Tuesday 6th March

Arrived Phnom Penh Monday - didn't sleep a wink on the plane. Thanks to S and M for the top tip on checking in online and getting seat 52J so at least I had some leg room. The flight took 3 hours longer than it should have due to a passenger taking ill while we were on the runway. I felt sorry for the folk who were onward bound for Sydney. I don't think they got the chance to even stretch their legs at Bangkok.

Since we were late, I had to leg it double quick to make the connecting flight to Phnom Penh, unfortunately my luggage didn't make the same haste so I arranged with my taxi driver to pick me up the next morning and take me via the airport and then on to Kampot. I was in too much of a daze to garner any sensible impressions of Phnom Penh. I didn't manage any sleep in the hotel that night either, but somehow I didn't feel tired.

Next day, my taxi driver, Somnang, picked me up as promised and took me out to the airport. Since we were early, he took me for a tour of the Phnom Penh University. Lot's of students all dressed very smart in white shirts and trousers, all looking generally happy to be there. My driver wants to go back to study (he did one year studying English, but cannot afford the fees). He wants me to fund him through the rest of the course.

So anyway, my luggage arrives as promised, but a whole can of shaving foam has exploded inside so the contents are a soapy mess. No big deal ! And now we head down Route # 3 towards Kampot. Bearing in mind I haven't slept for two days I am surprisingly alert.

We make it to Kampot in around 3 hours, and find the villas where I am to pick up the keys to the house I will live in. It's right next door, and they sell bottled water and meals. There is a really easy ambience about the place and I have a cold beer while waiting for the owner to wake up. Hugh appears after a while and we talk for a bit. Then I take the keys and explore my new place. Here's what it looks like:



And here's the view from the balcony: