Aspire

An overwhelming greeting by 30 screaming kids waving and smiling, the Aspire Orphanage in Siem Reap would be my home for the next days and I never felt more of a family vibe in my life.

As we got there we was met by Sean, the brains behind the scheme. He went onto discuss how he was brought up in a poor family and how he wanted the children from the poor community to have a brighter future and more opportunities in life. Everything he had built and developed had all been from donations over 10 years and would be spent on a schools, dorms, plants, trees and animals.

I felt like being in a place like this it would be upsetting but it was far from it. To see how happy the children were with so very little made me happy and realise how spoilt the new generation is.

At the orphanage I was known as James Bond and every so often a child would shout out "James Bond" and it would turn into a gun fight for 10 minutes. The smallest things like a high 5 or teaching them new English words would make them so happy. All of them were eager to learn and were motivated to help with jobs around the orphanage.

After getting my I pad out in front of them for the first time I knew it was a clear mistake as they all would fight over it. I learnt that they liked Tom and Jerry so I stuck that on YouTube most times with the occasional Mr Bean episode and we would sit for a couple of hours a night watching and laughing.

Even though I was there to help them, they were so keen to teach me their games and their dance routines. At some point everyday they would teach me the dance routine to jingle bell rock which they were very good and I definitely did struggle with learning. They had another game which was basically dodgeball but with a rock hard type missile thing, which stung when it hit you!!

This all being a good experience the sleeping conditions I have to say was the worst since I had been away. It was a thin smelly mattress covered in ants and flies. You could feel the concrete floor as you lay down . The pillows and covers were covered in stains and smelt of dust and fish. But the worst thing was waking up to the sound of a rat scratching in the walls next to where I was sleeping. He must of got stuck the little fella or was trying to scratch through the walls. This scratching went on for a good 2 hours and it kept me awake, knowing he could come through the wall at anytime and pounce on me I definitely felt scared. If that wasn't bad then waking up to a cockroach on my pillow nearly gave me a heart attack, I may of used a few bad words in the orphanage that morning. On top of that the food wasn't the best either, fish and rice everyday it smelt horrible and I definitely felt like Oliver Twist for the time I was there. Apart from the food, the mattress, the rat and the cockroaches, the children was the motivation and it was a great experience I will remember forever.

A new crew of an English, an Irish and an American we decided to head down south to Sihanoukville but didn't realise it took 12 hours until we got there. After another long journey and a massive neck ache it was worth the mission to get there. This was the less touristy place I had been on my trip.

There was no drunk loud tourists playing crappy music on their speakers or sellers coming up to

you every 2 minutes, it was peaceful. The best thing at Otres beach was the 40p beer and the fact there was no people. It was clear to see the building work going on around the village, which was a shame as it would end up just another tourist place like Phi Phi Island in 3 or 4 years. There was definitely a hippy vibe about Otres beach, with the amount of people smoking weed everywhere and the reggae music playing, everyone was so nice and mellow. I could of definitely stayed there for another two months, especially with some accommodation for as little as £1.

In Cambodia they use American dollars and I was all prepared and got some before I came which turned out to be a mistake. Some of the dollars were from the 1990s and they only accept newer notes and if there is the smallest rip in a note they don't accept. So some of the notes I have haven't been accepted and I have had a few panic moments.

Not every day is straight forward in the life of a traveller, not knowing where you're going to stay that night or if you are going to contact people from home with the dodgy wifi, I have definitely stepped out my comfort zone a fair few times. Luckily I have just rolled with it and the locals are all willing to go out their way to help you. I try my best to eat the local food but when there is a KFC or an English breakfast staring at you on the menu it's hard to say no.

I am now on a cramped sleeper night bus back up to Siem Reap next to some lads from Manchester, it takes 12 hours. The guy next to me is hungover so this could be a long journey. The boys keep complaining about the wifi every 2 minutes that we were promised at the travel agent. I think they could get chucked off in a minute as the staff aren't amused. Even though it's good to talk about football I hope they get kicked off as it would give me more space.

I have no hostel in Siem Reap but I'm sure I'll be fine, I'll just wing it.