Wow… this has been a mammoth journey.. 21 hours in total.. and sadly I have not been able to sleep at all. So am not going to write too much as I can currently see 3 keyboards.
So it started in Heathrow with the excitement of flying on the A380…. It MASSIVE!!! So comfortable and hundreds of movies (Explains why I didn’t sleep!) and amazingly quiet.
After 12 hours in the air we landed into Singapore Changi and decided that with 6 hours to spare that I would venture into Singapore to grab a “local” bite to eat for Breakfast. I didn’t think that it was Monday rush hour. I am sure the fresh bright eyed people on their way to work loved the smell of a sweaty Englishmen who had been on a plane for 12 hours, bearded, whilst dragging around a red wheelie bag! Let’s just say I received many strange looks. Having received some advice of a food market from the travel desk at the airport I headed to the City Centre. To cut a long story short, found a great food market, grabbed some spicy meat and rice and then realised the time was starting to tick. Headed back to the airport, grabbed a shower and had a wander and before I knew it was Cambodia time!
After a short flight (and managed to sleep for take-off!) I landed in Cambodia.. The heat greeted me with a bang and also, the new modern airport. I had been here previously and traveled around on dirt roads in a bus crammed with people and with no A/C… I can see this place has modernised!
Rachel (the owner of the Rosy Guesthouse) met me at the airport and we made our way over to Rosy’s via Tuk Tuk… My first impression is that it is busier than I remembered from when I was here in 2003 .
We arrived at Rosy’s and all I can say it is a real home away from home. The rooms are great guesthouse rooms with TV, DVD and fridge, great little bar in reception and a really friendly atmosphere from both staff and other guests.
I managed to stay awake to sample some of the local cuisine from the kitchen at the Guesthouse, which was lovely and spicy!!! It is now about 28 hours that I haven’t slept so am going to call it a night.
Tomorrow the skills exchange starts with me going to a local charity and helping demolish a building, then going through the full process of SEO (search engine optimisation) and building a great website for the guys here to really show off what a great place Siem Reap is and what a lovely place to stay, the Rosy Guesthouse is. Really excited about it all and looking forward in keeping you all in touch with what is going on.