Day Twelve - Goodbye Siem Reap hello Bangkok

 GG really does need to brush up on his hotel management skills lol.  He sits there like the king of the hoop whilst his minions (women) do all the bloody work.  I've started to rattle his cage now and I love it.  For two mornings I had omlette the next day he said omlette so I said nah I'll have scrambled eggs thank you, which were awful. So today is the last morning. So there he is just sitting there surveying his empire and he says .... Breakfast, no good morning in any language just shouted at across the foyer so I stand there and I look at him and he shouts omlette scrambled eggs lol lol so I just look at him and reply so sweetly I will have the fried eggs this morning thank you. His face but the women laughed and laughed. It was a priceless moment.  So case packed and I have just nipped up to the coffee shop up the road for a decent coffee.  Considering the french had 'ownership' of this country the coffee GG serves on a daily basis is, well shit and trust me working in the community I have drunk some concoctions in my time. This is a lovely coffee bar and this morning I have treated myself to a croissant I mean it is not as if I am holiday or anything is it.

So a flight is booked with Primark Airlines lol aka Bangkok Airlines.  The flight is only 55 mins but I still have to be there two hours before! I did want to go by coach but it is eight hours and I have heard nightmare tales of having to wait at the thai Cambodian border.  At least this way I will be back at Jenny's for dinner.

Cambodia is an amazing place.  I don't care if I never see PP again but I am so pleased that I went to see for myself the horrors man can subject mankind too.  I have said to Daniel that he should take the coach down to experience it himself.  SR is completely different it is more laid back.  I have walked around here at night feeling quite comfortable - apart from the relentless madam tuk tuk, and you buy one dollar which I have now blocked out.

You see along the road containers holding soft drinks but don't assume they are plugged in. No, they have huge pieces of ice in them to keep the drinks cold. If people do not work here or have family, then they beg on the streets.  You see people with limbs, mainly legs, missing because of land mines that were planted during the many recent conflicts in this country.  In fact a guy has just stood at the end of the coffee shop with no hands begging it's so sad.  I gave him a dollar but then five minutes matter an older bloke comes along begging and I have to say no.  But I can now, I have figured it out. Daniel was telling me that up until recently there was hardly any education for he children and people in thieir 30s now did not attend school, only the very wealthy.  But this country has spirit. It's fighting back and why shouldn't it? Who am I to say you should not have what I have. But do what we have, really, really make us happy?  For me it does not and I learnt that last year when I went to Thailand and it has been confirmed to me ten fold again this year.  So yes i will go to London because I know in my heart of hearts I do not need to be in Stoke any more because as my doctor said .... Keep doing the same thing I will get the same results.  Yes I'm excited to be moving to London and Andy and I will have our sexless marriage lol and we will just figure it out, because that is what we do.  But, there will always be a pull on my heart to the Far East because here I just shine, I feel totally at home.  So before I leave for my flight and leave Cambodia I will leave you with these words again from Eat, Pray, Love if you have not read it if seen it I recommend you do so.

I've come to believe in something I call, the physics of the quest.  If you are brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting. It can be anything from your house to bitter old resentments and go on a truth seeking journey either externally or internally.  And if you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on that journey as a clue and you accept everyone you meet on the way as a teacher, and if you are prepared, most of all to  face and forgive some very difficult realities about yourself - then the truth will not be withheld from you.

I'm now starting to leave things behind, the place that has been 'home' for 24 years, furniture, belongings and friends.  I'm working on the difficult realities but there is one that will never mend my broken heart.  But I have met people who have been sent to make me laugh, when I hadn't laughed for months and others who have reassured me that I am not the only one as my dear Dad used to say with a light over my head that only special people see.

So back home opinionBangkok.  I took the Skytrain from the airport 42b (84p)!  Then negotiated a taxi mmm they said 250b (£5) I looked at them and said really, really lol I normally pay 150b (£3)! The first guy they took me too started to argue because of the traffic etc I said ok forget it I'll go down to that road and get a tuk tuk. No, no, no please take this taxi 150B says I oh yes yes.  Mmmm slightly different to Cambodia oh also I actually gave the address in Thai go me.  Normally I hand them the hostels card but no I was impressed too.  Anyway, the traffic was bad and in all fairness I gave him a bit more.

The girls were so pleased to see me again, I thought the older woman was going to squeeze me to death.  So I have a big room upstairs and it's beautiful. I said I'm in the penthouse and they did giggle.  

So shower and leave my washing to be done lol and off to Jenny's for dinner.  Something amazing happened she was so pleased to see me, she hugged and kissed me.  I passed on Daniel's love to her and said the reason why Daniel did not say goodbye is because he will see you again one day, so it's not goodbye.  She did laugh, she really is a sweet soul.  I told her I was hungry as it had been a busy day and tonight I was going to have a pudding - sticky rice, banana, mango and coconut milk - I don't think that is in Slimming World's recommendation lol. I also ordered pad Thai . Well the pud come first, but I did order it first lol only in Thailand so ate that and it was so lovely.  Then my pad Thai - I really must learn to use chopsticks lol.

Then the gorgeous french guy come back ............. With his equally gorgeous American wife 😕.  She was lovely and we swapped tails about Cambodia.  It was good actually as they thought very much as me.  They thought in comparison to Thailand it was expensive and she also thought that some of the guys had issues around women.  She too had thought she looked like an ATM and said that some guy had spat at her when she had said no to dishing out a dollar.  Yes! It's a good job that hadn't happened to me I can tell you.  We agreed that it was a shame that they are building huge five star hotels for the tourists when there really is better things they could be spending their money on.  It was interesting to get another's opinion.  Anyway, she said northern Vietnam is lovely and so us Loas.  So we shall see.

Went to the hotel bar again and had two, yes two, Singapore Sling cocktails and now back in the penthouse as I'm exhausted, it's been a long day.  Oh I didn't tell you lol.  Checked in the hotel snd I was invited to use Bangkok Airways executive lounge. Seriously, I think I'm turning into Dame Judi Dench. So all very lovely don't mind if I do thank you very much. Get on the plane, plane pushes off and I just knew there was something wrong, I could just tell by the noise then the smell of aviation fuel.  It smelt like he had flooded the engine. So we were told that because of a technical fault we are not going anywhere.  Now Bangkok Airways had gone from Primark airline to M&S because of the exec lounge bit and how quick they boarded us.  But now ....... So we all got up and waited.  The steps come, they opened the door to let us out then the captain said oh it's ok now we have fixed it lol.  The crew did not have a clue what was going on.  Babgkok Airways the boutique airline, more like carboot airline.  That plane stunk of aviation fuel too when we had landed.

So here are some more photos now I have wi fi again.  A couple of Daniel then some of the Peace Cafe which I MUST find similar in London.

Oh no one has asked me to buy anything or do I want a tuk tuk lol.