It’s your birthday

Today is Vic’s birthday and he decided to celebrate it on a boat that cruised the Tonle Sap. I skipped church to be able to attend it, since it would also be my first time to do a river cruise here in Phnom Penh. Strange, some of my friends commented, for someone who’s been here in Cambodia for 4 years to have not experienced this. But it’s true; there’d been many chances to do it in the past but for some reason it didn’t happen.

Well, better late than never.

We boarded the boat at around 4.45PM, carrying bottles of soda and liquor, an assortment of snacks, and ice. Ted and Hav were already there. Food was assigned to our other friends. It was very nice to see Eng, whom I haven’t seen for a long time. Hue, whom I met in Saigon almost a year ago today, was also on hand. By quarter past 5PM, most of the guests had arrived and soon after the boat left the dock. 

Viewing Phnom Penh from the river was refreshing. It filled me with the kind of wonder that I remember feeling in 2004, a few weeks into my stay here in Cambodia. Kimrun was the first guy who took me over the river, on the Japanese bridge, to the other side of the riverfront (which was still under development at that time). I felt a certain pinch in the pit of my belly when I thought of Kimrun. But the feeling quickly passed. I told Eng and Hav (Ted’s partner) that Kimrun and I had broken up, probably for the last time.

20 minutes into the cruise, the sky visibly darkened, warning of rain. Because it was too windy, Vic ended up blowing the flames on the lighter instead of his birthday candles.

While people were partaking of the spread consisted of pasta carbonara, pancit habhab, fried chicken, spring rolls, and pork barbecue, the rain started falling. The boat’s upper deck had no roof so water seeped through the cracks of the wooden flooring (our roof). Of course, a splash of rain wouldn’t get in the way of our party. Live music was provided by Rolly, Luz’s husband, and soon people were singing. Hue, Eng, Raymond, and Vic sang their hearts out, while the tone-deaf (like me) stomped their feet and cheered.

In the last 45 minutes of our river cruise the rain finally tapered to a fine drizzle and I was again able to appreciate the view from the river. Older memories again intruded in my reverie but were soon replaced by a general feeling of pleasure. The kind one feels when one is around friends who genuinely care for each other.

As Vic and I headed to each other’s houses, aboard Serey Phal’s car, I was reminded of the many things I still need to do before my trip tomorrow: work deliverables, packing, housekeeping tasks, etc.

Happy Birthday, Vic!