A tough morning in The Russian Market!!

Coffee to go

My first pedicure

Rice noodles and spring rolls

A funny thing happened at the bank,

Everyday something amusing happens to us, today being no exception. I decided to pop into the bank to change £10 notes into dollars. No problem there then. Handed over the notes to the cashier whereupon she scrutinized them very carefully with a confused look. She then took them over to her supervisor who looked equally unimpressed, they both came back to the counter and slid the notes back to me. "No good Sir" she said. "What's wrong, they're sterling pounds" says I. With this she turns the note over and points to the picture of Charles Darwin and the date 1809-1882 "Sir these notes are very old and must be out of circulation"!
This being the main branch of ANZ bank..... we're going to have some interesting times!

Fitflops

You can buy everything here, well a version of, anyway, and what you can't buy, they can make for you!!

So glad I stocked up on my £30 fitflops from Surfspot before we came - even though they were a half price bargain in the UK.

Some of the iCAN gang

'Susaday'

On our first induction day we ferried across the Mekong with some of the support staff from iCAN and then cycled around a rural island with the rapidly growing high-rises of Phnom Penh in the background. Welcome to the boat shop.

All of the team are such a welcoming bunch - so friendly and so helpful - they seem to have a sixth sense and know what you want before you know yourself!! as well as the most incredible, beaming smiles!!

'Lee hi'

Maison Berry

Well we have signed the lease on the flat and there's no going back! No.40 rue 386 just off Mao Tse Toung Blvd!

In PP businesses tend to cluster together to form a price fixing cartel, we are in the stainless steel sink, barbed wire fence, and anything made from steel district! Will post internal pics as soon as we get a key.

Markets and Apartments

Today started with Amanda and the other teachers TukTukking off to school and Joe her two youngsters and myself heading off for a morning in the central market to buy fruit and veg.
Central market consists of a huge soviet era concrete dome structure connected to five radial arms each selling different wares from food to knock off clothes cd's etc.We could have bought the latest Batman movie for $2 marked 60% quality!!
Prawns are the size of a small lobster and so many unidentifiable fruits and veg....brilliant.
Having the children meant we were the centre of attention and were offered free samples almost everywhere.
This afternoon we met up with some of the teachers again to look at more apartments and everyone found something to their taste..very satisfying. Ours is a first floor two bedroom apartment in an old building with built in kitchen, washing machine,new beds,air con, fans, free wifi, free water, free cable tv, all furniture  a long balcony at the front overlooking a very ethnic street and a girl to clean and do the laundry for two hours a week.....$450 pm! We will probably move in on Saturday photos to follow.

Teachers off to school on the 8:45 TukTuk!

Hitting the streets of Phnom Penh

Well it's time to do my bit for the blog and fill you in on my adventures so far. While Amanda is doing induction work at school I have been wandering around the area First visit not a hundred yards from here is the infamous Toul Sleng genocide museum once a high school complex but taken over in 1975 by the Khymer Rouge in order to detain, torture and murder those opposed to the regime.It's been estimated that 15 to 20,000 people of all ages were killed here over a 4 year period and buried in the killing fields just outside of town,sobering to say the least but something which you feel you need to do here to get some kind of understanding of what went on in the dark days.
On a less depressing note yesterday I took a 'Motodop'---a small moped taxi into town to open bank accounts buy sim cards($1) and check out the'Lucky Supermarket' to see what's available.No problems there really until it was time to come back to the guest house. You get picked up by a friendly smiling moto driver explain where you want to go and head off sometimes starting by riding towards 4 lanes of traffic in the wrong direction! When reaching a red light for a right turn  yesterday the driver just took to the sidewalk for about 50 yards scattering people everywhere dived through a garage forecourt and slipped up a side street.Further into the journey you realise he hasn't really got a clue where you want to go and he asks to see your map --which he can't read. he then proceeds to phone his wife,who only speaks french and passes the phone over to me, so now we are on a five lane road me with map flapping around in one hand and mobile in the other trying to converse in school boy french.Luckily the city was designed by the French, the streets laid out in a grid system---odd No.s north to south, evens east to west, the trouble started when the locals decided to mess with the numbers so now you can't be sure that any roads run in sequential order and they invariably don't!! After about another ten minutes of wandering I suddenly remembered we are staying near a bar called 'Martini's', Phnom Penh's oldest and most famous brothel! As soon as I mentioned Martini we were back on track the driver giving me that' knowing' smile and a thumbs up and all this entertainment for $1.
Today we start flat hunting with an estate agent having been taken around already to see the apartments of established teachers, some of whom have roof terraces access to roof pools and free gym membership--things are definately looking up,We just hope we can find a nice old colonial style one with a big balcony such as some have already got. Will keep you posted Paul.

Breakfast on the warm terrace

Arrived safe and sound on Sunday evening, fifteen minutes early, having travelled in Judy's taxi, two buses and on two flights. A georgeous, very smiley couple met us at the airport with a sign

 'Mrs Amanda Berry and husband'!

We are currently staying at 'The Terrace on 95', a lovely old colonial villa, with the most welcoming and helpful staff -who even transported us by 'moto' when we got lost and couldn't find a restaurant we were looking for - I sat side saddle in the middle and Paul had the last two inches at the back!

Five other new teachers have arrived too - Sam from Australia, Julie from the UK, Davnet from Dublin and Jo and Thabo and two young children from Guildford.

On Monday, our mystery tour was to be ferried across the Mekong and cycle around a rural island, away from city life, with all the Teaching Assistants from school. We felt quite at home, even Paul on a rather small cycle!!

Lee hi - bye bye

2 weeks to go

40 banana boxes packed so far....... for the container which is being filled to the brim!
Gas, electric, water, council tax, plusnet, sky, BT.............all being cancelled. BT came out tops as I spoke to a lovely Scottish lady who wanted to know our life story and come in our rucksack.......
and now beginning to say our final goodbyes............
We are getting there.............
13 days to go......:)