Leaving Phnom Penh

So we have left Phnom Penh for Kampong Cham and due to start language lessons with Dara, the Stig of Cambodian language learning, this afternoon.
The bus journey to Kampong Cham was eventful in an understated English way. It's been a while since I've travelled on a bus in Asia and I'd forgotten not to watch the road. It was hard as Katie & I were wedged into the front passenger seats with an excellent view of all 27 near misses we experienced. On only three occasions did I allow an involuntary muffled scream to escape. I may be an emergency doc but there isn't an awful lot I'd be able to do for a bus v cyclist.
There was an impressive bullseye crack to the windscreen that you can see a tendril of in the above photo but with the VSO standard issue motorbike helmets & luggage wedging us in to our seats I'm not sure we would have been propelled forward to add to it in the event of a head on collision with a truck.
Kampong Cham is quieter than Phnom Penh and I'm feeling confident that the roads will be navigable on our new VSO issued bicycles.
No Raid or mossie nets in our rooms at the Mekong Hotel here so the battle of the Mosquitos doesn't look by being won any time soon.
At dinner last night I experienced the most random hawking so far, three 10 year olds with weighing scales and varying price ranges to way you. I told them I know I am heavy and didn't really need to pay them 500 R, 1000R, or $1 to find this out. However after an iced coffee this morning with the 'wrong ice' my Cambodia weight loss plan may commence!
I've read the Peace Corp manual on adults learning a foreign language and it would appear I possess pretty much all of the traits that act as blocks to learning. So this perfectionist, wanting to speak fluently, not prepared to make mistakes or look like an idiot is off to deconstruct herself before 1 30 pm.
leah sen heuy!