It may not have been a white Christmas…but it sure was memorable. After my parents’ visit in November, I put myself on self-imposed lockdown until the end of December. In case you’re wondering, that meant 6 weeks at site (my longest run to date), and a small eternity when the only evidence that Christmas exists out in the village was the Christmas music I was blasting in my room 24/7. Last year, the holidays were barely a blip on the radar, so the girls and I decided to go ALL-OUT this year to make it special. By the eve of the 22nd, I felt like a kid trying to get some sleep on the big night so Santa would come. Oh wait, I kinda was.
Tara’s birthday was on the 23rd, so we had plenty to celebrate as if Christmas wasn’t enough. The three of us checked into a plush hotel the morning of and soaked up as much air conditioning as possible before heading to Kambol Raceway for some go-karting. Our rides were more like jet-powered lawnmowers than race cars – but those things packed a punch! Tif managed to lap Tara and me twice, but she let the birthday girl stand in the winner’s circle for posterity. Who said getting older doesn’t have its perks? After we lived out our “Days of Thunder” fantasies, we had cake, ice cream (truth be told, our second hit of ice cream for the day, but who is counting?) and presents. And to wrap up the night we told Tara to get ready, no questions asked, and follow us into the depths of Phnom Penh. Although we had been boycotting the PP party scene for a few weeks after the only decent club – a floating pontoon boat – floated away (literally), T’s birthday called for drastic measures. Tired of un-showered backpackers and creepy expats, we decided to try a chic lounge club Tif heard about from a friend. Can you say upgrade? There was an awesome band, flame-throwing bar tenders, and not a flip-flop in sight. By the time we all made it back to the hotel, we were happier than ever to be able to fall onto our fluffy down comforter and order our first room service breakfast in over a year and a half. Eggs never tasted so good.
And so we spent our Christmas Eve day lounging around, doing some last minute gift shopping, and eventually beginning the three hour beautification process to clean all that orange dust out from under our finger nails before heading to the Raffles hotel for a Christmas Eve Gala. Walking up the red carpet, through the giant French doors, and into the alabaster lobby of the Raffles was like walking out of Cambodia and into New York City (almost). The 20 foot Christmas tree, shimmering candles, and holly boughs were all set off by the frosty windows (due to the AC, not sub-zero temperatures, silly) and holiday cheer humming around the restaurant. We spent the next four hours wining and dining on the most delicious five course meal you can imagine. Fois gras, mushroom cappuccino, lobster ragu, rack of lamb, roasted pineapple with peanut brittle ice-cream. Yes, at moments like these even I forget I’m a volunteer. After dinner we curled up together to watch Fred Caluse and dream of sugar plums and egg nog.
There’s nothing like Christmas morning spent with your family. Even though my family was far away, these girls are as close to family as you can get. I mean really, who else could appreciate spending half our month’s pay check on one meal because we simply couldn’t go any longer without cheese? They say craziness is genetic; but trust me, it’s totally environmental. We all woke up at the crack of dawn – one part out of excitement, one part because we were still on “village time” – to open presents and toast to our health and happiness over a glass of freshly made egg nog. Each of us had made a gift and bought something for each other so the gifts were as meaningful as the company. Although the store-bought gifts were fabulous, I have to take a minute to share what the girls made. Tara painted Tif and me each a funky rendering good memories that we never caught on film. She titled them “photos never taken” and, aside from being incredibly cute, are the heart of at least 100 inside jokes. Tif sewed a paper collage of each of our initials with hand dyed paper and thread. The results were stunning, and aptly called “the pieces of you that make you extraordinary.” No need to add that sent my sentimental radar into overdrive. Truly, they are something I will cherish always. After we got out our giggles and tears, Tara and I headed to church and brunch and then we spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying our new “prizes” and prepping to go out later that night. Word to the wise: you don’t want to go out on Christmas in Cambodia. Although Cambodians don’t actually celebrate or understand Christmas, every bar and club was packed with tiny brown people pulsing to spastic red and green lights, yelling “We wiss you a happy merry Chrissmaah!” Hope you didn’t miss the annual viewing of a Christmas Story on TBS. Fa ra ra ra ra indeed!
Christmas may have passed too quickly, but we weren’t ready to go home yet. I spent the next few days at Tara’s site working on a mural for her newly refurbished sewing room and planning our New Year’s camping adventure. Naturally, when we got wind of the fabulous red-carpet party taking place at the same lounge we celebrated Tara’s birthday in, we knew camping would have to wait. The river wasn’t going anywhere right? Back in Phnom Penh for our third celebratory installment and on a mission to find the perfect outfit to ring in the New Year, we fueled up with Fatboy’s Subs and hit the streets. We all did our damage, ordered in, and settled in to get glammed up for the night. Tif notoriously takes less time to get ready than me and T, so while we agonized over our dresses, Tif made her debut as a karaoke singer in our hotel common space. Although I did enjoy her rendition of “These Boots Were Made for Walkin’,” I’m guessin’ our neighbor guests wished they had some boots to walk all over the mic. Good thing we were back in backpacker land. By two hours until midnight, we were ready to roll. We headed back to our new hot spot and settled in at our private table. By the time we were raising our glasses and singing the chorus of Auld Lang Syne , the party was just getting started. My girls and I never kiss and tell, but I will say, we all started off 2010 with the requisite New Year’s kiss. And to think, I almost forgot how much I liked blonds?
After we brought in the new year in our finest style, we all headed to my site, or as we jokingly refer to it: “rehab,” to give those heels a rest and take on the wilderness. We packed a champagne picnic, complete with bread, cheese, fruit and a bottle of Cambodia’s finest of course, and headed out to a glassy, crystal clear river about an hour and a half away from my site. By the time we got there, I didn’t think we could get any dirtier. We all looked like umpa-lumpas with bad spray tans from the dust, and were literally caked in mud. Good thing all we had to do was strip down to our suits, pop the bubbly and enjoy the ice cold stream. There wasn’t another person in sight, aside from a couple of kids high jacking a sunken canoe and a little old lady selling fresh watermelon. We spent the whole day soaking up the sun and enjoying the cleanest water I have -EVER- seen in Cambodia. It felt so good to just float in the stream, splashing, and chatting for hours under that blue sky. Although we didn’t do much, it stands out as one of my best days here in Cambodia. Once we headed back to P-town and cleaned up, we met Christian for dinner and drinks at a little tiki restaurant to round off the fabulous day.
The girls spent the rest of the weekend here and then – much to our dismay – headed back to their respective sites. …but of course, we’re already planning our next adventure. Peace, love, and a happy 2010 to everyone I’m missing at home. I hope you started your New Year off as blissfully as mine.
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