Khmer New Year

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So, almost two months in Cambodia so far. The 14th to the 17th of April Khmer New Year was celebrated throughout the country. And the Khmer know how to celebrate. On the last two days a water-fight broke lose. Everyone against everyone else. The road would be lined with, in the beginning, kids, and then as the war carried on, everyone else as well, throwing water-balloons on passers-by. Not much time went by before big buckets of water came out, as well as water-hoses. Not a soul was dry. Young boys and girls would load up on water-balloons, and then get on a motorbike, and drive around throwing water on everyone else. Even trucks were loaded up with screaming youths and water buckets. It was highly entertaining, although not so safe. The reports were that all over Cambodia people were dying after loosing control over their motorbike after receiving a water-balloon in their head. Even one rumor claims that one guy got so pissed off after being bombarded with water-balloons that he got off his bike and shot the offending fella. But here at least, it seemed like we missed out on the big accidents, which of course is good. I spent most of the two days being completely soaked. Normally they didn't really throw water on foreigners, but as soon as they saw that you were wet you were fair go.

The Khmer seem to me like they have a quite fatalistic view on burglary. I hardly know anyone here who has lived here for a longer period of time, who has not had their apartment/house broken into at one point or another. In a nicer apartment building some thieves entered the premises and got away with the safe, which apparently was quite big and heavy. But, the residents of the building got together and bought a new safe, this time a bit smaller, and mounted it on wheels. The reason being that if the thieves could get through the highly secured door into the safe, whether or not it was on wheels wouldn’t make much difference to them. But, at least they would ruin the floor-tiles as they did when they dragged the last safe out. Got to love the logic!

Anyway, although it has been fun staying here, it is time for me to move on. My next destination is most likely Vietnam, although I haven’t completely ruled out Thailand.

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Comments

[sida]

new year
i went to cambodia in new year and it was heaps fun, especially when we had a water fight.So many people threw water bombs at my cheeks,which hurt so bad. Did u know that in Cambodia people use to drink period?