We woke up to the sound of Happy Birthday Abha as we celebrated the first of two birthdays on this trip. We enjoyed a speedy birthday brekkie and Abha was treated to an ecelctic selection of Cambodian gifts, all which put a smile on her face.
Leaving our new found friends at the La Lune hotel and the chaotic streets of Phnom Penh meant our onwards journey had begun. The suitcase tetris entertained most of the team as we wondered how 14 suitcases 18 people and all our supplies would fit into two vans.
The packing skills of Korn and Saran leave nothing to the imagination as the bags and boxes were loaded on board and we were soon on our way to Kampong Chhnang. The drive past lush green rice paddys and dusty road sides brought us to our riverside destination sooner than expected….. although that could have been that time was lost as we were slightly distracted by the outlander on board. Praise the good Lord for mobile technology and Netflix.
In order to reach our clinic for the day we had to traverse the Tonle Sap River once more. This time all our supplies for the day needed to be carried on board the small boat. The floods were evident from the rooftops that were the only visible part of the market stall structures as we travelled by. In the dry season these buildings form a bustling local market area.
After a 20 minute tuk tuk drive (no iron cow this year) through long dusty roads which we shared with water buffalos and an escapee pig, we arrived at our destination to the sound of local music blaring over a tannoy to announce our arrival to the several hundred villagers who were patiently waiting.
The team is now adept at quickly setting up the clinic and soon we were underway with a barrage of locals desperate for some attention and care. We worked tirelessly until our supplies were well and truly diminished as we experienced our biggest clinic to date and a staggering amount of children. Over 450 people were attended to and once again there were many tales of hardship. There were presentations of ailments that would be so easily treated back home, yet in these remote areas, people are living helplessly with these conditions that burden their daily lives with no resources available.
When our supplies were finally exhausted for the day we made the journey to our new hotel for the night and the team enjoyed the trusty pad thai as we sang Happy Birthday once again, and tucked into the birthday cake arranged for the celebration.
With a good night toast to Abha we collapsed into our beds for the night knowing that the early morning would soon be upon us and the start of another (birthday) day.