Conference in Phnom Penh

At the end of September I was asked to be one of the opening speakers for the first fundraising conference in Cambodia. I didn't quite know what to expect and the conference organiser didn't share much either, so on a wing and a prayer and with my powerpoint behind me a couple of us headed to Phnom Penh.

"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure." - Colin Powell

I had been warned that the road was pretty bad, but being used to African gravel roads I didnt think much when the tar disappeared into orange dust. We stopped off at Komphong Thom for some lunch on the way and then the road did get really bad, considering this is the Cambodia's most major highway they lack of any real road was pretty scary - not to mention the driving. Luckily we only lost a wing mirror on the way!

"If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there." - Lewis Carroll

It took around 6.5 hours to get us there, quicker than the sleeper bus, not as quick as a plane though! However it was really nice for me to see more of Cambodia.

Unfortunately the guest house we were in was pretty bad, the rooms tiny, the mattress saggy, burn holes and tears in the thin worn sheets, a damp smell with the window closed and a smell of the downstairs (dirty) toilet wafting through an extractor fan with the windows open and a view of the wall and drain pipe next door 4 inches from the window. It was not cleaned for four days, the toilet had no handle and in Cambodia you put loo paper in the bin, that wasn't emptied, To say the place was unpleasant would be an understatement. When I was shown to my room the guy actually said 'When you have a problem just let me know' at first I thought that was a language thing, but soon realised it wasn't..

"All I'm trying to do is survive and make good out of the dirty, nasty, unbelievable lifestyle that they gave me." - Tupac Shakur

[The photos don't do it justice!]

We chose not to spend much time here at all, which meant we got to meet more people from the conference and see more of Phnom Penh. 

The conference went well and once the initial talk was out of the way I could relax and get into the networking and information side. Being English and Irish we also got quite into the tea. Not being satisfied with the regular morning and afternoon breaks we managed to get our own tea pot on the go in the back corner - lovely.

"Where there's tea there's hope." - Arthur Wing Pinero

So once the work stuff was out of the way, it was time to see more of Phnom Penh. I had grand plans on the first day off to go and do all the cultural things you are supposed to. Firstly I needed an ATM though, and headed to the new mall there to get some cash (I can only use my banks' ATM here not any one which makes it tricky). Once I had entered the bright lights of Aeon Mall though there was no stopping me. I hadn't been in a mall with real shops since June (the ones in SR dont have much). 

"Once again, we come to the Holiday Season, a deeply religious time that each of us observes, in his own way, by going to the mall of his choice." - Dave Barry

To be honest, I am not really a mall fan, bright air-conditioned enclosed spaces (give me the countryside, moors, veldt, savannah or jungle any day!), but sometimes, just sometimes there is nothing better than a bit of aimless window shopping and a hot chocolate in an air conned cafe. Soon it was getting late and my cultural plans had evaporated - there is only so much any one person can take in and give in a week and the conference had filled my quota. I headed for an hour massage before heading out for dinner.

The next day I decided I had to get something cultural in, so headed to the Royal Palace and for a walk around. We were at the start of the Pchum Ben Festival, so there were lots of families about and people buying and brining offerings to the small temples on the front of the river side.

A view out over the river - near where the Tonle Bassac river and the Mekong meet.

One of the small pagodas many families were visiting.

These cheeky monks were having a cigarette and a can of the local red bull whilst taking photos on their iphones,which kind of amused me as they are supposed to have no possessions and keep their bodies pure, we are all human hey?!

Royal Palace.

Lovely promenade here, just becareful of the Malaysian 'tourists'. Not sure what their con is, but I met 5 in the space of an hour all keen to be my friend and hang out, all claiming they were on holiday and not so engaged once they found out I lived in Cambodia. Someone told me a story about tourists being lured into illegal gambling dens and being taught card counting, the winnings of which are to be shared with the can artists - no idea how true this is, but there was definitely something afoot.

"In the old days, a con man would be good looking, suave, well dressed, well spoken and presented themselves real well. Those days are gone because it's not necessary." - Frank Abagnale

Out to the South China Sea, somewhere...

Chickens in the street.

This is a garden that looks open and has a fountain in it - all looks very important, and I had a good wander around in there until the chap who was also wandering around told me he was a security guard and I was to leave. Any of my Cambodian friends know what this garden is?

The equivalent of the Blackpool illuminations - as workers put up lights on the Royal Palace for Pchum Ben.

A massive storm brewing over the palace.

Super massive!

"After every storm the sun will smile; for every problem there is a solution, and the soul's indefeasible duty is to be of good cheer." - William R. Alger

Tourists outside the palace.

And another pagoda close by - so many of these amazing buildings.

Crazy, crowded, tuktuk streets with so many electricity wires it seems bonkers!

Houseboats.

Kids finding money in recycling :(

Eventually I made it into the palace too. Although I chose not to take a guide, which seemed to mean that I couldn't go into a lot of the buildings sadly. Here are some photos of the outside of the buildings - very beautiful.

Love these roofs.

Ironwork on a door - everything is so ornate.

In the area surrounding the Silver Pagoda (one of the must sees) there is a building running around the courtyard with very old and damaged frescos. These were really beautiful and I would like to share some of them with you here...

Amazing details.

On I went to the Silver Pagoda and its courtyard) you cant take photos inside, so here is a photo from outside.

It is supposed to have a silver floor - but this is covered with carpet and the whole room is full of knick knacks and buddhas with no semblence of order or explanation. Soon after I left the building they closed it and I suspected I only got in as another group was there - with a guide.

Part of the courtyard around the Silver Pagoda.

Some French remnants!

By the end of my trip around it was really hot and nearly time to head back. I had a cool drink, picked up my belongings from the guest house and was soon on my way back to Siem Reap.

"There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort." - Jane Austen

"Where we love is home - home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts." - Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Random visits, a new moto, some parties and another kitten

Siem Reap sure is a popular place and soon enough another friend who I met in Namibia popped up - here organising a photography tour. It was great to catch up with her for a chat and a swim at her hotel, the lovely Golden Banana Resort . 


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This town is already providing its share of visitors, with a few more booked into the spare room!

Having had a very bad back a few weeks previous I found that riding a bicycle was really aggravating my spine and getting tuktuks and moto dops (paid lifts from moto drivers) everywhere was proving expensive, so decided the way forward was to brave the SR traffic and try a moto for myself. I had talked about it for a few weeks and a colleague's wife was selling hers so it was a good opportunity.


"Anybody can jump a motorcycle. The trouble begins when you try to land it." - Evel Knievel

The last and only time I had had a moto experience was at the age of 17 when a friend gave me a lift down Sharples Park (the road our school was on) and I was terrified. I had been on the back of a few, nervously, in Cambodia and the roads had already terrified me on a bike and here I was about to ride /buy a moto. With my back problems though I really didn't have a choice.

I rode round our market near work a few times with my friend on the back and then we headed out of town for the weekend to a fairground (mostly abandoned in the day) in order to learn the ropes. After a few incidents of me trying to break and accelerating at the same time - a moto throttle is hard work you know?! we finally managed some progress and I was allowed to ride into town.

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The traffic is crazy here, hang the rules, there are no rules of the road here. So many times I am sure my driving is correct and 'I am in the right' (which usually means I am not the one on the wrong side of the road, holding a baby and chatting on my mobile whilst one hand driving) yet I move over and give in in order to stay alive.

"Riding a motorcycle on today's highways, you have to ride in a very defensive manner. You have to be a good rider and you have to have both hands and both feet on the controls at all times." - Evel Knievel

Khmer people are born on a moto. Babies ride in mothers arms, asleep on the back of motos, and whole families squeeze onto motos. I saw a child on a medical drip on a moto in its mothers arms only yesterday. People riding side saddle, carrying huge, awkward loads, transporting live pigs and the weirdest yet was a man with a dog and guitar on his moto. Two people is usual if not below average and four people is pretty normal. I have seen babies in baskets on the front of motos, toddlers standing sleeping and holding onto the handlbars and families of six on scooters! For Khmer people the thought that foreigners aren't used to even being on a moto is weird let alone that we cant ride one. No one has a liscence and the rules of the road are sketchy at best!


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After some intense lessons I bought her and it was the best purchase ever. Very weird to go from a land rover to a Renault cleo to a suzuki step, but the best way to get around for me here.

The next few weeks were filled with fun and a few good work opportunities. I joined the committee who organises networking and speaking events for NGOs in Siem Reap and was asked to be the opening speaker for the first fundraising conference in Cambodia. 

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas A. Edison

Fun wise we had a few nights out that involved one too many frozen margaritas and broken Saturdays. One particular evening it started raining around midnight which led to the logical conclusion we must stay out until 2am. Ouch. I have also been exploring some of the nice local restaurants on the more subdued nights out and found some great spots for visitors.


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I have discovered just how cheap it can be to get your nails done (and spend the afternoon watching a film in the nailbar) and how inexpensive an amazing massage can be and that has been occupying some of my time too!

"I have a massage when I want to relax. I love being pampered. I love island massages when you're outside in the fresh air."- Angie Stone

A few bars in town have had opening nights or launch nights and parties and it seems those nights are the place to be in Siem Reap, from cocktail parties on the riverfront to (very quiet) launches of rooftop bars there has been some fun had.

I have managed to get myself another little kitten to keep number 1 happy and after initial cat politics they love one another. For the animal lovers out there a blog post dedicated to these two and their progress from scrawny to healthy will follow soon.


Can't believe how much he has grown from this little bag of bones and ears!

"The trouble with a kitten is that eventually it becomes a cat." - Ogden Nash

Sadly two colleagues have left work and Siem Reap over the last few months. So there has been some farewell parties and drinks for these muchly missed peeps. From cocktails at Raffles, to parties organised by the students my NGO works with everyone has been saying their sad goodbyes.


Viva leaving do


Raffles cocktails.

"The greatest thing about new friends is that they bring new energy to your soul" - Shanna Rodriguez

There have been more evenings at the temples riding round and taking it all in. And even a false alarm for an eclipse - we were told it was 5.30pm so rushed out to get a good vantage spot to find it was 5.30am the next morning!

"Astronomers are greatly disappointed when, having traveled halfway around the world to see an eclipse, clouds prevent a sight of it; and yet a sense of relief accompanies the disappointment." - Simon Newcomb

At the end of September there was the Pchum Ben Festival - a big time for Cambodians to spend with their families. This is like a version of Halloween, but different, cambodians take food to the pagoda for the unrested souls that in life did things so bad they were estranged from their familiesm the only way these souls can eat is if they are fed rice balls around Pchum Ben at the pagodas. This abates them for the year to come. This is a long public holiday and a time to spend with family so people end up travelling across the country to be together, like Christmas for me. I made the choice to work in order to save these days for my visitors.

"Each year, every city in the world that can should have a multiday festival. More people meeting each other, digging new types of music, new foods, new ideas. You want to stop having so many wars? This could be a step in the right direction." - Henry Rollins

After Pchum Ben came the conference and then mum arrived!