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Being away from home is never easy. Unfortunately, this is just one of the hazards that you must accept when travelling long term. There is always something that can make you say, “I will wait until after that”. However, if you find yourself doing that before you know it something else will pop up and you could get caught in an endless cycle of putting the trip off. You need to jump. Even though you sacrifice being home for a special day like Christmas or your birthday, these things can be unavoidable. You don’t look for sympathy as these choices are your own. This doesn’t make the day any easier when your family come together for the holidays yet you find yourself on the other side of the world.
I have always loved Christmas. Without a doubt, it is my favourite day of the year. Presents, drinks and the most important part, a huge delicious dinner. It is fair to say that when I found myself abroad for Christmas back in 2015, I wasn’t exactly in the festive humour. I spent that Christmas in Cambodia. Don’t get me wrong, I love Cambodia, its an amazing country but they don’t exactly celebrate the holidays. Being primarily a Buddhist country, decorations or any sign of the festivities were few and far between. I wasn’t expecting any different, I knew this before arriving into Cambodia. I wasn’t willing to change my entire plans just to suit one day though. However, I was determined to have some sort of Christmas and make something out of the day. Looking back now this was a mistake!
I had spent the first month of my trip in Thailand, leaving the country when my visa ran out on the 10th of December. At that time, any visa run would have only got me a two-week visa which was not worthwhile. If I was in the same situation now as I was then, I would have extended my stay in Thailand for another month. Visas, when you cross into the country by land, have since been extended to one month. Thailand gets more tourists which means more celebrations. I had met some really cool people in my hostel who were spending Christmas in Thailand. I would have had the option of either going with them or spending the holidays in Bangkok, a city I have always enjoyed.
Instead, my visa ran out and I had to leave. A month in Cambodia was always in my plans so that is where I headed. I spent the first two weeks there between Battambang, a small town to the south of the country and Siem Reap, a bigger city known for the Angkor Wat temples. I had a good time in both. Looking back now, I should have stayed in Battambang. The hostel was run by a very friendly English couple. It wasn’t a party hostel as such but drinks flowed quite regularly. I am sure the day would have been full of celebrations. Instead, in search of a Christmas dinner, I decided to go to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. It is a city, I have never been a huge fan of.
Usually, I avoid Irish bars when I travel. I saw one online advertising a full Christmas dinner and stupidly thought that this was a good idea. For some reason, I even booked myself into a private room thinking I would treat myself for Christmas. I went down two days before, booked myself in for dinner and paid a deposit on the $25!!! dinner fee. It is still to this day, the most expensive meal I have ever had travelling. I knew it was a lot of money. In my mind though, the pub was going to be packed. After the meal, a bit of a party would break out between like-minded people spending the holidays away from home. How wrong was I!
My hostel/guesthouse was pretty much empty. It was a horrible place as well. No atmosphere or socializing between guests, I barely saw a sinner during my stay. I was relying purely on the bar and meal providing me with my Christmas day atmosphere. I waited around all day for my evening sitting for dinner. Then I took a tuk-tuk down to the riverside where the bar was located. Walking in, I expected to be met with a packed bar full of people drinking and celebrating. What I got was an empty bar. During my whole three-course meal, not one person entered the bar. And to top it all off, the icing on the cake, the food was horrible. I built it up to be just like home but the reality was a very different story.
For a starter, it was a mixture of a prawn cocktail and a salad. It wasn’t great but ended up being the best dish of the day. The main course was as sparse as it was dry. Two small slices of ham and two suspiciously dark, dry slices of turkey. Two roast potatoes, two small balls of what I think was stuffing and a handful of veg. I think I was hungrier than before I started. The dessert, you could tell was store bought but after that dinner, I needed something sweet. If I remember correctly I got a free glass of wine as well. For $25, I expected so much more.
I wrote the day off as a failure and went back to my room, watched a movie, had a beer and went to bed. It was best to move on. The bar in my guesthouse was closed so even the beer was from the shop. The day after, the bar was back open but still not much was happening. The whole Christmas experience was best forgotten about. I took a bus down to the beach and spent a few days in between Christmas and New Years relaxing, drinking cocktails until the early hours. For New Years, I planned on being in Kampot, a small town in between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville, the beach destination I was at. I booked myself into a Mad Monkey Hostel. This was a known party hostel chain throughout Cambodia and now South East Asia.
This was a good choice and New Year’s Eve turned out to be an excellent party there. Looking back now, I should have done this in Phnom Penh for Christmas. I should have forgotten about the stupid dinner and looked to just have a good time. Thinking with my belly, as usual, these things happen and you just have to move on. It was just one day out of an excellent six-month trip. It could have been so different if not for silly choices by myself. I still feel it is the hardest day to be away from home. Whether or not it was your choice to be on the road doesn’t make it any easier.
This year, I have come home for the holidays. Me and my girlfriend could have dragged our trip out a bit longer but for the sake of a few more weeks, it was better to spend Christmas at home. The last two years, I have worked for large parts of the Christmas period. This year, I look forward to taking the time to myself and enjoying it.
Long term travel for me is the best thing in the world. I love it, this is just one example of a time that it is not all a perfect holiday. If you have ever spent Christmas abroad, comment below. I would love to hear about your experiences!!! To everyone else, Merry Christmas. I hope the upcoming holidays bring you everything that you wanted!
Always love your pieces. That dinner on the other hand, nobody could love. Awful looking. I often find when you try to recreate something that is good back home, it just disappoints. Can’t offer much of an angle on Christmases away though, I’m a traditionalist when it comes to that. Delighted you will have this one surrounded by the comfort of home. Enjoy and thanks for sharing. Merry Christmas to you and yours.