Day 14

Fortunately today was not half as difficult as yesterday. Even though I’m not 100%, it’s a marked improvement on yesterday. I was very grateful that Ted let me have the bedroom to myself, but unfortunately he didn’t sleep so well on the couch as the air conditioner is somewhat noisy, and he could hear people shouting last night.

We went downstairs for the breakfast buffet which was similarly wonderful to the other places where we have stayed. I didn’t have much of an appetite but still ate more than I did yesterday! I think part if it is also craving more westernised food options again as we’ve been eating a lot of Asian food lately. The Cambodian people are very similar to the Vietnamese - so warm and friendly. I feel a touch embarrassed and undeserving of their wonderful service.

We are meant to be doing the sunrise tour of Angkor Wat tomorrow, but I’ve changed the tour date to the day after, just in case either of us are under the weather tomorrow. Ted has been feeling a little bit seedy too so maybe a combination of the change in diet, the heat and the different living conditions are catching up with us.

After breakfast, we went for a quick wander around the neighbourhood. We’ve noticed that Cambodia is cleaner than Vietnam although we are in a nicer area too. We saw the nearby Royal Residence which is a very beautiful and understated building. Directly in front were the Royal Independence Gardens which are in direct view of the Raffles hotel. It’s wonderful to see how well kept this city is, compared to many other cities we have seen around the world.

Even though it was about 8:30am, the heat was already starting to creep in so we returned to the hotel. Ted and I have adopted a new philosophy for our holidays - if we need to take a time out, we shouldn’t feel guilty about it. We’ve often felt like we should be rushing about seeing as much as possible, but after falling ill yesterday, decided that a day like today of just relaxing by the pool is essential too.

The pool area of this hotel is wonderful, and it was not a difficult area to relax in! We were however the only guests in the whole pool area, so we’re assuming either the hotel isn’t at full capacity, or everyone was out exploring tombs or the city. This hotel also has a very nice restaurant so we went there for lunch, although I chose a tuna salad which wasn’t what I wanted but was probably healthy!

Ted went for a walk around the neighbourhood to try and find nearby Pub Street but to no avail, so in the evening we both dressed up to go and find it for dinner. It ended up being about ten minutes away, and it was very similar to Walking Street in Huế - a lot of restaurants, pubs, tourists and locals all mixed together in a welcoming, friendly atmosphere.

We found a nice corner restaurant which was under a fan because, even though it was mid evening, there was still little respite from the heat. I’m still not feeling the greatest, so pumpkin soup was all I could manage. Ted was interested in checking out the local venue, but when we walked by the place was completely deserted!

We aren’t totally sure of our plans for tomorrow but if Siem Reap is anything to go by, we love it so far. We have no doubt there are plenty of options to do here to keep us busy.Read more