Such a good day. Started with meeting a great man over breakfast. He is the head teacher of an international school in Siem Reap and comes from Scotland but hasn't been back for 16 years. He invited me to visit the school, so while Kathryn is busy in Museums I may just go back to school. Sheila then arrived and our tourist day started. The tuk tuk driver was great and on the way to the Bamboo train he stopped and showed us different things and told us some of th...

Today I visited 4 school with Vannak and another member of staff. Like England you can see huge differences in schools. So first the similarities: 1. No glass in the windows just bars and shutters 2. No display boards so posters and work just stuck to walls 3. Good size classrooms - which is good as the largest class I saw was 65 children, sitting three to a desk designed for 2 4. No adult support for the teachers 5. Play areas that are dirt rather than gras...

Went for another ride through the hills around Pailin. It really is lovely, very quiet and easy on the eyes. Found a woman selling fruit so bought some oranges and had a picnic by the river. As some of you will know Pailin is famous for two things. The Khmer Rouge being one, gems being the other. They say in the past you could just pick them up anywhere near a river. Sadly that is no longer the case but these kids were doing their best to find some.

After coughing for 3 days it just stopped, my nose cleared and my throat no longer felt like sand paper. As San said "I am ready to play!!" Luckily it has been a long weekend because of the water festival - this is when they celebrate the Tonle Sap reversing it's flow. Next year I will have to be in Phnom Penh as it does look exciting but I must say I have needed a quiet weekend in Pailin. Yesterday morning I spent washing sheets, breaking washing machines, cle...

Travelling back on Thursday was not good, as I was ill. Not at the start of the journey but by the end I was suffering from Malaria, Dengue Fever or some other serious tropical disease that I haven't been told about. Friday morning I woke up too ill to work and sent a text to Bunthorn telling him what I wanted him to do. I then lay back in bed thinking typical male didn't offer to come and see me. Fell asleep to be woken by the phone - it was San. My landlord ha...