Happy Merry Christmas

Christmas isn't celebrated in Cambodia, so for us December 25th was just a normal working day.

On the other hand, Cambodians love the idea of family get togethers and presents, to say nothing of decorations and flashing lights, so on the evening of Christmas Day, Phnom Penh turned into an even bigger traffic jam than normal as everyone went off to visit each other. And throughout the Christmas period, our Khmer friends, colleagues and often even total strangers regularly greeted us with the phrase "Happy Merry Christmas". In fact, with the typical Khmer accent, what they normally said was "Happy Marry Christmas". Perhaps they meant it: the celebrations did look just like those they have for weddings.

And what did we do over the period (apart from work)? Well, we decorated the appartment with cards and little ornaments that we bought from a local community support organisation that makes them and, thanks to our daughter Kate, we were even able to include a tree.

We had Christmas Dinner the Sunday before with a few friends round at the apartment of our friend and near neighbour (and private medical adviser) Phil. Multiple courses, including the starter, seen below, of avocado filled with prawns. They were fantastic: you just can't get either ingredient of that quality in the frozen Northlands. Party poppers and crackers were also provided.

There then followed a significant feast. Next was roast chicken, stuffing, mashed potatos and gravy. Amazingly, the girls had even found brussels sprouts to go with it; however, this being the tropics, they were the size of apples. Delicious, though (if you like brussels, that is...) After that, it was steamed salmon (a whole one) with roasted veg. By this time, we were beginning to bloat. But we weren't done. Next was a Christmas Pud that Phil had brought back from UK. Sadly, every time he lit it, the ceiling fans blew it out again. Not a typical UK Christmas problem!

Phil looks pensive as Vic reviews what happens when the party poppers hit the fan.

We even had a Christmas tree - OK, it was a pineapple - and secret Santa presents. All of this in the tropical heat. Even though it's the cool season here, the daytime temperature is still around 30 degrees.

One of Christmas's scarier moments: Santa (Helen) deciding whether Leonie has been naughty or nice and which one means she's more likely to get a present.

But we still weren't done eating! Last, but not least, was chocolate cake. Done more in a spirit of triumph that we had got the oven working more or less properly than any seasonal one, it was something of a surprise that nobody burst after eating it on top of everything else.

The Norman Bates moment below is more along the lines of "not more food!" than "take that, Santa", despite the appearances.

Then it was games, chat, laughter and a small glass of sherry (honest, nothing more, we promise) and that was that. Until Christmas Day, of course, when we went out for another Christmas Dinner at a local restaurant. This being Cambodia, though, the menu included such traditional Christmas fare as curried lamb chops and squid cooked with green peppercorns. Oh well, you can't have everything.

And to close, a couple of pictures for those of you enjoying the balmy days of January back in the UK. Our orchids are flowering again.

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