Travel Notes from Pub Street, Cambodia
Yesterday, what i did was just to walk around the old market and the many quiet alley ways of beautiful Siem Reap. The heat was unbearable yesterday though. I think it was about 32 degrees Celsius in very humid weather. And walking meant going to the old market, which i did. I spent quite a fortune buying bed covers which i got down half the price, pillow cases with cute elephant rhinestones embossed, a cute Khmer doll, and a couple of shirts and tanks.
I am a fan of buying exotic stuff from my travels which i can decorate in my room, and the rest for the house. All in all, it was a good shopping trip and i paid more than 70% off from the original price. But i also feel how hard it is to earn money here in Cambodia. Now with the sun about to set. Ha ha I woke up pretty late and left the hostel around 2PM which means i am officially the laziest traveler in the world. I paid lunch for a whopping $20 but Chow Republic is one of the best restaurants in Siem Reap. I had beef with black beans and small shrimps while i sip my coconut shake. Double order at that. Fantastic!
I watched the sunset from the busy streets, and found that amidst the tourist culture here in Siem Reap, it is still Cambodia - the land with a memorable past, and the people easy going and relaxed.
I went back to the hostel around 6PM and found more people inside my dorm room. Yey! Tim has always been here, and just finished his second day of exploring the temples. I've convinced him to visit the Philippines, so i think he's going there in a few weeks. I need to help him out with his itinerary. He works as a park ranger in the US so that's interesting. Victor from Spain was too tired and templed out, he couldn't move a muscle. But he's meeting a "friend" soon. Jimmy, the sleepiest guy in the world is from San Francisco but he works in Seoul, South Korea. Erin with a backpack is from Brisbane and supposedly was waiting for his night bus to Phnom Penh, which later on she cancelled. She left at 7:30AM instead, And of course, Santiago from Colombia just joined us.
While chatting, everybody decided it was high time to go to Pub Street. And so we did just that, we stopped over first at Viva Mexican Bar & Restaurant. They ordered food, i got my Beer Laos. Done. It's funny how people from around the world are all different. What's really nice about traveling is that you get to learn so much from simple habits to speaking the language, etc. I find meeting other people interesting because it broadens your knowledge of the world. Little by little, you will discover that you're just a tiny speck in this huge planet. Victor invited his Indian friend to join us which made our table the most culturally diverse at Viva. Excellent!
By the way, it's another terrible news what just happened in Jakarta. I hope one day, people will realize that all these acts of terror have no place in modern society. It's about time that we take care of each other, no matter what color or religion you are born with. We are all brothers and sisters.
Going back, we headed to more bars and ordered more drinks. I got shots in between my beer Laos. And now as i type this, i swear i won't drink today. I'll detox for one day, and will just relax. My body hurts, and all i want to do is lie down in my bed. But Bun Nak will pick me up at 1PM. He said we can go to Koh Ker. But i am thinking twice because i just read that there still some land mines in the surrounding areas that are still uncleared. I wonder where will i go today. I just want to visit the countryside. Do absolutely non-touristy stuff, and mingle with the locals. Cambodia, surprise me with your rural charms.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment