Our time in Phnom Penh came to an end this morning, with us packing up our rooms and loading the vans (including the roof of Rodney's van) to travel north to Kampong Chnang. 12 suitcases plus carry on, plus boxes of medications and dressing supplies, plus 19 people crammed into the 2 vans for the 2 hour journey through green rural countryside.
After unloading and some unpacking, we enjoyed a beautiful meal at the restuarant which is attached to our hotel. After lunch we headed to Oreong villiage which is home to 30 families. After a quick song of welcome, the villiage children all lined up single file to get their worming tablets, scabies soap and vitamin C tablets. Our clinic stations were set out in a sandy compound surrounded by jackfruit trees and pink flowering trees, as well as a pair of geese wandering through with their young. The clinic stations were very pleasant and less crowded as it was only a small village. While the nurses were busy seeing patients, Claudia and Liz were busy dispensing drugs and running a very organised pharmacy.
One conversation that stood out was between Rachael and Vanessa and a middle aged lady. She told them about finding a baby in a cardboard box 5 months ago, whom she took in and cared for as her own. As sad as this story started out as, the baby is now doing very well and is healthy and is in a loving home. This generousity in spirit from the lady to the baby, was reflected in the kindness we recieved from the villagers, who supplied us with fresh coconut juice and platters of mango and watermelon. As this clinic came to an end, with us leaving toothbrushes and toothpaste for the villagers, Rachael was meanwhile being chased by the cheeky geese as she was tryjng to get a photo of their babies.