The only "barang" in town

Rachel and Bram have gone to live in Siem Reap, meaning that I am now the only Westerner left in Kampong Thom. This is really bad news for me, as I can't socialise or communicate with local Khmer friends and colleagues in the same way as I can with fellow barangs. My plan is to try to get away to Siem Reap or Phnom Penh most weekends, and to fill my weekday evenings with getting fitter(there's a daily Aerobics Oz style programme on the telly!) and studying Khmer. This photo was taken at Bram's birthday meal in my garden. The bottle of wine is an exotic luxury!