9 months after I finished a volunteering project at Thanda Game reserve in South Africa, I’m back again, but this time I’m working here for 3 months as Photography Volunteer Coordinator. So, on Saturday, I said goodbye to my lovely family, and set off on a 26 hour journey to get here. The landscape is brown but once the rains […]
About an hour out of Phnom Penh the scenery changes to flat fields with the occasional palm tree making a dramatic statement. The country dwellers are busy planting their rice crops and everywhere is a vibrant green. Planting is staggered, so some fields are filled with lush plants, others are still a muddy brown and being plowed by hand with […]
We left Phnom Penh at 10.45 p.m. and travelled overnight on a night bus. Apart from many of the roads being atrocious and therefore bumpy, it was comfortable and I slept quite well. The bus had almost lie flat ‘beds’ – just the shoulders & head were raised, so that the person behind could tuck their feet or bags into […]
Yesterday we wandered round a local temple. Southeast Asia is famous for its Buddhist monks,and most Cambodian boys and young men spend some time living this way. Buddhist monks do not take vows to remain monks forever and the young man who is helping our tour guide spent 10 years as a monk. He exudes an aura of calmness and […]
A sobering day today. We learned about Cambodia’s history. An attempt by Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot to form a Communist peasant farming society resulted in the deaths of 25 percent of the country’s population from starvation, overwork and executions. When the Khmer Rouge marched into Phnom Penh, every single person living there was forcibly evacuated on foot into the […]
36º when we landed! But less humidity than HK so it doesn’t feel 5º hotter. The usual bit of chaos at the airport – we’d done our visas online beforehand so didn’t have to stand and fill out those forms, but firstly we were directed by an official to the diplomats channel, only to get to the desk and be […]
The years have melted away and it’s just great to be back in Hong Kong:) 5 days is not enough to see everything, but that’s all we’ve had, so here it is in a nutshell. The public transport system is still incredibly cheap here. I love the fact that you can still get on a tram and go just one […]
37 years ago, my parents moved to Hong Kong on a contract that was for 2.5 years. I joined them 6 months later, and spent a year out here. Despite Mum & Dad staying here for a total of 14 years, and me only staying for one, it holds a very special place in my heart and I couldn’t wait […]
So many times in my life I’ve met or read about people who either live somewhere amazing, have a job that takes them amazing places, or simply have the means and the time to go somewhere amazing. Now of course, it may be a case of ‘the grass is always greener’ but I’ve always been envious. So, when the opportunity […]