Tom (Sam's 15 year old brother).
Hello everyone,
Mum said if I went on this trip I had to write back home so that's what I am doing.
I'm currently in Siem Reap in Cambodia. Our teacher told us Siem Reap means Siam defeated. Siam is what Thailand used to be called and Siem Reap is close to the Cambodian border with Thailand. The teacher seemed to think this was a very interesting fact but then our teacher thinks many things are interesting.
Anyways, Siem Reap was once home to a pretty big empire who seemed to love building temples, temples and more temples. After three days trekking round the things I am beginning to go to sleep dreaming of temples. To be honest they are all looking a bit shoddy nowadays and though some are being repaired none of them look too good. The really big one is called Angkor Wat and to be fair it is fricking huge - it makes the English castles we got dragged around last year look pretty teeny. The moat alone looked bigger than the Thames. I think a lot of people did lot of work to build all these temples and moats. Not my kind of empire at all.
I've taken a load of photos as proof that I was here but I can't see when I will spend too long looking through photos of temples, temples and more temples. The only ones I really like are of the 'jungle temple' where they have given up on repairs and let the trees climb all over the ruins. Our teacher didn't tell us that this is where they filmed Tomb Raider and therefore where Angelina Jolie once stood. I suggested that I could make the plot of Tomb Raider the basis of my essay but my teacher didn't laugh - but then maybe I wasn't joking.
After walking round the temples all day we all head back to our guest house which we are sharing with a load of travellers (backpackers and not the travellers you see on the news) where we can play pool, volleyball and cards. Sometimes we head into town for food and as we're too young to drink we mainly hang out with the prostitutes who all seem to be our age. The only problem is that this also means hanging out with people my dad's age.
Next we head to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, to see the 'Killing Fields' and a school that was used as a prison - oh goody.
Mum - I will call soon, promise.
Tom
