After a couple of weeks of working around the house and taking the odd trip out to explore the local environs, we decided it was time to treat ourselves to a little road trip. So on the 16 April we packed a few things and loaded up Helen and Pierre's wonderful little Citreon C2 for a trip north. We didn't really have a destination and thought we'd just go north as far as we could in a day. We headed up to the Loire Valley in the direction of Tours, stopping at Theresa's Teashop at the very old (isn't everything) Fontevraud l'Abbey. After checking out the caves along the Loire and the champignon museum at Saumur, we decided that we'd dawdled enough and that we'd better make a decision about a target for the evening. St ... read more

The end of our time in Cambodia is spent in the capital Phnom Penh. It is the primal centre of Cambodia with something approaching 20% of the population of the country living in PP eking out something akin to living. Aside from Sihanoukeville and Siem Reap which are bolstered by tourist dollars, the rest of the Cambodian population live in the countryside or in dusty second string towns. These second string towns are literally no more than a large shanty town sprawling around a commercial centre. The focus of the centre will be a market, thriving on most days, particularly in the morning when the produce is fresh. Most markets are situated in dilapidated buildings that hark back to some forgotten era although a combination of climate and neglect probably make them look older than they ... read more

Our first day at Trailblazer Foundation. Early in the morning Ellen and Alex make their way over to our hotel from their new accomodation, a cheap but clean guesthouse near the town centre called Orchidee. We take a tuk tuk around to the I Win guesthouse to wake Sam and Nick knowing that an early morning start for these guys is unlikely to be achieved without some assistance. With little real trouble we get them going and we make our way across town arriving at the TB depot at about the agreed time of 8.30. The day begins with a briefing from the manager Scott who then turns us over to his Cambodian team leaders. TB is an American based charity that operates in Cambodia, its chief concern being the delivery of fresh drinking water to ... read more

I make the short trip to Sihanoukville and check into the very pleasant Grand Sihanouk Hotel, just around the corner from the bus stop. Before doing anything around town, I am anxious to see where Ellen and Alex have landed, particularly after the harried separation the previous day. I walk around to a couple of the hostel type places close to the bus stop but can’t find their names in the registers. Looking around at the number of little hostels and cheap hotels, I realise it’s going to be impossible to track them down. So instead I post a couple of emails letting them know where I am with a plan to meet up in 2 or 3 days for the move across Cambodia to Siem Reap. I get no responses from either of them so ... read more

The last day in Saigon is a slow day. Ellen and Alex are trying to throw off lingering tummy bugs and I was keen that these are arrested before we undertake the next stage of travel, a lengthy trip by bus through the Mekong Delta to the Cambodian border. Loc and I meet in the evening for few beers to say goodbye. He had come back from Vung Tau earlier that day and was carrying a bag of cooked horseshoe crabs to take to a mates place for a house warming. These were a special treat rarely seen in Saigon and we devour one at the roadside café we are drinking at. The next day, after fond goodbyes to Mrs Long, we take the Phung Tran sleeping bus for a six hour ride to Rach Gia. ... read more