I am now back in Siem Reap, arriving back from the road trip in time for the local festival of Bon Om Touk, the water festival celebrating the reversal of the tides on the lake. Always timed around a full moon, it is a time of great celebration matched with a full four day bank holiday. We could learn a thing or two here.

Phnom Penh and Siem Reap celebrate with boat racing on the river, with teams being made up of friends, businesses, etc. The crowds flock to the waters edge to watch the fun and cheer on their favourites. A Khmer equivalent to Stewart Hall bellows out the up to date news, in-between hysterical laughter. In the evening the riverside is illuminated with coloured lights hanging from trees, and great displays on the riverbank. Families, friends and young couples place elaborate candle lit floral displays on the water.

It is a festival atmosphere with local food stands, clothing stalls, and corporate displays giving out information from mobile phones to toothpaste. (In Cambodia one in three shops sells nothing but mobile phones, it is amazing that so many can remain in business.) A number of stages are set up and local ‘musicians’ perform Khmer pop favourites. The evening ends with firework displays over the river. There is no drunkenness and the atmosphere is very family orientated.

Meanwhile back at the Orphanage we held our own party for the children. Sponsorship and donations has enabled us to provide each of the children with enough money for a party outfit, which the kids had great fun choosing. The kids looked fantastic, the boys smart and proud in their new shirts, the girls transformed in their party dresses and make up. (I couldn’t even recognise some of them as they transformed from urchin to princess.) We provided a mobile disco, an enormous sound system, which sadly spent the whole evening, bar 15 minutes when I managed to power up some Levellers and New Order, (The children politely danced but seemed confused) before their diet of beloved Khmer pop was resumed.

Local pop culture takes some explaining, it is I guess the usual, boy meets girl, girl looses boy to scooter accident, passing crocodile, or even worse the girl next door. The performers whilst singing very badly, perform a modern version of the classic Aspara Dance, by wandering around in a circle hands extended, and doing a bizarre version of the hand jive.

Transfer this to our 35 Duracell Bunnies, and we have everyone wandering around in a circle, the senior girls performing better than some of the dancers on the television, the smaller ones chasing after them, hands extended and flapping wildly. As the party ends the smaller children are fighting sleep to get the very last out of their day, before succumbing in the arms of the nearest adult. A busy day indeed.