Cambodia: the last day

Ok, last post about Cambodia, I promise.

Me with the 50 cent beer. Note the pile of bags in the
chair next to me. That would be after we stuffed the
smaller bags inside the bigger bags, for easy
carrying.  Srsly. Like 10 bags.

Our last day in Cambodia, we toured around town one more time, making our last visit to the market and shops. The highlights:

• We bought about $100 worth of bags. Made from cement bags. This organization in Cambodia helps villagers sew bags and sell them for part ownership in the company and the money they make. So, we bought really rad bags (tote bags and duffle bags and miniature pencil case/toiletry bags). All told, we spent about $100 on bags.

The BF at the sidewalk cafe

The 50 cent beer

• 50 cent beers. We found a lovely little restaurant on the corner across from the market and had some snacks and beers. And because it was happy hour, the beers (local Anchor beer) was 50 cents. I had two. That means I spent a whole $1 on beers. We need more happy hour like that in America. Or in Singapore, for that matter.

My feet in the tank of fishes. Also in the tank, a nice
couple from Florida and the 9-year-old girl who shamed
my feet into the water.



The fish are eating my feet.

• Fish ate my feet. They offered fishy foot massage: $3 for 30 minutes of fish massage. And a beer. So, clearly we did that. We sat on the edge of a large fish tank, smack in the middle of the sidewalk, with our feet in a tank full of tiny fish. As soon as our feet entered the water, the fish started nibbling on our dead skin. After marching through temples for a few days and "accidentally" hiking up a mountain in the rain and sweating profusely and wearing sandals and Sperrys....our feet had PLENTY of dead skin to feed the fishies. The sensation of having a little sucker fish eat the skin off your feet is super tickly and weird. So much so that The BF started screaming like a girl when he put his feet in. And I gave myself a core and quad workout sitting on the edge of the tank, bouncing my feet in and out of the water, holding them just above the surface, gathering the courage to dunk my feet all the way in and leave them. It wasnt until a 9 year old girl from NY sat down beside me and made fun of me for being a wimp that I got my feet all the way in and left them there.

All in all, we had a great trip to Cambodia. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an adventurous vacation and a trip to SE Asia.

Cambodia: the hotel

So, Cambodia pretty much rocked.

Our "villa" in Cambodia.

The bathroom in the villa.

We had a great time. The country is very poor and still reeling from the effects of war, conflict, land mines and a terrorist political regime. But in Siem Reap, redemption is beginning, thanks to tourists like me. The town has some 8000 hotel beds, for hosting Americans, Europeans, Asians, etc. for conferences, events and general tourism. But in the rainy season (which is now) many of those beds are empty. Therefore, we got a good deal on a swanky, resorty hotel.

See the bridge going to the island with the pool bar?

Our villa was the size of a nice townhouse and was separated into 4 suites. We were on the second floor, in a suite that was bigger than The BF's studio apt in Seattle. We had a balcony overlooking the pool, which had a bar on a little island in the middle of the pool. It was not a swim-up bar, like we had at the hotel in Indonesia, but I mean, I guess it was ok.

The balcony overlooking the pool.

We had a breakfast buffet every morning that offered fresh fruit: watermelon, honeydew, pineapple, grapefruit and dragonfruit. (the fruit was all cleaned and sliced and peeled, so we were safe to eat it). In true, multi-cultural fashion, the buffet also had cereal, croissants, pork fried rice, steamed vegetables in oyster sauce, made-to-order omelettes, pad thai and bacon. Because Cambodia was run by France for so many years, the baked goods in Cambodia are pretty delicious. I think I had pain au chocolat and/or croissants every morning. Also, baguettes. Sliced, toasted, with some kind of blue cheese. Delicious.

Cambodia is mostly a Buddhist country, but at different points in history has been mostly Hindu, so there's plenty of that influence as well. As far as I know, the only dietary aspect of these religions is that Hindus don't eat beef. (Many Hindus believe cows are a special gift from the gods and therefore eating beef would be sacrilegious). Therefore, the breakfast buffet served bacon. And it was very good bacon, IMHO. Just the right amount of crunch, with enough grease still on it to require wiping your hands after every bite...but not so much grease that it's running down your arm. Mmm...yeah....

What made this doubly awesome was that the week prior, we were in Indonesia. A country which recognizes six official religions, but the majority of its residents (90%) claim to be Muslim. Muslims don't eat pork. Therefore, the breakfast buffet at the resort in Indonesia, which was otherwise lovely, boasting some bodacious croissants and downright problematic butter (srsly....I may or may not have eaten it by itself), served only turkey bacon. Turkey. Bacon.

Have you ever had turkey bacon? I mean, why are they even allowed to call it bacon?! As a breakfast meat, it's a fine option, but it is NOT bacon. They should have to call it something else entirely, as calling it "turkey bacon" is like lying. It's basically false advertising. If I were a pig, I'd be offended. 

But beyond the bacon on the buffet, there were several other aspects of this hotel that were just fantastic:
- Beer from the mini bar was CHEAPER than in the hotel bar, at just $3 a can.
- Incredible service from EVERYONE, from the driver and hostess who picked us up at the airport, to the pool bar dude who ran from the bar to my table in the rain, to bring me a beer.
- $15 massage. One hour, with an incredibly strong-handed tiny little Cambodian woman. $15.
- Air conditioning
 

All in all, it was an excellent spot to stay during our visit to Cambodia.

The streets of Siem Reap

Cambodia is very tropical. Lots of vegetation, lots of things grow here. And the BF and I sweat a lot.

But we're having a good time! Some photos from our first day, in the town of Siem Reap.

The Old Market in downtown Siem Reap. Market sells everything from silk goods, pants, scarves, placemats, etc. to tourists. It also sells meat and fish and fruit to locals. Wandering through an open air fish/meat market in 95 degree heat and full humidity is an experience.....that my nose would very much like to forget.

The streets of Siem Reap, where there are few cars and LOTS ot tuk-tuks. Tuk-tuks are moped-pulled coach thingees, something like a modern-day horse-drawn carriage.

The active streets of downtown Siem Reap.

Just chilling in a Cambodian cafe, after drinking a $1 local beer. $1 beer?!? From my seat in the cafe, across from the market, we saw all kinds of locals and tourists, including a couple of European travelers (we guessed German) who we would run into three days in a row. And about whom we would speculate quite a bit. The BF thinks they are boyfriend/girlfriend. I think they're father/daughter. Yeah....