Sunday, February 12, 2017

Last Day

cotton candy colored clouds (say that four times fast)

We start off our final day by waking up early to go to Angkor Wat to see the sunrise.  From where we're situated the sun is rising to the right of the temple, but the clouds help to give some pretty color reflections.  It's very crowded, but once again our guide, Kimthet, does a good job finding us good locations for pictures.

We're super tall!

We go into the temple grounds for a few more pictures, and have a nice shot with the sun behind the main towers and the reflection in the pond.

almost postcard worthy!

At least he's not snoring!
When we leave we observe what the drivers do while they're waiting for the tourists to come back out.  Now I see the water hyacinth hammocks in action!

It's still early in the morning, so we return to the hotel so we can shower, eat breakfast and pack.  Steve also does his magic so we can watch the Tennessee football game...but it turns out to be a miserable experience.  Unfortunately, our football season did not live up to its expectations.  Hope springs eternal for next year (we've only been saying that for about 15+ years now...).

Kimthet and our driver pick us up, but with a long flight this evening (and no chance to take another shower) we're trying to stay relatively cool and dry today, so no climbing around temples for us.  We go to the National Museum.  Everyone has to pay to enter, though foreigners pay more.  We can't take pictures, but it's fascinating to see the antiques up close and some are in excellent condition.  There's no glass separating you from them, so you can easily examine all the details.  I'm disappointed because in the gift shop there are no postcards for sale with images of the antiques.  

I was determined this clock was a clue -
but it wasn't.  Just a distraction!
I discover there is an Escape Room game in Siem Reap (The Great Escape), so we schedule time to play a round there.  We've never gone to this company before and it's organized a little differently than the one we're used to in Tokyo - lots of red herrings.  Our streak ends and we don't come close to solving all the puzzles in our allotted time.  With the employee's help we do figure it out at the end.  Next time I try a new Escape Room business I'm going to see if I can book two hours in a row so we have more time to work on the mystery.  I think it's a lot easier once you understand how a company sets up the parameters of their game.  The Great Escape lets us take a couple of pictures with the props, and sends us a few minutes of the video.  I thought the video would be interesting, but it's incredibly boring - you just view people picking up items and looking at them.  It's much more fun being in the moment!

Planting
For our final activity Kimthet takes us to his home village and his brother's house for us to watch the sunset.  He picks up some beers and mangoes, and his niece makes a salty pepper dip for the sliced mango.  It's a nice blend!  She also cooks up an omelet for us.  We enjoy talking to some of the people through Kimthet.  Since it's the end of the day we witness the cows being herded home and the dogs greeting their owner's return.  

working in the lotus fields

It's refreshing to finish the evening and our trip in the quiet countryside.  Since living in Tokyo we've gotten used to the constant background noise of a city, but our ears are more accustomed to the muted sounds of nature. 

heading home


harvesting the lotus blooms

















our final Cambodian sunset

During our drive to the airport, our car (along with all the others in both directions) is diverted to a side road so the main way is clear.  We see a sedan go by, then everyone is allowed back to the major street.  We ask Kimthet about it, and he says it's probably a member of the parliament.  No sitting in traffic for him!

The BEST way to eat a cheeseburger!
We fly back to Saigon to connect to our flight to Tokyo.  While roaming around the airport I see a Burger King.  I decide to take a chance - can I order my cheeseburger the way I want?  You might assume, "Of course!"  However, in Japan you get it the way they give it to you, without picking the condiments or toppings.  I even checked the online ordering, in English - nope, no options, no places for comments.  But I'm in luck!  My first fast food cheeseburger in over a year with mayonnaise and onions!  When I return to the lounge and show Steve my picture, he has to go out and get one for himself before our flight.  



We arrive home safely and we're happy to be back in the land of heated toilet seats!

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