From Indian Summer to Cambodian Monsoon

So here I am, suitcases packed, passport in pocket about to head off into the unknown. Cambodia, although more of a tourist destination than it used to be, is still out of the comfort zone for most travellers. Unless they're on a glitzy package deal to Ankor Wat. Which we are not. Neil's son is running a marine conservation project on some small islands off the coast, in the South China Sea and we will be spending part of the time there, with no electricity or other western mod cons, sleeping in hammocks in wooden huts built to house volunteers.

The weather today in the north of England has been beautiful, warm sunshine, autumn reds and golds in the trees - real indian summer weather. Out in Cambodia it's very different at the moment. A category 4 typhoon called Melor is curling its way across the ocean, just off the Philippines (which have just been blasted by it's nasty twin Parma) and the weather is going to be windy and very, very wet for a few days.

Tomorrow we start off by bus to the nearest train station - a long train journey to London. Then to Heathrow, where we board a plane for Singapore. Then another plane to Phnom Penh and then a long car journey to Sihanoukville on the coast. I dread to think of the size of our carbon footprint, though I suppose the huts and the hammocks will be a penance for that! We're due to arrive there sometime on Thursday evening and as soon as I've recovered I'll post some photographs.

Image courtesy of RoughlyDaily.com