Hello again,

Currently in phnom penh but only for two houre, just arrived here from Kompong Cham where we spent yesterday and once iäve had lunch we are heading to our home stay!!!

Been having a fun couple of days, got really bad toothache, had it since we left siem reap got to a point where last night i called my dentist in england, explained to the receptionist that i was in cambodia where dentist operate out of an open hut on the side of the road, this is true, and pull peoples teeth out and they put me on the phone to him! Thinks its the start of an absess so now iäm taking the amoxycilline he gave me as well of my doxyciiline for maleria and vitamin b tablets and asprin to take the pain away, i rattle sitting on the bus when we go over the nbumpy roads!!!

Its been all public transport from siem reap to here which has varied a lot, the bus to Kompong Cham was lovely, air conditioned, loads of leg room, quite quiet aspart from the Khmer tv programme on the tele and the locals wetting themselves laughing. This morning however was enough to make you feel ill despite the stop at deep friend tarrantulla village!!! No leg room, moquito heaven, boling hot, man coughing up god knows what behind me, babies crying, chickens ands trhe traditional free cambodian road massage. Still never mind, as Da keeps saying all good experience even if not good.

Yeaterday turned into an amazing day too actually. Kompong Cham is right on the banks of the mekong and in the middle of the mekong is a little island which is home to a little town, very poor, all farmers farming tobacco plants and the like. Its connected to the mainland by this completely bamboo bridge with no hand rails, about the width of one car, its really stronbg howver and the locals bike, moto and horse and card it over to the mainline. We all hired bikes from the hotel and the local guide Mr Tell took us over, i was wetting myself going over the bridge especially withtraffic coming the other way but it was well worth it. We cycled round the village stopping at the fields, the houses of the farmers and the local school, in otherwords hut!

I think the ride was about 10k Da said but we took about three hours doing i8t. It was great, the locals were fasinated with us but soooo friendly, really funny. I took some old tshirts with me and toothpaste and bru'shes we ghet given by the hotel because Da told us the families were so poor they would love it if we gave them little presents.

As we rode down the village all the kids would shout hello and run to the end of their drive ways trying to high five us as we rode past. The adults especailly the older generation would put their arms next to ours, our guide told us cambodians cover up because they all want5 white skin, well i was queen thanks to my pasty whitness and the others all being brown!!!

I gave out the stuff at the school and the kids where so funny, they were all going mental, loving their toothbrushes!!!! They werent sure what some of the stuff was with one kid trying to eat a little bar of soap, much to the amusement of his mother and the others. All the kids at the school were about 7 and spoke such good english as soon as the teacher said they all know their abc all off them stood up and literally shouted the alphabet all the way through, very funny, they then proceeded top do it with the days of the week and months, and count to 40!!! Show offs!!!

Anyway iäm gonna take my saddle sore self to happy burger befopre we head into the unknown!!!!!!

Take care

xxxxxxx