The countryside here is just incredible. The rice fields are this fantastic shade of green, with palm trees in the background and rocky mountains in the far distance. It's quite a different feeling from Thailand. Much less developed, much more of a rural lifestyle.

But it's a poor country, and that shows.

To me, Cambodia is a country full of contradictions. The poverty is extreme, but the rich get richer; between the cities are these gorgeous landscapes with traditional wood/palm leaf houses, but in the cities, there is rubbish and dirt everywhere; the people went through hell during much of the late 20th century - most of it with the Khmer Rouge, but even in the years afterwards, but in spite of that they are amongst the most honest, trusting, friendly and happy people that I've met in my travels. It's really incredible.

We decided not to go and see the Killing Fields or S-21 (high school turned Khmer Rouge prison/torture house turned atrocities museum). There are many that say that you need to see those things to understand why the Khmer people are how they are today, to understand what they have been through. I've read a lot, I saw The Killing Fields movie just as we were coming down here. To be confronted with the reality of what happened in real life, in your face, just didn't seem like something we wanted to do.

In Phnom Penh we stumbled upon a little restaurant - Veiyo Tonle. The owner grew up on the streets, collecting trash and making money by selling it, he made friends with a restaurant owner and eventually managed to become part owner in a pizza restaurant. In October 2004 he started an orphanage, with 7 kids, partially supported by his pizza restaurant. A year or so ago they moved to a new location, on the river front, expanded the menu, and the orphanage which is attached. They now have 24 kids who are busy learning english, khmer, computer skills, traditional khmer dancing and as they get older - how to wait in the restaurant. It's really an amazing thing that he's done, the restaurant business pretty much supports the orphanage, so it felt great to just stumble in and be able to help, just by eating there.

We of course went back the following night as well :)

I think I like Cambodia. The people hear have big hearts and they really like seeing tourists here. It's not just the kids that wave and say hello.