G'day!!

Have survived second day in cambodia!! Am adjusting to the lovely smells and sights of Phnom Penh. Overall impression - motorbikes - everywhere!!! crazy traffic. The people seem very hard working.

Went to royal palace today - wow - buddha statues everywhere.

the palace is painted a lovely yellow and white - yellow simbolising buddhism and white symbolising hindiism.

the royal palace is extremely decadent - steop outside and there are beggars with one leg and very young children selling items - they have picked up english phrases perfectly, if you say no thanks they say "maybe later"in a perfect accent. my heart is breaking at the toddlers running around begging, but we have been told by our caritas peopel and our local caritas guides not to give money as it exacberates the problems.

went on a river cruise as well today along the river that is split from the mekong delta - cant remember the name but it was such a lovely trip. has karaoke on board - that was hilarious - singing dancing queen to the cambodian caritas group with the video tape of some opera and defintely not abba!!!

the food has been so so good- am extremely fat already! the only fat people u c here are white people!!! breakfast is fried rice and curry, lunch is fried rice and curry, dinner is fried rice and curry!! all delic!

last night we went to the most beautiful restaurant i have ever been to - lit by candle light - traditional khmer food, on the roof top - presentation was stunning, with traditional khmer musicians playing instruments that to us üncultured" sounded "people sounded a bit like irish music!!!

mum and dad - u will be pleased to know the caritas people are like hens with their chicks and have not let us out of their site!!

went ot markets today - i think they beat freo hands down - git a couple opf dvd's - a dollar each american - any requests? felt very decadent and westenr buying them as we had men woith one leg following us and women with naked children asking for money.

going to the genocide museum tomorrow - tuoln sleng and killing fields which will be the first major shock i think

anyways

betta go tpo bed - early strar tomorrow - apologies for this update - have had too much alcohol - am hoping its still coherent

adios amigios

hae been giving out fruit instead of money which the children r just as gratufel for!