Phnom Penh
Trip Start
Jun 29, 2008
1
22
40
Trip End
May 15, 2009
Phnom Penh,
Cambodia
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Tuk tuk ride to the lake where all the backpacker GHs are. I chose to stay in a place recommended by Lonely Planet...well I wonder when the last time they had been to this place!! THe room was pretty nasty with loads of mozzies..always a good start and a mozzie net that didn't fit the bed properly. I suppose for $5 what did I expect. It had a nice veranda area over looking the lake if you like mozzies!! And I had run out of repellant! So the hunt was on for repellant and a way to fix the mozzie net around my bed. I managed to cover some of the bed if I curled up which was good enough but I couldn't get out to switch the light off just incase I didn't put the net back properly so I slept in the light with a fan that didn't reach the bed so I didn't get much sleep that night. Good job I decided to get the 7.45am bus to Siem Reap.
The bus ride was ok, it was about 6 hours instead of the 5 but this is Asia and you know that they never run to time. The aircon sort of worked so it was unbearable. We stopped a couple of times on the way so we could get off and grab some food (biscuits of crisps for the westerners) and to let off some of the locals. From the window I could see a woman with a tray of what looked liked fried spiders...umm delicious I bet!! NOT.
Finally got to Siem Reap at about 2pm. The bus was surrounded by tuk-tuk drivers knocking on the windows with incredibly cheap deals into town and a free look st there brothers/sistes/mums/cousins GH. Globalteer said they might send someone to pick me up. I took a look round and saw to my relied the friendly face of Savath from last year. It was good to see my old friend.
Globalteer now have their own GH on the other side of the river. It is quite palacial with TV's, hot water and aircon if you want it. I was given a brief intro to the projects they are currently involved in. COSA where I was last year doesn't figure any more???? I need to ask about that as I'd love to go and see the kids again and see how the school has changed. I'm off to the most established school on Monday where Maggie, an older Aussie lady is currently placed, its call Sangketum, and it looks like an all day placement rather than the easy afternoons of last year. Well that's what I'm here for.
Went out with some of the other volunteers for dinner and a few drinks. They all seem really nice and quite a bit younger than me (well at my age that's only to be expected!). The place hasn't changed we still drank at the Warehouse and X bar. I bumped into Tom in Warehouse who I volunteered with last year and didn't go home. He's off back home in a few days though I think a year has been long enough to work inbars, GHs and drink loads.
