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Published: April 13th 2010
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Oscar's Look Alike
This guy hung around the restaurant and in the sand pit all day. He was so cute and really friendly. Today I was in no rush to go anywhere. I spent two hours getting a Khmer steam and a papaya body wrap in the spa at Palm Village. It was interesting, but in the end, I decided it was just too messy for me. The steam was really cool though. I sat in the floor on a cushion and the girls built a sort-of wall around me with two woven mats. There was a clay pot in front of me and it wasn't very big, but when they opened it, steam came rolling out! They covered me with a huge towel and I sat there for about 10 minutes. The steam smelled like tea and lemon, and I think it actually was. If anyone had told me that pot could create that much steam, I would have bet a lot of money it couldn't, but it was powerful stuff!
After I finished at the spa, I had a lovely breakfast by the pool and then stayed at the pool and read for a couple of hours. It was kind of cloudy, but at least the chlorine in the water bleached out the yellow mango and papaya stains on my nails.
Frog in the Toilet
As you can see, this little guy was in the toilet to greet me first thing in the morning. I really had to use the bathroom, so I flushed it and figured he would go back where he came from. I decided to go to Siem Reap and go shopping, so after a quick shower I hired a tuk tuk and went to the city.
My first stop was something to eat and drink at Home Cocktail Bar and Restaurant. The drinks were half price and good, but small. The spicy beef with lemongrass was really outstanding though. I ate Cambodian food at every meal because it was so good. I liked it more than Vietnamese food.
After I ate, I went shopping. The shopping was as good here as it was in Vietnam. I bought some gifts for different people and four hours later when my tuk tuk came to get me, I had a lot of stuff to take back with me, but I hadn't even spent 100 USD on all of it! I also had a great ice cream at the Blue Pumpkin. I was tired and hot, so I went back to the hotel and ate dinner with the dogs, then went to my hut and relaxed and watched FoxCrime television.
The next day I had breakfast by the pool again, then layed by the pool several hours until it was time to
I was wrong
He hopped up here while I was using the toilet, but I didn't know that until I closed the lid to flush it! go to the airport. I paid the driver who had originally picked me up 6 USD to take me there. Siem Reap was a very small airport with only one gate and one waiting area and I was two hours early, or so I thought. My flight had been delayed till 7:00! So I hired a tuk tuk and went back to the Old Market area of Siem Reap where I'd been shopping yesterday and I had some good food, then headed back to the airport.
When I arrived at Phnom Penh I didn't really have time to go back into the city, so I just waited until it was time to board my flight back to Shanghai at midnight. I was sad to leave Cambodia. I really enjoyed the cities, the food, the people, the shopping, and especially the sightseeing. Cambodia is a poor country, but its people are really trying to earn an honest living rather than begging, but they are not agressive or offensive when they approach you on the street. There are also loads of NGO's and charitable organizations that provide training opportunities for the people of Cambodia so they can develop skills that are
Palm Village Resort
There were gardens everywhere and lovely flowers. useful in the tourism industry. They have really mastered the tourist restaurant and hotel business and they make amazing crafts and nothing is expensive. I bargained with people, but just barely. Like Vietnam, they start at a low price so there's not much to bargain with.
I loved this country and its people and I hope to go back there some day.
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