Cambodia

We have been in Cambodia for two days now, we leave for Thailand tomorrow. Because of problems at the border we have had to leave our cars there (hopefully they will be there when we get back) and travel into Siem Reap by air conditioned coaches. Pure luxury after all the days in a very hot Porsche 356.the border crossing it quite interesting. On Each side there are shops/stalls of every variety. If you fancy a light snack you can always try a fresh lightly fried frog. I tried to take some more pictures of the frogs but was told to hop it :) (sorry)

Coming back from Thailand was an open cattle truck with 85 people crammed onto it.

They were then marched back into Laos, sort of tells you the difference between the countries.

We are staying at the Raffles Hotel and being spoilt rotten, but its just not the same without our cars.
The difference between Laos and Cambodia is staggering. Laos was a very poor country and the population do not seem to worried about the state of the country or the country side, which was just covered in rubbish. Cambodia on the other hand has really good roads, the country side is well cared for and the people seem genuinely pleased to see you 

You can not come to Cambodia and not go to see one of the seven wonders of the world, Angkor Wat . Simple stunning. Some how H&H managed to arrange for the rally to have private diner at the temples. Events just get better on this trip, this evening in the temples is probably about as good as it can get. A once in a life time experience.
We will come back to Cambodia and Thailand, will miss out on Laos, has a lot of catching up to do.
Tomorrow we head back to the border and then drive 590 Klm to Bangkok, arriving Friday afternoon in the rush hour. Lets hope we can last till then.
We will then get the results. The results in this case are irrelevant, we have had such an amazing time and made some special friends. Thanks must go to the guys and girls at H&H for putting this together. I may have said that before and I expect I will say it again :)

Very important update

No rally news, something much more exciting, Julie and I became grandparents this morning.
Becky and Steve have a little baby boy, 6 lbs 13. No name yet, but Mum and baby are doing well.
All the competitors and H & H team on the Tiger Rally send their love.
Well done Becky and Steve. X

Bit of rally news, julie and I have made a bit of a mess of the the last two stages, but we think we are still in 5 th place. Molly is going really well, with her new dynamo and better petrol and Julie's ankle is nearly back to full strength.
The route of the rally has been changed, we could not get the cars into Cambodia. But, we have driven to the border and been bused into Siem Reap. Tonight is the Gala diner and prize giving.
Tomorrow we are of to see the temples. Then bus back to Thailand and long drive to Bangkok.

I am sorry we have missed out so many days but the Internet connect has been rubbish, hope you have been able to pick up the photos on Facebook.

This is one of the better roads in Laos, try doing this on wet mud, with a rear engine and all Julie's luggage over the back wheels, keeps you on your toes :)

This has been a stunning trip.

News on the final positions tomorrow.

It's prize giving tonight and wetting baby P's head :)

Day 13

Today we went from Oudomxay to Luang Prabang only 237 Klm. But what a 237 Klm. Probably the hardest but most rewarding driving we have ever done. The road is so bad that the H and H team have been out and put warning markers in place. The stages were cancelled again because of the terrible conditions. Just to add a bit of  ' home feel' a lot of the route was in thick fog :)

So ideal driving conditions 1 in 4 hills, hairpin bends with no crash barriers, thick mud, no such thing as asphalt, thick fog and lots of villages where the children, dogs, pigs, goats and chickens use the road as a play area. How we all made through this section I will never know, but all 16 cars made it.

This picture, below, gives you an idea how narrow the road was and these guys did not stop (probably couldn't) to see if they could pass, they just go for it.

Julie's ankle is a little better and Molly's new dynamo is working well. We have put one of our
pillows in the footwell so that julie can keep her ankle elevated. Seemed to be working quite well until we went round a mud bath corner with a sheer drop of 2000' feet coming towards us sideways on. Leg seemed to be ok a she was hitting the brakes harder than I was.