Loft living , Cambodia style

The accomodation is in a rented house in the village, a short bike ride from the school ( note to self, always, always take your headlamp!). This house was the original school, before the centre was built. It's fairly typical of structures in the village.

It has tin walls, no windows, but you can raise flaps if tin to let air in. The house is on stilts, with a cool open area underneath. In most homes this houses animals as well.

The floor is wooden, with gaps between boards. The bottom level has a cement floor ( more on this latter).

I share the house with Brian, a Brit who has lived in Greece and now in Aus. He is doing amazing work in the village, he first came and put in water filters to many homes. This year he is putting in a water harvesting system by replacing part of the thatched roof with tin, and then putting in cement water tanks. He it teaching locals how to put up the tin and make the tanks. An amazing man, and his wife has also come over and taught recently.

My room is made of particle board with a door, and has an amazingly comfortable bed.  The decor in I think what is titled ' Cambodian princess' or the honeymoon suite. 

I'm not sure if this decoration is for me, or what. The purple mosquito net is essential, as is insect repellant. However it is quiet cool at the moment, lucky for icebreaker.

 I have a light, and Brian has a gas cooker to heat water for morning coffee. All meals are taken at the school. We have bottled water.

Downstairs is the squat toilet. There is running cold water in a tub for a splash shower.

We are very very close to the neighbours, so the dogs, chickens and cows are all around. Feels just like greghamstown haha. Oh and I have a lovely kitty friend.

At 4 am the prayers begin in the local temple, and I must say it is eerily beautiful to hear.  In the the early morning everyone is out lighting fires of straw to heat themselves up, as 15 degrees is an article blast here.

This is the village chiefs house.

Local lady

And as happens all over the world, mums catch up after the big kids go to school. This starts really early, at 730, and the kids go in split shifts due to the shortage of teachers.