Shipboard and Sihanoukville, Cambodia

I am writing this on Sunday 11 February so will be backtracking some to catch up.

So let's back up to Thursday the 8^th – this was a sea day aboard the Volendam. I volunteered to be part of a game show called “Where in the World?” It was a competitive trivia game with 3 teams of six. My partner was Lee and I met him just 10 minutes before we played together. We meshed very well however and were quite simpatico. He is left-handed and so am I – that meant we were the only 2 on stage in our right minds! LoL! The game had 3 rounds of 2-3 segments each. There was a speed round, a fact or fiction round, some video clips, flip the panels and guess and a descriptive round. As Dragons were not a team choice Lee and I were Team Tiger – roar! Once we took the lead, we strategically played to win! Team Tiger had 95 points for the win when all was said and done... We each received dinner for two at The Pinnacle, the ships speciality steakhouse....And later that evening my trivia team won the quiz at 7pm and the music trivia at 9pm. It was a great day at sea!  

Lee and Gretch: Team Tiger

Team Tiger eats up the competition!

The next day we were in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. This is the village, now a city, that B & I were here before and enjoyed so much. The shuttle takes you in and drops you off just in front of the market. But the bus is immediately surrounded but Cambodians trying to sell you stuff or beg. It is a bit intimidating, but when you have your own Big B, there is no problem. He just played fullback and opened a hole for me and Muriel to follow right into the market. We shopped a bit then negotiated with our last “shadow” for a TukTuk ride out to see the monkeys.

Mango puts gas in Tuk Tuk while B and Muriel look on

Upon arriving at the jungle area where the wild monkeys roamed free, Muriel and I got out to buy bananas to feed the monkeys. They basically just snatched e from our hands and proceeded to peel them...

I tired to get Muriel to stand closer to one and as she scoohed closer, he tried to snatch her purse! Meantime B has stayed in the tuk tuk, and the large male has decided to challenge B for the Alpha position. He jumped on the vehicle and thot about jumping on B, but B made loud noises and rose up and the monkey decided he want no 

part of that Big Guy! LOL!

Mango then drove us by the beaches and stopped at a temple too.

  

 B asked if he would take us to the post office and a grocery store and he was quite willing. The ride was quite pleasant, with the breeze blowing through our hair, the sights of new hotels being built right next to areas of corrugated metal huts surrounded by trash piles and the sounds of beeping horns from scooters, yelling in the streets and the whir of the motor on the tuk tuk all contributed to an unusual but pleasant afternoon. I think over 70% of the passengers did not appreciate their day in Sihanoukville, but I will truly remember this 3^rd world cultural experience as a highlight of our trip.

Big B and Mango, our Tuk Tuk driver

So this next photo is so I can post on WG forum