Now writing from Singapore!
I actually ended up having a really good time in Cambodia. I realized that I am not the best backpacker in the world and didn't really have the energy to keep packing my bags taking dusty buses and argue with tuk tuk drivers! So spent nine nights in Siem Reap. It is a great little town with amazing curries! (I had one most days)
I ended up volunteering for three days at a place called COSA (Cambodian Save Orphan Association.) It is an orphanage but unlike in Vietnam it is literally just two quiet small rooms! One is the class room and the other is the play room and where the kids sleep at night on the floor. It is not even a proper building with walls or anything! The rain comes straight in. There are no showers but it is opposite Sara Sarang lake, which the kids just jump in to clean themselves. They have English lessons there every afternoon, I helped out in the lessons a little and then after I worked with some small groups of kids who were new to help them catch up. It was interesting because in Cambodia they have a completely different way or writing their alphabet so just teaching the kids to recognise numbers is a challenge. However their speaking and pronunciation is miles ahead the Vietnamese! Although I was only there three days it seemed worth while, I talked lots to the guys working there and they gave me some good ideas for if ever I do something like this again and I told them some stuff that we did. (Hilary if you are reading this they are about to paint a big world on the wall so I told them about your map with the postcards being sent from around the world and they are going to do that too!) Anyway it was much a much better way to spend three days than traipsing round lots of backpacker hostels!
I am now in Singapore which feels a million miles away! You can put toilet paper down the loos! I've even spotted a topshop! It's considerably more expensive but it was worth it to have a HOT shower just now and get about an inch of Cambodian dust off me.
Below are the temple photos, unsurprisingly Singapore internet is a lot better than Cambodian! So managed to upload.
Lots of love
Claire
Lots of love Grannie & Jackxxxxxxxx