Cambodia

I was really excited about coming to Cambodia, from both a personal and a professional point of view. I really wanted to get a better understanding of the Cambodia project, and I was also very keen to have a change of scenery from Africa.

I love flying and the journey was pretty good. The transit times were quite reasonable, the flights were relatively on time, and although on arrival at Bangkok I discovered I'd been removed from the final flight to Phnom Penh the flight still had some space left and I was re-booked on the journey (I envisaged a night in Bangkok but it worked out OK!).

I managed to get through the visa application and immigration process fairly fast (I'm quite efficient in airports and can fill forms in very fast these days!). To get through it quickly I had to strategically dodge quite a few gap year types who were very slow and laid back... I kept thinking about the fact that I needed a good night's sleep before work the next day and it was clear they didn't have quite the same pressures! I was relieved to see my name held up by a driver (the final guy in the line... I was starting to think I'd have to make my own way to the hotel!) and checked in smoothly, getting to bed at 1am -  a good day and a half after leaving Abuja.

I slept like a log, missing one alarm and waking on the second back up alarm, so I dressed quickly and met my colleague at 10am for a coffee before taking a tuk tuk to the office. Almost as soon as we got to the office I was taken to lunch and then I had a meeting all afternoon. Once back at my hotel this evening I went for a walk and stopped for dinner.... at which point the heavens opened. I made the most of the downpour by having a spicy beef salad and two fresh passionfruit juice martinis. Heaven!

Tomorrow we leave early to travel to Battambang, the province the project is focused in. So, tonight I'm turning in early feeling very happy to be in Cambodia.