INDEPENDENCE BEACH
Independence Beach was named after the long closed down Independence hotel. Although used by weekenders it is less crowded than the other beaches. Long and narrow this beach is better at low tide. The northwest end is better because it's wider there. A seafood restaurant and fresh water lake can be found there but don't swim there as you might meet an old crocodile. A grassy park with many kinds of statues is there for your relaxation as well as a few monkeys along the road to the decaying Independence hotel.
Our Christmas in Cambodia this year was essentially the same as it is every year. It began with a phone call to my kids in Australia, which was quickly followed by gift opening downstairs. After that, a very large meal was prepared and the whole family plus assorted invited guests headed to the beach.
There were some slight, but significant variations on our typical Christmas this year, though. For one thing, I am now able to call Australia relatively cheaply on my mobile phone and get a good connection. The first couple of years I had to go to a local market that had a land line. After fibre optic cables were installed, I was able to call on Skype at a local internet cafe. Although I have Skype here at home now, I still can’t make outgoing calls, so I opted for the still more expensive, but affordable mobile option.
There were some slight, but significant variations on our typical Christmas this year, though. For one thing, I am now able to call Australia relatively cheaply on my mobile phone and get a good connection. The first couple of years I had to go to a local market that had a land line. After fibre optic cables were installed, I was able to call on Skype at a local internet cafe. Although I have Skype here at home now, I still can’t make outgoing calls, so I opted for the still more expensive, but affordable mobile option.
Another slight, but significant difference between this and previous Christmases was our choice of beaches. Because Christmas is a family day, in the past we always went to the far end of Ochheuteal Beach, where Cambodian families tend to gather. This year, we went to Independence Beach, where both barang and Cambodian families were celebrating Christmas in Cambodia.
Don’t ask me why, but this year, the air and water temperatures were also different from previous years. This may be partly attributable to my having become acclimatised, but I don’t think it’s the whole story. At night, temperatures have been down to the low 20s and when I went for my first swim, I swam hard to shake off the distinct chill I felt when I dove into the water. It’s not that the water was cold, but in previous years, there was virtually no difference between the air temperature (normally around 30 degrees C) and the water temperature.
I took Kelly for a walk out on to the pier that divides the public beach from the Independence Hotel‘s private beach. There, too, families and couples predominated.
Other than that, it was Christmas in Cambodia as usual. Everyone had a great day and I was able to go on autopilot and relax, except for those times I was called upon to take the kids in the water. They, too, felt the chill and so the dips were mercifully short.
I took Kelly for a walk out on to the pier that divides the public beach from the Independence Hotel‘s private beach. There, too, families and couples predominated.
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