I tried to post this last night, but there was a massive lightning storm (awesome!) with some of the loudest thunder crashes I have ever heard. I’m assuming that this interfered with the wifi, so . . . . here’s what you missed.
Left a rainy and cold Korea yesterday. I was sad to say goodbye to Korea and to CH, but I do think I will make it back here again (Hey B, are you going to let me take advantage of your new “perks”?)
I was on a later flight and didn’t get into Siem Reap until 10:40 PM (or 12:40 AM Korea time), so I was pretty bagged. A tuk-tuk from the hotel picked me up, and I pretty much hit the sack when I got here.
I left today open to basically get a feel for things and get myself orientated. I figured it would be quite different from my Korea experience. I was right! It is SMOKIN hot!!! Don’t get me wrong, I love hot, but I was overheating. This was mostly my own fault though. I tend to have this habit (good? bad?) where I just like to walk around to explore new places. After not too many minutes of this, my shirt was drenched. Did that stop me? Of course not! I couldn’t figure out at first why other tourists weren’t “glistening” as much as I was. I guess it’s probably because they have the sense to spend the $2 to get a tuk-tuk to take them somewhere instead of wandering aimlessly in the blazing sun. I did, however, manage to find my bearings and figure out where things are by the end of the day. I didn’t think I would get to this point when I set out this morning.
So . . . . . things I discovered and did today – wandered around different markets, had my first Cambodian dish (Amok – maybe the fact that I just came from the strong spices of Korea is why I found it a bit bland), had a fish foot pedicure, had a full body massage by a blind guy, found a place where I can try a yoga class, and found my way back to the hotel after putting on many miles.
What I didn’t do today – figure out the money (They mostly deal with US currency, but sometimes they’ll give you back half in US and half in Cambodian riel.
I can’t think that way!), or go to any temples or ruins.
Temple/ruin exploration starts tomorrow.
I am going on a tour (a small group tour – max. 10) tomorrow mainly because I didn’t have the time or energy to do my own research before I got here, and I’d like to have some idea of what I’m looking at.
I may just go on my own after that though.
We’ll see.
So, expect temple and ruin photos to come your way soon!
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See you soon Korea! |
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Food market complete with an abundance of fruit . . . . . . |
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. . . . . seafood . . . . . |
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. . . . . and meat such as chicken . . . . |
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. . . . and pork. Why do they look so happy? |
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When I first stuck my feet in, I wasn’t sure I would be able to last 20 min. It was really weird and tickled. It was ok by the end though. |
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Nom, Nom, Nom (this was near the beginning when I couldn’t fully submerge my foot yet) |
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Since I was the only one there (and I mean me and maybe 6 other people in this big area of the market), I had a good, long chat with the owner about her family and life in Cambodia. I had assumed that it was so quiet because everyone was at the temples and ruins and came here during the evening. She said this isn’t the case. It is low season now, so the area is pretty quiet. |
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No that isn’t a misprint. My one hour massage was only $5! |
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Hangin out in Siem Reap. |
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Amok – I opted for the tofu option, but maybe I’ll try the more traditional fish option next time. Where are all the side dishes? |
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How much is this? I can’t tell you yet. I bought a bottle of water using Cambodian Riel, and went to walk away. They gave me $3 back. I really need to figure out the money! |