, chicken and beef to share. It was brought out to us as a huge platter of raw meat with cocktail sticks and little pictures of the animal so we knew which was which. They then lit this sophisticated BBQ thing that was set into the middle of the table. It had a ring of boiling water round the outside for us to cook the veg and noodles in and a big dome of heated metal for the meat. So we cooked it all ourselves, weird bunging big fat raw frogs legs on.. But was so yummy, snake the tastiest. Had some delicious passion fruit ice cream then made our way back to the hostel along the river to meet Tom and Lizzie who had just joined us in Cambodia. We're now a group of nine and it's loooovely. Ben and Will hadn't shaved for the whole month and were definitely getting past the attractive stubble to the beardy weirdy stage. Decided that as it had been a month it was time for the facial pubes to go. We'd gotten used to them and thought we quite liked, especially after they shaved it off and were all baby faced. But looking back at photos they really were disgusting.
   Next day we continued our tour of the Angkor temples, Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm, Angkor Thom, and Bayon, all so  amazing. A few dodgy panic moments climbing ridiculously steep stone temple steps. Again we got approached by Cambodian kids at lunch. This time was a little girl of about 6 wanting us to buy bracelets. She spoke such good English especially for her age, saying things like 'NO yours not the same' when we tried to persuade her kindly that we already had some. And 'Same same but different.... you know capital of madagaskar?' before we had a chance to answer interrupting us with 'if you're wrong you buy!!'. Celebrated Ben's birthday night out a day early to save ourselves from hungover traveling. Really fab night out in Siem Reap bars on 'pub street'.
   Spent Ben's birthday recovering from our hangovers sunbathing on the lush balcony at the hostel. Last day in Siem Reap, next to Phnom Penh.