Happy New Year, Cambodia!

Monday - Wednesday, 14-16 April, are the three formal days to mark the Khmer New Year, which is the nation's biggest holiday.  And yes, Cambodia is now entering into the Year of the Horse, just a bit later than the Chinese do.

Last year I made the mistake of coming to Phnom Penh at Choul Chhnaam Thmey (opening of the new year), and was shocked to see how much of the city simply closed its doors.  Businesses, of course, but restaurants and markets and shops, too.  Only the Khmers who are unfortunate enough to work in hotels or guest houses work on these days. Some businesses will indeed close for the whole week, giving their staff plenty of time to go home to celebrate the new year with their families in the provinces.  My language school is one of these -- it will be over a week until I make my next linguistic gaffe.  I've spent the last couple of days frantically stocking up on food and necessities for the cats and me.  Even the foreign-run restaurants close, because they invariably depend upon Cambodian staff to operate.

I think Yee, my landlady, and her family will stay here in the house.  First, they may be natives of Phnom Penh (quite unusual), and second, with her severely handicapped daughter and now bedridden husband, I don't think travel is viable.

There was a lot of last-minute work going on, though.  The linemen from the electric company were sorting things out on a corner near me.  It's quite common to see men on ladders tinkering with the electric cables, but only the fellows in the blue overalls are legit.  The others are just hijacking their neighbours' electricity supply.

"Not that wire, you buffoon -- THAT one!"

I got a haircut yesterday, Saturday, at a salon run by a Cambodian woman who studied her craft in Paris. I'm not entirely comfortable with this place -- there are many minions hanging about and acting obsequious. Soklen, the woman who cut my hair, wielded a pair of golden scissors and behaved like an overlord to those who swept up and shampooed.  On the other hand, the countless salons that offer cuts for USD2-3 cater to Cambodian women who all wear their hair long and straight.  A cut merely entails trimming the ends. I think Soklen gave me a good cut, involving two or three pairs of scissors and clippers and what-all.  I may let it grow out and then go to a men's barber shop and see what comes of that.

As I walked home today, Sunday, the last day before the official holiday begins, the streets were already quiet.  I happened to pass this shop, and the first thing that caught my eye was all the people lounging on lawn chairs.  As I got closer, I realised they were all waiting as their motorbikes got a thorough cleaning.  

Very posh, indeed... The bikes start at the left, where they're hoisted off the ground for a good hosing and scrubbing, and they end at the right, where they get a vigorous buffing. And comfortable seats for the patrons, no less! This is the life.