Looking back at my time away between January and March 2013....all I can say is that I'm so glad that I chose to go to Cambodia!   For those who don't know, I spent 8 weeks living in Battambang; while volunteering teaching English and leading activities at an NGO school called Children's Action For Development (CAD).I loved this project as it put me into a situation which I've never been in before. At first I found teaching a bit of a challenge but it soon became the norm; and I saw each day as a new opportunity to teach the children something new that they'll gain from in the future.

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, Battambang , Cambodia

I am back at the Volunteer House in Battambang after spending my last weekend in Cambodia visiting Phnom Penh. Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia and is a 6/7 hour (depending how lucky you are) bus ride from Battambang. My initial thoughts were that it was a lot bigger than I expected it to be. Like Siem Reap which I’ve visited three times, it has a similar in your face “tuk tuk, massage, t-shirt” e.t.c culture; however this seemed the norm by now.

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, Battambang , Cambodia

On Friday 8th February, Hamish, a fellow volunteer, and I caught the 8:00 bus to Siem Reap. 5 hours later we had arrived, checked in to our hotel and were sat enjoying steak & chips for lunch.  Friday afternoon mainly featured souvenir buying and looking around. This is when I realised I had left my debit card 4 hours away at the volunteer house, with five dollars in my wallet the rest of the weekend wasn’t looking very promising.

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, Battambang , Cambodia

Battambang is where I am living in Cambodia. The first thing I noticed in Battambang is the incredible amount of motorbikes and mopeds there are. It is the primary/only transport for people going to work, students going to school and even fearless tourists. Every pavement is lined with “motos” day and night. I also noticed some local people try getting multiple people on a moped; I’ve seen 3 people plus a baby on a single bike!There are also many colonial buildings, with my favourite being the Provincial Governor’s Residence which is very much overstated compared to it’s surroundings.

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, Battambang , Cambodia

Hello and welcome to the first blog I have ever written!  It has been a week since I arrived in Cambodia and I’m having a great time. My first challenge was getting there! After a night in Bangkok, I got a taxi to the Mo Chit bus terminal to catch Bus 921 to Aranyaprathet town. The bus wasn’t too bad despite the random stops, which added a few hours to estimated journey time. Then I faced my first experience crossing a land border and all the queues! Luckily after hours queuing at the border a miracle happened, I was found by Kim one of the local coordinators (LC) who joined me and we were quickly off on the road to Siem Reap.

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, Battambang , Cambodia