29th January - In the Land of the Greenback

As far as we can tell we have not been poisoned by our visit to Fawlty Towers last night. Breakfast is good and we load up as there is no lunch provided today. The sky is lowering a bit as we watch the bags being loaded onto the coach. Our first visit today is the Royal Palace and on the way a gentle rain starts to fall. It is too warm and not quite wet enough for rain jackets as we get off the bus and head for the entrance. The Palace appears to be very popular and the crowds are concentrated by the viewing hours being very restricted.

The complex contains several spectacular gilded pagodas but is very crowded and there is jostling at some of the pinch points. The more interesting interiors are 'No Photography' and this is policed rigourously by men who look mean enough to have been henchmen of Pol Pot. The rain gets steadily heavier as our tour progresses.  Our visit lasts for about an hour and a half before we move on to the National Museum. En route Hong tells us that this has many Hindu and Buddhist statues on display. D opts out and delegates R to take pictures of the culture of necessary.

Having agreed an RV time with the guide D sets out for 45 minutes of being an independent traveller. As the rain is teeming down he heads straight for the nearest bar for draught beer and WiFi. Money is quite complicated in Cambodia. The local currency is the Riel but most things are priced in US dollars. If change is required for part of a dollar this is paid in Riels. D tried an ATM that offered a choice of Riels or Dollars but then wanted such enormous commission that the transaction was aborted. The bartender accepts D's proffered 10,000 Riel note and hands over a dollar change. After a while the rain eases off and the beer runs out. Round the corner is a street of backpacker type businesses and a place selling SIMs is quickly located. $4 gets 1.5 GB of data, plenty for the time that we have left. The girl in the shop fits the card and does the necessary to get it working. D is only a minute late back to the Museum gate.

We board our coach for the 310km trip to Siem Reap, where we will stay tonight. It is difficult to spot the difference between rush hour and other traffic levels here in Phnom Penh.  In a bit less than twenty  four hours we have seen a bit of the city but had no chance to explore. This tour is rated as medium paced by the company. We would not want to be on a fast paced one. On the outskirts of the city we stop at a bakery for supplies in lieu of lunch. The bakery seems clean enough but the forecourt is full of hawkers selling deep fried insects and other items that do not necessarily appeal to Western palates. We settle for sweet cheesy brioche with sweet corn and something reminiscent of luncheon meat. For pud we choose coconut tarts.

Once we clear the city we make good progress on well surfaced roads. The terrain is dead flat as far as the horizon. As we progress in a northerly direction the rain stops, the cloud clears and the sun comes out. There is a very distinctive style of house in these parts. Whether old or new nearly all of them are up on stilts. There are a few more birds for R to spot although speed of travel does not aid identification. As we get closer to Siem Reap the traffic gets heavier and our speed drops. The Tara Angkor Hotel looks very grand as we pull up outside.  Inside we meet our new guide , pronounced Veebol(?)

  and are soon unpacking in a nicely fitted twin room. The handy Minimart next door but one allows  us to refresh supplies.

We have time to take in a complimentary cocktail in the bar before boarding the coach for dinner. Early night tonight as tomorrow is a pre-dawn start.