One year older? - surely not

I had a lovely birthday, starting with chanting monks, a coffee in a pretty cafe, an afternoon walk along the peninsula, past the riverside construction works, a delicious sunset mai tai (my first cocktail since 2005!), a wobbly boat ride back across the river (because the bamboo bridge has gone), a simple meal and a couple of beers with a game of pool down the Red Bul.

We made a start on looking around for a house to rent in March. It's a bit early yet and there will be more choice at the end of high season but it's interesting to look.
 

Noi and her sister planting a type of ginger root in the Greenhouse garden. She says it will be ready to harvest in a year. She's also planted sugarcane and taro this year.

The view from the Old Bridge to the Peacefulness Chedi

Most nights we eat out but once or twice a week we cook at home. Tuna salad is a favourite. Food is generally more expensive than before. We pay 100,000 (about £4) for a simple local meal up to 350,000 (£14) for a more classy or western-style meal for both of us. Beer ranges from 20,000 to 45,000 (80p to £1.80)

I was pleased to see Greenpeace campaigning about the aggressive marketing of single-use sachets by Unilever (Dove). Disgraceful and totally uncalled for in 2023. This is a shop in our road

I always love this view from the Greenhouse terrace over the Nam Khan to the city on the other side.

These are the plans for strengthening the river banks. It's unclear whether our garden will be affected.

Yet another fiery sunset.

I've been experimenting with growing some seeds. Beans, spinach and tomatoes are getting away well; lettuce is struggling. 

My birthday coffee spot

Can't escape this - nohow!

Because of the construction work, the iconic bamboo bridge at this spot has been removed. Sad for the family that relied on it for high season income.

This is the start of the works.

Birthday mai tai. Absolutely delicious.

Another selfie attempt!

Later on we decided to cross the river on the ferry. Rickety old steps, pitch black, wobbly boat, tipsy old girl - but we made it without getting wet.

Ah - the Red Bul with its immaculate baize!

Leaving Kep, visiting Siem Reap, back to Luang Prabang

3 December 2023 

We left Kep with its gorgeous sunsets, stupendous seafood, our little Casa Kep bungalow, green hillsides and construction activity and took a taxi to the airport at Sihanoukville. We had decided to fly to Siem Reap, rather than taxi & bus via Phnom Penh because this was the end of a 3-day national Water Festival and we thought it would be best to avoid the capital. Luckily we had been warned about the road from Kep to Sihanoukville Airport and allowed 4 hours for the 100 kilometre journey! Wow - the worst road I've ever been on! Deep ruts in the red dirt surface, dust, trucks, bone-rattling! But we made it with time to spare. There are only four planes a day from this airport so no queues to contend with.

Cambodia Angkor Air turboprop plane was half full and we only got a cup of water on the 70-minute trip. It was interesting looking out of the window. So much of the Cambodian landscape is flat rice fields but there are also extensive areas of forest with no evidence of roads and houses. Our pilot was in a hurry so we arrived half an hour early. Siem Reap has a brand new airport 45 km outside the city. It only opened in October this year so shuttle buses and taxis are only just getting established. Even the guy guiding us over the tarmac to the arrivals building seemed unclear where to go!

Fortunately, Roy and Veasna now have a car so they had kindly offered to pick us up and deliver us to our hotel. Lovely to see them.

An extraordinary "small world" event happened as we checked into our hotel. An elegant young Cambodian woman passing by looked at us and said "hello!" with a big grin. We both knew we knew her face but couldn't think who she was. She reminded us. It was one of the twin girls from the Seagull Restaurant in Kep who used to serve us every evening when they were teenagers. They had excellent English and always told us that their ambition was to marry wealthy westerners. Sure enough, both had succeeded and here was Nani staying on holiday in a hotel in Siem Reap with her Canadian husband. Congratulations Nani and Ying!

Next day we wandered round central Siem Reap. It's a lovely city nowadays with tree lined walks along both sides of the river. Very cosmopolitan with all sorts of shops, restaurants and bars and a relaxed atmosphere.

On the Thursday Roy and Veasna drove us to Battembang to see their brand new house. This has been nearly a year in construction and they are due to move in this weekend. Siem Reap to Battembang is a 3-hour drive each way but we were keen to see their new home and they were keen to show us. It's very cool and spacious down a lovely green peaceful lane. We wish them every happiness.

On Friday, after a quick coffee, we left Roy and Veasna to their packing and preparations for the removal trucks and made our way back to the airport for the 1-hour flight to Luang Prabang.

Good to be settled back in the Greenhouse Studio where we can relax.

I'm not a great doggie person but I make an exception for Ben, Clyde and Uhuru, who were the resident dogs at Bacoma. We last saw them 4 years ago. I'm sure they remembered us! They now live with Dara at the stunning little house he has built near Kep.

It's a single-room wooden construction with huge covered open verandahs all round and a beautiful garden. I'm truly in awe of the design. So clever 

That's the one enclosed room in the background.

Back at Casa Kep we were treated to a full Thankgiving Dinner, complete with turkey, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. Kate's friends came down from Phnom Penh to join us

We snuck into the grounds of the King's Palace. It's still abandoned and empty but the grounds are immaculate.

The light over the Gulf of Thailand at dusk is just amazing. Ever changing

Especially at sunset

Our last 3 days coincided with the national Cambodian Water Festival. The streets and beaches were full of families on holiday

We had a farewell meal with Dara at the Crab Market

One of the surfaced sections of the road to Sihanoukville Airport

I bet they wish I had a shorter name!

Central Siem Reap is very beautiful

The remains of the Water Festival were being cleaned up. Offerings had been floated down the river 

Roy and Veasna took us to an amazing restaurant called Urban Tree Hut. Absolutely delicious food with beer. Total of $24 for four people!

We did our best to do the "selfie" pose!

Roy and Veasna's new home in Battembang

Siem Reap big wheel was built just before Covid. Opened this week

More peaceful Siem Reap riverside

This boy let the monkey groom him. Euggghhhh!

Now we're back in Luang Prabang. Our house is on the right-hand bank. Sadly, a roadway is to be built along there apparently

A beer on the banks of the Mekong at sunset. One of life's great pleasures. Despite rampant inflation in Laos, homegrown produce like BeerLao is still cheap for us at just over £1 a big bottle. Anything imported is horrendously expensive. Five years ago there were 10,000 kip to the pound. Now it's 26,000 and rising