Siem Reap to Phnom Penh

Day 1: 64km, Siem Reap - Kampong Khleang - Dam Daek
Day 2: 64km, Dam Daek - Stoung
Day 3: 51km, Stoung - Kampong Thom
Day 4: 95km, Kampong Thom - Skun (or Scum as it should be called)
Day 5: 82km, Skun - Phnom Penh

We left Siem Reap early on Monday in search of Kampong Khleang (a floating village on the Tonle Sap lake. It's not really floating the houses are just on stilt, and during wet season they look like they are floating). The plan was to try to stay the night in the village but in the end we didn't as we were feeling insecure about the cambodians as people had been trying to rip us off all day and we just wanted a nice hotel room with a fan and TV (yes we've become addicted to cambodian soap operas and karaoke tv).
The road was great, all tarmac, all flat and no more mud. We took it pretty easy, stopping often for sugar cane juice, fruit smoothies, 2nd and 3rd breakfasts. After the first day things became more relaxed and everyone we met was very friendly and happy, and so were we.
Along the road we saw a guy with a ghetto blaster strapped to his bike playing cheesy cambodian dance music, he followed us for a while and we are not quite sure what he was doing, but it was funny. There were also lots more overloaded pick up trucks and we were glad not to be on them. Motorbikes that passed us were carrying their usual loads of 6 people, pigs, chickens, hay etc.
All the places where we stayed apart from Kampong Thom were pretty rural and we'd usually find a guesthouse, have a shower (although the roads are tarmac it's still dusty as hell) and head out to the local market for dinner. We're getting better at ordering and pointing but it's still a bit hit and miss.
All that changed in Kampong Thom where we had excellent food at the stalls as well as some tasty coconut pastries from the local bakery. After Kampong Thom we visited Phnom Sontuk a holy hill (only hill) with Buddha Statues and 980 steps leading up to the top. More fun than the actual hill were the children following us up, giving us their best shot at a guided tour. They definitely should have been in school but someone needs to earn a living. That day was a very long day and we were not impressed to end up in 'Scummyville' where they eat spiders and although there were many guesthouses (which is unusual), one was dirtier than the next. We were positively surprised with the spidergulasch in the market as it wasn't spidergulasch at all and we even ordered a second round.
After 5 days of cycling our bums really need a rest and Phnom Penh seems like a perfect place for that.