I really must make more of an effort to update this site.............sorry again for the long delay.

The new year didn't start particularly well, I have to say.On the 30th December I was sick and didn't make it to work at all and I was still feeling fairly ropey on New Years Eve and so spent the evening at the biggest street party ever drinking water. Angkor What? Bar, which is managed by Charlie, hosts a massive street party to ring in the new year and the street was heaving. To get from one side to the other through the throng took 10 minutes and involved getting squashed, covered in beer and generally man handled. It was certainly a sight to behold and there were handheld fireworks (scary), sparklers and much revelry at midnight when the crowd went mad. I lasted until 1230 and then headed home to my bed.I was glad I made the effort but so happy to be away from the melee and in my room.My tuk tuk driver who took me home asked if I was volunteering when he stopped outside Globalteer House and when I said yes he thanked me for all my work helping the poor children of his country. What a nice man.

I then didn't make it back to work for a week - cough, bunged up head, flu like symptoms, headache - I barely left my room. After taking 2 courses of anti-biotics which I got from the pharmacist, I decided that maybe it was time to visit a doctor. After numerous tests and stuff he ruled it a sinus and trachea infection and I was given yet another course of anti-biotics..............at least he ruled out malaria and denghe fever! I'm now feeling much more human but have been left with a cough and blocked sinuses, which I'm beginning to think is the natural state of affairs while I'm here.

No sooner was I back on my feet than we had a day off school to celebrate Genocide Day. A bad choice of words I feel as celebrating genocide would not be a good thing, but trying telling the Khmers that their choice of words isn't the best! 7th January was the anniversary of the end of the Khmer Rouge and the Pol Pot regime, which is a fantastic reason to party, but maybe Victory over Genocide Day would be a more fitting title.

I then had the saga of the toothache...............told you the new year had not been great! Long story very short - pain, pain, pain, dentist replaces filling, even worse pain, visit new dentist, 3 treatments for root canal, all done and seems to be ok now........touch wood. Six visits to dentist in ten days is so not my idea of fun!

On the up side, we had our first rain in about 2 months! Then a famous actor by the name of Jason Flemyng came into Cafe Central when I was working. He's a British actor who's been in Lock Stock and 2 Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Layer Cake, Stardust, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.........to name but a few. You can Google him if you want a look and aren't sure who he is!

Since last Tuesday I have been dog and house sitting.Zoe headed back from the UK and Charlie met her in Phnom Penh and the 2 of them headed down to the coast and will be back tomorrow. The dog is an alsation called Kaiser and on the first night he chewed through the satellite TV cable! He's calmed down since and we're getting along fine, but I think he misses them a lot.

I'm interested to see how many readers I have and so I would be very grateful if you would either put a comment on the bottom of this blog (just a name will do) or leave a note on the message board! Thank you.