Angkor Watt, a 4 hand massage and Ko Phangan

It's definitely time to chill, relax, take it easy, veg, lie on a beach, go for a swim, a walk along the beach, read a book, listen to music, eat, drink and do not much else!

We've been travelling for a while now and Vietnam and Cambodia were pretty hectic. We covered the length and breadth of Vietnam and raced through Cambodia. Thankfully we are now in Ko Phangan, an island in Southern Thailand for some much needed r&r. Read on for an update on what we have been up to.

August 11th - Saturday
After writing the last blog update Lynn and I proceeded to get pleasantly pissed in Cambodia's capital city. We went for a meal down by the river before returning to the lakeside area and playing pool before meeting a lovely Scottish guy called Paul who is travelling to roughly the same places we are. It was nice to hear a Scottish accent and what's more Paul is a Motherwell supporter! What are the chances?

We had quite a few beers and the West Ham v Man City game was on in the background, so it ended up being around midnight when we got to bed.

August 12th - Sunday
We checked out our $3/night guesthouse at around 11am and went for brunch at a nearby lakeside cafe/bar. JT picked us up at 1pm and we headed off to our limousine bus! The bus was better than a lot of the buses we have been on but calling it a limousine service was maybe stretching things a little too far.

The bus to Siem Reap took 5 hours and we stopped off for a 20 minute break on the way. We spent the time reading, dozing and listening to music. When we arrived in Siem Reap our new guide Sky (a friend of JT's) was waiting for us at the bus stop with our names on a card - oh to feel important and wanted! We were quite pleased that we had arranged this in advance as the bus stop/station didn't have any street lighting.

We checked into the Bacca Villa guesthouse, pushing the boat out to a $15/night room with warm water, a fan, air conditioning and satellite TV! We were too tired to bother wandering around so had a nice meal at the guesthouse and then retired to our room to watch the Manchester United v Reading match, kicking off at 10pm local time. It finished 0-0, Reading defended well, Rooney got injured and nothing else of note really happened.

August 13th - Monday
Sky was picking us up at 9am, no rest for the wicked. We had breakfast at the guesthouse and then Sky picked us up to head to Angkor. We bought a 3 day pass for $40 each, giving us plenty of time to wander round (or be driven to on Sky's tuk tuk) all the temples.

We started off at Angkor Watt and I have to say that it is very impressive. I wonder if some of the flats being thrown up around Glasgow will be around as long as this gem of a place. The intricate detail that covers every inch of stone is just staggering. After climbing to the highest point we bumped into a Scottish guy called Paul and his French wife Laura. After meeting no Scots for ages we had now met two in the space of a few days. We arranged to meet them at the Warehouse bar in Siem Reap later that night.

We then headed to Angkor Thom, which contains Bayon - probably our favourite temple. I don't want to bore you with all the details about the temples - needless to say there is a lot of history involved and to be honest you probably have to see them with your own eyes - do a google search for Angkor Watt or visit www.flickr.com/photos/murrayandlynn - although our photos don't do it justice.

I should add that we did visit the temple where Tomb Raider was filmed, sadly Angelina Jolie was nowhere to be seen. We bought a cd from a band playing outside, every member had at least one limb blown off by landmines. They smiled and we chatted to them as they showed us how to play their instruments, I was particularly impressed with one guitar like harp instrument.

After a wet shave and a number 4 all over at a local barbers we headed into Siem Reap to meet Paul and Laura. You cou8ld order beer dispensers for your table so we didn't have to go to the bar all night. Had a great night and the conversation flowed easily - nice couple.

August 14th - Tuesday
I thought I heard something in the distance but I tried to ignore it, it became louder and louder until I realised it was our alarm clock and remembered that we had agreed to meet Sky at 5am to go and watch sunrise over Angkor Watt! I lay in bed half hoping that Lynn hadn't heard it and that I could return to my sleep, but she had, so we got up!

It wasn't the most amazing sunrise I haev ever seen but it was memorable. Thousands of Japanese and Korean tourists had been bused in, and soon after the sun came out they were bused out again - bizarre, didn't they want to see any of the other temples?

After and early start we ended up being back in Siem Reap at 11am. We went straight to sleep! We were shattered. The other temples we saw today were on a smaller scale than yesterday but still fantastic to view and explore.

We wandered into town when we woke and had some lovely club sandwiches ay Le Grande Cafe before wandering round the market and Lynn bought a white long sleeve top. We went for another snooze before heading back to the Warehouse Bar to meet Paul and Laura again. We decided to go to the Khmer Kicthen for food and wine and it was very nice although my soup was incredibly spicey.

We then headed to a bar for a few more beers and to watch a live band that played everything from The Beatles to Phil Collins with a bit of 'Country Roads' thrown in for good measure. Got back to hotel just after midnight, exhausted after a long day.

August 15th - Wednesday
Got up at 8am, very tired! We met Sky at 9am and headed out towards the Cambodian Landmine Museum and the furthest away temple. The sun was shining (indeed it was roasting every day we were in Cambodia) and the Tuk Tuk sped along some country roads creating a pleasant breeze.

The Cambodian Landmine Museum was very interesting. The statistics were staggering. Again, there is too much to go into here so check out http://www.landmine-relief-fund.com/

The museum is run by a guy who actually used to lay the mines during the 70's (he was forced to). He has now adopted 25 kids and claims to have defused over 50,000 mines! We both bought cool t-shirts.

The Bantrey Srey temple was worth the trip, very nice indeed. When we got back to Siem Reap we got dropped at the old market and then went to the Temple Restaurant for a late lunch. It was lovely - Amok Fish (the best), Chicken Curry and Pork in Cambodian spices with rice. We shared it between us and it was without doubt the best meal suring our time in Cambodia.

At night we went for a 4 hand massage - two gorgeous Cambodian girls rubbed oil over my body and gave me a fantastic time - don't worry, Lynn was lying just along from me having exactly the same thing done to her!

We came out refreshed and recharged. We bumped into Paul (Motherwell fan) and had a quick drink with him before heading back to the guest house as we had promised Sky we would attend his English class that he runs. It was very intersting with kids, teenagers and young adults all attending and we read and answered questions on a 'young Picasso' and a 'young Mozart'. We met Sky's 'friend' Rebecca who recommended a restaurant called Dead Fish for dinner.

Dead Fish is a cool place and if you ever find yourself in Siem Reap you should head there - although don't get too drunk as there are crocodiles - I kid you not! The upstairs section was split over several levels and you could look down into a croc pit - with no barrier! Very dangerous and we stayed well away from the edge.

August 16th - Thursday
Long lie and then off to airport for 1pm flight to Ko Samui via Bangkok. We arrived in Ko Samui at 4.30pm and immeidately decided to head to the less commercial island of Ko Phangan as there was a ferry at 6.30pm. ON the ferry we read a local guide and decided to head to Haad Yao in the North West, well clear of the full moon party crowds in the South East that play techno and trance - the last thing we needed after 5 weeks intensive travelling.

I'll update the blog again shortly as I am pretty tired. Just had a great day chilling on the beach and intend to do the same for another two days at least!