Our Journey through Cambodia continued north as we made plans for an early departure from Kampong Chnnang on Monday morning. With a breakfast rendezvous for 6 30am our plans were slightly scuppered as we were informed the breakfast cook did not arrive until after 7. It did not take us too long to decide that waiting and eating was the preferred option to starting our journey and travelling up to 100km before we got a chance to eat - especially when we were't sure exactly what culinary delights would be available for us once we hit the road.
We set off to our next destination slightly later than planned but made it into Battambang early afternoon where a quick turnaround of the vans took place. For those wanting to know more -this involves offloading 20 bags of luggage plus small suitcases and separating our trip and medical supplies into 2 lots - those for the clinic of the day and those for restocking when we've finished.
We had an afternoon clinic planned about 40 kilometers outside of the city and so returned to the vans to get to this destination. Unfortunately, our directions were unclear and resulted in our team taking a one and a half hour detour albeit around some lovely countryside. When we eventually arrived, time was not in our favour but the team worked well and managed to see close to 250 people in little over two and a half hours.
There were some interesting cases in this village and the team arranged for a couple of the locals to get followed up for more treatment in a clinic close by.
We arrived back at the hotel quite late and ate a quick dinner as many of the team wished to sample the massage menu. Those who did were certainly pampered and it was a well earned treat as we head into our final few days of clinics.
Tuesday saw us once again on the move as our journey took us up to Poipet. Most of the team have been affected by various minor ailments from colds and coughs to abdominal disturbances. The ones suffering most seem to have a condition known as "Dire Rear" !! Hence frequent stops are needed en route but our drivers are only to happy to oblige (as you can imagine).
As we drove to Poipet we were blessed with a few short burst of rainfall transforming the dust covered shrubs of the kerbsides into lush and bright foliage once again. This was a pleasant change to the scenery so far which has been brown and dull as a result of the dry season and harvesting from the rice paddys. The rain also brought a slight drop in temperature making the day a truly splendid one to undertake an outdoor clinic.
Our clinic this afternoon took us back to Olahong village where the team last year met two young boys who were suffering with neurological symptoms. We had taken them with us when we left for Siem Reap and the boys have been receiving treatment at the childrens hospital there which we have funded over the last year. It was lovely to see them and their families again and the older of the two remembered us clearly greeting us with the most amazing smile.
We made sure that these and all our patients received much TLC during our clinic and left some extra supplies for the head teacher of the school in case of emergency.
Our evening has seen us enter No Man's Land - an area outside the border of Cambodia but not quite into Thailand hence it's name where we had a splendid meal at the casino and felt thoroughly spoiled.
We have now finalised our supplies for tomorrows clinic- our last for this trip- and hope for a good sleep before we head up to Siem Reap for some culture and retail therapy.
Ciao for now
Claudia and Caz
ps remember to check back to our blog soon as we will be uploading pictures as soon as we are able.
We set off to our next destination slightly later than planned but made it into Battambang early afternoon where a quick turnaround of the vans took place. For those wanting to know more -this involves offloading 20 bags of luggage plus small suitcases and separating our trip and medical supplies into 2 lots - those for the clinic of the day and those for restocking when we've finished.We had an afternoon clinic planned about 40 kilometers outside of the city and so returned to the vans to get to this destination. Unfortunately, our directions were unclear and resulted in our team taking a one and a half hour detour albeit around some lovely countryside. When we eventually arrived, time was not in our favour but the team worked well and managed to see close to 250 people in little over two and a half hours.
There were some interesting cases in this village and the team arranged for a couple of the locals to get followed up for more treatment in a clinic close by.We arrived back at the hotel quite late and ate a quick dinner as many of the team wished to sample the massage menu. Those who did were certainly pampered and it was a well earned treat as we head into our final few days of clinics.Tuesday saw us once again on the move as our journey took us up to Poipet. Most of the team have been affected by various minor ailments from colds and coughs to abdominal disturbances. The ones suffering most seem to have a condition known as "Dire Rear" !! Hence frequent stops are needed en route but our drivers are only to happy to oblige (as you can imagine).
As we drove to Poipet we were blessed with a few short burst of rainfall transforming the dust covered shrubs of the kerbsides into lush and bright foliage once again. This was a pleasant change to the scenery so far which has been brown and dull as a result of the dry season and harvesting from the rice paddys. The rain also brought a slight drop in temperature making the day a truly splendid one to undertake an outdoor clinic.Our clinic this afternoon took us back to Olahong village where the team last year met two young boys who were suffering with neurological symptoms. We had taken them with us when we left for Siem Reap and the boys have been receiving treatment at the childrens hospital there which we have funded over the last year. It was lovely to see them and their families again and the older of the two remembered us clearly greeting us with the most amazing smile. We made sure that these and all our patients received much TLC during our clinic and left some extra supplies for the head teacher of the school in case of emergency.Our evening has seen us enter No Man's Land - an area outside the border of Cambodia but not quite into Thailand hence it's name where we had a splendid meal at the casino and felt thoroughly spoiled.We have now finalised our supplies for tomorrows clinic- our last for this trip- and hope for a good sleep before we head up to Siem Reap for some culture and retail therapy.Ciao for now
Claudia and Caz
ps remember to check back to our blog soon as we will be uploading pictures as soon as we are able.