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I decided to hire a motorbike driver for the day, to see the list of sights I had planned to see in the Cambodian capital. For $ 10 USD, who could complain.

But that’s not what I want to write about (I will get back to this in the next entry).

It’s New Year’s Eve. I am 27 years old. I am on vacation… but it looks like I will be spending the night alone with a bottle of wine (if I can find one) and a 30 Rock marathon on t.v. Yikes.

I was switching hostels the next day and decided to book an early pick-up (9:30 am) so that I could start the new year with a full day of culture and history (and shopping).

While at the Royal Palace, I look up from my guidebook and there is the American. What are the odds? We walk around the grounds of the silver Pagoda together and speak about our evening plans (or lack thereof). I think it was the desperation-meets-sorrow tone of my voice that led him to invite me along to his evening plans. These were simple: a drink at a bar – usher in the new year – head home. This was perfect since I could still catch the 30 Rock marathon, so I happily accepted.

After an exchange of e-mails later that evening, we decided to meet at a bar/club called Heart of Darkness at 11:00pm. Great! I could even catch an episode of 30 Rock while I was getting ready!

When the time came to leave, it was pouring and of course there wasn’t transport in sight (extremely rare for Asia). It took about 15 minutes wondering in the torrential downpour before I found a tuk tuk. A stop at an ATM and a 15 minuted wait outside got me into the bar right on time to order a drink and wait for the countdown.

The American not only found tarantulas… he decided to bring them to the bar (!) along with a giant worm and some friend cockroaches. Needless to sat that entertained us for quite some time. There was a lone traveler at the bar and he joined our group, bring beer to the mix. Woo Hoo! The party was starting!

Out came the champagne, the count down, the cheers and the hugs. Soon it will be time to say goodbye to my new friends and find another tuk tuk to take me home.

But sometimes pitchers of beer and glasses of champagne makes you think that taking a million pictures (oh digital cameras!) and laughing at them is a hilarious pastime for hours! It can also make you take down decorations, become needlessly rowdy and abandon your original plans.

I got home at 8:30am.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I packed my stuff up quickly and went downstairs where I met an Australian woman on her first world trip. We made plans to meet up later and I went to my new hostel.

End note: My new year was not ull of culture and history, but it did have shopping… and a bed time of 3:30pm (yes, that’s the middle of the afternoon…)

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