I find myself once again in the middle of the afternoon seeking asylum somewhere indoors. The internet places here don't have A/C, but at least the fan is going and it's something of a reprieve from the elements. Even sitting in the shade doing nothing is reason enough to work up a lather, let alone actually walking. And of course, climbing all over temple ruins is a different thing all together. So yeahh, I'm complaining again about the heat. Sue me.
I ended up revising the plan I had established a few days ago wherein I was going to visit the temples in the morning and the afternoon. I still did the morning visits. I woke up at 5:15 each time and at times, I had entire temples to myself. There's a method to the temple viewing madness that involves trying to see certain ones at different times of the day so as to enjoy them more. This is an important thing for the pictures, of course. The first day I went back in the afternoon ater visiting in the morning (see last entry). I returned to find the place swarming with people. Think Disneyland in summer. That one morning spoiled me. I decided to cut out the afternoon visits and extend the morning ones. This morning was the last one. And I saved the best temple for last. Unfortunately, the gloomy haze gods weren't aware of my plans and I didn't get the pictures I wanted. The temple itself, Angkor Wat, is world-reknown for a reason. Wow. And really, the entire complex is just an amzing thing to see. I wish I were more learned on the subject so as to appreciate the different styles, eras, symbolism and the like. I haven't a clue. I just know what I think looks cool and that's good enough for me. I doubt I'll see anything like this the rest of the trip or for that matter, too many other places in the world.
So I've been doing other things in the afternoon such as getting a $2 haircut. I know what you are thinking: I got charged by the follicle. It was nothing like that. I'll remember that experience because while I was in the nicely air-conditioned shop, another customer's cell phone went off. His ringtone? A Michael Jackson tune. I started to laugh and then quickly did that thing where you pretend to cough to mask a potential international incident.
Last night, the streets were jumping with folks. It was quite a spectacle. Little street stalls sprung up all over the place and I did something I rarely, rarely do when travelling. I ate at one of these places. I tend to stick to established restaurants especially in places like this where the standards of hygiene are a little different than what I am used to. I can't say it any more diplomatically than that. Anyway, the stirfried noodles and veggies were $1. The beer was $1. It was piping hot, tasty and not a problem at all. In fact, later I went back for some rice. Ah, the carbs, the carbs...
Today I spent about 3 hours and $10 in a Khmer cooking class. There were seven of us in the group, a couple of gals from Japan and some folks from France. The class was a whole lot of fun and we each made more food than we could eat. We were allowed to choose our three dishes. I chose a mango salad for a starter, a curry dish for the main and a banana dessert. Everything was incredible. I had never had the mango salad, but me and mangoes...don't get me started. The thing is that the only mangoes I've seen here are hard and green- nothing like the soft orange ones I'm used to. I'll spare all the details of all the food except for the mango salad because I intend to eat this in the futre- a lot. Shredded green mango, shredded carrot, sliced onion, basil, chopped peanuts, fish sauce, chili and pieces of chicken. It all gets mixed and served room temp, though cold would be amazing, I think. We all had a great time, shared stories of our travels and compared war-wounds. Oh and we got a t-shirt too. All for $10. The Japanese girls said that Vietnam is cheaper than Cambodia. Not sure how this can be, but I can't wait to see for myself.
I've avoided buying anything, but I think tonight I may have to break down and drop a few bucks here and there. I'll compensate in my suitcase by ditching a pair of old tennis shoes I brought. Honestly, I can't see where I would need to wear them and given the heat, why I would. Tomorrow I am hopping on a bus for Phnom Penh. The ride should take at least 5 hours. As far as I am concerned, the trip begins in earnest tomorrow since it's a big city (relatively speaking) and I won't be spending any more than three nights in any one place from this point forward. So, a lot of moving around is coming up after having stayed pretty much in one place since I got here.
Tonight I plan to eat some Indian food for dinner and then go to the night market where for $3, you put your feet in a shallow pool and for fifteen minutes, dozens of a particularly disturbing breed of fish nibble all the dead skin off your feet. I am not making this up, I swear. I plan to video the experience and torture many of you with the footage at some point in the future. You've been warned.
Cheers.
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