Only in the past few years have I come to appreciate that I was born on the lucky side of life. Not only do I have enough food, love and shelter but I have the ability of having experienced going on an aeroplane, visiting towns and countries beyond my home, obtaining a first class education … More Battle of the Balance
Just over two years ago, during a boat cruise on Lake Windermere in north-west England, a small island in the lake captured my imagination when the guide described it as the place which had inspired Arthur Ransome’s children’s adventure series, Swallows and Amazons. Tonight at a hotel in Siem Reap I turned on the television … More Miracles, Swallows and Amazons
So many things happened in my recent whirlwind 13 day visit to Cambodia, only 2 months before I return there to live and work. There was no time to write about it while I was there and I barely know where to start now. I’ll post a series of chapters covering most of what happened. … More Quick Cambodia Visit: Kim
Mornings in Kampong Cham town and across Cambodia come alive the moment the first ray of sunlight blazes it’s long sharp streak through the fading night skies. The first market sellers start to appear on their motos piled high with what would, in my world, be truckloads of produce. When I appear a few hours … More Trying To Be A Noisy Neighbour
Angkor Wat is the biggest of many historic Khmer temples situated near the tourist resort town of Siem Reap in Cambodia. It is the largest religious monument in the world and has been ranked as one of the Seven man made Wonders of the World. Khmer civilisation came into it’s own and thrived here for centuries … More Angkor Athletes and Apsara Angels
This has probably become the most often quoted proposition of my life, courtesy of both the fact that I rarely get propositioned, as well as the flood of multi-lingual tuk tuk drivers vying for foreign custom in Siem Reap. Rav was waiting for me this afternoon in a sea of tuk tuks calling to me … More Tuk Tuk, Madame?
We woke today to news of the death of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Columbia’s President has described him as the “greatest Colombian of all time”. This is surely thanks to his ageless and captivating writing, celebrated by millions of ordinary readers and the Nobel Academy alike. His prose has been described as Magical Realism, which combines … More Magical Realism
When you board a bus in Cambodia, the decision to read instead of looking out the window means you are going to miss out on some astonishing sights. In the past 36 hours I’ve traveled 560km, from Mondulkiri in the north-east, back to Kampong Cham for a night, then up to Siem Reap this morning. … More Daring to read on the bus
Siem Reap is a bustling hive of tourism and wealth. Unless you are not a tourist, or one of the privileged minority benefiting from the tourism, in which case it is a bustling hive of desperation and poverty. Either way, it is a busy, vibrant place, situated 5km from the historic Angkorian temples made famous … More Monks on Motorbikes
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