Atlantis

So after Sihanoukville I shot up to Phnom Penh in one of the share-vans. I rushed home first to pack my bag and as it turned out it was a Chinese Ghost Day so the town was abandoned with only a handful of taxis running. Rummany was also having a party for her staff at the house so she insisted I drink some ABC (think tooheys old with cigarettes stubbed out in it). But I digress.

About half way up it started to sprinkle. About that point we reached my personal best of being crammed into the taxi, counting 24 people in the van, each contorted to accommodate everyone kind of like a big jig saw (including four people on the ute). Luckily the Kampong Speu van drivers don't seem to have embraced the South Asia everyone on the roof idea (although when the vans are moving the garment workers they are like at least thirty in and on the van. On the way up we see two traffic accidents and one body lying on the road.

So we arrive at the outskirts of Phnom Penh and it starts pissing down. The drainage canals along the national road have filled up and overflowed and people are armed with brooms trying to sweep the water that is creeping into their houses. We continue past the airport through the flooded roads, right when a truck overtakes us through the deepest part of the water. The boot of the van is tied down but ajar because it is overloaded. A tsunami of brown, muddy and smelly water is swept up by the truck , through the boot and soaks everyone in the back rows, including me unfortunately, and all the luggage (including my own). Gross

Dejected, we inch along to reach the 'terminal' at Central Market, which is underwater. I manage to find a moto driver to take me to the hotel. All the streets are flooded and the bike conks out a few times. People are still driving like crazy. I finally get to my hotel soaked, my luggage soaked but luckily my laptop okay. I then head out for dinner at Kurt and Hera's and the moto driver can make it through a few streets but the water is too deep in some places and his moto keeps conking out. He gets me as close as he can and I wade knee depth to their house the rest of the way.

Flooding is a usual occurrence in Phnom Penh in the wet season, but i have never been caught in it this bad, living in a drought prone province has its advantages. Large parts of the city are former lakes that have been filled in so all the natural drainage is gone and the water has no where to go.

Anyway, next day I headed out to Singapore for the weekend to see the fam, and Su, Rohan, Jayden and Lawrence were all visiting as well so it was a full house. Continuing the water theme, we went to a pretty cool (if a little tame) water park. Amali and I are really getting along well now, last time she was very shy, and Dilan is throwing the cutest temper tantrums. Plus Tara bought me Vita-Weets! Am heading back there next month as well! They must be very sick of me.

Early Monday morning I head home, take a shower and back to work then the rest of the week in Pursat and Kampong Chhnang. The Belgians leave this week which means I am all alone, sigh!

Also enjoy this video of birds flying into windows.