Responsible Tourism

The credits for this post have been taken from the Lonely Planet website: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/cambodia/travel-tips-and-articles/12039

One of the aspects of this journey is that it is a responsible tourism venture.  Our group seeks to tour through Cambodia, making as little impact on the local environment as possible, while taking part in projects that support and sustain the local communities that we visit.

I've enjoyed reading a number of websites and guides in preparation for the trip.  Whilst browsing on the Lonely Planet website, I found this great article about dining in local restaurants that helps support local people and sustains training and a formal qualification that they can take with them.  I think I want to eat at places like this!  All information has been copied and pasted from the link above:

Cambodia

Friends International operates four restaurants run by former street youth in training. Three of these are in Phnom Penh and one is in Laos. At these restaurants, students learn hospitality skills in a real restaurant environment. When you dine here you not only get a great meal but also help these students gain the skills and confidence to work in the hospitality industry.

• Friends the Restaurant, near the National Museum, is famous for its frozen shakes and daiquiris, its Asian and Western tapas and its incredibly friendly staff. After you’ve had your fill pop next door to the Friends and Stuff store to snap up a snazzy silk skirt or lamp made in the school just behind the shop front. Treat yourself to a manicure and know that your dollars are training someone with a career to keep them off the streets.
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• Romdeng, also run by Friends, is set in a beautifully decorated colonial mansion with a leafy garden and swimming pool.
• Café du Centre, the third Friend’s restaurant, is a French-style bistro in the gardens of the French Cultural Centre.
• Lotus Blanc serves fine French and Asian cuisine to support vocational training for children formerly surviving by scavenging the dump.
• Boddhi Tree Umma, opposite the harrowing Tuol Sleng Museum, will feed you up like the Buddha with a roasted aubergine, goats cheese and mango chutney sandwich. They also offer guesthouse-style suites that allow you to stay off the beaten track and can include cookery courses and market tours. Staff often come here after family crises to be trained in this positive environment.
• The Green Orange Cafe in Battambang provides a safe alcohol- and drug-free space for children of all ages to meet and socialise. Green Orange staff are from the area and the café provides much needed employment to the village of Ksach Poy, as well as raising funds for other community projects. By using local ingredients, the Green Orange Café (named after the famous Battambang Orange) seeks to benefit the local economy in an environmentally responsible way.

Although I have 9 weeks of work left, all I can think about is my trip.  Patience, patience I'll get there :-)