Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Day 9 Siem Reap
Morning/afternoon/evening all.
Today is a leisure day...Tonkin leisure that is! No guides, just ourselves following our noses (thankfully not literally as some of the smells don't suggest a beautiful vista awaits us round the corner).
We are in the mode, so a late start is breakfast at 8am. We do go to sleep about 10pm so julie is not suffering from sleep deprivation.
First up is a visit to a temple Wat Bo where everyday monk life was on view. Soon the temple caretaker !atched onto us and opened up the temple especially for us. When we tipped him a mere 2 dollars he was so grateful that he launched into a long and echoing blessing on each of us individually - quite moving. (Its just as well my Cambodian isn't good as he may well of been saying 'my word, he's a fat tourist!').
After a further temple visit we retired for coffee and ice cream before wandering around the town, soaking up local life. At one street corner 4 little children said hello in English and we responded hello in Cambodian, 'high fiving them in the process'. This triggered fits of giggling as the children dissolved with excitement.
Finally back to the hotel to freshen up before heading out for lunch. I have discovered iced lemon tea whilst Julie has discovered iced jasmine tea. Tonight I am going out to get me a pair of those Ali baba trousers, with elephants imprinted on them, and I will be a fully paid up hippie.
More relaxation was in order after lunch so we returned to the hotel for a dip in the rooftop pool. We had planned to visit the peace cafe, a veggie cafe where monks give talks on buddhism. However I decided that Julie has enough to worry about without worrying about being reincarnated as an ant if she isnt a good girl. Besides I had no hippie trousers to wear.
So we went to a Cambodian tapas bar for dinner. We declined the two true khmer tapas dishes of sweet and sour red ants or silk worms cooked in coconut milk and settled for some more traditional chicken and fish dishes. Interesting restaurant that teaches street children a trade (hospitality eg waitering, chefing etc). Excellent meal all the same. Then back home for an early night ... 4.45 wake up call for sunrise at Angkor Wat.
- comments