A Lazy Day in Siem Reap

Thursday, June 25, 2009--Siem Reap (Continued)

I was so tired from my outing in the morning to the ruins that I really didn't feel like doing more than what was necessary in the evenng. I walked to the supermarket and bought two more large bottles of water. Then I returned to the place where I had rented the bicycle to buy a bus ticket to return to Phnom Penh on Saturday. I was lucky, because I paid only $5 and got Seat 1A (window/front row) which is where my Indian friend had sat on the way to here. It will give me a chance to take some photos of the nice villages as we pass them.

I went to the restaurant next door to the bicycle shop which is operated by the same family. This time I ordered a Khmer dish that is made with aubergine (eggplant) cut in big chunks and minced pork. The dish also had minced garlic and slices of green onion. Everything had been stir-fried together with some sauces to give it a nice flavor. The menu had said "mixed pork," and I was a bit worried about what that could be. It was nice to see the dish and realized that they had really meant "minced."

I returned to my guest house and went to the room. I was just about to watch a rugby match between the British and Irish Lions and the South African Emerging Springboks when the power went off. I looked out the window and could see it was off everywhere. I stayed in bed for some time hoping the electricity would return. Finally, after about 30 minutes, I dressed and went outside to the courtyard. Terry, the assistant manager of the guest house, was there and we visited. He is from Singapore but has been friends for years with the owner. Therefore, he is considered the manager when the owner isn't around. He speaks good English, so we talked and talked about anything and everything until the power returned. By that time, I was so tired that all I wanted to do was go back upstairs. I watched the end of the rugby game and then went to bed early.

Friday, June 26, 2009--Siem Reap

Today was a lazy day for me. I stayed in the room until 9:45. Then I went outside with my book to read so that the ladies could clean the room. While outside, one of the young men who works here sat at the table with me and visited. He is from a village about an hour from here, and this is his first job. He's only been here for 3 months. He was studying tourism at a local university, but he ran out of money and had to go to work. He has the dream of establishing a travel agency that will offer packages to tourists so that everything is included. I told him it would probably appeal to Americans who want everything planned and taken care of from the moment they step off the plane. Soon Terry arrived, and the young man jumped up and went to work. I guess he is not supposed to be visiting with guests. However, such visits probably go a long way toward helping him improve his English which is still quite limited.

Terry and I visited a while, but he was studying for an class he is taking in Japanese. He had stayed up late working and watching TV and had not finished his homework. And there was only one hour left before he had to leave for class. My room was clean, so I returned to it. I read a bit more, but then I fell into a deep sleep for almost two hours.

It is now late afternoon. I have no plans other than to eat dinner. All I have wanted to do today is be lazy. I'll probably return to the same restaurant and try something else they serve tonight. Then I will return to the room. Tomorrow, I must be up and ready for my bus trip to Phnom Penh. A car will pick me up here at the guest house at 8:00.