Day 145 & 146: Siem Reap (New Year)

Bon Anee - Jane and our French friends
see all photos »

Leave our boat today.  Due to the low water levels, apparently typical at this time of year but having only fallen in the last 10 days or so, the pandaw can’t make it all the way to Siem Reap and so it’s a dull and slightly uncomfortable 5 hour bus ride for us.

Arriving at Siem Reap we find our last hotel is, thankfully, very nice - a big room, just as well for our ever increasing luggage, with 3 balconies - slumming it to the end! (Actually this place is expensive at US$70 a night – almost Travelodge prices in the UK). Spend the afternoon planning out attack on the temples in the days ahead, before Jane takes a nap and I go out to find some fellow travellers for a beer or two.

Final Destination

Fireworks - just like Edinburgh!
see all photos »

Hogmanay here does have a street party on the aptly named ‘Pub Street’ which, whilst not on the scale of Edinburgh, does allow us to celebrate and make some new friends (Scots, English, French, Dutch and of course Cambodian).

At around 11pm the power street party amps blew the power to the central pub/restuarnt area and we drank by candles for a while, before electricty was restored in time for the bells.  Brilliantly even halfway round the world the Proclaimers are played over the PA system later on, more like 5000 miles!

Pub Street Party
see all photos »

Despite the late hour we do remember one Dutch man happily explaining how he first met his Cambodian wife (and now mother of their new baby) on a “transactional basis” – interesting pub chat.

Needless to say it was a late night and New Years Day was about as productive as it would be back in colder climes.

Happy New Year everybody.