Chinese New Years Day

Wednesday the 9th
Chinese New Years Day

Had a bit of a lazy start to the day, well, it is a holiday here. Just before lunchtime I realised that I had very little food in the house so I headed over to P’sar Orussy to pick up a few basics.
I was somewhat surprised when I got there to find it closed up; surely all 200 odd stall owners could not be Chinese ?

So swinging back round to Monivong Boulevard I head north to P’sar Thmey, to see if the 200 odd stall owners there have suddenly discovered long lost Chinese relatives.

Unfortunately, it took a little longer than usual to get there; as I crossed onto the Boulevard my progression was slowed by the massive procession of Chinese dragons, dancing and general merrymaking of a hundred Chinese~Khmers. Doubling the size of the throng were the numbers of tourists and backpackers following them up the road with cameras a-clicking and camcorders a-camming ?!?!?

When I finally find a few market stalls open, they are all trying to charge twice normal amount just because they are the only ones open and it is Chinese New Year.
Having had enough of that I manage to purchase a loaf of bread and some noodles – panic buying… best see if I can find an open restaurant to eat at.

In the evening I meet up with a couple of friends of mine - Peter and Chris - for a couple of drinks at the Peace café, after a drink there we are informed that the Chef has not turned up so there is no food - hang on, the chef is defiantly not Chinese, he is Khmer, he is Dave’s brother-in-law, he is from Prey Veng province next to Vietnam, not even remotely Chinese?!?

In the absence of any other restaurants being open we go to Shiva Shakti; the most highly priced and exclusive curry house in Cambodia – honest! - Classic Indian Moghul cuisine, Tandoori specialities and Cuban cigars.

The Lamb Rogan Josh was fantastic, the best I have had in a year… Three main courses, 2 portions of rice and 4 nann breads and a jug of Tiger beer; a bargain at US$40 - of course, normally in a Khmer restaurant you usually only pay one or two dollars for a main course, but there we go…

After which, it was all back to the Peace Café - a dollar a beer, rather than three.