Mr Toad has finally moved to his elegant new flat, and can be seen here relaxing on his king-size bed, charmingly furnished with imported French cotton bed linen. And relaxing with an aperitif on the balcony before dinner – The new Toad Hall is on the fifteenth floor, with a somewhat vertiginous view of… Continue reading Toad Hall
Sexting pandas and my new alter ego
Have really taken to my new role as a drama teacher, and put in a stellar performance – though I say so myself – as Professor I C Stars in the Space Mission role plays last week. Any resemblance to Worzel Gummidge is entirely coincidental. Another role play involved a cocktail party – not… Continue reading Sexting pandas and my new alter ego
Pitch Perfect: The Sequel
I have a vomiter in my class. Her mother – armed with plastic bags and a worried expression – explained to me that when this child feels stressed, she vomits. With one eye on said child and another on my possible escape route, I tried to look sympathetic and caring, instead of repulsed. Normally she… Continue reading Pitch Perfect: The Sequel
Petronas – and I’m not talking Harry Potter
Having been here for a week already, I was slightly embarrassed to have to admit that I hadn’t seen the Petronas Towers yet. It’s bit like spending a week in Paris and failing to spot the Eiffel Tower. So a trip downtown on my day off was a must. Feeling a bit Ubered-out, I decided… Continue reading Petronas – and I’m not talking Harry Potter
In which I decide not to become David Attenborough …
Mr Toad and I were relaxing poolside on a sunny afternoon – – when suddenly I heard a thud … a tiny little squirrel had fallen out of a large palm tree and landed next to me. He gathered his wits, turned his head and then saw me and started scrabbling wildly, trying to get… Continue reading In which I decide not to become David Attenborough …
The most expensive phone call in the world?
As my poor old phone has definitely seen better days I decided to upgrade to a shiny, new, rose gold iPhone. I rapidly installed email, added apps, put in a U.K. clock as well as a Malaysian one and felt very tech-savvy and pleased with myself. Then I thought that I should add the number… Continue reading The most expensive phone call in the world?
Free Plant Sprayer With Every Meal …
The Kuala Lupur Botanical Gardens, as one might expect, showcase a magnificent variety of lush tropical species. The Oasis Garden even has its own water nymph elegantly perched on a rock. And I do love a pretentious sign, so I was delighted to read all about the Oasis Garden I would have said it… Continue reading Free Plant Sprayer With Every Meal …
The Year of the Cat?
No – apparently it’s the Year of the Rooster. So I was rather puzzled to see an installation at Doha airport with approximately a thousand waving cats, wishing everyone a Happy New Year. You may not be able to see clearly from the photo, but they are all waving their left paw stiffly up and… Continue reading The Year of the Cat?
Mr Toad packs his suitcase…
… ready to head off to Malaysia. He’s hoping that reports of a plague of toad-eating snakes in Kuala Lumpur have been greatly exaggerated.
The shameless tourist
It’s all very well going native – eating in local restaurants, calling yourself a barang, feeling very superior as every new batch of holiday-makers arrives for the obligatory 3-day Angkor Wat pilgrimage – but there are times when you just want to let rip and be a total tourist yourself. So with that idea in… Continue reading The shameless tourist
This little piggy went to market …
… on a motorbike. Hurrah for the white van-less society! When everyone’s in an open vehicle, you can see what’s going on – and I must admit that I’ve become a bit obsessed with watching the traffic, just to see what’s coming up the road next. Not sure what these are called, but I saw… Continue reading This little piggy went to market …
Good Old Tesco
Grace House has the only Special Needs Unit in Siem Reap Province – not just the town but the whole province – which has an area of over 10,000 square km with a population getting on for a million. The Grace House Unit can take 20 children, with five living in the residential house… Continue reading Good Old Tesco
Dangerous items and female visitors
Frustratingly, the hotel policy makes no further mention of the dangerous items, leading to all kinds of speculation – hand grenades? TNT? Durian? Wandering past the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, I was surprised to see a member of the Queen’s Guard. No – not an international exchange of royal guards – he’s just… Continue reading Dangerous items and female visitors
The triumph of hope over experience
To the person who told me that I ‘must have a foot massage in Cambodia’: what sort of masochist are you? Despite previous experience of Khmer massage techniques, as this had been highly recommended, I was expecting a soothing afternoon – a sort of human version of a Dr Scholl footbath. I lay down and… Continue reading The triumph of hope over experience
Another handicraft mastered
To add to my already impressive panoply of skills, I have now learnt how to weave a mat from dried water hyacinth. I hope you’re impressed. If you’d ever seen the needlecase I made for my mother at school, you’d be astonished. We went to Tonle Sap, which is the largest lake in south-east Asia. … Continue reading Another handicraft mastered
Beach body ready
On a jaunt to the beach – Otres near Sihanoukville – I suffered another violent assault – this time it was called threading. I was approached by two smiley ladies as I sat reading on the beach, and they offered their services, assuring me that afterwards I would be ‘smooth like baby bum’. How could… Continue reading Beach body ready
Trail Blazers
By no means everyone in Cambodia has access to clean water, and this has a massive impact on families and the community. Water-borne illnesses are a huge threat and children often get ill and can’t attend school and parents can’t work because they’re looking after them, or the parents themselves get ill and can’t… Continue reading Trail Blazers
Evidence of insanity … or the perils of too much free time
Like a dog returning to its vomit, I went back to the Khmer Relief Spa for another massage. The lure of the 50% discount proved irresistible – the triumph of parsimony over pleasure. Happily, I can report that this time my experience was much less violent and I came out bruise-free. I was even able… Continue reading Evidence of insanity … or the perils of too much free time
Two surprises and a shock
I’m surprised that I continue to be surprised by things that happen here, if you see what I mean. It’s all very well to expect the unexpected, but if you don’t know exactly what you’re expecting, it’s hard to anticipate. In the weekly computer lesson this week, the children were learning to compile a table… Continue reading Two surprises and a shock
How to recycle your used bullets
Adding to my many talents, I went on a jewellery workshop at Ammo. Their USP is that they make beauty out of something ugly, and at the same time give training to young Cambodians in jewellery design. I went with Alyce, another volunteer, and we spent a morning making a necklace out of a bullet.… Continue reading How to recycle your used bullets