We started with 4 nights on the island and extended this with another 2 nights as we were enjoying the relaxed pace and it was cheaper to fly off the island on a Tuesday rather than the weekend!  Most days began the same way breakfast at ‘Oasis’ down the road from our accommodation and then a walk down to the beach for a swim.  Baguettes are as readily available here as...

Our big adventure for the day – our first land border crossing from Cambodia to Vietnam.  The staff at ‘Jasmine Valley’ had organised transport to get us across to Ha Tien and the ferry terminal to Phu Quoc for $27.  We were picked up by a tuk-tuk driver and enjoyed a fabulous country drive for 45 minutes to the border. Along the way we saw salt farms; dry rice paddies,...

We moved onto Kep after just one night in Kampot as our Cambodian visa was running out. We paid $15 for a ride in a beat up Toyota Camry to get us from one place to another. The drive was quite scenic – green, mountainous and less developed.  We arrived in Kep where the driver informed us he didn’t know where he was going, so he pulled up to chat with the local tuk-tuk...

We once again braved the roads to travel from Sihanoukville to Kampot. We had a car and driver, which is always the safer option if possible compared to a tuk-tuk or motorbike; and certainly our preferred method with 2 children.  We were picked up in a beat up Toyota Camry and were told that for $15 he would drive us to ‘Les Manguiers’ for our overnight accommodation.

When...

We thought we would treat ourselves to a beach vacation after our 12 days in Tanop in dirt and dust. At 7 am we departed Tanop with the director of TCEC and headed for Phnom Penh. We arrived just in time to catch the 9am bus to Sihanoukville. The bus for some reason drove for 4 kms and then sat on the side of the road for 45 minutes and then headed off again! 

Finally we...

Patrick has always been a keen artist and since travelling he has captured some of his memories in his drawing book. 

'A hippopotamus', inspired by Taman Safari in Indonesia.

'A green snake'.

'A lion' inspired by Taman Safari, Indonesia.

'A Chinese New Year dragon'.

'A battling guy with super sharp fingers and fire fingers'.

'Patrick having a tuk-tuk ride in Phnom Penh'.

By...

We arrived in Tanop on a Sunday afternoon – the small village where we intended to spend the next two weeks (or so) volunteering at the school started by the Singing Kites organisation in Australia. Where is Tanop? In Bati Province, Cambodia, about 1 1/2 hours drive from Phnom Penh … I can’t tell you anymore than that. So here we are in this quiet little village of 2,500...

Why were we heading here? The famed bamboo railway. Our bus journey to Battambang was only 3 hours luckily because the bus airconditioning was dodgy, no toilet and the only rest stop had feral squat toilets and food you wouldn’t consider eating. Luckily we had a supply of 2 minute noodles for the boys to crunch.

We arrived in Battambang in the heat of the day. Again as we...

Back again and I apologise for my tardiness in writing. We have been very busy but I have also been a little lazy! 

Our last day in Phnom Penh was a quiet one. We took a slow 2 hour boat ride into the Mekong which wasn’t that exciting to be enthralling after all.  Harris and I joined our last session of hip hop and aerobics along the river walkway and we got ready to catch...

I’ve seen a lot of jobs this month that I wouldn’t want to do.  I want to go university or I might end up being a:

• Toilet attendant (collect money so people can go to the toilet then clean the toilets);
• Car jockey (people stand on the side of the road in Jakarta and you pay them to hop in your car so you can drive in the lane for cars with 3 or more passengers);
• Floor...