Cambodia-tastic!

So, the last time we blogged we'd been cuddling tigers.

The following day (Saturday 10th) we got up at 4.30am (after an hour's sleep!), and got a taxi to Bangkok Hualamphong train station. Had 2 chicken curry pasties each for breakfast, some crisps and water. Our bodies are temples.

Caught the 5.55am train (yes, we actually made it on time!) to Aranyaprathet, which is a couple of miles from the Cambodian border. 6 hours later, we arrived.


Matt + Dave + wooden train seats = rubbish news.

Got a tuk-tuk to the border (well, that's what we asked for), and got dropped off about 500 yards short of the border. Got surrounded by pushy blokes (no uniforms, no ID badges) telling us to pay them 1000 baht, and fill in our immigration form. By the side of the road. Next to a shop.

We smelled a rat.

Turns out there was a dead rat on the floor. (Not really.)

We put our heads together with some Germans, and decided to venture on to the border without handing over cash to strangers. Got to the border, filled in some (completely different) forms, and we were allowed through in to no-man's land.

We were out of Thailand but not yet in Cambodia. We were hoping no-man's land would be full of fit girls in bikinis, but it wasn't. Just pickpockets.

Had to fill in one more form and hand in a photo each. We tried giving them a photo of us with a tiger but they didn't want it.

At this point we had to pay 20 US dollars, but we didn't have any. So Dave went to find an ATM. The nearest one was about a ten minute walk away, inside a casino. Except it wasn't. Had to go to the counter and swipe for the cash. (Dave was tempted to put it all on red, but decided not to.)

Finally, after messing about in the casino for about 40 mins, made it back to Matt and the Germans.

The Germans (they didn't have names) were heading to Siam Reap, and we were heading to Phnom Penh. In the end we all shared a taxi to Siam Reap, as we'd heard that 'all travellers go there'.

The taxi took about 4 hours on the bumpiest road known to mankind. We heard that certain airlines pay bribes so that the road is not improved, thus encouraging more people to fly in. It really was so bad that we decided that we weren't ever going back on that road.

On the way, we saw some real poverty, and when we stopped for petrol we were surrounded by kids asking for English, American or Thai money. We handed over 10 baht (about 13p) and one little boy couldn't believe his luck and ran off smiling!!

Finally arrived in Siam Reap, and checked in to the Bequest Angkor Hotel. 13 US dollars per night for a very nice twin room with air-con, satellite TV, fridge and en-suite bathroom.

Went out, got drunk.

Next day we went to a very posh hotel to use their 'lagoon pool'. Only 12 dollars each for a swim. Used the old 'Marriott in Bangkok' trick...... Walked in, went straight past reception and went swimming for hours for free!!



After a heavy downpour (first rain we've felt since we left the UK), and a sauna, steam room and power shower, we used their complimentary fluffy towels and thought we'd best leave.

When we left the hotel there were lots of police outside, but they weren't there for us.

Went for some very tasty food (Dave - Steak, Matt - Chicken Mexicana), and ended up clubbing in Cambodia with our tuk-tuk driver!! It was mental, a massive club with 6 lazers, about 1000 people, and us.

We were two of only 5 non-Cambodians in there, and as we were showing off our moves on the dancefloor, a few clubbers made it clear they didn't want us there. Oh well. We run this town now.

Went back to the hotel, slept.

Next day (Monday) was a day we'd been waiting for.

We knew we could fire big guns in Cambodia, so that's what we did. We got our new best friend Mr Tuk Tuk to take us to a shooting range. When we arrived, we couldn't believe our eyes.... We were faced with a wall with about 40 guns hanging up, ranging from AK-47s and M-16s to rocket launchers.



There were about 5 blokes working there, all with their scary logo and slogan on their jackets. The slogan 'Mess With The Best, Die Like The Rest' made us realise we don't run this town.

Our slogan 'We Love Dave Kilner' did little to intimidate them.

If you don't know who Dave Kilner is, we'll explain when we get back. He's in Dave's phone as 'God'. Nuff said.

So we got dressed up in army gear, (pointless but brilliant) and were told to choose our weapon. We never thought we'd be saying to each other... ''Can you hold my AK-47 for a second please?''.

So there we were. Dave Henning and Matt Mackay with machine guns. Loaded. In our hands. With a trigger. You get the idea...

To start with, it was in semi-automatic mode, so each time you pull the trigger, one bullet is fired. Then we switched to automatic, and that's when the fun really started!! Pull the trigger, and the bullets fired just like in the movies.

30 bullets later (it didn't take long!), and we were done. We'd fired AK-47s and survived. After that we fired a 'Browning', which is an even more powerful machine gun, and decided to call it a day.

We were going to point out to the scary men that we'd 'Messed With The Best', and had quite clearly not 'Died Like The Rest'. We decided against it.

Tuk-Tuk'd it back to town, with an agreement to be picked up again at 5am to go and visit the famous Angkor Temples at sunrise.

On Tuesday, we woke up at midday. We couldn't believe Mr Tuk Tuk wasn't outside waiting for us. We were only 7 hours late. Some 'best friend' he turned out to be.

Found a new best friend (his name was Mr Tuk Tuk too), and decided to go to the temples. The biggest one is called Angkor Wat, and is the biggest religious building in the world. Someone told us it is one of the 7 wonders of the world, but not sure if this is true. (Dave Kilner is one of them, we know that much).

It was immense, and we soon realised why everyone had made such a fuss about visiting. The photos don't do it justice but will give you some idea at least.

After eating a pineapple-on-a-stick, we went to another temple called Angkor Thom and watched the sun set over the Bayon, which is the main section of this temple. An amazing day.

Tuk-tuk'd it back to town, had some food (Dave - Pork, Matt - Pasta) and now we're here writing this.

But now we've finished.

Bye.