Easter Sunday

Sunday the 11th of April 2004

Easter Sunday.
Of course, Cambodia being a Buddest you would have no idea that today was Easter Sunday. The only reason that I remembered was due to the text messages and Emails I received from back home.

So it was just a typical lazy Sunday morning in Phnom Penh.

Having been awoken early by all the text messages from the UK, I was sat on my balcony an hour after sunrise watching the early morning haze dissipate, along with the remainder of my Saturday night hangover.

A cool breeze from the west and a strong cup of espresso making me feel almost human in the morning heat.

Feeling much more awake, I jump on my motorbike and head towards one of the better internet cafes in the city – being in no particular rush, and taking advantage of the lack of traffic on this Sunny Sunday morning, I take a scenic drive along the riverfront towards my destination, weaving in and out of the usual insanity that is Cambodian traffic, while being able to keep half an eye on all the temporary building and marquees that are being erected along the riverside in preparation of the Khmer New Year, which is this coming Wednesday – it looks like there will be one hell of a party kicking off come midweek, which is slightly at odds with what I have been told about New Year - chnam t’mey – in Cambodia. Everyone keeps telling me that it is a quiet celebration usually held at home with ones family. But as very few rules seem to apply here maybe that is not the case, or maybe things are just different here in the Capitol ?

Regardless of the coming events, I all to soon reach my destination, where I sit in peace and quiet for an hour (not to mention air conditioning) reading new Emails and trying to catch up with some replies – not having readily accessible Email at work has slowed me down somewhat of late – hence a lot of these ‘all and sundry’ Emails to you all in one hit.

Well, that hour soon enough passes and I decide that it is time for a spot of brunch. About 10 yards away from the café is what claims to be an English Pub called ‘The Rising Sun’ having not been there before, and having heard a few good reports about the food there, I wander across the road with my bike and take a seat.

As I sit down, the security guard on duty outside the establishment – every bar and restaurant in Phnom Penh has one – takes one look at the huge beast of a bike that I ride and rushes over to sit next to it while I am in the bar, menacingly eyeballing anyone whom comes within a ten yards of it !

Feeling in need of a little reminder of home on this Easter Sunday, I opt for the full English breakfast with brown toast coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice.

During the obligatory half an hour wait I purchase a newspaper from one of the many street children that make a living along the riverfront by selling English language newspapers to us ex-pats, tourists or just the plain bored.

The boy I bought the paper from is one I have seen several times along here and he recognises me. He looks slightly bemused as I try and tell him in my broken K’mai that I have already read the Bangkok Post, but I would like to buy a Phnom Penh Post – he just laughs at me murdering his language, relieves me of a US Dollar and wanders off shaking his head. - I need to find a language teacher soon!

So my breakfast eventually turns up, and it is surprisingly good, apart from the huge suspicious looking sausage I could have been back in my favourite greasy spoon in Hanwell – actually the dodgy looking sausage is exactly like being back in a Hanwell café !

So with half of my lazy Sunday over already, I realise that I need to do a little shopping and some boring domestic stuff to get me ready for another week back in the office; drop some shirts off at the launderette, haggle in the New Market - P’saa T’mey - for some fruit and noodles and fill the bike up with petrol – all the usual things!

So, I hope that you all had a good Easter Day and that is Email finds you all well.

Regards

Darren