Dear All,

I sat at a street stall last night with a steaming clay pot of chicken rice opposite Petaling Street, with its Chinese market vendors madly selling knock off handbags, sunglasses and DVDs beneath strings of red paper lanterns. Behind me, a large extended family chattered in mandarin, digging in to similar treats with gusto. I could see the KL tower and as I sipped my pineapple juice, the sunset call to prayer started playing. Without a doubt, I was back in Malaysia.

My last few hours in Cambodia were spent zipping through town in a tuk-tuk to the Children's Hospital. I had noted on returning from sun rise at Angkor Wat a large banner, in English, appealing for blood donations due to an outbreak of Dengue fever. Having not persuaded anyone to join me, I set off alone - intending to check the facilities and procedures before agreeing to anything!! I did, and although you walk through the nightmare mothers-holding-crying-babies-on-mats-all-over-floor, the blood bank and the facilities surrounding it were spotless and modern, all needles of course being one use only, opened in front of you from fresh packaging. My donation was quick and painless, and the nurse did an amazingly good job of finding my irritatingly small veins - no bruise. They take super care of you after - Fanta, and a bag of goodies with a whole packet of biscuits, not to mention a t shirt and a weeks supply of multivitamins and iron tablets. They even checked my blood there and then, so could assure me I was free of HIV, Hepatitus and Malaria. It was another amazing feeling; not the giving blood in itself but the broad, broad smiles of mothers, children and hospital stall as I walked out.

Just a brief blog entry folks, and I'll keep you updated. As soon as I've found Greg...

(He is staying round the corner from me. I've been here well over 24 hours. We are yet to bump into each other.)

Love to All

Pxx