Work trip : Phnom Penh, Cambodia (30 June - 3 July 2013)
My first working trip away from home, away from the country.
Was given a task to carry out a building operations audit of a high rise office tower in the heart of Phnom Penh, Cambodia for 3 days.
Dragged along Siow Sung with me as I have no confidence at all that I'd be able to survive in that country alone.
The KF Cambodia Office made hotel reservations for us at CARA HOTEL, which is about 5 minutes away (via tuk-tuk) from the office tower we were auditing on. Flew to/fro via MAS, which was a pleasant experience after being on AirAsia for so many times :)
Missed the family horribly when I was there. Luckily Dearie managed to soothe the kids and play the role of dual parent when I was away. A very capable Papa there :)
At Phnom Penh, we didnt manage to visit any of the tourist areas as we were really only there for work. Managed to put in some shopping time at the Russian Market on the 2nd day and Central Market on the last day. Other than that, it was just pure work. At night, as the places wasnt very safe, we were told not to wonder around. So despite having all the time in the world to ourselves, we adjourned to the hotel rooms by around 8pm after dinner with the local KF office people. The time at Cambodia is one hour earlier than us.
Life there is really quite different. The rich are very rich, while the poor, very poor. There is barely any middle class in the country. Building laws and regulations are at its infancy. The supposedly Grade A building that we were at is not even close to a Grade B building in KL. Mindsets are still very laid back. People are generally nice, polite and helpful... but they have a longgg way to go to reach where KL is today.
They dont speak english very much, so we had a hard time trying to carry out the audit with the people working within the office tower.
Leaving work aside, the breakfast in the hotel was very nice. Outside food wise, as we were pre-warned that we shouldnt eat anything sold along the roadside or even buy any mineral water from the roadside staffs, we were both VERY careful when it comes to anything that goes into the stomach. Mainly had pizzas or Chinese Food (whenever we eat with the bos. Yes, the Chairman was there when we went over.. so had a good few meals with him).
Currency is in Rial and language spoken is Khmer, but everyone accepts USD. Souveniers there are really cheap. Bought plenty of them for everyone at home :)
Came back safely in 1 piece after 4 days there. Totally missed the modern KL city after visiting that country.
Now, for some photos:
- One of the landmarks in Phnom Penh City
- Canadia Tower. The building we audited
View of the helipad of Canadia Tower, showing one part of Phnom Penh City
- Typical buildings around the city.
- The palace where the king stays
At the helipad of Canadia Tower
- Breakfast at Cara Hotel
Both of us travelled on these tuk-tuks for the whole 4 days there
- Seen a lady tuk-tuk driver before? :)
- The hotel
- Central Market
- How things are displayed in Central Market. Same with the Russian Market
Was a successful trip. Came back and produced a report which is 150 pages long. Tho it was a good experience, dont think I'd ever want to go there again :P
Was given a task to carry out a building operations audit of a high rise office tower in the heart of Phnom Penh, Cambodia for 3 days.
Dragged along Siow Sung with me as I have no confidence at all that I'd be able to survive in that country alone.
The KF Cambodia Office made hotel reservations for us at CARA HOTEL, which is about 5 minutes away (via tuk-tuk) from the office tower we were auditing on. Flew to/fro via MAS, which was a pleasant experience after being on AirAsia for so many times :)
Missed the family horribly when I was there. Luckily Dearie managed to soothe the kids and play the role of dual parent when I was away. A very capable Papa there :)
At Phnom Penh, we didnt manage to visit any of the tourist areas as we were really only there for work. Managed to put in some shopping time at the Russian Market on the 2nd day and Central Market on the last day. Other than that, it was just pure work. At night, as the places wasnt very safe, we were told not to wonder around. So despite having all the time in the world to ourselves, we adjourned to the hotel rooms by around 8pm after dinner with the local KF office people. The time at Cambodia is one hour earlier than us.
Life there is really quite different. The rich are very rich, while the poor, very poor. There is barely any middle class in the country. Building laws and regulations are at its infancy. The supposedly Grade A building that we were at is not even close to a Grade B building in KL. Mindsets are still very laid back. People are generally nice, polite and helpful... but they have a longgg way to go to reach where KL is today.
They dont speak english very much, so we had a hard time trying to carry out the audit with the people working within the office tower.
Leaving work aside, the breakfast in the hotel was very nice. Outside food wise, as we were pre-warned that we shouldnt eat anything sold along the roadside or even buy any mineral water from the roadside staffs, we were both VERY careful when it comes to anything that goes into the stomach. Mainly had pizzas or Chinese Food (whenever we eat with the bos. Yes, the Chairman was there when we went over.. so had a good few meals with him).
Currency is in Rial and language spoken is Khmer, but everyone accepts USD. Souveniers there are really cheap. Bought plenty of them for everyone at home :)
Came back safely in 1 piece after 4 days there. Totally missed the modern KL city after visiting that country.
Now, for some photos:
- One of the landmarks in Phnom Penh City
- Canadia Tower. The building we audited
View of the helipad of Canadia Tower, showing one part of Phnom Penh City
- Typical buildings around the city.
- The palace where the king stays
At the helipad of Canadia Tower
- Breakfast at Cara Hotel
Both of us travelled on these tuk-tuks for the whole 4 days there
- Seen a lady tuk-tuk driver before? :)
- The hotel
- Central Market
- How things are displayed in Central Market. Same with the Russian Market
Was a successful trip. Came back and produced a report which is 150 pages long. Tho it was a good experience, dont think I'd ever want to go there again :P
posted by Natallie @ 2:31 AM
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