Keeping safe and well in Phnom Penh

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Some of the traffic dangers!!

As I have a little post Christmas lull at work I thought that I would tell you dear bloggers a little bit about every day life in PP and the lengths I have to go to to remain safe and healthy [hope this is not tempting providence in any way fingers crossed]!
Firstly road safety a contradiction in terms here there is NO ROAD SAFETY it is a nightmare out there no one obeys any rules and where there has been an attempt to bring order like installing traffic lights they just seem to add to the chaos as some people adhere to them others don't so for the poor pedestrian like me you are left wondering what the heck to do and which way to go and if heaven for fend there is a policeman trying to direct traffic then forget it the chaos is tripled go home to bed is my advice.So my strategy for surviving PP traffic is
1. get yourself a trusty motto driver I have and he is wonderful and navigates these streets with skill we have had some near misses though
2.get yourself a local tuk tuk driver I have 2 they are great and get to know your regular haunts so getting lost is not such a regular habit no cabbies street tests here!!!!
3.When out walking never step on a manhole cover two of my pals have come a cropper doing that one ended up on crutches
4.Don't get distracted by what you see on the road and what is being carried on a motto my record sighting is 6 monks and yesterday I saw one motto carrying a double bed and two chairs but not to be outdone my friend said that she once saw a house being carried on a motto [me thinks she had one too many cocktails that day!]
5 I still cannot get over seeing babies and toddlers being held in one hand whilst their mums drive with the other with vehicles of all types including the Lexus menace coming at them from all angles it is amazing that there are not more accidents but not surprising that deaths from RTA's are rising here
6 By and large when crossing the road its a case of "He who dares wins" once committed then you have to keep going a hesitation confuses the Cambodians that's when disaster strikes as they tend to miss a moving target but stop suddenly and it can be curtains!!!
Next avoiding getting ill in particular getting bitten by the old mossies  There is no Malaria in PP so I have stopped taking anti Malarials they are now just taken when visiting out in  the Provinces but Dengue Fever is prevalent and to be avoided it is a nasty illness and spread by the day mossies I have pals who have had this illness and it is not nice at all so as they say prevention is better than cure every morning and any other time I am going out the old deet insect repellent has to go on this is now a part of my ablutions as washing my face not as pleasant though no perfume either as I don't want to attract the little blighters so all in all perfume less deodorant and constantly smelling of deet mossies are not the only thing being repelled!!!It also leaves an altogether very unflattering sheen on the skin not a good look in the mature woman.
I have had one or two nasty bites but of late they have not been too bad but just wait till the hot season......
Tummy bugs avoiding these is more tricky my hands are raw from washing and constant application of hand gel I have almost turned vegetarian too and only eat meat/fish in trusted places some of the best places to eat are veggie and cheap too we are advised to take worming pills every 3 months not done that yet so must sort that out!I never eat from street vendors although the food looks and smells good in the evenings here pavements come alive as street vendors just set out plastic chairs and tables and start cooking its amazing to see really.
At home it is a constant battle of wits between me and the ants they are cunning little devils and just appear from no where at the first splash of orange juice or grain of sugar I made the fatal mistake of not closing the lid of my muesli box the day I was going off to Mondulkiri for 4 days when I came back my shelves with all the dry good boxes were awash with black ants they were having a field day it was like something out of a Tom and Jerry cartoon as when I started throwing things away they formed an orderly line and marched up the wall and disappeared through the ceiling amazing.
A trip to the market for fresh fruit/veg is a task and a half as on return I wash and scrub every thing first with tap water then dry it and wrap and store in the fridge every thing that is except bananas they are kept on the shelf and the ants don't seem to bother them somehow [Why is that?] when I come to use the fruit and veg they get washed again in fresh/filtered water so it is quite a performance but at least I have running water and electricity[ most of the time].
I have pals who don't have these amenities these are the real heroes but they do have fresh air something that is in short supply in PP so can't wait to get out and see more of the countryside.
Kath