Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

I don't know how to begin capturing my first day in Cambodia it has been that wonderful! We haven't even been here 24 hours yet!

So last night, we got in around 9pm, had dinner around 10pm and I think we were asleep around 11:30. Dinner was in an outdoor paradise, where we were sat under a large hatched roof at a long table and we enjoyed a 4 course dinner. Through out the dinner we were given the race brief including running competitions such as a scarf that you need to steal without the current holder knowing. One point each time you steal it. There are other things like the best photo and the daily inspiration award.

This morning we were on the bus at 5am to go to the Temple of Angkor Wat to watch the sunrise. It's a fantastic experience as you watch the silhouette of the structure take form to an incredibly large temple. There is much conjecture over how many people it took to build with the two popular amounts being 50,000 and 380,000. My vote is for the latter because the intricacy and volume of the stone carvings would take a lifetime to complete even for 380,000. One lady features over 1800 times and she is Apsara - a dancer and a Lady. For each carving she has a different head dress, facial expression or holding different accessories. We had to find the only carving that shows her teeth.

Before I get onto that, after the sun had risen, we were told some of the history of the temple and then presented with an envelope. Inside were instructions and a second page with 3 pitcures. Just like Amazing race, we had one hour to find the three images, photograph them and run back to the guides. It was fabulous.

While Apsara was a Lady, Ladies do not show their teeth when they smile - that is what commoners do. So to find a carving of her showing her teeth is something quite special and all the locals know the picture as we show it to them looking for it.

After the challenge we returned to the hotel for breakfast, donned our cycle gear and set off on a 45km offroad cycle. Well, the first 5km-ish wasn't offroad and was the most terrifying - the traffic here flows but to few rules. We stopped every now and then, meeting the locals, trying to nicely not buy everything shoved in our face. We stopped at another temple with another photo challenge. This time my team mate Greg and I got our act together (we were 2nd last in the morning challenge). Greg took a picture of the picture, went to the top of the 8 level temple and I started at level 1. He found it before I got around the base and had sprinted over to the guides where we drew for first place with another team. Meanwhile I was giving out lollies to the local children who ended up taking my whole supply. They shoved 3 or 4 lollies in their mouth happily, but they were a mix of red skins, sherbies and milkies - sweet and very chewy!!

At the next stop we ditched the bikes for a few hours and set off on a boat to a fishing village that exists entirely amongst mangroves. I met the loveliest young girl there who was 15 but looked 9. She spoke amazingly clear english which she has learned from the tourists. In school she has 10 classes but they are all in Khemer. I had such a lovely time talking to her and learning about their village. She ran along the shoreline when we left waving and when we passed again, waved madly again. Like all children and women, they sell things to tourists. It's how they survive. I didn't want to buy her things but I gave her some money and holding her hands in mine and looking her in the eye I told her it was to help her study and was just for her. She was so sweet as are all the people here, but she was so keen just to talk and learn more where as many are just trying to sell to survive.

Earlier I met Maya and her mother Sara. They were so funny and sweet. I bought some scarves from them and one of their friends tried to sell me some bags. I actually really wanted one but it is day 1 and i am trying not to get silly buying things. I said to this girl "thank you but I don't need one" and as quickly as I finished saying it she answered "I know you don't need one. You need two!" I was laughing so hard and gave her a hug while telling everyone else what her answer was (that may win us another challenge!).

Back to the floating fishing village - after we left the area I met my little friend, we were towing some canoes. I thought it was fantastic we were giving them a lift but then soon we stopped and the canoes came alongside our boat. We were taken on a 30 minute ride through the mangroves (not smelly like the ones back home in Newcastle). I lay back for part of it, watching the canopy pass by as we silently floated through. After wards we jumped back on our boat tipping our two paddlers from the boat Greg and I were in and they were surprised and very grateful. It was only $2US each but it was like we had given them gold. We then took the boat back to the main village and went into one of the houses for lunch. It was so simple and so delicious! Rice, veggies, fish soup and battered dried shrimp and dried fish.

Letting our food settle on the boat ride back, we jumped on the bikes again for the last section back to the main road. By this time we were all worn out. We came back to the hotel, pulled on swimmers and jumped in the pool (after we all wiped ourselves down from the clay tans we had from the dust). Which brings me pretty much up to now. We are about to have dinner, then head to the markets where on our way there we have been dared to get a foot cleansing - you sit on the side of a large fish tank and the fish eat the dead skin off your feet. I hate my feet being touched by humans so I don't know how I'll like the fish but as Tania, Deciana and I know - Life begins at the end of your comfort zone!