Saturday - Chinese New Year is not a holiday in Cambodia. It lasts at least 3 days in China but it is not a holiday here. On Thursday I came into PP to interview for my PA - I am very pleased to say Bunthorn was by far the best candidate so I will still be working with him. It was just after the last interview that I started to realise things were different. I should have realised earlier as there were only about 2 people in the office!! Vickie and I were looking for somewhere to eat and she said "Hope we can find something open" and I looked around, the place was dead. Our usual busy street was empty. PP is quiet - no building noise, traffic is half what it usually is and it is spooky. Apparently everyone, who can, goes to the provinces for the non-holiday. I have been warned that there will be no-one in the office on Monday- I will wait and see. I am going back to Chbar Mon this afternoon so lets see what is happening there.

This morning I had one of those moments that you dread. I was down to my last $20 and I knew my guest house bill was $22 so into the AGM I went. Chinese New Year obviously affects machines too as 3 AGMs refused to give me my money. I was getting cross after all it is my money and the machines were keeping it. Now in England this wouldn't matter as I would have just have paid by card but here it is different- they like cash, they do not have the little machines needed to process a card. I decided to try one more machine the one I always use, the one that may have been exempt from the New Year blues. I went in, put in my card - it refused to give me my money - it then told me why!! I put in the right PIN number and it smiled and I got my money.

Sunday - Chbar Mon is half closed but very busy. No sign of dragon dancing but lots of family parties. My landlady's family seems to have doubled in size. Lucky really as my gas ring refused to work and they piled in on mass to get it going for me.

I have now used my outdoor kitchen. I made a pasta dish with tomatoes - very good. The advantage of the kitchen being outside is that I have to keep everything in containers because of the dust, ants etc - obviously the dust etc are also disadvantages. If the kitchen is inside it is very easy to forget the containers, then you can turn your back and everything is covered with ants!!