Sihanoukville!

The best thing to distract me from the blustery cold in London, and in the spirit of escapism, has been sorting through my photos and reliving my experiences in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. This was the last time I was at the beach and will probably be the last time until the European summer. It is making me desperately miss the warmth and feel of Sydney Spring, which I have always thought to be the best season. I digress...

Sihanoukville is an untouched paradise in South East Asia. Whilst it doesn't have the picturesque beaches of Thailand or Bali, it has a certain unique charm. Bars and sun loungers line the beach giving endless choice of where to spend the day relaxing. Our spot was perfect to while away the time by swimming, reading, drinking and endless musings on life. There was an endless stream of cocktails and beers from our amazing and gracious host, John. We never needed to leave our oasis, everything we needed (and lots of things we didn't) would appear! But the best buy of the day had to be the fireworks. All The Fireworks. So many fireworks that we built a firework fort and let them off at sunset. It was a pretty magical way to end an incredible day. We timed our visit to coincide with the full moon and the beach came alive in the evening and I can only imagine how incredible it would be during high season!

Two days spent by the beach with nothing to do was the perfect way to end my two weeks in Cambodia. I miss the warmth and I miss the sun but mostly I am missing my friends.

Angkor Wat!

One of the most awe inspiring moments happens at sunrise when Angkor Wat is slowly revealed from the darkness. After experiencing it’s beauty first hand it is hard to describe something this breathtaking. The photos definitely do not do it justice but I hope it inspires you to visit. All I can say is that it worth it!

After witnessing this wondrous sight we spent the rest of the morning exploring Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples of Bayon and Banteay Srei. My favourite temple was Bayon, it was easy to get lost in temple (which we did) by exploring the 216 faces that are looking down on you! I still can't comprehend how they could build such incredible statues, monuments and buildings! Sadly I only had one day to really explore the area which definitely was not enough time. It just means that I will have to come back!

Volunteering in Phnom Penh

 


 

As I caught my first glimpse of Phnom Penh from the plane I was filled with a mix of trepidation and excitement. I have been fortunate to travel far and wide but this was the first time I was truly giving back to the global community and I was unsure what to expect. In my opinion, if you are lucky enough to be able to travel we should not take it for granted; we need realise our privileges and help where we can. Give back as thanks for the wonders of the world we can explore!

Elyse and I volunteered for 2 weeks at Save Our Children Cambodia School, organised through International Volunteers HQ. The school was set up to teach rural children who would not otherwise be able to attend school. The first two days were a combination of orientation, meeting the fellow volunteers and exploring the city. but nothing could have prepared us for our first day of teaching! Having never taught nor being a particularly patient person I always knew this was going to be a challenge! However I was not anticipating how hard it would be! The school had next to no resources and it was difficult trying to communicate with my students without speaking Khmer. This stemmed from the fact that I wanted to be the best teacher for these students and I was thinking in a traditional sense of how I was taught. Once we began to think outside the box we all began to have a lot of fun learning! The students were incredible - they were very enthusiastic and wanted to learn, even asking for homework! It was a challenging but fulfilling experience which I highly recommend everyone undertaking at some stage. It is a great way to experience living in a foreign country whilst giving back to the world. Whilst I may not have been the best teacher, I think the students learnt something new and had fun at the same time. So did I.