Never a dull morning!

It's funny how getting out of bed and ready for work in the morning is so uneventful back home, but in Cambodia, well there's always something to add variety to the day.

This morning I get up and stagger towards the toilet, only to find I can't get the toilet door open.  So I'm standing there pushing and shoving the door and wrestling with the door knob in my skimpy sleep wear.  I no doubt would have tried kicking the door but I had my legs crossed through most of this struggle so limiting the kicking opportunity.  Giving up I had to go and put on less skimpy clothes to go down to reception for help.  However, before I could get to reception I had to deal with the tricky problem of getting out the room.  The bolt that you can slide across for extra security was stuck.  But all was not lost, as I had sussed this one out during my battle to get out the room yesterday.  So I fetched my trusty tweezers, which have been used for many things on this visit, except their designed purpose of tweezing. So having prised open the lock I toddle down to reception for help.  Easily resolved as the door was locked from the inside and all that was required was a master key.  No not poltergeists, just the locking system in Cambodia!  So now the ablutions and day could begin.  Fortunately the stomach is settling down or this little incident could have had catastrophic consequences .....but you don't want to go there, especially if you are reading this before breakfast.

The next minor upset was the discovery of a large mosquito bite on my wrist, and I had been doing so well with only two small bites to date.  However, a worse discovery was yet to come as one of the little blighters had obviously taken a stroll across my forehead during the night, stopping off for several bites to eat on the way.  Come on guys, is nothing sacred in mosquito world?  Biting on the face is just not playing the game.  I look like I have an outbreak of acne, and to make matters worse Chantha has told me my face looks black today?  So I'm thinking, have I got lots of dust on it,  has my mascara run, but no she means I look tired and thinks I didn't sleep well.  But actually I slept sounder than most other nights....so clearly the stress of Cambodia has advanced the ageing process rapidly!  Just as well I am only here for a few weeks or I would come back looking like a 70 year old.  This is somewhat disappointing as prior to this they have been awash with comments about how young and beautiful I look (relative to my age of course) and what good skin I  have.  Maybe they were just trying to get on my good side earlier and now the truth is out!!  :-(

Finally, as after the bathroom drama, I was running later than normal, I took a tuk tuk to work.  As there is no street name where the office is (why would you want to bother!!!) I have to give them directions.  So when I shout to my driver that we need to go left at the next junction, he doesn't fully understand me, but they are very polite and obliging people, and he clearly does not want to offend, so he moves over from the right and starts driving up the left side of the road. While I am shouting no, no not yet, the road further up!!!  Argh!!  Maybe I should stick to walking.  Although the Cambodians think I am mad to do so and you very rarely see them walking here.  Which as I was thinking about it today, means there is no pedestrian power when it comes to the roads.  At the large junctions here they do actually have green men which come on.  This means nothing in Cambodia.  You still have to watch for the traffic as you cross and even if you go to step out, they won't stop just because the green man is on!!  Now if there was lots of people crossing they would have to, but when there is only one or two of you, you have no power!!  All power to the pedestrian I say!!!