Crossing borders is always a little nerve-wracking but our journey from Thailand was pretty gentle, the process appearing to be managed by taxi drivers.
The border guards pointed us towards a "quarantine" table, where a guy greeted us with "lovely jubbly" and took our temperatures for 20 baht (about 50p), which we think may have been one of the little border scams the guide books always warn about. We weren't going to quibble under the gaze of heavily-armed guards.
The taxi men then shepherded us to the visa point, then to their cabs and on to get our passports stamped, ensuring minimal contact with officialdom at all times.
Our bus journey to the border had proven more stressful when instead of taking us to Trat, near the border, it had dropped us at a ferry port. The driver tried to make out we had been sold the wrong ticket. It was a tricky situation but having been warned that making anyone here "lose face" with a public row was a big no-no, we calmly insisted that we were right and should be taken to Trat. In the end the driver paid for us to take a taxi and there was no problem. Now we just need to learn to be that calm with each other.
Our previous destination of Koh Samet, in Thailand's eastern gulf, had been a bit disappointing.
Famed for its sugar-like sand, the island is a national park and we anticipated a quiet-ish haven for wildlife. However, the beach where we stayed was almost entirely set up for Westerners - mainly Scandinavians - and, as such, could have been any resort anywhere.
We did manage to get away from it all by walking the 7km to the southern tip of the island, which revealed some lovely bays and beautiful butterflies - including huge black ones - among the trees.
Along the way we caught the attention of a dog. We've been giving them a wide berth because we don't fancy the rush to hospital for yet another rabies jab but it's difficult because they're everywhere.
This little fellow, however, was not leaving us alone and appeared to start guiding us - Littlest Hobo-style - around a headland.
He would bound up every little rocky slope or every tricky corner and wait until we caught up. Our hopes that he was leading us to the next bay were shattered, however, when he disappeared through a locked gate and we were left standing in a woody area, surrounded by spiders webs and where I got bitten twice by mosquitos.
It wouldn't have been so bad only a French couple who had been following, presumably thinking we knew the way, also ended up lost. I may get my revenge when I see dog on a menu somewhere.
After a nice stop across the Cambodian border in Koh Kong, where the fishing boats looked beautiful as the sun set over the river, we headed to Sihanoukville.
A bit of a party town, it was nevertheless nice to spend some time relaxing on the beach and having the odd beer.
Vendors balancing wares on their heads, or two heavy-looking metal pans hanging from huge sticks slung over their shoulders, often approach.
One came over to me and said what I thought was: "Your girlfriend is very pale."
As people seem fascinated that two creatures can be so impossible pasty-looking, I agreed. The woman then went on to offer The One With The Common Sense something "very cheap".
I wasn't entirely sure what was going on but it turned out she had actually asked whether I thought my better half was "very hairy" and, having gained my consent, gone on to offer whole-leg hair removal by threading.
I think The One With The Common Sense was justifiably miffed at the suggestion. The language barrier, eh?
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