Category: Relationships

Day 47 in SE Asia – Happiness at Happyland – It’s All About The Kids

August 2, 2017

Takeo Province, Cambodia; Today was my last full day at Happyland. However, I woke in a foul mood – not being sure whether it was a bad case of PMS, the fact I was missing the feeling of being clean, and being able to use a toilet without pissing on myself; the fact I wanted … More Day 47 in SE Asia – Happiness at Happyland – It’s All About The Kids

Day 46 in SE Asia – Distancing Myself to Prevent Inevitable Hurt

August 2, 2017

Takeo Province, Cambodia; Even though today we technically had another day off, Gold Coast and I spent some time sorting through the storage room. The amount of donated materials and leftover ‘stuff’ we found in there was frustrating, and frankly sickening. We found hundreds of toothbrushes and tubes of toothpaste…lots of medication and surgical instruments…spare … More Day 46 in SE Asia – Distancing Myself to Prevent Inevitable Hurt

Day 45 in South East Asia – Hitchhiking, Swimming and a Proper Decent Meal

August 1, 2017

Takeo Province, Cambodia; Today was Saturday, and usually on the weekends the volunteers got to have a break and some time off (some much needed time off). The kids were welcome to hang around Happyland in the morning but come the afternoon, seeing as there were no official classes for the older kids, Happyland closed … More Day 45 in South East Asia – Hitchhiking, Swimming and a Proper Decent Meal

Day 42 in South East Asia – WE HAVE WIFI…kind of…

July 30, 2017

Takeo Province, Cambodia;  This morning, in rotation from the gardening, it was my turn to participate in some cleaning. Every morning the classrooms needed sweeping, the bathroom needed mopping and the kitchen needed a good once over. As soon as these chores were finished we had a little spare time before the kids arrived in … More Day 42 in South East Asia – WE HAVE WIFI…kind of…

Day 41 in South East Asia – What Could I Possibly Do In A Week?!?

July 28, 2017

Takeo Province, Cambodia; It’s only day two at Happyland but I feel drained and exhausted. I’ve not even been doing any real physical exercise and I feel I could sleep for days. If kids do this to you, if having children does this to you, if running a volunteer organisation where you eat, sleep and … More Day 41 in South East Asia – What Could I Possibly Do In A Week?!?

Day 40 in South East Asia: Welcome to Happyland!

July 26, 2017

Takeo Province, Cambodia: I thought I’d escaped the treacherous mini-bus journeys of South East Asia. Turns out I spoke too soon. This morning saw me and my volunteer compadres boarding yet another rickety, over-crowded and squashed mini-bus in the direction of Takeo where we were to begin our volunteer activities. Luckily, despite being packed together … More Day 40 in South East Asia: Welcome to Happyland!

Day 39 in South East Asia: Genocide in Cambodia, a Barbaric Massacre

July 26, 2017

Phnom Penh, Cambodia;  As a collective, the volunteer guys and myself had decided to take an educated excursion to The Killing Fields and The S21 Prison in Phnom Penh. If you’re not already aware, during the seventies Cambodia suffered drastically at the hands of Pol Pot and his army of Khmer Rouge. The warped version … More Day 39 in South East Asia: Genocide in Cambodia, a Barbaric Massacre

Day 38 in South East Asia – Over These Buses!

July 24, 2017

Kampot to Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Starting on Monday I’m due to partake in a volunteer program helping some of Cambodia’s disadvantaged kids (something I’ve been very much looking forward to since I signed up for it while in Vietnam). This will last for a week, and once I’ve finished I’ll be heading to Bali for … More Day 38 in South East Asia – Over These Buses!

Day 36 in South East Asia – Still in Kampot, Still Considering Karma

July 21, 2017

Kampot, Cambodia; With Karma now surely on my side, and with the sun yet again breaking through the midst of the wet season clouds that hung over the Kampot River, I decided to tempt the weather fate and hire out a bicycle! One US Dollar will get you a rented bicycle for 24hours in Kampot, … More Day 36 in South East Asia – Still in Kampot, Still Considering Karma