Hello!

After an eternal day yesterday ( I got to the airport at 5am to catch my flight only to be redirected to the 6pm flight due to over booking) I am ecstatic to finally be in Cambodia!

Time at the airport passed blissfully(not) between sleeping on airport benches, stuffing my face and shopping for pointless souvenirs of Thailand which were certainly more expensive than the ones I could've found in any market but were also of considerably higher quality.

I then ate some more, sampling most of the dishes on the menu at Mango Tree for a mere £10 bill. I then attempted to use the free computers seen as wifi is not available in Bangkok airport but these computers soon proved ridiculously slow and inefficient and as any good Italian, I am notoriously incapable of keeping my cool so I started swearing under my breath.This attracted the attentions of my computer neighbour who asked whether I was ok; as I looked up, prepared to snarl at him to mind his own F***ing business ( thats right, travel makes me as friendly as a rattlesnake whose tail is being stepped on ), I noticed he was unbelievably hot. My attitude changed immediately as I flashed him the most dumbass smile and said that 'of course, I was doing fabulouslyyyyyy' then, being the subtle-sally I am, I whipped out my makeup kit and nonchalantly proceeded to put my face on, right next to him all the while secretly cursing at the computer for not loading my hotmail account.

We got to talk and though he was really nice, two nonos emerged instantly: he was Australian ( F**k no,not again!)AND he admitted to having been to a ping pong show and I quote 'sitting in the first row and getting sprayed with her moisture'. I thanked him for the graphic imagery and left in a hurry.

I then boarded a flight where someone with very obvious gastrointestinal issues kept burping very, VERY loudly. I swear, this person should look into competitive burping as a career. I thought if he was going to keep it up for the entire flight he could at least be considerate about it and delight us by burping song tunes or burping to a beat. I bonded over this with two brit and US expats teaching at the international school of PP who were dealing with a killer hangover while flying back from Bangkok. They were very helpful and gave me a bunch of tips on how to get around and to not get scammed.

I instantly liked Phnom Penh better than Bangkok. It is cleaner than bkk yet more traditional, the sky is blue and not grey, the air smells fresh rather than whatever Bangkok smelt like ( a mix between swamp water, rotten wood, food and smog) and there seems to be an incredible nightlife.

Cambodians can also speak proper english, which was a relief after days of incomprehensions and frustration in Thailand, as they seem to speak a godforsaken kind of English: Yengwish. To fully understand what yengwish is like you should picture the asian guy from the hangover, then picture him speaking if drunk and stoned and then imagine everything he says being pitchy and songlike- the result is as close a way as I can describe Thai's completely incomprehensible version of the english language.

So far I find Cambodians adorable, they sound so sweet, in fact upon getting my welcome drink in my awesome hotel, the reception clerk asked whether it was 'yummy yummy'. That moment I felt like I was looking at an oriental teddy bear, my heart warmed up after the long day of travel and I just wanted to squeeze his cheeks- then I remembered one of my goals in this adventure is NOT to spend time in the notoriously comfortable asian jails for harassing and disrespecting locals, so I refrained.

I then went to the night market which also is much more pleasant than the one in BKK but more commercial, unlike Bkk's market no one tried to sell me unpackaged ( probably used) dildos or to make me rent call boys. The clothes were actually decent and the food stalls looked inviting and the products definitely looked safer than the Thai ones. I ate deep fried prawn skewers and grilled platanum while sitting on the floor in a large carpeted area used as a picnic base. Street performers were dancing and singing on an improvised stage and people were singing and dancing along having an awesomely good time. I am in love with how chilled everything is here.

Then true to the fatass that I am, I got hungry again and ordered some Khmer delicacies, minced beef skewers and curried fish. I can't describe the dishes in more detail cos I wouldn't recognise the spices but they were both delicious.

To sum it up: Phnom Penh- Bangkok 1-0 ball to the center.

Today I am chillaxing by the pool and then going sightseeing though I haven't made an exact plan yet.

Keep you posted!

xx