What a great day yesterday. Us younger ones revelled in the opportunity to be tourists. We spent 4 hours at the Russian Markets, learning the system and getting average deals for lesser or illegal stuff. What we learned upon returning: cheap is not cheap unless you get it for a third of the asked price; and silk is not silk unless you pay through the nose. Scarves are beautiful, and certainly the gift of choice.
There are two great cafes – "Jars of Clay" and "Café Yejj" – near the markets that are a westerner's haven, and we visited Yejj twice for espresso and milkshakes, cos it gets really quite hot and tiring in such tight spaces under a big roof.
Your neighbourhood friendly tuk-tuk driver (or one of the hundreds) is always on hand to take you everywhere you might (or not) desire, and our next desire was the National Museum.
It's not the world's greatest museum, most of the displays are incomplete and/or dated back to an "unknown period", but the gist is still beautiful and there are some great photos (of Angkor Wat) and it's a nice building if nothing else.
We skipped on the palace (which I later regretted…), opting instead to go back to the hotel and chill/rest for a bit. A couple of us foolishly tried one of the cheap Internet cafes which was perhaps the only dampner (and biggest waste of 1500 riel) of the day.
For dinner it was down to the river to Café Bali.
The Mekong River is remarkable in that you can sit by it in April and see it flowing steadily in one direction, then come bac to the same spot in August and find it flowing the other way. None of the locals will share your concern however because this is perfectly normal. For half the year the river flows towards the vast inland Tonle Sap Lake, and after the wet season it flows back out towards the sea. Who said rivers can only go one way.
All in all it was perhaps our best day that far. Markets, tripling up on the back of scooters, a bit of culture, dinner, everything.
I'll write later tonight about today.
Room 23, "Prum Tep Guest House"
Tbeng Meanchey, Preah Vihear province
Cambodia
There are two great cafes – "Jars of Clay" and "Café Yejj" – near the markets that are a westerner's haven, and we visited Yejj twice for espresso and milkshakes, cos it gets really quite hot and tiring in such tight spaces under a big roof.
Your neighbourhood friendly tuk-tuk driver (or one of the hundreds) is always on hand to take you everywhere you might (or not) desire, and our next desire was the National Museum.
It's not the world's greatest museum, most of the displays are incomplete and/or dated back to an "unknown period", but the gist is still beautiful and there are some great photos (of Angkor Wat) and it's a nice building if nothing else.
We skipped on the palace (which I later regretted…), opting instead to go back to the hotel and chill/rest for a bit. A couple of us foolishly tried one of the cheap Internet cafes which was perhaps the only dampner (and biggest waste of 1500 riel) of the day.
For dinner it was down to the river to Café Bali.
The Mekong River is remarkable in that you can sit by it in April and see it flowing steadily in one direction, then come bac to the same spot in August and find it flowing the other way. None of the locals will share your concern however because this is perfectly normal. For half the year the river flows towards the vast inland Tonle Sap Lake, and after the wet season it flows back out towards the sea. Who said rivers can only go one way.
All in all it was perhaps our best day that far. Markets, tripling up on the back of scooters, a bit of culture, dinner, everything.
I'll write later tonight about today.
Room 23, "Prum Tep Guest House"
Tbeng Meanchey, Preah Vihear province
Cambodia
posted by Tim at 8:30 pm
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