Well, I took Brett’s advice and went to the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai. This is an incredible reserve for elephants that have been rescued from abusive situations or retired from a lifetime of labour.  At this park there are no shows or rides, but we were allowed to help feed and wash a big old girl called Thida. One of the American tourists in our group said he wished there was a place like this waiting for him when he retires. I told him there is – it’s called an old aged peoples’ home and if he’s lucky he’ll get sponge baths just like Thida does. He didn’t find that very amusing. Obviously, sight gags are my strength. There’s only a week to go before I say “leah seun hai” to this beautiful place. I have to admit, I am looking forward to getting back to Lauren’s lovely meals. All this spicy food is playing havoc with my reflux!

Today, Mai Ling and I visited the famous Angkor Thom Temple. Not quite as well kept as number 32, but it sure would have been a grand old shack in its day.  Angkor Thom was built by the Khmer Dynasty, over 1200yrs ago and is supposed to be one of the oldest Hindu temples in the world. The scale of the place is jaw dropping. In fact, it was taking so long to get around that my back started to play up. Luckily we found a tuk tuk driver called Viphop, who was happy to show us the rest of the grounds. Viphop was a funny little chap – only 4 teeth in his entire head, yet a smile so big he could eat a banana sideways. His English was surprisingly good and he was very knowledgeable about the local area.  At the end of the day, Mai Ling gave him a tip and he was happier than a pig in mud! He told us our tip would allow him to buy some chicken for his family to eat. I told him I don’t eat chicken because it’s fowl. The joke was lost on him unfortunately. You can’t win ‘em all eh? On a serious note, it’s humbling to realise just how little the average Cambodian family survive on. A few extra dollars can make all the difference.

This week Mai Ling and I travelled from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. Mai thought we’d be adventurous and shun the car for a journey by boat. The floating jalopy had clearly seen better days. It looked like the S.S Minnow, dragged through a hedge backwards! Although it was crowded, we managed to get a seat on the top deck. The views heading down the Mekong were just spectacular. Small villages of bamboo houses were dotted along the river and groups of kids were playing and fishing in the water. One young boy even waded out to us to show us his pet snake! Looking forward to visiting the famed Angkor Wat Temple while we are here. Apparently, it’s older than I am!

Well, here I am in Cambodia and I can tell I’m going to be busier than a one-armed wallpaper hanger! Mai Ling has arranged a jam-packed itinerary for my time here. As well as the usual touristy type things, she’s keen to show me the kind of work she does with her charity which helps disadvantaged young girls. I had no idea that almost 50% of the population here is under 21 years old due to the effects of the civil war and Khmer Rouge regime. This puts a big old burden on the state in terms of healthcare, employment and education. That’s where Mai Ling’s charity comes in. She oversees centres for girls here in Cambodia – in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Kampong Cham.  Hopefully I’ll get chance to visit them. I told Mai Ling I’ve been busy practicing my clown doctoring and I’m ready to dazzle the kids with the old Carpenter comedy stylings. Yes that’s right, the “Frilly Necked Lizard” is making a comeback. Watch this space.