Yesterday was the King’s Mothers Birthday, a National holiday here which meant a day off work. It fell on a Wednesday. I don’t know why we don’t get too many midweek holidays back in the States, it seems like all holidays are moved to Friday or Monday so that we can get a three day weekend, but it was actually quite nice getting a mid week break. Sianglaw our cook had the day off as well, so it meant we had to get our own food for the day.
Most of the volunteers went on a boat trip on the Mekong to one of the silk weaving villages. I had done this on one of my previous visits so I passed. I started my day off at Bodhi, a guest house/restaurant that came recommended because they have free fast wifi. I ate breakfast there, and spent a few hours online taking care of stuff. The connection was really fast and the atmosphere was great and it isn’t too far from the volunteer house. I’m sure I will become a regular.
Around noon I came back home dropped of my laptop and put a few things into my back pack. I rode my bike around the city for a few hours and took pictures of the city. I stopped off at Boeng Kak Lake for Lunch. Boeng Kak is the backpackers area and they have a bunch of cool shops and restaurants, including the best $2 dollar Indian food restaurant in Phnom Penh. After Lunch I rode around a little more and made my way to the VIP gym. I went to the pool for a little while and read some of my book, Dark Star Safari by Paul Theroux and sipped on a chilled coconut. When the heat cooled off a bit I went into the gym for a quick workout and a short run.
Right as I left the gym it started to sprinkle, up until then the weather had been perfect all day. I got back to volunteer house showered and went to Coffee Korner for Happy Hour (2 Angkor Drafts for $1) and had dinner there as well. It was a nice day off and I really enjoyed myself, thank you Kings Mother.
