# 25: "Every Picture tells a Story.." - Ronnie Wood

First, to subtly remedy an omission from my last post...

and what's this?  A toy?

and it's a boy......

And that is all I have to say about my last weekend away...

So, another weekend in Phnom Penh, this time to celebrate Kyra's birthday.

With a start like this:

I should've known it would be another weekend to remember.

We left on the early bus and arrived at Kyra's, in time for the afternoon 'Daiquiri Hour', which is a lot like Cocktail Hour but with no dress code, daiquiris instead of cocktails and the time isn't really relevant...
Loaded down with gifts, munchies, a small mountain of fruit (to add to Kyra's largish mountain) and a wee bit of alcohol..Ok, lots of alcohol, I was all prepared for a nice, quiet, responsible evening in with the girls...
Yeh, that's a lie, with these sweet girls, no celebration is going to be quiet...or particularly responsible...

Me'n'Kyra doing our True Blood thing..
with raspberry daiquiris.

After a few hours, several kilos of fruit, a bottle or two of rum & vodka, some slightly disturbing photos and some beautiful & soulful 'poetry' recitals by Daisy, we bravely set forth to enjoy dinner at the Yumi Restaurant - slightly ontixicated and realizing we were on the the 3rd floor of an apartment building with a steep, external staircase, not unlike a fire escape, I was impressed when we all made it to the ground below without.....well, without falling to an untimely death or, at the very least, to a broken bone or two, in the alley below...

Yumi. Japanese cuisine - bet you never guessed. 

This was a truly spectacular meal, too many dishes to name, but wasabi featured prominently as did the 2 birthday cakes - 1 from Kyra's friend & colleague (another Nat), and one that Daisy and Erin snuck off to buy, while the rest of us sampled a few vinos..

THE Birthday Cake

Yep, these girls are all Class.....

Over the next few hours we managed to finish pretty well everything on the table.
Home for a few more beverages.. and a slumber party ! Six slightly pissy chicks (btw, that's really hard to say when you're pissed...) on mattresses on Kyra's living room floor. Giggle time...

Breakfast on Sunday morning...well, at lunchtime, in a beautiful garden cafe:

Then Kyra and I had important business to take care of, while Erin & Daisy went off to get even more beautiful:

Blonde'n'Red Daisy...

 Back into a Tuk-Tuk, with Tara and Danni running shotgun, Kyra and I headed off to......

Where they served:

presumably, so you'd be numb for the Pretty Pictures....

followed by yet another delicious meal. Indian this time:

an evening listening to live jazz at River House - Nat's fiancee sings & plays sax,
... and the drummer was pretty damned cute..
 awesome music.

Started with a couple of tasty Reds, moved on to Black Russians, then Kamakazis & B52 shots, before heading back to (and I still find this hard to believe - LB is definitely on a headlong,masochistic race to oblivion) ... PONTOON..again...

Home to bed by 4am, this time, six REALLY pissy chicks all over Kyra's floor.
Oddly enough we missed the early bus home..missed the next one too...and the next one...made it to the 2pm and arrived home, a little weary, by 8.30pm.

Aaah...survived another weekend of fun, laughter and possibly, a little too much alcohol...

# 24: “ It's the Little Moments that make Life BIG.”

Another 2 weeks have zoomed by - hmmm, seems like duty is interfering with blogging..

When I returned home from Phnom Penh after New Year, my little log cabin was wearing so much Battambang dust'n'dirt that it looked like it hadn't been lived in for years.
And that was inside, with all the windows closed...
Instant Reality Check ! Holidays are over.
So, the next few days were taken up with much wiping, dusting, sweeping, washing - floors & clothes, and general, tedious cleaning.

Then back to a beautiful welcoming commitee at the Youth Centre - I don't think the kids believed I was coming back until I actually walked into the room...
Drowning in HUGS !!

On the following weekend, I finally got to go for a ride out to Chantha's home in Khum Chroy Sdau (the commune), 3-up on  Chhaiya's motorbike.
Nikum Prea Si Ha Nu Village is about 40km NNE of Battambang and, apart from seeing one of the ever-present roaming dogs get killed by a passing car, it was a beautiful trip.

I met Chhaiya's family:

        Mum                                Dad                              Cchaiya                           

               Ratanak                          Rena                         Chan Tra Both               

stayed at Chantha's home..

and met just a few of Chantha's family - she has 9 siblings...

     Chantha & Mum                     Dad & Labin             her  94 yr old Grandma                Chantha & her old Maths teacher    Baby Labin - neice #3                  Virey - neice #1           

We wandered around the rice paddies..

 until sunset..

and the next morning, after a stunning sunrise...

enjoyed a wonderful breakfast picked from the multitude of fruit trees around the house. There are bananas, milfruit, mango, papaya, cashews, coconuts, passionfruit and more that I can't even name. Then Chantha took me for a walk to see the rest of her village.

First stop, the Pagoda next door:

Then the 'hospital' across the road:

and finally, her old primary school - not sure if the name is such a good choice though, even if it was named after the man who donated the funds to build it...

The entrance             The Clumsy Hans School              Classrooms

   Virey at the water pump          lovely grounds           Best basketball ring EVER

Then back to Cchaiya's to enjoy the magnificent lunch he'd prepared for us - among other things, he's is a great cook.

Back to Battambang in time for dinner at one of my growing list of favourite restaurant/cafes.The 'identity-confused' Ganesha.

Named after a Hindu god, owned by a German, serving Khmer & Western cuisine.

Kind of indicative of BtB really... 

This week we had a visit from a lovely lady who sponsors a couple of our children. She visits twice a year and, while she's here, does craft sessions with all the kids.
They enjoyed it so much, especially the Youth Centre kids who, I suspect, have never done anything like it before...
I love doing craft with kids - it was so simple and they were absolutely enthralled!

We finally got to do "Where The Wild Things Are" - one of my all time favourites and, now, a great favourite of our Grade 3's as well. When I named all the Wild Things in the story after the children and asked them to show me how ferocious they could be, they were hilarious, and extremely LOUD. 
Probably should have given that idea a little more thought, apologies to the class next door...

And today was "Ice Cream Day" for the Youth Centre kids...our totally Ethical, monthly 'this-is-not-a-bribe-but-a-reward' day.
I left with 12 freshly washed, smiling kids and returned with 12 deliriously happy, somewhat hyperactive, chocolate-coated children.

 What fun !!

 and who new fish liked cornettos....

I know I like boys with flowers in their hair

and children who just love each other......Aaaw

This adorable little girl had to have her head shaved to help a nasty skin infection. She was so embarrassed, she started wearing a towel, wrapped around her little head. When I bought her this scarf, all the other kids started telling her how beautiful she looked -
 "..you look like a Mongol princess.." 
Now they all want one just like hers - no problem says I, just come over here so I can shave your head.... "Aaah, NO! I don't want my hair cut off!"
Fits of giggling..
As always, the spirit of these beautiful children rushes into my heart and warms my soul. They tease each other, like all children, but when they can see one of them is really hurting they become gentle, thoughtful & loving.
It's an absolute pleasure to behold.

This weekend we're off to Phnom Penh to celebrate the Daiquiri Diva's birthday - cause parties in PP are such a hoot...

I may or may not return to write another post in a few days...

# 23: "The Smoker you Drink, the Player you Get.." - Joe Walsh

And so, the Final Leg - New Years Eve awaits...

Having organised a gaggle of motos to carry us & our significantly lighter luggage, back into town for the 7am bus, we stood by the gate, nervously waiting as the clock ticked, gave a sigh of relief when they arrived only 5 mins late and then, like true locals, piled ourselves and all our bags onto the bikes.
Of course the bus left late anyway and this time it wasn't even full. Room to move. Flaming luxury!
Nevertheless, no morning coffee...again.
I believe I can feel a conniption coming on...
Starting my day without coffee is wrong, it's like, well, it's just....wrong.

After what I believe was a totally uneventful bus trip, although, since I slept pretty well the whole way, it is possible that we had several near misses, maybe even slaughtered a few animals along the way, 'cause we arrived in Phnom Penh in record time...just after 12.30pm.
Anyway, we went straight to the Paragon to dump our bags and enjoy a long, hot shower, then off to hit the Russian Market - Psah Toul Tom Pong ( sounds a lot like 'totem pole' - which is a totally meaningless observation, just sayin').
Oh, and 'Psah' means 'market'.

This is when we discovered another of Kate's hidden talents. That girl can really bargain !! We even had to buy new backpacks to carry all the stuff we bought.
But come the night, WE LOOKED GORGEOUS!!

OK, some more gorgeous than others..


 Heading to Kyra's apartment for a few little drinkies & snacks...

You have to admit, we look pretty damned stunning!!

At least at the beginning of the night..



Later on, maybe not so much...

Kyra, deciding to fortify our constitutions with something wholesome, had bought a cool Kermit-Green blender and a small mountain of yummy fruit; strawberries, raspberries, watermelon & mango with which to dilute the Vodka...
Not to mention fresh & crunchy  cucumber, capsicum and carrots to scoop up the delicious dips.
That really is a stupid phrase isn't it? "not to mention". when obviously, you are going to mention it...
Anyway, I digress.


Kyra, with all due ceremony, I hereby christen thee our Honorary 'Daiquiri Diva' !
Those drinks were sensational - if a little dangerously easy to drink..
Not a problem though, 'cause I'm pretty damned sure we covered the most important vegetarian food groups - being chock-full of fruit.. and potatoes...

And another countdown to midnight...

   

Then back into tuk-tuks and off into the bright lights & loud music of New Years Eve in Phnom Penh. 
The city was ALIVE!

I have to confess here that I'm not sure how many places we visited. I seem to recall sitting down at a place called "Ruby's"..which may or may not be where I took the pic below..
 No prizes for guessing which drink I ordered..

And the Charming Kyra welcomes you to this 'Charming' town.

and I definitely don't remember this little gem..
Dim Sums that can totally "Kick you Arse", I suppose.






So, while the memory may be a 'little' hazy, I do have photographic evidence that we didn't go straight to the venue that kept us dancing 'til just before sunrise
The now infamous PONTOON...

As I said: "later on, not so much.."

Yeh Kids, your old Ma had a bit of a Flashback and apparently danced all night. 
Don't even remember the last time I did that..I'm sure, if I could remember THIS night with any kind of clarity it would be to my undying embarrassment.
What happens on the dance floor, stays on the dance floor...tehehe..mostly.

Stevi..miss you already...

What a night !
*smiley face*

You girls are all so gorgeous, no wonder some repulsive slimeball decided to spike one of your drinks...

I guess it was a blessing, of sorts, that it only got one of you, since we were all sharing drinks and that when the crisis became obvious the rest of us were there to get you to hospital and nurse you back to your bubbly self. 

It was a shitty way to end a truly wonderful night.

The following day, when we were all back together again, we made an executive decision to call the officially recognised 1st January 2013, DAY ZERO, our year will only have 364 days, beginning with this beautiful sunrise on our very own 01.01.2013..

Now I'm back home at last, in my comfy little cabin, with my comfy 'little' bed and a DAMNED WEDDING UP THE STREET !!!   Aaaahh...Home Sweet Home.

# 22: "Don't Follow in my Footsteps, I Bump into Walls..."

So, on to the penultimate leg of this joyous journey...

Having survived Elephant Boot Camp, with nothing worse than bumps, bruises and one slightly bent nose, we find ourselves back in Sen Monorom, happily ensconced in jolly little cabins at The Nature Lodge.



My cabin even had this beautiful, roofless mini rainforest bathroom.

Electricity, gentle rolling hills, no mountains to climb for food, no slavery, back in phone range, with food, coffee, grog, ponies & WiFi available in the oh-so-cute Treehouse Lounge/Bar/Restaurant..

You know why I just loved this place ?

'Cause it's a Bar....

and it's in a TREEHOUSE!!










And it has Hammocks !

AND it's in a TREEHOUSE !!






 The cabins are spread over a few acres and are, with obviously great forethought & planning, separated by 50 metres or so, presumably to lessen the possibility of happy holidaymakers disturbing each other..
Hmmm, nice theory, but with absolutely no background noise, except for the odd mooing cow, noise travels REALLY well over 'gently rolling hills', but more about that later...

Before we got too comfortable, and lazy, to move again, we headed out for a wee tour of the district starting with Bou Sra Waterfalls.

Bou Sra is a 3-step waterfall, about 40kms NE of Sen Monorom, although only the first 2 stages can be seen as the final stage is in thick jungle with no access paths and, apparently, 'dangerous wildlife'..

Nevertheless, the first 2 stages are fairly impressive. 
Stage 1 is about 10 metres high & 12 -15 metres across, depending on the season.

Then there's about 150 metres to the 2nd stage which is about twice as high and from 13 -20 metres wide, once again, depending on the season.

It's also the biggest waterfall in Cambodia

It's a really long drop over the edge, shame we couldn't see the final stage..

After the Falls we stopped at a 'Swimming Hole' on a river that runs behind the Pnong village of Krong Te, 28kms from Sen Monorom.

A very pretty spot where Tara took more beautiful shots - this time of butterflies and brightly coloured dragonflies, 

and the rest of us just relaxed...









By this time, we were starting to feel the need for another caffeine charge.
Well some of us were... ok, ME..I was feeling the need for more caffeine so we headed back along the dusty, red dirt road to a coffee plantation we'd passed on the way out that looked pretty damned impressive.

Lovely little restaurant on the banks of the dam.

And a bloody great slippery dip through the trees and into the dam! 

No end of surprises in this country..

I'm guessing this convoluted construction has something to do with irrigation for the plantation, but I'd need to consult an engineer to verify that....

Great name for a 'CAFFEE' plantation, I thought..

Interesting dishes on the menu...

A couple of strong caffees later and we were on our way to the last stop on our little scenic tour.

Samol Chet - A lookout over the "Sea Forest"

360° view of Jungle-covered mountains.

Home in time for dinner, after which we figured we should celebrate our deliverance from indentured servitude in Paradise with a drink or two. 
The booze-bag was still pretty heavy and we all felt the weight of responsibly to lighten the load...
And there was an awesome Full Moon:
courtesy of Tara...again (the photo that is, not the moon..)

Which I choose to blame for the excessive drinking, singing and laughter, at ever increasing volume, that brought us to a midnight countdown and my 55th birthday.
Great company, great music (thanx Stevi), Pringles, a tasty French Bordeaux & Absinthe, which definitely does make the heart grow fonder - I luv you guys..

So the girls poured me into my cabin sometime in the wee small hours. I know this 'cause that's where I woke up, a few hours later, to the soft sounds of ponies munching grass beneath my window, a splendid sunrise, somewhat cranky neighbours (oops..) and several new bruises..bumping into walls perhaps ??

A day of food, coffee, hammocks, music, books, Baileys & Jameson. The only thing that could have made this day any better would have been hugs from my 3 greatest creations, as it was, it made a near-perfect start to my 56th year.. 

Another spectacular sunset to wind up the day.

Looks so serene, no idea the night would bring a howling wind that actually shook the whole cabin and sounded like it was preparing to lift off the roof.
The cabins are built, to typical Cambodian standard, from planks of timber, raised a metre off the ground, with sizeable gaps between the boards. As Tara so aptly pointed out: "when it's windy outside, it's windy inside."
Showering in my roofless bathroom oasis wasn't quite as enjoyable.. in a mini hurricane!

Which brings us to Monday 31st December. Back in the mini bus for the trip back to Phnom Penh and New Years Eve..