iDarts

As you can tell from this post, whilst I was traipsing through the most dense rainforest known to man at a 90 degree angle, with 30kgs on my back, mosquitos plaguing me, rain pouring down, leaches threatening to attack... my husband was enjoying a wonderful week of man-time. When I got home, he was buzzing on, and whilst I pretended to listen the only words I kept catching were "iDarts", "Leonard", "so much fun", "midnight", "iDarts" and more "Leonard"... 

On Tuesday night this week, we were off to the opening of iDarts - with Leonard organising the show were were treated, once again, to VIP status. These are the perks of being friends with one of the most connected people in this town. But we don't only love him for that!

So I finally got to see what all the hype was about! I initially thought in order to have a good time you needed to be able to play darts, but this is not the case. Anyone and everyone can play it. Its dangerous because you don't realise how much time passes, there is great music, the drinks flow  - the next thing you know its 1am. It really is so much fun. 

Thank you Leonard for another great experience, saya amat menyukainya! You rock :-) 

The [other] one who has my heart

Nate and I went to a pretty trendy pub on Friday evening with our good friends Lenoard, Libby and Luke (there are a lot of L's going on there). It's no Little Creatures or Whose Your Momma? - but its nice going on KL standards. The attaction: it serves Little Creates - Pale and Bright ale! Whopa.

Our buddy Leonard

Luke and Libby have made the cutest creation. Ethan is his name and he has stolen my heart. I love kids, but at this point in my life, I don't really think about wanting one around... until this little guy appears.

He is the most chilled out, happy little chap. Always smiling, not one bit needy, happy to go to anyone, sleeps where ever. I really like how Luke and Libby take him out with them, he is a social little thing for sure.

We met Luke and Libby at CHCKL, our church. Leonard is our connect group leader. He has been an important part in us settling at that particular church. Is is the most connected person I know - he literally knows everyone in this town! Which is awesome for us.

I took a few snaps of the place, but the light was awful and I am yet to figure out our camera.

I want one!

Phnom Penh

It is not hard to imagine Phnom Penh in its heyday, with wide, shady boulevards and beautiful French buildings. They are still there of course, but are in a derelict, dust-blown decaying state. It all leaves you wondering how a city like this works. But it does.

After taking tuk-tuk ride from the airport, we arrived at Le Marais Boutique Hotel around 9am - settled into our very lovely room and had a snooze. The 3.30am start and the trauma of the LCCT left us a little sleepy! After about 45 mins we decided to go in search of coffee. It seems that before we go anywhere, Nate and I look up coffee places. We do love our quality coffee and Phnom Penh had a few goodies.

Phnom Penh is a city of contrasts: East and West, poor and rich, serenity and chaos. In the space of 1km you see Monk's saffron robes lending a splash of colour to the streets to soldiers with AK47's to amputees on street corners - a constant reminder of Cambodia's tragic story. Years of war have taken a heavy toll on the city's infrastructure and economy, as well as its people. I don't normally like to know what goes on in these places that we are visiting - the reason's for why they are in the state they are in, is something I would rather not know about. I am on holiday, and not wanting to be confronted by the horrors.

You do not have this luxury in Phnom Penh. Their brutal history is something unavoidable and I cant think why it is. Maybe it's because it only happened 30 years ago and I think, where the heck was the world for this to go unnoticed or maybe its because I know child prostitution and slavery is alive and well there or maybe it is because if you an Expat in PP, then you are part of an NGO... it's an intriguing place and you cannot put your head in the sand and pretend all is well and good! At the same time, it is peaceful, simple and rather breath taking. A weird mix.

Nate went to the Tuol Sleng Museum (Museum of Genocide) whilst I did my assignment. Which I am glad I missed. The photos and stories he brought back were heart breaking. The classrooms of Tuol Svay Prey High School became the Khmer Rouge main torture and interrogation centre (known as S-21). More than 20,000 people were taken to for execution at another camp called Choeung Ek. Countless others died under torture and were thrown into mass graves in the school grounds.

These holes in the ground were mass graves - Nate said that some, when uncovered, were filled with hundred of beheaded women and young children. 

I think I will leave it at that! And move onto some better tales: we were there for Nate's footy game - they got totally thrashed by the Cambodian Eagles! That poor old hubby of mine, I mean, he is not a fan of anything that has the name Eagle(s) in it and certainly does not like been beaten by anything that has the word Eagles in it. Thank goodness Freo beat Geelong, otherwise it would have been a loooong two days.

Nate has decided to keep his stats (I dont even know what that means)! But after each quarter he would sneak onto his phone and record his touches, kicks, marks and I dont know what else! I told you in this post, its all very very serious out there! To be fair, the Malaysia Warriors did not have their full strength side, and a few key members were injured. Freak, I sound like my husband when he makes excuses for the Dockers!

I had a wonderful time, I got to hang out with a very old family friend, Danielle Van Rooyen. I went to primary school with her brother, and then in the same high school as her. Her and her family lived in the same little country town, Richmond, as my family. So we really do go waaay back. It was so awesome to hang out and catch up with where she is at. I found it refreshing and inspiring, hearing how her and her family moved to Cambodia and how awesome God's hand has been in their lives every step of the way.

We are definitely going back there. It is the most beautiful place, and it was so good to be out of the Muslim dominated culture for a weekend! It was a weekend of mixed emotions for sure. The people of this area are happy despite their terrible history. I get the feeling, as a nation, they are looking forward and striving to be better. It was a very humbling weekend and I highly recommend it for a stop over.

Around the World

I am getting pretty excited :-) We have so much travel in store, and we are only 2 full months into the year! 

A wedding in the UK - June 2012 {cousin Blake and Juliet}

A potential jaunt to the Olympics - August 2012 {praying for you Stepha}

A wedding in South Africa - August 2012 {cousin Lauren and Garett}

A white Christmas in Norway - December 2012/2013 {best mate Tom Roach here we come!}

Another wedding in South Africa - April 2013 {best friend Sarah and Jonty}

What's even more exciting is peppered around those trips are weekend's away to places near by, like Cambodia for example, in 3 weekends time! 

AND just as I thought it couldn't get any better, we have visitors! Mitch and Bree (soon!!), Timo and Steph {Easter}, The Crouch's {TBC}, The Sale Buma's {TBC}, the Geraldton Buma's {September/October}, Number 5 {July}... *sigh* 

I sit back in my chair and give thanks to my God for his abundant blessings.  I am totally overwhelmed by His provision in our lives. He is so good. 

Singapore

Wow. The last 13 days have been insane. As I mentioned, with Zach being here, a bit of travel has been done. When we stumbled through the door this morning at 2.03am I was very happy to be home. I love travelling, and its a privilege, but there is not place like home.

Singapore was great. Nate has a hilarious post that he is working on! So I won't share too much about the weekend when both Zach and him were there.

I stayed an extra three days to spend time with Verne, Rach and Timi, who live in Singapore. It just so happened that the Jann twins were visiting, so it was the perfect time to hop over the boarder and have a catchup.

The Jann family are our (The Birds) oldest friends. The 6 Jann kids and the 4 Bird kids are practically siblings. They live in Switzerland now, so its rare that we get to catch up. Rach is married with the cutest little boy and another one on the way - so it was so wonderful to get to know Timi and of course the great man she is married to, Verne.

The twins, well they have not changed a bit. My time in Singapore was hanging out with them. It was such an awesome time and I am so lucky to have such old friends in my life. I love that they know me, they know my family, how we all work - even though we don't see each other much, when we do, its like picking up where we left off. Its so so good.

Benji was there from Friday to Monday and then Luki was there from Monday to Friday, so I got to spend time with them individually and have one precious day of them together. We shopped, ate, visited the zoo, played board games, chatted, laughed... it was such a great time.

As an aside, the Singapore Zoo is the freaking bomb diggi. I usually hate zoo's because of the manki enclosures... this place. You wouldn't know you are in one.

Rach is SO preggers - we had to get her a wheel chair (she hated it)

The Watts Family

Andrew [Dougal] and Elizabeth [Liz] Watts. Parents of Molly [4] and Annabelle Watts [2]. Neighbours to the Bumas. Fellow member of the Association of British Women [Liz]. New found friends. What GEMS!

I am super stoaked that we have met this little family. I met Liz on a ABWM thing, was happy to know she was in the same block of Condos. Since then we have wined dined at theirs and yesterday, Liz organised a BBQ by the pool with us and two other young families.

Huddled up during the downpour

I will say, that this Condo houses LOADS of young families! I am almost sure I can boldly state, as a cold hardcore fact, that Nathanael and I are the only expats without young children.

THAT'S HOW WE LIKE IT :-)

We met another Aussie family, from over east, with their twins +1. Then another white/Malay mixed couple with their 2. And then of course the very very cute Molly and Annabelle. Are they not the two most English names? Let me tell you, those pom accents that accompany the little terrors are enough to make me give them anything they want, just to keep them talking.

One comment that Molly made has kept me giggling since I heard it! We were at the Watts for a couple glasses of wine dinner, the girls were asleep. Molly woke up from the sounds of the near by Mosque...

Molly: "Mummy, who is singing?"
Liz:"Its coming from the Mosque my darling"
Molly: "Whose wearing a mask?"

Classic.

Back to the BBQ... it started off being a rainy day, which I thought looked like it was set in for the day... but I am learning that the weather here is totally unpredictable. One minute its bucketing down with lighting and thunder, the next its sunny and clear! By the time 3pm rolled around, there was no sign of rain, and we all had the most glorious time by and in the pool. Liz has her parents over from Cyprus for a month. Phillip, Liz's dad was in the Army all his life, and her mum was telling me they have moved 22 times in the last 25 years! How insane! They decided to retire in Cyprus, and are in the middle of renovating a place - it sounds so lovely.

As a complete aside, Dougal was also in the Army for many years, in Prince Charles regiment. Before I knew this, somehow the conversation went to the Royal Wedding... I proceeded to give a long soliloquy as to why I think Charles is a snivelling bastard [totally in camp Diana]. Turns out Dougal really likes him, has met him, hung out, the whole shebang... and asked me (because of my very strong opinions) whether I had ever met the man, because obviously I had, if I had formed such strong opinions. EEERRRRGMMMMM. Negative. Never met the man. Dougal proceeded to say "its okay for people to just get opinions from the media..." the convo ended with me say: "well I guess he isnt toooooo bad...". Dear Lord! More wine?

Back to this BBQ... so it was great! We swam, we ate, we chatted, we drank, we swam some more. It was a delightful afternoon. The rain arrived towards the end of the feasting, which the kids LOVED! Its so warm here so they are never in very much danger of catching a cold from being wet and outside --- they were running around like mad things in the rain, loving getting wet.

The Watts came over for a wine coffee and chat later that evening. The girls had some milo!

Blankie and Baa Baa - two things the girls do not go without at bedtime

Nates going riding with Dougal on Saturday and we are planning a trip with them to Melaka. I pop down and see Liz and the girls often. We are really enjoying them and so thankful to have met such lovely people. Looking forward to our visitors (YOU!) meeting them.