Photos from House Building Day

One of the completed houses

Some of the villagers around one of their new houses

Tegan and Emma-Jane presenting a gift (quilt) to the family who will receive one of the houses their team built. The quilts are made by Tabitha Industries, and are covered by the funds we provide for each of the houses.

Mikelah and Shalea presenting their gift to the family who live in one of the houses they built.

Serena and Alannah presenting their quilt to another family

Big smiles at the end of a constructive day (pun intended)

Photos from Tuesday in Phnom Penh

Mr Conoulty telling the parable of the lost sheep (cow)

Owen, pretending to be the lost "sheep"

Mrs Pond leading the singing

Mrs Pond doing activities with the children

New friends, with Emma-Jane

Mackenzie and Mikelah having fun with the children, as they learn the song 'Heads, shoulders, knees and toes'

More new friends, with Sam

House Building Day

Today's blog is brought to you by Mr Fowler and all of the students.

An early breakfast was enjoyed before undertaking final packing before setting off for house building. After our devotion with Mr Conoulty, we were met by Tari from Tabitha Foundation and our drivers. We were also joined by Rob, a supporter of Tabitha who joined us for the day. We were grateful for the extra hands as we were down two staff members (Miss Clarksmith and Ms Hetherington). 

We entered our two mini buses that we had for the day and set off through the morning traffic for our destination, approximately one hours drive away. As we were driving up a narrow dirt road, we noticed a group of locals standing in anticipation of our arrival. They gave us a very warm welcome and we found the platform where we were to leave our items that we had brought before being assigned to houses. We split into three groups and quickly got started with hammering the bamboo to the floors of the houses. The knee pads and mats were very handy to provide a bit of comfort to our knees, which got a heavy workout through the day. We followed the instruction of drinking lots of water and we also took advantage of the scarves that had been given to us the previous day, by dipping them into cold water and then placing around our necks. Everyone was amazed at how much sweat our bodies produced as we worked.

By the time we had our lunch break at 12 noon, we were already on our final buildings. The students performed so well in the heat, without a single complaint, even if the occasional thumb was knocked by a hammer. They were brilliant! It was not long after lunch that the final nail was hammered. Following this, we took part in a hand over ceremony, where each family was presented with a quilt from our students. We then participated in a group photo. 

As we were driving back, we decided that each student would provide a brief reflection for today's blog and also identify three highlights of the overall trip. Here they are:

Jacob - today I learnt the limitations on how much I can sweat and how amazing and rewarding it was to personally see the smiles of the house recipients.

Three highlights - Angkor Wat Temple, elephant rides, house building

Jack - today was fun. The people helped us to build their houses. My wrist hurts though - too many nails!

Three highlights - Angkor Wat temple, elephant ride, house building

James - it was great to actually help these people and to see directly and first hand what a difference the houses made to their lives.

Three highlights - Twin Towers KL, Malacca tour, Angkor Wat and elephant ride

Emma-Jane - I enjoyed building the houses today. The sweat and tears made it all worthwhile knowing that we gave a never ending gift to a family. A day ending in smiles, waves and broken communication makes me wonder how much more we can do.

Three highlights - Sunshine Centre (I love the children and their smiles), zoo in Malaysia, house building

Shalea - I enjoyed building the houses today because it gave the people hope and courage.

Three highlights - Sunshine Centre (seeing all the children laugh and smile), building houses, shopping

Alannah - building the houses was awesome and very rewarding seeing the effect we were having on the Cambodian community. 

Three highlights - elephant ride, serving through Sunshine and house building, getting to know others over fun dinners

Zoe - Today was the house building which has to be one of the best experiences of my life. It made me realise how lucky we are to live in Australia and proved you don't need lots of things to be happy.

Three highlights - getting to meet many different people (kids at Sunshine, people at house building and people at markets), getting to ride on an elephant and on a tuk tuk, falling in the pool in clothes instead of swimmers!

Tegan - today after building the houses the families who were going to receive the houses were so happy. Some of the family members even helped us. 

Three highlights - going to shopping centres and markets in Malaysia, riding the elephant and going in the tuk tuk, building the houses and meeting the people there and at the Sunshine Centre.

Mackenzie - today was great! House building was amazing and it was good to put a smile on people's faces.

Three highlights - Sunshine Centre, elephant rides, house building

Claudia - today was very hot, but it was worth it to see how happy everyone was.

Three highlights - elephant ride, house building, making new friends

Mikelah - today was so rewarding, seeing the family's faces after the handover ceremony made all the hard work seem like nothing.

Three highlights - playing with the kids at the Sunshine Centre, building the houses and seeing the families so happy, all the shopping

Kirrily - it was funny to see the contrast between the two types of people. We drenched ourselves with water, ate our lunch and were extremely tired while the villagers did none of this and didn't even begin to look worn out.

Three highlights - pressure plated escalators, socialising with the people in my room, getting to know some people I would otherwise never have met.

Sam - building the huts was hard work, but also great fun.

Three highlights - building houses, Sunshine Centre, swimming

Owen - today I enjoyed making the houses as it is always nice to put a smile on people's faces.

Three highlights - Night Markets, Sunshine Centre, house building

Serena - building those houses today was amazing and seeing the faces of the families that are going to live in them made it so rewarding. It was an awesome experience and I would definitely do it again.

Three highlights - elephant ride (never experienced anything like it), Sunshine Centre (it was so much fun playing with them), house building (very rewarding).

Tuesday in Phnom Phen

This blog has been brought to you by Mr Fowler, with the assistance of Mikelah, Shalea, Emma-Jane and Mrs Pond.

Following an appetising breakfast, featuring outstanding omlettes, the group met for our daily devotion before proceeding to our bus, to go to the Tabitha Centre. At the Centre, we were warmly greeted by Janne Ritkses, the founder of the Tabitha Foundation. We proceeded to the rooftop where we participated in an orientation session alongside a group from Alfred Deakin High School ACT, where Janne provided us with a riveting snapshot history lesson on Cambodia. The students were horrified to hear some of the accounts that she shared of the atrocities of the genocide that occurred during the reign of Pol Pot. Janne also told us about what we would be doing during our house building days and provided us with a list of rules that we must abide by while visiting the village. Some of the rules included not holding babies under the age of two otherwise parents would think that you want to take the child as payment for the houses, don't take their money or eat their food, leave your belongings on the platform provided for the group and they will not be touched by the locals - anywhere else, it is considered community property, don't react to any injuries but seek very quiet attention from an adult of the same sex, boys should not touch girls and vice versa as only people who are married touch people of the opposite sex, etc. Following our briefing session, we perused the impressive collection of silk items that had been produced at Tabitha and a number of purchases were made.

We then alighted the bus to brave the traffic as we made our way to Toul Sleng S21 Museum, a former high school that was converted to a secret prison to detain those who were thought to be traitors of Pol Pot. 22,000 people were executed at this prison. The High School was closed because Pol Pot insisted that education cease. The Khmer people needed to undertake physical work and this did not require education. We were able to view rooms where prisoners were kept and row after row of the photos of people who were detained and executed. There were signs around the buildings that you are not to smile or laugh while visiting the museum. There were also a number of information panels on the current trials taking place under the international war crimes act, where four former Khmer Rouge leaders are facing trial. This was a very sombre occasion for our group, but gave an important link to the state of poverty that still exists for so many in Cambodia.

Time for lunch and today we visited the FCC, Foreign Correspondents Club, on the riverside. This was a restaurant and meeting place for journalists during the lengthy periods of unrest in Cambodia and still operates today as a public cafe. We were able to sample a range of items from their menu.

The highlight of our day was, without a doubt, our visit to the Sunshine Centre. Our College has been supporting Sunshine Cambodia for many years now and our visit to Phnom Penh provided an opportunity for students and staff to see first hand the operation and wonderful work of the centre. As we were arriving, the rain started to bucket down. It was so heavy, that it was not possible to talk to the children, who were sitting in straight lines in their main meeting area. The rain was not going to let up, so the staff found a PA system to set up. Mr Conoulty led a short devotion on the lost sheep (adapted for the local audience by changing the animal to a lost cow). Our students played the role of cows and Owen became our lost cow. We then sang songs with the children and played some games with music. Following this, we then presented the gifts that we had brought them from our Service Week program along with the ample supply of skipping ropes and extensive stationery supplies. They were delighted with these gifts which will be put to great use. Our team greatly enjoyed the opportunity to play games and dance with the children. It was certainly a wonderful opportunity for them to think about how they can bring happiness to the lives of other people.

Due to the downpour, some roads were a bit flooded as we were leaving Sunshine, and we had to jump a number of very large puddles. From there, we visited a supermarket to buy some lunch and snack supplies for our house building day. Back to the hotel and then off to another restaurant for dinner. This time, we we dined at the Tamarind restaurant which served a combination of middle eastern and local cuisines. We also had a table on the rooftop of the restaurant and were joined by Ms Hetherington as Mrs Pond had tag-teamed with her at the hospital.

A speedy return to the hotel with our very friendly tuk tuk drivers brought the evening to a close. All ready for an early start for our house building day.

Photos Traditional Dancing and Dinner

Waiting for dinner

Iced tea was nice but the drink on the left tasted remarkably like Listermint and a touch of disprin.

Entree.

One of the musicians. Such gentle music.

Dancing. Note the flexibility in their hands and feet.

Soup.  Looks mysterious - tastes delicious.

Coconut dance.

Peacock dance.

Photos from Temple Run Day

Getting up close to the locals.

Elephant ride anyone?

Sometimes the journey is as much fun as the destination.

Claudia outside Baphuon Temple

Jack and Zoe approeciating the view fron the temple

Temple entrance gate

Mr. Phan explains

Group photo outside Angkor Wat  - look at the reflection.

(Mr Phan knew all the good photo locations)

Angkor Wat - spectacular

Monkeys are cute but naughty. You can't see the cardigan they stole from a tourist in this shot.

Ta Prohm Temple - famous for Angelina Jolie 's 2001 movie, Tomb Raider.

Mrs Pond channeling Angelina

Siem Reap to Kompong Thom photos

View from the bus.

Lunch - in a pineapple

View from our restaurant

Definitely bogged

Temple at Sambor Prei Kuk (Lion Temple, two lion - as our lovely guides pointed out with such enthusiam)

Some of our guides with their silk scarves for sale - you buy?

Gem (not Jemima or termite mound) is on the left.

Yes.  There is a temple under that tree

Dinner at Run Amok - and it tasted fantastic!

Waiter! More ice. (Within minutes of the snake bite)

Kompong Thom to Phonm Penh

Miss Clarksmith spent a rather uncomfortable night with a swollen leg packed in ice before we loaded up the bus and headed off to the capital city of Phonm Penh. The journey for her was difficult because of the bumpy road and traffic, and she was quite relieved to see a wheel chair waiting for her as we arrived at the Royal Rattanak Hospital. Here Miss Clarksmith had to undergo many, many tests so that the exact nature of the venom and its impacts could be assessed. Rest assured that she is in good hands with very comfortable surroundings. The food is pretty good here and the selection of gourmet meals is impressive. She is very disappointed that she will be unable to participate in the rest of the trip and will miss out on our visit to Sunshine Cambodia and the house building. Your prayers for her recovery will be much appreciated.  

After dropping Miss Clarksmith and Mr Fowler at the hospital, the group proceeded to the Hotel Cambodiana for check in. At this point we farewelled our wonderful guide, Mr Phan, and met the next guide for our next phase of the trip. After settling into our impressively sized rooms with very comfortable beds, we proceeded to the Royal Palace. We learnt that the long time revered former King Norodom Sihanouk died in October last year and his grandson has become the new king, King Norodom Sihamoni. The palace grounds were immaculately kept, with manicured lawns and gardens. Monkeys also wandered various parts of the gardens and were even seen to chase one of our group. The various buildings in the palace grounds were highly decorated, with generous gold gilding both inside and out. A particular feature of the visit was the Silver Pagoda, which included fifty tonnes of silver within the floor tiles, each of which were solid silver. 

Following our palace tour, we proceeded to the Sisowath Quay to commence a sunset cruise on the mighty Mekong River. As we were alighting the boat, it was apparent that, despite the time of day, it was not going to be a sunset cruise after all, but a storm cruise. The group was able to spend the first five to ten minutes on the rooftop before torrents of rain effectively blocked the view of the city skyline. Despite the rain, it was a most enjoyable experience for the group.

Mr Lim then returned us to the hotel, where we departed for our dinner restaurant experience. We travelled to the Lemongrass Restaurant by tuk tuks, which was a novel and exciting experience for all. The restaurant served sumptuous food, with many choosing delicious satay skewers. Following this, the return trip to the hotel featured a healthy competition between the tuk tuks about who would avoid the traffic to get to the hotel first, which resulted in great hilarity as the lead tuk tuk was held up in traffic.

After a long day, the group were keen to get to their very comfy beds and enjoyed a settled night.

Siem Reap to Kompong Thom

After a smooth checkout and a wave goodbye to our lovely Prince d'Angkor Hotel we packed our luggage onto the bus (to the roof in some places) and headed off to Kompong Thom in central Cambodia.  

The journey is approximately 100 km south along Cambodia's national highway.  We were all surprised at the chaotic nature of the traffic and the wide variety of vehicles travelling the two-lane route, although a times we were funnelled into one lane. Seems like the NSW RMS don't have a monopoly on that at all. We saw motorcyclists laden with extraordinarily large loads of baskets, pots and pans, plants, people and a wide variety of farm animals. Pigs and chickens were very common. Other traffic included ponies and motorcycles pulling carts, foot traffic, bicycles, water buffalo drawn vehicles, 4WDs, cars, tourist laden buses and all manner and size of trucks. Many of the vehicles had passengers added atop precarious loads, a bit like a hay ride for some I would imagine, and one heavily laden truck also had a hammock slung across the back with a sleeping passenger.

The scenery too was varied and also gave a great insight into how people lived outside of the tourist centres. Houses, markets, schools and other buildings lined most of the roadway but we were treated to some spectacular rural scenery and postcard perfect scenes in the rice paddies. I really liked seeing some of the farmers in ponds washing down their water buffalo who really seemed to be enjoying the back rub. Every now and then we encountered an election rally - very noisy and detrimental to traffic flow. The participants all wear the same coloured shirts and wave their party flags whilst sitting three astride on motorbikes or crammed onto the back of utes and trucks.  Enormous speakers ensure that all and sundry get the message at the rally, and several blocks away.  

Cambodian children generally start school at around 7 am and finish at 11 am then head off home for lunch. Quite often we encountered the end of school traffic rush and congestion, although mainly bicycles rather than cars, and the students looked so sweet in their uniforms.

Our lunch stop was at a lovely open air restaurant overlooking rice paddies. There was some enticing local fare on the menu, curries, stir fries and soups, much of which came beautifully presented inside pineapples, banana leaves or coconut shells. Many, however, chose chicken and chips and a few in our party are clearly longing for some more familiar cooking.

After lunch we went off road for a one hour trip to the Sambor Pre Kuk temple complex deep in the forest. There are more than 100 structures here scattered around and dating to the early 7th century.  Many have unfortunately suffered from time, neglect and bombing. One temple at the eastern gate has been spectacularly ripped apart by an ancient tree and there are several bomb craters evident amongst the ruins. We were followed around by a group of children who must regularly follow tourists around the site. As soon as they saw our bus they hopped on their bikes and pedalled furiously to keep pace. As soon as we disembarked each of us found ourselves with one or two little guides who made themselves known to us and wanted to know a little bit about us. The boys all seemed quite taken with being referred to as Mr. Handsome by the children. Our guides were quick to point out hazards such as tree roots and uneven paths and also showed us the bomb craters and gave us some information on the site. Miss Clarksmith was convinced her guides name was Jemima until I was pointed out that the young girl had been indicating termite mound - not really easy to see how the two words could be confused but it would be much clearer to you if you could hear the accent. At the end of our visit we all bought ridiculous quantities of scarves from the children who were all very eager to make a sale. Look for them when we return! We also shared Minties with the children and had we known that the chorus of "You buy. One dollar", "From the bomb" and "Watch out madam, tree root" was so easily stemmed by lollies, we might have shared them earlier.  

The road to and from the temple complex was in a varied state of repair and had clearly been washed away in some areas. In a couple of places we encountered bogged vehicles and watched as a truck reversed quickly and smashed into a bogged truck in order to clear it from the road. We all had to get off our bus to lighten the load and it took a bit of a run up to clear one of the hazards along the way. It was quite exciting and also quite bumpy.  

We made it to our villas in Kompong Thom late in the afternoon and spent some time relaxing by the pool. The rooms were surrounded by lovely lush vegetation and there were several frog ponds around the complex and during the evening they made quite a noise. Dinner was just around the corner at a lovely little restaurant owned by a former New Zealander and his Cambodian wife. We were treated to some freshly prepared pizzas, burgers and fries in the small family run place. They were not used to such large group numbers so we had plenty of time to sit around, enjoy each other's company and watch the little geckos work hard to keep the insects away from us.  

Unfortunately, following our lovely day there was an incident when Miss Clarksmith, on her evening rounds checking each of the villas, was bitten by a snake. The snake was not sighted but it was very painful for her immediately and it became clear very quickly that it was not simply an insect bite. A trip to the local hospital reassured us that the snake bite was not venomous, however, the venom was causing a reaction and swelling. The hospital staff were helpful and efficient and our tour guide was an able translator as Mr Fowler, the hotel staff and medical staff crammed into the treatment room so that none of the action would be missed. Miss Clarksmith put her foot down, not literally, however, when it came time for the injection of pain killers, and the room was cleared.

Temple Run Day - Siem Reap

Today's post is brought to you by Mrs Pond...

I had been waiting for this day to come, as seeing one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World really excited me. So with anticipation and excitement I headed down to the dining room to join my fellow RHAC Temple Runners! After a sumptuous breakfast of French toast, eggs, bacon, toast and cool pineapple juice, truly a breakfast fit for the likes of Angelina Jolie, we embarked on our Tomb Raider/Temple Run inspired day.

 

We departed the hotel on our little bus at 8am. The temperature was still quite cool (approx. 25 degrees), beautiful clear blue skies and an esky full of ice cold water would set us up for a great day of exploring. Our guide, Mr Phan (Pun) was cheerful and his usual greeting of "Good morning and Good luck" followed by his little eye roll and chuckle reassured us that a day of fun awaited us.

Ten minutes later we arrived at the ticket check point where we all disembarked to have our photo ID ticket made before beginning the Temple tour. Organised chaos is one way of describing the process. Back on the bus, count off, 1,2,3,4 .....19,20 woohoo! All present and accounted for, we were off on the adventure of a lifetime. 

The tour began with a ride on elephant back through the grand South Gate into the last capital of the Khmer empire, the ancient city of Angkor Thom, which is home to the first four destinations on our temple run. We sat like Kings and Queens atop padded seats and royal looking elephant blankets as we swayed or lurched along with the plodding of the elephant. The master of each animal played a leaf whistle as we journeyed and this song certainly added to the ambiance.  

  

Thirty minutes later we reached our first temple - The Bayon Temple. An impressive structure and as with all the temples we visited, was surrounded by a moat. These moats were once filled with crocodiles to ensure the security of the temple area. They now only contain friendly fish. This temple was built 800 years ago by the Buddhist king Jayavarman VII. It took 20 years to build and has incredible carvings of everyday life in Cambodia in the 12th century. Another defining feature of this grand structure are the four sided towers which depict Buddha, Brahma, Siva and Vishnu. Interestingly this king brought together the Hindu and Buddhist followers in the one temple. During 1117 many of the temple's statues were defaced by decapitation and removal of the hands during wars with the invading Muslim people from the east (now known as Vietnam and no longer a Muslim nation). These removed parts were often traded to Thailand and some have been returned to Cambodia and are now displayed in various museums. 

After a few of us posed for nose rub kissing with the Buddha face we continued on foot to the Baphuon temple, which was built 1000 years ago and was an equally impressive structure. This temple had us climbing extremely steep stairs (more like a ladder than stairs) to view the top levels and enjoy the extensive view of the grounds. The temple was commissioned by a Hindu king, Yudityavaraman II, and took 10 years to build. 

Site number three was the Elephant Terraces which were used as training facilities for the armies and also for praying. The carvings on the terrace span 350m consisting of many, many elephants which are considered good luck. 

As the heat of the day intensified the sweat began to drip, then pour off many! Preah Khan was our last stop before our much desired lunch stop. This temple was built by king Jayavarman VII for his father. It took 5 years to build and was completed in 1191.

Ooh the refreshing feel of air-conditioning! Lunch was a delightful three course meal of spring rolls, steamed fish and delicious local fruits and ice-cream. The freshly squeezed juices were also tantalising to the taste buds.

Back on the bus, fizzing coke exploded into my lap - awesome! Hot, sweaty and sticky :(. Lucky Mr Phan to the rescue with some cool water to rinse off.  

After a short ride we reached Angkor Wat built by king Suryavaraman II who reigned from 1113-52. I was quietly thrilled - well maybe not so quietly ...

This structure is massive! It is surrounded by a 190m wide moat and forms a giant rectangle (1.3km x 1.5km). It is hard to put into words my elation at being at this temple. Just to be in a 1000 year old temple and imagine the 100's of 1000's of people in so many eras to pass through this temple is utterly mind blowing, let alone the man power required to create it in the first place. 

All the temples were built using stone blocks transported from Siem Reap over 40km away. No trucks, no cranes just people, elephants and rafts! The enormity of the task is hard to comprehend especially at Angkor Wat. This temple took 40 years to complete. It has five main towers. The central tower is the holy tower and is surrounded by the four corner towers representing the elements, earth, fire, wind and water.  

The ground level of the temple is easily accessible, however, a small group of enthusiasts braved the steep staircase and headed to the upper levels for further temple run style exploration. The wall carvings are in such pristine condition in some parts you would think they were only completed recently.  

After leaving the temple we came across many wild monkeys (just like in Temple Run only these little guys didn't chase us down or attack us) with very cute mohawks - Mikelah thought that her little brother Cooper would have loved their hair style. When we reached the bus we had been swamped by local people trying to sell their wares. Scarves, bracelets, books, postcards all for " $1 - you buy madam, $1 you buy, I give good price, you want bracelet, you want bag...." A shopping experience many of us will not forget.

Our last stop on the Official RHAC Temple Run was the much anticipated Ta Prohm temple which was the site for the movie Tomb Raider. Now this was certainly a temple with a difference. The tree roots that were so interwoven into the architecture looked like giant squid tentacles embracing many walls and doorways. King Jayavarman VII built this temple as a gift for his Mother. It took only five years to complete. Fantastic photo opportunities were around every corner and many in our group showed their inner Angelina, posing for shots that are worthy of Hollywood recognition! The heat at this point was extremely intense. My guess would be that the mercury would have been hovering around the 35+ mark and the humidity somewhere in the 80's. So, it was time to head home to Siem Reap, back on the bus ice cold water awaited us - so thankful for the esky today. 

A sleepy bus ride back to town was followed by a quick swim for some, game of billiards for others and a cold shower for many. 

The evening saw us heading to the Night Market and then a stroll to our dinner restaurant the Sugar Palm. Delicious food, good company and conversations flowed. 

What a day! My favourite so far. Nothing beats the experiences that challenge you both physically and mentally, and today sure ticked those boxes. I feel so very blessed to be able to explore this wonderful world as part of my job. 

KL to Siem Reap

Today's post is brought to you by Miss Clarksmith and Ms Hetherington...

An early start today, as we needed to be dressed, all packed, breakfasted and on the bus by 8.30am ready for our commute in Friday morning traffic (the heaviest traffic day of the week) to KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport). After five flights of escalators we made it to our check in counter. It was a smooth run through all the airport checks (apart from the man at the check-in counter who was convinced Emma-Jane and Shalea were twins and that Miss Clarksmith had something to hide - hence the pat down searches). In our wing of the airport there were very few people. It was almost eerily quiet, but it turns out this section of the airport is only for short international flights. 

Some of the staff were VERY glad to find some real coffees, brewed by no less than Harrods. The flight to Siem Reap provided the opportunity for some quiet time, reflection, reading and thinking about our week ahead in Cambodia. The flight was brought to an end with a very loud thud as we hit the run way, and some screams followed. A bit like on a roller coaster ride really. Walking off the plane onto the tarmac was quite a shock. There is nothing that could prepare you for the wall of heat, even coming from the heat of Malaysia, or the humidity which was akin to being hit in the face with a wet tea towel. 

Our e visas worked a treat and saved so much time, we were very glad to have them and not stand in the lengthy queues for the regular visas. We were met at the airport by our new guide, Mr Phan and our bus which was decorated in a uniquely Cambodian style with very colourful curtains and had the standard safety feature of all Cambodian vehicles - a loud horn. We all climbed into the bus and our bags were packed into a truck for the ride to our hotel, Prince D'Angkor. The experience of being on the roads in Cambodia was a whole new experience. It appears that any road rules are there as a guide only, and it is really about survival of the fittest (or biggest). There are constant close calls, and lots and lots of driving on the wrong side of the road if other vehicles are not travelling fast enough. Motorbikes are everywhere and it is common to see a whole family travelling on the one bike, all loaded up. Cars too can be packed full of people. Safety does not feel like it is the highest priority in Cambodia and there are many things that present as concerns, that would never be permitted in Australia. Thankfully though, traffic does not move quite as quickly as it does in Australia and this must assist in avoiding accidents. 

We were delighted to walk into our cool hotel which was richly decorated in timber and had spacious rooms. It wasn't long before the whole group was poolside and enjoying a swim, although a tropical thunderstorm caused an early end to this activity. 

A quick trip to the supermarket allowed everyone to stock up on snacks and drinking water and to become acquainted with some of the local delicacies, many of which you would not see in an Australian supermarket. Bananas can only be purchased by the hand (see Mrs Pond if you would like some), prawns individually, if you were happy enough to fish them out of the iced water, and a wide variety of nuts, dried fruit and dried fish. 

Our evening meal was at a local restaurant that showcased both traditional dancing and traditional food. The restaurant seated about forty people and it felt as if the show being staged was just for us.  The dancers wore traditional costumes and were accompanied by musicians playing Cambodian musical instruments. The dancers movements were very delicate and controlled but there was a fair degree of humour in the stories being told in the Peacock, Coconut, Fisherman's and Apsara dances. At the same time we were being served a four course meal that gave us a real taste of the local fare and the delicate combinations of Cambodian flavours. Spring rolls, soup, rice paddy fish wrapped in banana leaves and less traditional slices of citrus and chocolate tart.

Photos from Crab Island and the blue mosque

Departing Port Klang

Our boat, ready to take us to Crab Island

Arriving at Crab Island

Crab Island

Houses on Crab Island

Houses on Crab Island

Local transport - no cars on the island

The markets