Our first clinic in keeping to CWC tradition was planned by Sarorn. This was a new village which we were advised was approximately an hour and a half from the city and a very short ferry trip over the Tonle Sap river to a small (tik tik) highland area of land which was very isolated. The village was called Piam Pich and is located in a commune of eleven villages in total. Our journey there took an unexpected turn due to the very wet weather and on 2 occasions Sarorn needed to walk the road through water and ensure we were safe to pass. Our canny van driver negotiated the tiny, slippy roads to make sure we arrived at the ferry stop safely.
Our bus on the ferry
When the ferry arrived we were surprised to see it was really just a wooden platform and we all looked a bit hesitant as we boarded. The short trip over afforded us views of the beautiful and lush riverside with a scattering of small buildings along the way. The local fishermen had platforms constructed close to the riverside and many acknowledged our presence as we made our way over.
A helping hand from one of the locals enabled us to take our supplies to the local school on foot (due to the road condition this was a must) and after 3 long hours of travelling we arrived to set up our first clinic. For half the team this was their first clinic so with Caz and Di on pharmacy duty, Heidi rotated between the new girls with Rachael and Gab providing direction to help them find their feet. The new girls found their rhythm quickly and were soon buzzing round helping and connecting with the locals. After a very quick stop for a local lunch of broth and rice the team continued.
There were opportunities for photos with beautiful children and humble adults all again grateful for a bit of compassion. As we negotiated a finish time the clinic came to a natural wind down and then we were given the news..... our van had been damaged getting off the ferry and there would be no air con for the journey home. Being a gung ho bunch and knowing we could do nothing about this we climbed into the van for what would be a hot and sweaty return trip. The city of Phnom Penh is undergoing development and as such there are traffic jams every day....needless to say when our 4 kilometer trip took nearly and hour in the van, the team got slightly giddy and were eagerly awaiting the cool air to hit their faces as they disembarked the van.
After waving bye to our hosts for the day we headed to a local restaurant for our staple veggies and rice dinner then slowly walked to our hotel. After prep for the next day we all headed off to bed with air cons blasting away.