Cynthia and I were getting cabin fever, so we went to Battambang this weekend. We always stay at the Royal Hotel which I like for many reasons. It's near the center of town but on a side street, so it's quiet at night. It's clean and has a nice, large lobby. There's a restaurant on the roof with a nice view of the town. The room rates are excellent. I have stayed in much seedier guesthouses for the same price in other third world countries. However, the best aspect is the staff. They are all so friendly and helpful, especially the owner's son, Mr. Lay, who speaks great English. Over the past 8 months, we have stayed there at least 10 nights, on different occasions, so they have gotten to know us.
When we walked in, they all happily greeted us, and we asked for the usual: two basic rooms with fans. One of the staff members said, "Please have a seat. You are special guests, so we give you nice rooms at budget rate." I felt like royalty.
The first time Cynthia and I travelled together, we shared a room. That lasted one night. One looooong night. Cynthia snores. It's like sleeping in a room with a lumberjack and his chainsaw. Now, we get separate rooms. This was my room for the weekend. It had everything I wanted - space, a comfy bed, a desk for my laptop, and free wifi - all for only $8.
It rained all day on Friday and most of Saturday as well, but I wore my poncho, and we walked all over town. In some Buddhist countries, monks don't accept money, but they do in Cambodia. Cynthia gave this monk an offering, and he gave her a blessing in return.
For me, one of the best parts of getting out of my village is the food. No rice. Actual food! American, Thai, Italian, Mexican...I don't care what it is as long as it doesn't contain any rice. I love the name of this restaurant. It certainly gets one's attention. The name refers to a popular Khmer soup that comes in a specially shaped container with a small fire inside to keep it hot.
We had lunch at the Lonely Tree and both ordered a salad with actual lettuce (an import item), mango, cheese, cashews, and vinaigrette dressing. It was delicious.
I was craving pizza, so we went to Battambang Pizza for dinner. It's owned by a sweet Italian man who makes delicious wood fired pizzas. I ordered the margherita pizza and drizzled a ton of hot chili pepper olive oil on it. I like the owner's sign. That's exactly how I feel about working. About once a month, I get "sick" and spend the day reading, watching a movie, or catching up on lesson plans.
A new Mexican restaurant opened up across from our hotel, and it is very similar to Chipotle. You can order a salad, burrito, chips, or rice bowl. Then, you add on whatever extras you like. I got a spinach burrito with black beans, green peppers, onions, cheese, lettuce, corn, pico de gallo, cilantro, and hot salsa. It was heaven in a tortilla. I also liked the fact that it is run by an N.G.O. that teaches young people how to work in the service industry.
On Saturday morning, I woke early and went for a stroll down the Sangke River. It was sunny and pleasant for at least an hour.
I stopped to take a picture of this man who was gathering leaves which I presume will be used as a kind of wrap for rice cakes, but I don't really know. He saw me and said, "Hello! I am tuk-tuk driver. You want to go on trip? You see Bamboo Train?" I told him thanks but I was leaving soon and didn't need a tuk-tuk. He asked me where I was from and how long I was staying in Cambodia. He said, "I like to practice my English. Nice to meet you. O.K. enjoy your walk."
This is an typical image in Cambodia. Seriously, someone should put it on a postcard. Granted, there aren't many public restrooms, but that is not the reason for this. Men (and sometimes women) just prefer to walk over to a bush, tree, wall, river, or whatever, and take a leak. I was overly excited to finally capture this image to share with everyone, but it took some time to get out my camera, zoom in, and snap the photo. As soon as I clicked, he turned around, zipped up his pants, saw me, and groaned, "Aaawwhhhhh!" Then, I ran away, snickering with naughty pride.
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