The big hitter today, the main attraction of Angkor Wat and the temple city of Angkor Thom. We got up early and peddled fast to avoid the crowds but they (or their tour guides and coach drivers) had risen earlier! We started off with a walk around the outside to bypass the hordes, and went in at the eastern entrance. The bas-reliefs (carved stories) were great but every time we stopped to read the guide we were swamped - Rose's cheeks were getting red through squeezing not teething! Crazy that we were a bigger attraction than Angkor Wat itself!! We needed to escape the crowds so didn't hang around, and headed to Ta Phrom. It's a lovely cycle along quiet roads shaded by tall trees; Ta Phrom was taken over by the jungle and is the most overgrown of them all. There was just enough time to visit Bayon at sunset before heading back to town for a delicious dinner.

Our second day in Siem Reap began with a visit to Preah Khan; Thida had recommended this and we weren't disappointed. Jayarvarman VII was fast becoming our favourite god-king and his Temple of thew Sacred Sword was mesmerising. We spent the whole morning there and Rose made some friends over lunch, followed by another nap in a hammock. we explored Preah Neak Poan, the Bhuddist temple of intertwining nagas (snakes) - another of Jayarvarman VII's - in the afternoon, before an early finish to watch the sun go down from a nearby hotel pool. A lovely day.

Our initial taste of Cambodian history didn't disappoint even though we decided to leave the best temples to last.

Travelling with a baby in a hot climate means we are constantly re-evaluating our plans; therefore we decided to skip the first 90km of hot highway and get the bus to Siem Riep and Angkor Wat.

We got the last room in the Popular Guesthouse thanks to the generosity of fellow traveller Phil. Bikes parked in the lobby, we all had a great night's sleep.

This morning we pedalled out of town along shady roads to some of the more outlying temples and had our first exploration of Angkor. As usual, Rose made us some friends, and found a great spot for an afternoon nap.

Despite the challenges, travelling with a baby brings the best out of everyone we meet and we highly recommend it!

We had to be at the train station at 5:30am to get the local train to the border, so we stayed at a friendly hotel across the road. Rose made some friends on the dusty 6-hour journey, but the hard seats and noisy carriages weren't a good place for us to have a nap!
We managed to avoid the touts and made it across the border into Cmabodia with visas officially stamped.

We got up so late that we missed breackfast so headed out onto the streets for some fresh pineapple. we were to get our bikes from Grasshopper Adventure so took the river bus around the city. The girls at Grasshopper couldn't have been more helpfull and we returned the following day for our freshly prepared mounts. They only just fitted on the tuk-tuk but we all got back to the hotel safely.

Rose enjoyed her flight with the usual smiles and waves and charmed everyone she met. We arrived in Bangkok late in the evening and headed to bed in the aptly named Rose hotel, but Rose had other plans and couldn't understand why we wouldn't party all night!

Travelling VERY light meant that there weren't too many things to buy for the cycle ride, but a new pop up bed and some shades were essential!