We had nothing specific planned for our last day in Cambodia, so we declared it a day of pampering. First, inspired by our trip to the temples the previous day, Darcie tried the "Angkor Wat workout" on the gym treadmill. :-)
Next, we swam in the hotel pool (did we mention how ungodly hot it is here?), then located an air-conditioned spa that gave one-hour foot rubs for $1.50!!! So, each of us got a foot scrub, Darcie got the foot massage and Dale splurged on a full-body massage with oil for $7.
Our flight to Thailand was early the next day. Based on our divergent travel styles, Darcie spent the rest of the day catching up on emails, doing laundry, and packing. Dale squeezed in 2 more massages at 2 different spas. Read this short article to understand what it is like traveling with Darcie and empathize with Dale, who only lost his boarding pass once on this trip so far, at the Tokyo-Narita security check.
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Today we went on an all-day tour of the temples. We paid for a guide (and an air-conditioned car), both of which were phenomenal. We'll let the pictures do the talking.
Why Siem Reap, Cambodia?
Without exception, friends and coworkers in Asia told us we had to visit Siem Reap, Cambodia, especially to see the temples. Neither of us is religious or very spiritual, and Darcie has low tolerance for (i.e., becomes bitchy during) high heat and humidity, so we never visited. But even after we repatriated to the US, people kept raving about Angkor Wat and the Cambodian culture, so we made it a destination. During our first full day in Cambodia, Darcie was on a mission to get a $5 foot-long...massage. First we had to justify the need for massages by exploring the markets. We walked around the huge open-air shopping market where food items like raw meat and fish were right next to clothing.
We decided upon one-hour foot massage/shoulder massage/reflexology sessions for $6 each, the going rate! Dale's masseuse begged him to get a foot scrub, since his feet were black and calloused from walking around in sandals. He declined. We tipped her well.
We spent most of September 16 traveling from Tokyo to our hotel in Siem Reap, Cambodia (BB Angkor Residence). We flew China Eastern Airlines with a short layover in Shanghai Pu Dong airport.
This was Dale's first time back in Shanghai since we moved from Shanghai to Minnesota late in 2013. Being back in China was a sort of homecoming: everything felt very familiar! While living in China from 2011 to 2013, Dale learned to focus on the positive aspects of the culture (food, people) and ignore the negatives (pollution, people spitting). As a result, when he reminisces about his time in China, he has almost exclusively happy memories. However, while sitting in the Tokyo Narita airport with mostly Chinese nationals, his rose-colored glasses started slipping. The first person he saw waiting at the gate was openly, casually and methodically mining what must have been a massive booger out of his right nostril. Dale had forgotten that picking your nose in China isn't the social taboo it is in the US. |
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