Everyone knows the best way to take in the sights of Cambodia's capital city Phnom Penh is by tuk tuk. The sights, the sounds, the smells, everything is magnified and racing by at the speed of Mr Rith's moped. You better have your wits about you or you may miss something extraordinary.
Today we were heading to Steung Menchey, one of Phnom Penh's poorest areas, situated at the old rubbish tip site. The rubbish tip officially closed in 2009, displacing many Cambodians who worked and lived there. Our first mission was to pack the tuk tuks sky high with tiger balm, soaps and meditations for our clinic. Then it was a mad dash to get there as we were running a bit behind schedule due to some unfortunate toilet activity (said bottoms will remain anonymous). It was an eye opener for our newbies and a complete assault to your senses as our tuk tuks navigated the narrow laneways of the slum.
When we arrived at the church, everyone was waiting patiently for us. We sprung into action, setting up in a matter of minutes. Seeing approximately 200 people in about 2 hours, boom just like that. One little boy scored a trip to the Kantha Bopha Hospital on the back of Socheat's (our darling interpreter) moto for a steel pole vs shin injury, three days prior, that had developed into a nasty cellulitis. Poor little man's leg was so swollen and hot to touch, he had a brave face on the whole time. It never ceases to amaze me how stoic the children and people of Cambodia are.
The rest of the afternoon was free time to take in the sights of Phnom Penh by tuk tuk of course. We enjoyed some bargain hunting/haggling at the Russian Markets and stocked up on some much needed supplies from the pharmacy and grocery store for our clinics and days to come. FYI gluten free snack shopping in Cambodia is not easy people! But we made it work. We also managed to find an awesome wheelchair for the beautiful paralysed man we met at Sarorn's village earlier in the week. The wheelchair features a commode like draw underneath the seat, the seat back reclines and the legs elevate, allowing the man to be able to change his position throughout the day.
The evening was also spent making up first aid kits for Sarorn to take to a big province meeting. Sarorn was very impressed when we presented him with them and the wheelchair. Looking forward to seeing photos of the man when he receives it!
