Kampot River to the Gulf of Tonkin

Asia » Cambodia
July 4th 2009

Published: July 5th 2009

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megsimone

Me from the top deck

My time in Cambodia has been ever more consumed with work. But I still find time to have loads of fun with the amazing people from work. When we're not tasting the international cuisine of Phnom Penh (steer clear of the Mexican food!), we're sipping 65 cent Angkor beers at the local bar.

My last trip to Kampot centered on finding a building to start our educational programs. I'm happy to announce we leased an awesome building for $200/month. It needs a little work, but nothing Adam can't handle (wasp nest and all!).

My visa was running out and we had a vacation, so I spent a week in Vietnam. I was rushed with only 6 days, not enough time to really see enough of Vietnam. I took a bus to Saigon, spent a night there before flying to Hanoi. I spent a night in Hanoi and then the next night on a boat in Halong Bay. Then it was back to Hanoi for two nights before flying back to Saigon. One night in Saigon before catching the 6:45am bus back to Phnom Penh.

I've gotten mixed reviews on both major cities in Viet Nam

Lakefront dinner

Jake, Jennie, Heather and Teal enjoying Phnom Penh's lakefront dining.

- Hanoi and Saigon. It seems everyone has a preference for one or the other. I'm definitely a Saigon girl (Miss Saigon?). It's hard to explain why. Maybe it's because Saigon is less cramped. Maybe it's because it rained in Hanoi. Or maybe it was because I almost got run down by a motorbike in Hanoi. Saigon just made me happy and seemed so approachable. And I found some great deals on cute dresses.

Halong Bay was spectacular, but I felt like herded cattle. Next time, I would take a whole crew, charter our own boat and enjoy the great vistas with good company. It was similar to, but less fun than, the Komodo Island cruise I did in 2006. Considering I had severe pink eye on that trip, that's saying something.

Also, I was amazed by how much I missed my life in Phnom Penh. I've only been here a month, but my work has become my life. I've fallen behind on personal emails (sorry!). We talk about work over every meal. I even *gasp* think about work when I go for a massage! It's annoying... and yet, thrilling. I really love what I do.

Business Team get cozy

Roomies and teammates, Sach, Jennie and Jake, cuddle in the tuk-tuk.

All the challenges stress me out, but only because I really care about what we're trying to accomplish. For that reason, I've avoided talking about work in this blog, but I would be happy to share my work with you one-on-one, if you're interested.

My best friend from high school, Lindsay, and her husband Jason are here for the next few days as part of a 7 week Southeast Asian honeymoon. As always, it's great catching up with them when we cross paths in foreign countries.

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