PHNOM PENH UPDATE

DAY 6 Monday 23^rd June 2014

Today's main activity was a trip into the central area of Phnom Penh for lunch at Wills Brunch Cafe. I had been here on a previous visit when it was under different management as The Lounge I think it was called. Some changes and a different menu. Nice coffee. And the food fine as well. I did notice that having a second shot in the $US2.25 long black, cost me and extra 75 US cents. Which pretty much brought it up towards NZ prices.

Nice air conditioning and fast free wi fi, so I was able to load a video up to You Tube very quickly.

LANDING AT PHNOM PENH 3' 59”

http://youtu.be/UoYJq8VxUhQ

Becky used the time to check out accommodation in Ho Chi Min City for Sunday night. She used Trip Advisor and I checked on Hostelworld. Interesting to note that we were getting cheaper prices for the same sites through Trip Advisor. It looks like we have booked into a small boutique hotel very close to where our bus ride from Cambodia will end up at. It was good to have that sorted out. One four bed room, one twin and a single room all confirmed. All a bit different and more complicated to my normal booking of a single room.

\ No doubt about it but the grandchildren are certainly very confident with being out in a cafe. Ever keen Toby works on his video editing.

Then it was off to Monument Books again to purchase a Vietnam guidebook that I had checked out last time. Of course the grandchildren made a beeline to their favourite section for a quick read.

I enjoy travelling around the streets of Phnom Penh. There is always so much to see, with tuk tuks rushing along with all sorts of loads, not just passengers, there are equally interesting loads on motor cycle powered flat trailers. Then there are the thousands of motor scooters with combinations of loads and riders, up to four on a bike seems common.

Then there are the road side stalls and tiny shops we pass and always there are labourers at work. Interesting.

I am beginning to work out directions again and the streets around the house are becoming more familiar. As are the streets I learn from previous visits. The problen is just that I have not yet connected the two, so I have the this gap in the middle.

The usual afternoon downpour came and mostly went. But the heavy clouds hastened the arrival of darkness. It was pretty much night by 5:45 pm. Phil had been working in a village clinic over an hour away on the city edge and had a long often damp ride back in the darkness. He got back after 7:30 pm.

There was a chance to watch another episode of The Midwife on DVD before bedtime.