Katie en Laurent bij de Khmer: General Malaise and UN interventions...

Another week flown! After the rather dramatic start, things got back to "normal" for the rest of the week. The usual routine of morning staff meeting, ward rounds, OR - lunch - emergency OR - feierabend... And on one of those long lunchbreaks/siestas Dr Rada happened upon us while I was reading and Katie lay napping in one of the beds at the entrance of the changing rooms. "Oh, Malaise Général?" he remarked, but no, nobody had fainted; all the sleeping was intentional. But since then I like to refer to Kate as my "General". She purchased a very comfy hangmat of her own the day before yesterday. And we are getting quite handy tying them up in the coolest places. They are the best way of relaxing during the sweltering midday hours.

As far as my enteric inevitabilities are concerned, I thought I had won without the help of antibiotics (or as Dr Lemsokong calls them " the UN forces " (within the Thai-Cambodian army/bacteria metaphor). But I was mistaken, and finally I succombed and started my cipro treatment, which worked a treat! I was as good as cured the next day...

Mr Samath, one of the OR nurses, likes to have a chat with us once in a while and when we were discussing which temples he likes visiting best he named a few remote mountain top temples. I asked if he ever went to Prehear Vihear (that's the one near Thailand, were the fighting was only last month). He denied ever visiting it, but also denied that it was due to the fighting. "I am not afraid of fighting. When I was 11 I was fighting in that area myself. With the Khmer Rouge." I asked if he had ever killed anybody. "I don't know, I was shooting in all directions, maybe...." I showed him the cover of "the killing fields" and he'd seen the movie; "Dith Pran is the best" he says, and " I don't understand why so many Cambodians killed so many Cambodians". Now dear readers you should know that Samath is one the kindest people around. Constantly smiling and ever helpful. This is a country with many hidden faces.

Friday afternoon came with a nice surprise. Dr Chea Vuthy announced that there were two acute appendicitis'. Jokingly I say "One for me and one for you?". But five minutes later he comes in the OR room and says "you are the first operateur, ok?" "Sure!" But I was lucky to have him on the other side of the table to check and help. Lucky too that Katie was besides me to help (she's seen many more of these since she is in the visceral surgery department). Next time I'll do it all by myself! In return I let Katie close, so she too got her kicks!

Today we headed for the temples at 7.30 and climbed the hill of Pnohm Bakheng, saw the south and victory gates of Angkor Thom and Bayon itself too. After the hottest hours (in our hangmats by the deserted victory gate) we pushed further still, towards Ta Prohm, one of the few temples still overgrown and not completely renovated. It was magic. Enjoying the sunset on the waters of Angkor Wat we rode back home... Early bed tonight because tomorrow we are invited to a wedding, cambodian style; very curious to see what that is all about!