So Heng and I are walking back towards my guesthouse after the BBQ at the governor's house and she asks me if I would like to go to another BBQ. Where? When? She says right now at the new guesthouse she recently started working at. Of course I would!
Heng brought me to this "guesthouse" a few weeks earlier while it was still being built. It is on the far edge of town - up a hill and down a very scenic dusty road. It is located on a large piece of land and is really a collection of huts and cabins instead of a traditional guesthouse (think of most guesthouses as motels or bed and breakfasts - mine is like a motel with a restaurant attached). This one is run by a Bunong woman who has built a large traditional Bunong house made of concrete (a circular hut with a thatched roof) that probably can sleep 6 - 10 people in that house. Then there are two small bamboo cabins up on a hill. They are completely made of bamboo - bamboo floors, bamboo walls, bamboo doors and windows - and only a few nails were used most of the time rattan or vines were used to tie things together. The small cabins look like they can hold 2 - 4 people at most. Also, if someone is larger in size and weight they should probably stick to the Bunong house as the bamboo floor of the cabins doesn't look super strong. I actually loved the look of the little cabins and inquired about staying in one. They don't know when they will be done - the woman told Heng it's hard to find craftsmen who know how to build them - seems its a dying craft.
Well this seems to be their grand opening night and since Heng works there she was invited. I can come as a guest of someone since this is Cambodia - what a country!! We stop at Heng's cousin's house where she takes a quick shower while I sit with her cousin and the cousin's 6 year old son and watch some lame Cambodian soap opera. Heng returns in about 15 minutes and then says we will take her cousin's moto to the party to save time. We drive the 5 minutes down the pitch black roads to the entrance of the guesthouse.
This guesthouse also has a handicraft gift shop and will have a Bunong restaurant in the future. The place has room for maybe another 10 Bunong traditional huts on the level ground and another 15 bamboo cabins on the hillside. The place has lots of trees and a small stream going across the property. Tonight they have put up a few torches and lights to light up the field between the gift shop and the traditional home and have several tables set up as well as a few speakers.
Heng introduces me to a few of her friends who work there and to the family of the woman who owns the place. Once again - I am the only barang (westerner/white tourist) there - this isn't a bad thing as often people are fascinated as to why I am there and who do I know? Within minutes a few of the gentlemen there wave me over to enjoy some of the rice jug wine. The wine is made in these large brown/tan clay jugs and sometimes is ok to drink - some people seem to add honey or some sweet fruity taste to it, other times it's like drinking rubbing alcohol! The oddest part is ts has to be sipped through long straws - or really rubber tubes (like an IV tube) and there are a few inserted into the jug at any one time. They just take turns taking sips from the straws - pretty much all night. I had some at the governor's house when I first arrive and it was pretty good stuff but this stuff is pretty rough. I take a tiny sip then quickly switch to beer - Heng laughs. She knows this stuff isn't as good either.
We have plenty of BBQ pork and chicken, although I will admit the chicken wings are the tinniest wings I have ever seen. They are barely big enough to be considered chicken McNuggets much less chicken wings at a BBQ. There is salad and they actually have some type of cake - seems to be maybe a banana fruit cake which is awful good. After we are there about ah hour or so I wander into the gift shop and look around.
The gift shop isn't officially open yet but they have lots of scarves, skirts, and baskets on display (lots meaning maybe 6 - 12 of each). They actually have the most extensive collection of baskets I've seen in one place. I ask what the different size and shaped baskets are for and Heng tells me most of them and asks what the last few are for. There is the traditional backpack style basket, one for picking fruit, one for holding small animals, a few for fishing, and another for picking nuts and berries. There is a huge basket that is used to store grain in as well. This entire place has potential - once it gets up and running it's like living in a village while still being in the big city (yes - Sen Monorom with all 10,000 people is considered a big city for this province - LOL).
After a short time the music starts and I look out to see Heng plus a few of the women dancing on a few mats on the ground next to the tables. I wander out and have a beer with a few of the guys and watch. At this party of maybe 15 - 20 people, no men seem interested in dancing. Heng waves for me to join and I go up and participate in one dance. Then the women all sit down so I dance around with two little girls who are on the mats with me. Within minutes they think my dancing is more of a game and they start chasing me around the mats. Everyone starts laughing. Minutes later the women return and dance for another hour or so.
Around 1030pm the woman who owns the place comes over and asks (thru Heng) if I would like to stay there sometime. I tell her I would be interested in staying in one of the cabins but need to know the price. She will let me know once they are done (I find out later it is $ 15/night). She leaves shortly after that and the party slowly breaks up. Heng drives me back to the my guesthouse but doesn't have a headlight on this moto. What? I thought it worked on the way there. So I am forced to hold my flashlight over her shoulder to light the road as she drives me the 10 minutes back to my house. Once we arrive she starts playing with all of the controls and then discovers how to turn on the lights. She does admit she may be a little drunk (she did have 3 beers at the party) and forgot which button was the lights. We laugh and I tell her I will see her Monday at class at the radio station.
I'm sure people have had better New Year's celebrations - but having 3 days to celebrate is a great idea that I highly recommend! Now how to spend the rest of the holiday week...
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