Monday, January 14, 2008

Phnom Penh

Hello Dearies,

Since Angkor Wat I have enjoyed many adventures, beginning with a looong boat ride across the Tonle Sap River to Battambang. I was safely collected by my cousin Patty on her motorbike and was transported to the NGO where she has been working for the past 10 months. The org is Saboras, and they are currently running three projects, a community bank program, Child Safe program and training for young people into vocations (Patty, please comment if I've got this wrong!). We went out at the local ex-pat bar for dinner with some of Patty's mates. Next morning we joined a Khmer cooking class where we learned three local dishes... very yummy but a bit spicy! Then we caught a taxi from Battambang to Phnom Penh (ohmigosh, did I pray! Taxies in Cambodia are bloody scary, but we survived the journey - I might get a t-shirt made!).
We stayed at the Golden Gate Hotel, a nice break from budget accomodation, and I headed out to the Killing Fields and S21 museum while Patty went to a meeting. No words can describe the experience really...
That evening, met up with more of Patty's friends and had drinks at élsewhere' bar and a little shopping spree. Then had dinner at Romdeng, a restaurant that trains street kids in hospitality. Feel good dinner!
Next morning I took the bus to Kratie then a moto out to see the fabulous and rare Irrawaddy dolphins. The dolphins surfaced around the boat while we tried to capture them in photograph! I think I got one or two in the end. The sunset over the Mekong was absolutely gorgeous. Headed back to Phnom Penh the next day and have spent today at the museum, royal palace, silver pagoda, Wat Phnom, and central markets (Pa's birthday is soon!!).
Gotta run to pick up passport and Vietnam visa for tomorrow!
Love Chelle

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