You’re going WHERE?

Winter..a season of cold, wet , short days..at least in Iceland. With our flying program dropping off, I knew I’d be sent off somewhere in the world to fly. The past two years involved a couple of Months in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, flying Hajj Pilgrims, so I was pretty sure this year would be the same.

Then I got the phone call! “ Cambodia?? You want me to go to Cambodia?? “  “ Yes,” my boss replied, “a couple of months, setting up a new operation. “

Why is it that some places immediately conjure up images of horror, terror and deprivation? I should have reacted better, seeing as I spent years meeting people from around the world who thought of Ireland as a place full of terrorists. So I did my research ( the dry season starts in November), packed my bags ( average temperature 28C) and set off to the far east.

A couple of days spent at our offices near Gatwick airport in the UK ( cold and wet) and I head off to Heathrow to catch my EVA airways flight to Bangkok, with onward connection to Phnom Penh. I haven’t been to the Far East much, so once I got past images of Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge and the Killing fields, I started to look forward to the trip

 

Heathrow terminal 3  was as busy as always. Its the main Intercontinental terminal so lots of people who’s first language is NOT English wander around aimlessly until gathered up by airline staff and pointed in the general direction of their flight. I was lucky wnough to get access to the business lounge giving me a chance to catch up on telling my friends and family I was going to be away for a while, in a place where I had no idea what level of Communication I might have with the rest of the world!

Finally headed towards the gate, to meet my fellow passengers, most of whom were going on vacation to Bangkok. Approaching the departure gate, I was asked to put my hand baggage on the floor so it could be checked by a sniffer dog. At first I thought he ( the cute spaniel) was checking for drugs, but then I realised no-one would be taking drugs TO Bangkok! It turns out the dog was checking for cash, as the guy ahead of me found the dog getting VERY excited about his rucksack. Bizarrely, when asked by the Dog Handler if he had cash in the bag, he admitted to having over £5000 in cash, to which the Dog handler just said “ Fine, thank you, sorry for bothering you”!!!!!!  I can only imagine what he needed that much cash for on a trip to Thailand.

Seat 9F was my “ Home “ for the next 10 hours. Caught up on my movies, including watching Inception again. Weird but entertaining movie . Dinner, a good sleep and a couple of glasses of wine later, I land in Bangkok International Airport for a three hour wait until my flight to Phnom Penh.

Struggling to stay awake, I boarded my Bangkok Airlines to Phnom Penh

and having been met by the very helpful Sopheap, made my way wearily to my hotel.

I have since moved into a serviced apartment on the 11th floor, with wonderful views over the city and even better at night

More to come, as I explore this amazing city!

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