12th May. Beside the seaside, beside the sea.

Owdo from Sihanoukville - a beatiful coastal town with a plethera of beaches which sits on the Gulf of Thailand. Before I arrived here from Phnom Penh on April 21st, I had been warned that I was coming at the wrong time, since we were approaching the Monsoon season. Obviously the people issuing these warnings have never been to the borough of Pendle, although as I write this there appears to be a storm on the way. Generally speaking though, the weather has been a perfect compliment to the coastal views and sunsets.

My home for the next four weeks ( and previous 2 ) is the seabreeze guest house. http://www.seabreezecambodia.com/ . All the details of this place are very accurately described on the website, and it does exactly what it says on the tin. Ive managed to negotiate a monthly rate of 400 bucks, which is believe or not at the higher end of the price bracket for accomodation round these parts. But IMHO its well worth it. The foods good too. The hosts are Robbie and Lou, and Australian couple who amazingly share my worldview on many things having managed to also peer behind the curtain of the mainstream veneer. Robbie, it transpires is also something of a calculated risk taker - Im offering my services later on today as his guide to online poker.

Last week, I did my good deed for the month by inviting my friend Ano, and her parents down for a 3 day stay. Since none of them had ever seen the sea before it was a real treat for all of us. Upon their departure, I hired a motorcycle for the month. At 60 quid for that and a few buttons for petrol, it is proving to be a worthwhile investment - That is when the local police dont need a boost to their beer fund and pull me for essentially having white skin and a dollar to pay a "fine" for the merest infringement. Ive paid $ 2.50 so far in just under a week - no receipt of course !

This week I enrolled for a month with a Khmair language teacher for 20 hours of one on one tuition, which I sincerely hope will rejuvanate my faltering stuttering attempts to learn the lingo.

Photos.

Finally a quick word about the photos. These are unquestionably the best method of communication to y'all in terms of giving you a far better feel of this whole experience. Unfortunately with upload speeds generally in line with the pace of life out here, this is proving to be something of a nuisance. I will nonetheless endeavour to post the remainder of those I have to accompany the previous blog entry along with the pictures to accompany this entry as soon as I have 4 hours of so to spare. Thanks for your patience !