Hello from Cambodia
Hi Rochelle
How are things going? can you forward this to family, mrs d, and the
team. i didn’t bring anyones email addresses with me, how disorganised.
I’ve finally got the chance to sit at the computer for a short while to
send an email. will take me ages as am using a normal keyboard (unlike my crazy whacky one at work that i am used to) so i keep hitting the wrong keys. have to hit them quite hard too which is a pain.
we are back in Phnom Penh for the second time arrived this avo. i think i am getting a cold as have a yukky throat and feel poo.
we have been on the move heaps but heading down to the coast tomorrow for some beach and hopefully r and r. it is the Khmer (Cambodian) new year this week so there will be lots of partying going on.
we have had loads of fun on our trip so far. we just took at trip out
east. a 10 hour bus journey turned into a 14 hour one due to some rain. yay, the roads are clay/mud so when it rains it’s a sorry state, our bus got stuck in the mud trying to get around a lorry stuck in the mud. the cambodian boys all jumped out and tried to push and dig and push but gave up after an hour. so we abandoned ship and all clambered onto the top of a ute in the middle of the jungle just as it was getting dark. over 20 people all holding on through the bumps and skids for 3 hours. me sitting on packs using richards camera bag strap as my stability. it was loads of fun. we later find out this is normal means of transport.
out east in Sen Monorom we visited an Elephant Sanctuary and i got to ride an elephant bareback, or should i say bare head. i sat on her with my knees tucked up behind her ears. it was well cool although i was a bit nervous of falling off. turned out they are so careful with everystep, i guess they don’t want to slip in the mud/on rocks and fall over. will be hard to get up.
yesterday appx 25 squeezed into a large van (4 rows of seats) with many more on the roof with luggage to go from Snuol to Kratie. it was
horrible, so hot and we were dripping with sweat sitting in there waiting
for them to cram another 10 (or 20 if poss) people in, but wait we can
get another 5 on the roof. and then we’ll stop every km or so and get
another few. you get the idea i’m sure 
Kratie was cool though, we went and saw the only fresh water dolphin in the world (i think) which will probably be extinct in a few years. It
lives in the Mekon river
other cool stuff. I got a massage from a blind girl in Siem Reap, had a
fish foot massage. you put your feet in a pool of water full of little
fish and they suck at the skin on your feet, eating of the dry skin.
sounds great. i pissed myself laughing for the first minute or so as was
so ticklish.
we get around in tuk tuks or on moto’s (scooters) and you tend to have the same driver while you stay somewhere
went around all the wat’s in Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) and many others, very impressive and loads of them. haven’t had the guts to try deep fried crickets, bat, spiders or anything like that, but we are tryin lots of new food and fruit.
we also visited an orphanage in Siem Reap which was cool. the kids were all over us holding our hands, playing hand games, by the end of it they were kissing us and hugging us. it was really humbling
mike has just come down, him and Richard think i have Malaria
we’ll see
the locals love the video camera, especially the kids. they love watching themselves being played back on it.
i got a bit upset in Siem Reap seeing all the landmine victims. many
people have lost both arms or both legs or are blind. a lot of them have been taught to play an instrument and record their music on cd. they then play at the ruins and in the town to earn money and sell their cd’s. of course i want to give everyone my contribution but there are sooooo many.
there is a lot of poverty in this country but i feel they are developing
and getting on their feet at a great speed. which is really nice to see.
and they are soooo clever… big double beds being carried on a motor
scooter. go figure. next time i complain my car is too small to
transport anything, tell me to go and buy a scooter.
well i suppose i wont bore you any further. we are having a great time. it’s very hot so we are doing loads of sweating and detoxing
everyone is well except for me with my malaria
would love to have an email from someone…….anyone…….hello?
Geri
oh ps
the cambodians are really good looking and mostly young due to the
older ones being killed during the Khmer Rouge, my point being there
are loads of hot young guys here, and when they get hot they roll their shirts up exposing their abs. blimey the things i have to deal with
