One last special day (4)

Returning from Bayon, we stopped to have a look around the Preah Kahn ruins, yet another remarkable place with outstanding features which set it apart from the other three sites we'd visited earlier in the day. As we left the car, it was raining hard but we didn't care - it was a refreshing way of cooling us down in the steamy afternoon heat.

Overgrown and a little more dilapidated than the other ruins, Preah Kahn was nevertheless a fascinating place, probably the site of a Buddhist university at some point.

We loved the loneliness of this site, probably because we were there in the late afternoon when most people had gone and in the peace and quiet, it was at its most atmospheric.

A few children scampered around, picking herbs here and there which Kinam told us are for the typical Khmer stir fry they'd be eating for dinner tonight.

I think I feel a log cabin quilt of some description coming on!

One last special day (3)

After lunch and a short siesta, we moved on to Angkor Thom and the central ruin, the Bayon, another atmospheric temple which I enjoyed but Mark found creepy.

54 towers and 216 (different) stone faces, well preserved and adorned with more intricate carvings.

More picturesque flashes of saffron, breathtaking glimpses through doorways and framed faces amongst the broken ruin.

We wandered around this intriguing place alone for most of the time, for although there were other people here, the architecture of the place meant that it was easy to escape the others.

One last special day (2)

On then, to Angkor Wat itself, star of the show - but in reality, only a small starring role. The best preserved of the whole set of buildings, the most crowded and possibly the least atmospheric, it was nevertheless breathtaking with so many finely preserved bas relief carvings still in place.

How's this for a repeat pattern? The bas relief along this, the Eastern gallery depicts the churning of the sea of milk, one of four galleries showing Hindu myths and Khmer history. All were patiently explained and features pointed out, for which we were very grateful - we loved seeing the small details in particular and were not only amazed at how finely the carvings had been done but also how well preserved they are.

Almost every square inch was carved with the most intricate patterns and motifs and many remain complete. The lack of colour highlights the work particularly well, we think.

So when there's a sudden burst of saffron, orange and hot pink, it quite takes the breath away - as here, in a small temple with a rather special buddha.

So many wonderful corners to explore, to delight and to try to record. Impossible, really.

One last special day (1)

One of the remarkable things about this trip has been that every day has been terrific in one way or another. So many memorable events, places, people - and there was still one more to go.

This morning we set off for Angkor Wat. Well, actually, at 7.30 this morning, we began the day at Ta Prohm, another temple in the Angkor complex. This particular temple has been overcome by trees; the roots of the Spong trees have strangled parts of the ruin and the atmosphere in the early morning steamy jungle was quite remarkable.

This was the temple of Tomb Raider stuff and as we wandered through the dark and musty galleries, we tried to imagine how it must have been. In the central hall, holes in the wall remain where jewels had been placed - hard to believe how it could have once been studded with diamonds and pearls when now it was such an empty shell.

Hardly any colour beyond the trees and the occasional saffron draped buddha. So photogenic - I filled two whole memory sticks!

We were not quite lucky enough to have the place completely to ourselves, but our guide's experience led us to find the places others didn't go and his patience meant that we were able to wait until the tour group rushed through.

This was too special an experience to hurry.

The Fish Paste Village

Our guide took us to the "Fish Paste Village" - it has a proper name but the local speciality resulted in the nickname and it's stuck. Unlike the floating village, this riverside community is built mostly of wooden homes on stilts, allowing for a cool shady place to be during the day.

The houses front onto a muddy street, with the backs on stilts above the water on one side of the road. The lady is doing the rounds, selling dumplings.

You can see what a high price is set on education- this private school in the village operates some English classes, which bearing in mind the average person earns about $40-$50 a month, are pretty pricey.

Then, ting-a-ling, the ice cream man comes along. Some things are the same the world over!