Srei Siam to Phnom Phen, village to capital.

23/4 - today is the first official day of Khmer New Year and I woke to the buzz on the main road around 5.00. I think people are excited. Don was up early chopping down some banana stalks for sale at the market. They were chuffed with the price they fetched. Everything goes up in price at New Year. THe bus ticket went up 67% and they don't come down in a hurry either. I was packed and had breakfast early, so sat around a while. Kheang's cousin came in from next door to chop up the banana leaves from the tree Don felled this morning. THey only bear one lot of fruit, so they are chopped down and a new tree grows from the roots. The leaves are used for parcelling food and string, the trunk is used for cattle fodder, also next door for Kheang's uncle, so the whole tree gets used. Kheang's cousin is about 12 and was one of the kids at the lesson the other day, so I went over to chat while she cut up the banana leaves. Ra and Na werer there too. Ra is always off gathering mangoes or kapok or anything he can find. Kheang got a phone call to say the bus is leaving the previous stop. She doesn't answer it, they have a code. We wandered up to the main road and she flagged it down. Don had gone for a bath, so we never got to say goodbye. I doubt we'd ever be bossom buddies. Kheang is a smashing lady and I would like to come back here when the Mekong has risen, she tells me it is a different country then. You never know, I may be back, but now I am off to Phnom Phen. The city is said to be quiet during New Year as most people go home to their villages and family, so it will suit me. The bus stopped at some services near a village knicknamed Spiderville as a local delicacy is baked tarantula and there they are big black baked spiders. A bunch of what looked like 18 - 30 club young 'uns got on the bus in Kompong Cham and some of the lads are queued up waiting for their spider. They got stuck into them and the locusts. You don't get these delicacies at Newport Pagnall services. I never even considered trying any.
Into Phnom Phen and the tuk tuk drivers aren't too much hassle, so I got to the hotel easy, if overcharged, it is New Year. The hotel is good, even though I'm on the 5th floor. It is early afternoon, so I went for a wander in the peace and quiet, comparatively anyway, I still got plenty of moto offers. A lot of places are closed until the 17th, the Royal Palace was open, but I got there too late, so I wandered passed a nearby Wat, which is where the parties are supposed to be held, but nothing has kicked off yet. Phnom Phen is a typical big city, plenty to see. I wandered through a park with food stalls sprinkled around, passed the Houses of Corruption, Government HQ. I walked along the front of the Royal Palace and there is a big green here with mats spread out along the paths and on some of the grass. There are loads of food stalls who own the mats. This place is buzzing. It is just next to the Prom along Tonel Sap lake, so I strolled and sat and strolled and .... you get the picture. The city people are not as smiley as those outside of cities, just like back home. I settled in a bar for some Khmer food and a beer. The food is not a patch on Kheangs. Then I bartered for a moto back to the guesthouse, 40p and got offered sex and marajuana on the way back, but they weren't included in the price, so I declined. Up the apples and pears and off to kip.