More tales from Cambodia...

I arrived back into Cambodia late August, finished off a few days consultancy at the old job and got settled into freelance life. Its interesting trying to find the work, life, finance, fun, time for each business aspect, finding new business balance, but also really interesting to learn about too. I am enjoying the new lifestyle, new tasks and learning, so this has definitely been a good move.

"Learning never exhausts the mind." - Leonardo da Vinci

My new 'office mates' are interesting and like to hog the desk, but its nice working from home, or cafes and getting a different balance of quiet work time mixed up with visits to NGOs.

Within the first couple of weeks I had a visit out into the countryside, which was lovely - and great to get out into the fresher parts of Siem Reap.

Aside from work, life has been ticking along at quite the usual pace with a few nights out...

 

...a networking at Raffles and a couple of art shows, soft openings of bars, ethical cafes...

...a  night out listening to someone talk about his life experiences and Aboriginal traditions and a night out watching a presentation on Nepal - as I am off there at the end of this week for work and some fun!!

"Nepal is a beautiful country with a lot of holy places. I also like the country because it's close to the Himalayas. According to Hindu mythology, that's the abode of Lord Shiva." - Kailash Kher

In the last couple of months I have also explored renting a farm (simply as it came on the market and looked awesome), but decided against it as it was a long way out of town on a muddy road, which could have been pretty dark to travel back to alone at night.  I did take a ride out there to take a look at whereabouts it was, and it just wouldn't work, but on the way we saw an old temple (Wat Athvea) that I didn't even know existed, and enjoyed some countryside riding.

In any case, a local food cooperative has just opened with fresh veggies and eggs you get given in a nest of straw, so having my own self sufficient veggie garden and chickens can definitely go on hold until I have a stronger back!

"Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you're a thousand miles from the corn field." - Dwight D. Eisenhower

I was also lucky enough to win a tattoo voucher at a Charity Quiz a month or so ago. I was so determined to win that voucher and I did! So I finally (after years of deliberating) decided what I wanted....

.....and here it is....

/oeh!'hau!'hau (Zebra in San)

“Wear your heart on your skin in this life.” 
― Sylvia Plath

“I want a tattoo over my heart that reads TRY HARDER YOU LAZY PARAMEDIC SHITBAG OR I WILL HAUNT YOUR BEDROOM FOREVER” 
― Warren Ellis

[Just an idea for next time ;)]

The start of something new...

I moved to Cambodia for work in June 2014 and was overwhelmed by how friendly people were. Cambodia is super different from the UK and from Namibia and sometimes it can be confusing to know whats going on, where to buy things, or whats appropriate culturally etc. That said, there is always someone to help you out and show you the ropes and all in all life here is pretty good.

Way back in 2014 when I arrived at the airport I was picked up by a couple of new colleagues, taken to my hotel and then out for dinner. Picked up the next day and taken to work so I could be sure where it was and given a really warm welcome from everyone working there. In the first week I was taken out for dinner, helped to buy a bike and when I went to find a permanent house my manager even helped negotiate my contract there.

The Khmer culture is very warm and welcoming and people do their best to make sure everyone is included. The organisation I joined refers to our colleagues as 'family' and once a part of that family always a part. When visitors come to meet us or friends of friends come to stay I have never known a culture who rallies round so much to make sure things go smoothly. So many people have been involved in our organisation over the years I found that mentioning where I was working opened doors smoothly to new friends who are also part of the same 'family'.

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart." - Helen Keller

Whilst sometimes there are cultural or linguistic misunderstandings and life and work are never 100% plain sailing, I can 100% say I have had some great colleagues and made some great friends.

However, having worked in the same organisation for around 2 years it was time for change. I had explored freelance work when I left Namibia, but couldn't quite make it work, practically, at the time and then saw the role in Cambodia. Working in the development sector I have met some really interesting people who have chosen to go it alone, follow their dreams and set up something of meaning to them and the community they are working in.  I find that Cambodia is a real hot bed of ideas, innovations, social enterprises and people stepping out on their own. This, combined with watching our students all pursuing their dreams and working hard, and being in the right place myself led me to my next step.

So,  as of the start of August I chose to step out on my own, working with NGOs and foundations, doing some consulting and some training and sharing my professional knowledge to a wider audience. I am hoping to be able to collaborate with more organisations and share my knowledge as I learn from them too. Working in collaboration with our strengths to help amazing causes succeed.

From the start of August I was lucky enough to be begin a 6 month part time contract with an awesome US foundation. My role there is to help the NGOs they support in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam with their strategy, communications and fundraising, reporting to donors, deepening relationships and identifying new NGOs to work with - among other things! The rest of my time will be spent freelancing and training and I already have a couple of things lined up here too.

I'm really excited to make my new move and hope this will be the next step professionally and also allow for a better work life balance too!

"Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present." - Jim Rohn

A flying blighty visit

The last month or so had been really tough, aside from my back relapsing, I had managed to get sick (tummy bugs, colds etc) or injured a few times - including cutting my hand right open on a broken glass and having to rush (at Cambodian tuktuk driver pace) to hospital to be cleaned and sewn up... 

The bandage was excessive and as I said to the nurse, I can't tell people I did this on a broken glass 'Big bandage needs big story' - still working on a better story! - maybe I should tie it into the time that warthog threw me into a cactus, or the day the cheetah got out...

Aside from illness and injury lots of people were leaving work, work was very busy and there was lots of other work and life things going on. Sometimes you just know that for no particular reason you are out of sync with everything, and it feels like everything you touch turns to crap - that's where I was. But sometimes to get back in sync, heal and get back on track, the only way is through the rough patch- and I was pleased that this period was coming to an end....

The lotus - revered as it grows from the deep, dark depths of muddy pools and manages to come out so beautiful.

I landed at Manchester about two and a half days after I set off. The stress, lugging bags and inability to lie down for most of it did not do my back any good. For the first time in years mum had decided to pick me up, which was amazing. I dragged myself through arrivals and fell into a hug, the car, and then bed.

"Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in." - Robert Frost

Jet lag heading to the UK isn't so bad for me, generally means early nights and mornings, heading to Cambodia usually means I can't sleep at night and can't wake up in the morning. One odd thing though is that in Cambodia it is usually dark at 6/6.30pm. In the UK summer time it can stay light until 10pm - that's a sure fire way to mess up your body clock! At around 9.30pm every night my body was just gearing up to do something new and it was bed time - funny business!

"All too often, when people don't know where they are, have jet lag, don't speak the language, and can't figure out the money or maintain intestinal regularity, they get hostile." - Mary-Lou Weisman

[and that's just me in the UK!]

I was lucky not to be as critical health wise as I had been last time, but very much waiting on doctors appointments and was on an emergency cancellation list. Pain and appointments limited my movements a fair bit. 

That said, in the 6ish weeks I was home I managed to pack in a few things.....

Medically I had several chiropractors appointments, an assessment and another spinal injection - ouch, but effective.

Family wise we had a get together celebrating me, my cousin and my uncle being home at the same time (we all work live overseas) only my cousin couldn't make the party as he was at a festival, the week after the family celebrated his 30th and I couldn't make that as I was at a party - even when we are around its still hard! We also had my other uncles birthday and some nice days of family time, including a lovely meal out just before I left to come back to Cambodia.

Mum and I managed to catch up with a few people and have a couple of day trips to local places and closeby towns like Manchester, Ramsbottom, Ribchester, Barton Grange to do some shopping, have nice lunches, explore and catch up with friends. We also managed to get a few nice walks in - especially during the heatwave - things were bordering on Cambodia temps!

Manchester street art.

It was also nice to catch up with the girls from school (and a couple of other northern friends) and celebrate a new baby and three new homes. I sadly missed out on a wedding though which would have been lovely to attend, but some of my back treatment had left me feeling pretty shabby.

I made it down to London a couple of times too, managing to be the first guest in my besties house - literally the day the movers dropped everything off - I waste no time! Much was still in boxes and the builders were still working on the place, but it was really special to share that time. I also made it down there for the official house warming party and loved catching up with so many people. Over that time I also managed a day festival of a good friends birthday and a food festival, along with meeting new babies, catching up with uni friends and their kids and some chill outs and chats.

  Birthday festival (amazing what several tons of sand, some beers, DJs and pyrotechnics can do to London's business hub!)

Its looking back on pics like this that makes me miss home and these peeps - and being a long way away when there are two weddings in Santorini this month - huge congrats to the gorgeous couples!

In other news I found a bottle of the best SA wine and some biltong on my travels to London - which kept my inner Namibian happy - amazing!

The end of July also saw my transition into a new opportunity which I look forward to sharing more on next time.....

So, soon it was time for me to pack my bags, haul myself on several planes and finally make it back to my other home and be greeted by these two fuzz balls...

"Time spent with cats is never wasted." - Sigmund Freud

52 hours from A to B!

In June I started having more problems with my back. After the moto accident last time I limped on too long, and by the time I was able to get to see the chiropractor things were a long way down a line I didn't want to be. So, with new things on the horizon in other areas of my life, and the sensation that whilst I was healing, something was still out of place,   I decided it was the right time to head back to the UK and see my chiropractor who know my body in order to get sorted before things got worse.

I made the decision on a Thursday and was due to fly on Monday. Luckily I had a friend moving into the flat for a few days in any case and another friend who was able to look after the cats - thankfully! 

I got to the airport at 9pm on Monday, and just after everyone had left me and I joined the queue the flight was cancelled. I headed home, and tried again the following morning. We finally set off for Shanghai, but again due to bad weather could not land. We flew on to Hangzhou and landed there around 3pm. The airport, though international, clearly didn't take many flights and definitely was not expecting us. I arrived at the immigration desk and declared I had no visa - luckily I was not on my own. The immigration man was rather shocked and called in his colleagues, the pilot was in the airport by then and explained and 3 hours later we had temporary visas and a mediocre hotel organised. The poor people in the hotel weren't expecting us either and there was a lot of confusion over rooms, food, wifi, what we were entitled to or not, and what on earth would happen tomorrow.

"Sometimes it's the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination." - Drake

There were 11 of us in total, an older Khmer Canadian lady and her son, who were sat next to me on the way and had limited travel experience, so adopted me to make sure they would get where they needed to be too. At one point, I managed to say I was tired in Khmer and instantly got a slab of dry mango (more delicious than it sounds) thrust in my hand, which kept me going for the next few hours. There was also a lovely Mexican couple on honeymoon (the guy helped me a lot with my bags as he overheard about my back, which was massively appreciated). Three early twenties backpackers. A guy who had been living up in Poipet on building projects. A Russian lady and her son, leaving SR for the last time after a divorce (they could have lived without the stress of the journey), and me (with a bad back and who could also have lived without the flight issues!).

Once we had finally got into our rooms I managed to get through to my travel agent in the UK and he reassured me that I would not have to pay for flights again, he also booked me onto the flight the following day and told me just to head to the desk of the airline to pick up the information the next day, which was a huge reassurance. I can thoroughly recommend the service at STA Travel, Manchester.

I finally got to bed around midnight and was up again around 4am. We headed to the airport and got to the desk and started to try and explain we were on a flight the day before that had landed unexpectedly and needed to get back on it to get to Shanghai. The people on the desks had no idea what was going on, and the 11 of us started to get a bit worried about what was going to happen next. Eventually we got boarding passes and made it through to the plane and landed in Shanghai an hour later.

Once we landed everyone was rushing to various flight operators to sort out their ongoing flights and we all went our separate ways - a part of me is still concerned though that someone is stuck in China!!

I got to the desk for my airline and after much confusion and insistence I was on that days flights I was finally given a piece of paper with some flight number on it. It too 2 hours to check in and I got to the gate as the flight was boarding, only to sit on the tarmac for an hour and a half. Eventually we set off and may hours later, and work from various planes and airports, I was in Manchester, truly thankful to have landed.

"Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home." - Matsuo Basho

So, early July saw me back in blighty for a few weeks. A couple of days after landing I was in with the chiropractor and neurosurgeon and things with my back started moving forward and the news was pretty positive.

The next few weeks were spent with finishing up my old job and starting my new venture. Some family time, and friend time, which was a lovely added bonus. 

[ps: airports are boring places, and this was pretty stressful, hence no photos!]

Templation staycation

And just in case all that fun over Khmer New Year wasn't enough...

Some days you are just lucky! One weekend a friend of a friend had won a couple of nights stay at a lovely hotel - Templation. As she couldn't use it she passed it on to our mutual friend who kindly shared it with me !

So we had a staycation, absolutely lovely!

Friday night relaxing, a few cocktails and a night out dancing in town....

...Saturday it finally rained and we had a great swim...

 ....before a friends leaving do and dinner out.... 

....and then a chilled morning by the pool....

  

...too good not to share!

"We all dream a lot - some are lucky, some are not. But if you think it, want it, dream it, then it's real. You are what you feel." - Tim Rice

Khmer New Year - Koh Thonsay (aka Rabbit Island)

Next day we jumped on a boat to Koh Thonsay - locally known as Rabbit Island, as the shape of the island is supposed to be that of a rabbit.

There were about 10 boats all heading out that way, the boat ride is really exposed, so we covered up for the half hour ride out there.

Nearly there.

We landed, hopped off the boat and found some wooden sun loungers in the shade to lie on and read our books. The view was lovely and it was great to have some relax time in such a stunning spot.

"It is nice finding that place where you can just go and relax." - Moises Arias

I had a walk down the beach and a dip in the sea. I also checked out the VIP shacks - 2 beds and a bathroom for $15 a night. Pretty fancy considering!

We had a quick stop off for lunch, and I shared my fish with some of the local cats - all had strange tortoise-shell markings. Like half grey tabby and half tortie.

Soon it was time to head back, we had to wait some time in the boats for everyone and it was then I started to notice my legs were a little warm. I had stayed in the shade all day, so surely couldnt be that burned?!

Soon we were heading back to the main land...

...and not long later the sun was going down.

Soon enough it was clear I had burned - t took a week for the blisters to come out and they were the size of saucers! Second degree burns - so painful. I definitely need to go from being super careful to being super super careful!!

Ouch!

Keep out of the sun and definitely take a trip to Rabbit Island, its an amazing place! 

"My dream is to go spend a week on some island with no phone." - Cara Delevingne

Khmer New Year - Kep

As we headed to Kep and throughout Kep there are some really lovely old buildings all from the French Colonial period and abandoned once the Khmer Rouge regime took hold. Some of them are still owned and some being done up - if and when they are restored they will be stunning!

"I wish people could have seen what they called our mansion. They would have been so disappointed, because it was just an old house that we fixed up, and I love the old house." -Tammy Faye Bakker

We were staying in a nice little hotel called the Beach House, lovely fresh blue, seaside 'ocean feeling' rooms.

We arrived at the end of Khmer New Year, so there were lots of families still down from Phnom Penh, so the coast line was really packed with families in hammocks and dipping their toes in the sea.

"In a crowded marketplace, fitting in is a failure. In a busy marketplace, not standing out is the same as being invisible." - Seth Godin

A day or so later everything was much calmer...

Kep is not massive, and there isn't a huge amount to do here, but its lovely for a few days R'n'R and some seafood.

We headed to the Sailing Club for cocktails and a few tunes - as we knew the DJ.

The Kampot area - just down the road is famous for growing pepper and Kep is famous for its crab shacks. The atmospheres arent so glam, but the foods amazing! Our favourity was the Diamond Jasmine. And we did find the less glam looking the crab shack - the better the food!

Crab and fresh pepper.

"A pound of Alaskan king crab legs and buffalo shrimp = happy Travie." - Travie McCoy

We also had prawn krueng (a type of curry paste) and rice - of course!

On the way back we also checked out the local market, where they had lots of dried fish....

...dried squid...

...dried shrimp...

...and pepper.

There weer also lots of stalls BBQing...

....a lovely little town an just a short sail away from Rabbit Island, where we went the next day...