One boat to Battambang please.

I had my favourite day to date on Tuesday. I didn't do anything particularly exciting. It was just a nice standard day living in Cambodia. I got up for work at 7am, went for breakfast, CYCLED to work for my 8am start, internet down so headed to Common Grounds cafe and worked from there, came home for lunch to find the dangly hammock thing free and read a LOT of The Hunger Games, then got persuaded into going out for dinner to a cute little unkown family resteraunt. Which turned into a drink or two. Which turned into another mooch about the Night Markets where we found a few back-street bars, which turned into Pub Street.

The bike had a wobbly wheel and no brakes. Which in theory should have been okay what with the 'don't stop moving' rule over here... but no. It was very scary. I was so happy to see Thida pick me up on her moto the following day. I was hungover too, so cycling really wouldn't have been a very smart shout. Claire cycled into a wall and another car though, which was really smart. It wasn't a big deal. The roads are that silly that nobody even noticed so she carried on.

When we were leaving Pub Street, the youngest of the usual street kids had got hold of a LOT of glitter. From a tourist I imagine. So he spotted me waiting around for the others to come outside and asked me to sit down. It's difficult enough to refuse buying their shitty little bracelets, so I obliged and sat cross legged whilst he covered me from head to toe in glitter. Of course I knew that I had work in 5 hours time, but like I said, I couldn't possibly say no. The boss would have understood if I had had to explain no doubt, but he didn't bother to ask. Probably a language-related barrier as oppose to a lack of curiosity.

Yesterday was just a bit generally hungover and sleepy. I went out for a few drinks in the evening, but very sensibly returned home when I heard the 'Pub Street?' suggestion. One of my regular tuk tuk drivers just happened to be passing as I headed back so I grabbed a lift. When we arrived at the guesthouse all of the dogs ran away, to which he informed me it's because they "don't like him". Turns out it's because he eats dog and they can smell it on him. Very sad. I get the impression it's a sort of manly thing to do. He told me his wife and kids don't, just him. Strange.

Getting a boat out of town (only available during the rainy season. Yes, it is that wet) to Battambang on saturday morning and meeting a couple of the Phnom Penh girls down there for the night, which should be nice. Very traditional typical Khmer town apparently. Few tourists, so that should make a very nice change from Siem Reap. My first weekend with no internet. However will I manage? I never expected to have any at all when I arrived! Of course it's temperamental enough anyway. The whole of Siem Reap blacks out at 10:03pm and 06:00am every day for a few minutes.