Phnom Penh

On Thursday Morning I visited Tuol Sleng Museum, the former detention centre of Pol Pot's regime. I found this a very sobering experience, but it was a powerful and effective museum. The following afternoon was spent doing very little - I opted out of doing the National Museum simply as I felt I would not enjoy it.

On Friday I intended to head towards Siem Reap, home of Angkor Wat, but unfortunately sickness struck me down and I spent the day thankful of my IPod, guitar, book and room TV. I also decided to buy the second Lord Of The Rings book just in case I couldn't find it later.

It was today, therefore, that I took a bus to Siem Reap. The town itself seems pleasant with plenty of tourist bars and restaurants - although I may opt for an early evening in order to arise in time for a visit to Angkor Wat before the crowds arrive.

In recent days, however, my attitude towards my travels have seemed slightly repressed. It's difficult to pinpoint what it is, but my spirits have been lower. It may be homesickness, it may be that I've been more alone lately, it may be that there's been less excitement in recent days, or it may just be that things are getting a bit samey. I've been travelling for nearly six weeks; this is only a fraction of the time I intend to spend travelling, but nevertheless it is still a large amount of time to be on the road. I fear that I may be starting to bore of things, and in fact yesterday I was considering boycotting Vietnam and simply crossing the nearby border back to Thailand from Siem Reap - thus shortening my time in South East Asia.

From the start of my travels I have always kept one important notion in mind; that one year is a long time to travel, and I will shorten the trip if it becomes desirable. I gave myself four months for South East Asia, which in hindsight appears to have been a very good estimate. However, the countries I've been visiting have many similarities, and maybe I find myself yearning for a change.

I will see how I feel over the next few days. If I cross back into Thailand shortly, then I will surely need to bring forward the date of my flight from Singapore to Darwin (currently booked for May). However, maybe if I have a good time in Angkor Wat, or become more active in the evenings like I used to be, then maybe I will once again be happy to complete a full tour of South East Asia.