Angkor

I've spent the last two days visiting magnificent Angkor Wat and other temples in the area. The sheer scale and elaborate decoration of many of these buildings is amazing. A lush jungle setting helps make this experience one of the highlights of my trip. My absolute favourite is Ta Prohm, where enormous trees cover ancient stones with an unrelenting tangle of roots.

Few tourists visit the less spectacular sites. At Preah Pithu I had the place entirely to myself, apart from a group of playful monkeys who didn't seem to my mind my intrusion on their territory.

I've enjoyed this opportunity to observe rural life in Cambodia. Tall palm trees tower over bright green rice paddies. Somehow the place doesn't seem that poor - perhaps because the people are so cheerful.

In Siem Reap the shops advertise their prices in US dollars rather than the virtually worthless local currency. When I offered to pay for a few items in Cambodian riel, the shop assistant had to use a calculator to work out the amount.