PHOTOGENIC TOUR GUIDE

Congratulations to local tour guide Chansarak Noun for cracking the travel site Viator.com’s Top Ten Private Guides List for 2011.

Topping the list was Irene K of Bangkok who was “Most Popular Guide (most reservations).” Second was Anthony Jacobson of Barcelona, the “Top Selling Guide (most revenue).”

Number nine on the list was: “Most Photogenic Guide (best profile pictures): Chansarak Noun – Siem Reap, Cambodia.”

Man About is not sure what this is all about. Is Chansarak Noun the best looking guide in the world, profile wise anyway, when it comes to being photographed? Or does it mean the Siem Reap guide takes the best photos, profile wise?

Viator chose not to reply to Man About’s email requesting clarification.

NICK GRIFFIN TRAVEL BAN

Tourism numbers in Siem Reap are up significantly, but there is one visitor who won’t be returning– not for the next five years anyway.

That’s dodgy orphanage founder Nick Griffin, 54, who was expelled from Cambodia last year after a year in the nick for child sex abuse.

Sky News reported last month that a British judge slapped a five year travel ban on Griffin because, "It is absolutely essential to protect children from serious sexual harm."

Griffin was arrested last year on his forced return to the UK by North Wales Police over an old sex abuse allegation by a former scout but the case was dropped in January.

KIDS SOCCER KICKS OFF

The Globalteer Junior Soccer League kicked off its third year early in January, bigger than expected.

On December 8, 2011, the Post’s sports section reported that league coach and organiser Gary Hodder hoped to have 24 teams in the mix for this year.

But last week Hodder told reporter Claire Byrne that the league now comprises 32 teams, with 450 kids from 14 schools participating.

This year Hodder is also particularly pleased with the number of girls who are now playing.

"The first year I had very few girls, but this year we've got four or five girls' teams plus lots of mixed teams,” he said. “With society here, girls aren't encouraged to play sports or even have any focus away from family life so for them to get out and experience something like this is really good and a big part of why we do it."