It's the weekend at last - and I don't think I've ever meant that as much as I do right now.

This last week has been absolutely exhausting and exhilarating in equal measure because Phnom Penh has a way of jumping at you from every
direction. It's an assault on all the senses: the sights, the sounds, the smells, and a special mention goes to the humidity that relentlessly sticks to you at around 95% every day and night.

Cambodia is a country that is still trying to figure itself out and as it stands at the moment, the economy doesn't function properly and corruption is rife.

It is a land of contrasts with big villas looming over rickety shanty towns and massive SUVs swerving to avoid tiny old ladies hauling massive carts laden with bananas or coconuts down the main boulevard.

Some things are incredibly cheap here: a bottle of good quality, branded wind down whisky costs a mere $9, but a browse through local newspaper The Phnom Penh Post will reveal that a 2-bedroom apartment could set you back
an unachievable Euro250K - so unless you are loaded your options are pretty limited. Of course you can rent accommodation, but that serves to make the fat cat fatter, and it is the fat cats that live in the villas overlooking the shanty towns.

I do not mean to convey a bleak image of the country because it truly is a little corner of paradise in its own way - it's a vibrant, colourful and exciting place. There are many interesting and wonderful locations to visit: opulent temples, bustling markets, and food stalls selling anything from mangoes to tarantulas; beautiful lotus flowers and peeled frogs (jaqq!) are found on practically every corner.

Just like every city, however, Phnom Penh has some very dark secrets. The seedy underbelly (though I don't know how 'under' it really is considering how obvious it is to spot) is a thriving part of the black economy. You have the foreign sex tourism sector and its local equivalent; the sex trafficking sector, and probably most disturbingly, the child sector.

Two days ago I saw a suspicious-looking older white man in shorts and a vest walking around central market and I couldn't help wondering what the hell he was doing there on his own. For all I know he could have been shopping for an ice cream. I still felt like punching him.

Anyhow back to the point of our visit. I haven't mentioned our students at all today - I like to call them "students", but even more I like to refer to them as "ours" because we've really bonded over the last few days. Being Friday we thought we'd have a round-up of the week that was and I feel a great sense of pride that the children can now make up simple sentences such as 'What
is your name?" - "My name is xxxx." "How are you?" - "I am fine/happy/sad/ funny." "How old are you?" - "I am x years old" and "Yes, please", "No, thank you", "You are my friend."

Sentences, dear readers, that these children didn't know a mere four days ago. Moreover, there are the dances and games we played with them which I know they will be playing long after we're gone.

One more point I'd like to share is that today we cleaned and treated the open sores on the knees and feet of my 7-year old friend, Navid (I say "we" but it was actually Miss Katherine who did it because I don't have the stomach for it)' and we bought him a spanking new pair of sandals which I hope will remain on his feet long enough for the wounds to heal. He cried a bit, then he growled, then he smiled... and finally he hugged us.

This afternoon we set off on a six-hour bus ride to Siem Reap for the weekend. The highlight will of course be a visit to Angkor Wat -Cambodia's renowned temple complex and the largest religious monument in the world, spread over a 30km area.

I'll be posting pictures of course, but right now it's time for dinner - and a helping of the delicious Amok, one of Cambodia's traditional dishes - fish steamed in a coconut-based curry wrapped in banana leaves.

Choom-reab-lear

Alan