Gutted :-( Bray spent ages writing an epic (and awesome) journal for today then the site went funny and lost it. Not cool.
This will unfortunately be an abbreviated version...all inspiration now gone.
Normal start...Roni up early and Bray slept in. After cleaning ourselves and having a tasty breakfast here at Jasmine Guest House we set out. Massage day today, but we had to drop off gifts from Nelson at two locations and organise Angkor trip with our waiter from last night (he had a friend so thought we'd share the love) before time to relax.
Followed directions + map and found first location within 15 mins walk - yay! Only the people we had to see were not there so organised to return the next day. Off we went, along the river - cleaner and less stinky than many streams/rivers we have walked near in SE Asia! Once along the river we passed the Old Market and found location #2 - about 40m walk. Handed over the gift then returned to Smiling Sun to organise Angkor trip through Sokleung (our waiter).
He is working and studying in Siem Reap while sending money back to help support his family in Phnom Penh. He is the fifth of six children in a family beset by health issues and much more. It broke our hearts to hear him talk about his family and the hurdles they have to deal with.
After much discussion it was decided - sunset trip and buy tickets on the 24th then sunrise at Angkor and temples day trip on the 25th.
We bought banh cheav for lunch - recommended by the sus6 - and ate it in a pretty park with fountains and big trees. Banh cheav is an omlette/egg pancake type thingee filled with meat and sprouts, pretty tasty. A quick trip to Lucky Plaza for air con fix and some supplies before carefully selecting our location for a massage from the numerous options on offer.
No touts calling us in, a good price, looked clean and...was painted green! As a bonus we also had to walk on stones through a mini-pond with foliage to enter - extra fun. We felt a bit grubby to be in such a clean and aromatic environment but they were kind :-) They washed our dirty feet and ushered us upstairs before leaving us to get changed in a wee room. Unsure of the procedure or how to tie up the trousers they left us, we struggled on. The two staff returned and got to work. It was amazing - muscles stretched, bones cracked and pressure points pushed...left our bodies feeling light! No suggestion of a 'happy ending' at the end either which we were both happy with - have heard many stories...
Floated home then to shower and relax for a bit before heading out in search of kai. Sifted through the night market to see if Island Bar had live music (Bray had read that they did) but not at this time...so we bought some krama instead. These are a multi-purpose distinctive Cambodian scarf - pretty!
Ate at a Khmer restaurant with a complimentary apsara dance performance. Bray insisted we take the floor table close the the action (and the speakers!) and we ate while watching. VERY cool.
Made our way home on foot via a roti cart for a 'grace note' and the local 6-11 (same, same, but different to a 7-11) for liquids. A good day.
