It ain't called the Business Chicks Cambodia Challenge for nothing. Right from the start, this challenge has given me an adventure to remember. I am thankful amd most appreciative of all the wonderful kind hearted people that have helped me along this journey - you know who you are.
I am especially grateful to the little old asian man on my street who so graciously offered to carry my suitcase up the hill. He could see the fear in my eyes, that i might miss the flight from sydney. It was 6.15am which was the exact time i was supposed to be at the airport. when i woke, i realised i had slept in and i decided i worked so hard to get this far that missing the flight was not an option.
I am grateful that randomly a cab showed up and got me to the airport just in time for check in.
I am grateful to the old vietnamese man in line at check in who was very pleasant to talk to. He could see my struggle to fit presents for the kids into my suitcase. He offered helpful suggestions for how to fit my presents into my luggage. On reflection, this is quite profound and metaphor for "presence".
Even with my late start, i was the first business chick to board the plane.
I'm especially grateful to the check-in chick who decided i had a crap seat on the plane and changed it. If it wasn't for her, i wouldn't have sat next to an amazing chick called Vicky who is on the trip with me and is now a life long friend. Given that i only just made the flight, Vicky named me as the "Risk taker" of the group. We chatted through most of the flight, except for movie time and we promised to wake each other when the food came along.
Our first stop was in Singapore.I had few things to shop for, considering i hadn't packed everything i needed. Vicky and I declared Beer O'Clock and hit the airport bar to commence the trip with a cheers. Vicky introduced me to Billy the echidna. Billy is Vicky's cute travelling companion that likes having his photo taken in random places, doing random things.His first appearance in my photos is next to an Anchor beer. See if you can spot Billy throughout my photos.
The second leg of the trip was from Singapore to Phnom Penh on Silk Air. I sat next to a Cambodian girl named Vatey. Her whole family had been in Singapore as her father needed an operation on his liver. I was surprised that a Cambodian family could afford to travel. It was only when i saw the 2 massive diamond rings on her mothers fingers that i realised they were a wealthy cambodian family. Vatey taught me how to say hello in Cambodian.
On landing in Cambodia i let out a small cheer. I didn't yet have my Cambodian visa. The visa process was easy and quick. The Cambodians set up a production line of people that each did their part in processing the visa. I literally watched them pass my passport along the line and by the time i walked to the next counter, my visa was processed. It only cost $US25 compared to $45 in australia. I was ready to walk through customs and enter Cambodia.
Finally, I met all the other Business Chicks as we boarded the bus and taken to the Diamond Hotel. My room mate for the trip is Mavis and what a diamond she is.
Our Tour Guide was a 28 year old male cambodian called Nak. Nak constantly made jokes about finding a diamond at the Diamond Hotel. The hotel was better than i expected. We were on the bus at 7pm and taken to dinner by the river. Entertainment was a girl doing a Cambodian dance although we didn't pay much attention to her as we were all so excited to be there and to get to know one another. By the end of the evening i was totally exhausted and ready for sleep.
