Hi there, thanks for coming.
I was given an empty journalling book before I left and I thought I'd setup this blog to share some of the entries in it.

So we left Brisbane, see. Ten to Saturday was the flight, last of the night. Mark and Emma, Mum, and Steve came to see Lara and I off; it was great to laugh with them for the last time in a while.

Hmm... don’t know if this Tiger Beer is actually better than I thought it would be, or if the fan breeze and coolness of the ale is fooling me.

OK so we hopped a 777-200 Singapore Airlines flight to Singapore and spend three hours meandering around the airport before catching our A320 Silk Air to Phnom Penh. Lara and I had to check out and back in again at Singapore because we have Brisbane à London tickets, but that was easy enough. There’s free Internet access at Changi airport so I shot Mark off a quicky to let him know we weren’t dead yet.

Oooh my mutton saag has just arrived, back in a bit.

Well we’ve been in Cambodia for half a day and I have to mention how easy it is to notice the obvious fact that we’re visiting an entirely different culture Going through the customs/visa/declarations deal was rather inefficient in terms of paperwork, and the officers looking over the documents were dressed in full military official uniform and were unemotional and full of importance.. Driving from the airport to the hotel is really what drove home that we had yes stepped off a plane thousands of miles away. The trip was like filming a documentary: no rules or regulations with regards to driving merely suggestions that are followed perhaps 60-70% of the time. Scooters everywhere carrying everything from a lady riding side-saddle carrying a large crate, to another carrying 2 double mattresses (quite a feat!), to another with a trailer on the back carrying 10m long steel poles.

The Golden Gate Hotel staff are very friendly and helpful. Those of us who thought the better of trying to catch up on lost sleep found ourselves back in the lobby less than 45mins after arriving. Us four (of nine) brave souls set out in the noonday sun of a Cooktown summer in search of a money exchange place and somewhere to buy bulk water.

The currency here is a bit different but simple. They run US$, but instead of cents they use Riel, with 4000 Riel equaling one US dollar. So there’s no “exchange rate” between US$ and Riel because even in shops they give you change mixed between US$ and Riel.

Of the four of us embarking on this endeavour of mild madness, 2 of us were to continue past the end of street; Lorelle (an old friend of Mum and Dad’s actually) and I. To our confusion we later came to realize that the friendly hotel staff should perhaps be given a lesson in map reading and scaling distances. We walked for what felt like a month in a climate that feels like a heated pool. We asked directions, we were offered no end of bike rides (quite persistently; yet always politely), and I think we were laughed at a few times for being the only daft sods on foot at this time of day.

But eventually we stumbled into a Western Union and swapped over our single greenback bills for a novel’s thickness of local dosh. We asked the (as is the common theme) friendly Western Union staff how much we should pay for water and didn’t quite understand when we were told “why my good friends, it’s free – in the fridge behind you, help yourself” or something to that effect.

385mL of the country’s purest doesn’t go far for beetrooted tourists, but it was enough to get us out onto the street and in search of the next street stall selling sealed bottled water.
It’s funny how quickly you get into the easy-going nature of Cambodian streets. We wandered out on to the road (this is the main street in town by the way) with hardly a second thought, at times when the footpath was blocked by a chasm or 50yr old farm machinery, or 50yr old farm machinery digging a chasm.

After a little while we found a supermarket! Or a “Big A Market” that sufficed nicely. As an example of how this country’s priorities may actually be set straight we found a (largish) bag of M&Ms cost more than twice the US$2.50 for 6x1.5L of water. Yay for us.

In an uncanny act of forethought I took 1500 Riel from my wallet and put it in my pocket before leaving the shop. As can be expected by any foreigner who has wandered these streets for more than 5mins, right outside the exit were a fleet of bikes. And I was ready for them.
“You want bike!” called the sharpest of them who spotted us first. “How much to the Golden Gate Hotel?” I asked. He hadn’t heard of it, but called to a khaki-outfitted man who had and who put forward “1 dollar”
“No no no. 1000 Riel” I said.
“3000” said he.
“1500” said I.
“2000” said Lorelle. The heat that day was intense.
“1700” he said as a finality.
“I have 1500 here” I said and took it from my pocket, showing the driver.
Perhaps out of despondency for being left out more than acceptance he started his bike. On the back we hopped and next thing the three of us are pelting down the main road on the back of a 50cc scooter – 2 of us with awkwardly large crates of water.

OK, so by “pelting” I mean “lolling”. I never once felt like I might fall off the back, and we made it to the hotel in one piece and smiling more than our driver.

Still sweating profusely, I retired to the barely adequate air conditioner in our room and spent half an hour lying semi naked on the bed soaking in dismal television from 60 channels around the Asia Pacific.

And that, dear journal, bring us to the start of this rather elongated entry.

Indian people in Brisbane make better tucker than Indian people in Phnom Penh. Here when they say “Mutton Saag” they really mean it.

Tiger beer isn’t terrible, food here isn’t expensive (even if you pay full list price), and this experience would only have been better so far if I was able to share it with one of the guys as well.

"New Maharaja Restaurant"
next to "Golden Gate Hotel"
Phnom Penh
Cambodia

Don't expect entries after Tuesday which is when we head out to the remote province of Prear Vihear. I spose I'll try and get another in before then. Love to all.
Tim