At the Siem Reap hostel, there is a daily class held in an open-air room with a view over Wat Damnak. It is a contemplative space.
K and I made up half of the class, which was surprising given the potential audience at the hostel. Having learned the basic postures, we could follow reasonably well, but the style was more flowing than we had been used to and I missed the calm, meditative approach of Sivananda with its sing-song prayers, chanting, and emphasis on proper breathing and relaxation.
Given the amenities available at the hostel (proximity to town, yoga class, swimming pool, tour booking, bike hire, etc.), we had been questioning our decision to stay farther outside. However, having visited the area, next to a large Costa Coffee and the Hard Rock Café, we realised it wasn't what we wanted.
Visiting the Old Market, we found some beautiful arts and crafts, but each stall seemed to be selling identical wares. The level of diversity at Saigon's Ben Thanh market was much higher and the pressure to buy there also lower.
Outside the marketplace, dozens of tuk-tuk drivers sat idle in their vehicles. This is a scene we have seen regularly. Often a seemingly unoccupied driver is on a job and waiting for his (I have never seen a female driver) passengers to return from a visit to a temple, museum, or similar. However, even accounting for this, it seems that the supply of drivers far outstrips demand for their services. This would account for the drivers who cruise up and down asking any and all whether they need a ride, and those who spot you from across the street and begin hollering to try to gain your custom. I would be interested to know how many jobs per day the average tuk-tuk driver gets.
By this time, the heat of the day was upon us. We stopped for a cooling brunch smoothie at the peaceful New Leaf Book Café before the hot walk home.
Walking home, I noticed yet again the stands of reused bottles containing yellowish liquid on the roadside. Some sport labels of the drinks they used to contain. However, on this occasion the mystery was solved. A moped had pulled up and one of the bottles was being poured into the petrol tank. I concluded that this was a makeshift Cambodian fuelling stop, unless their bikes run on Johnny Walker Red Label.
In the evening, I attempted some Khmer cuisine at home and put together some approximation of samlar kor ko.
In my interpretation, this was a coconut curry flavoured with lemongrass, galangal and lime leaves, and contained aubergine, pumpkin (more like a kabocha squash), tofu and spinach. Served with rice, it was a good meal but lacked a little depth that vegetarian fish or mushroom sauce would have given it. I piled Thai basil on top, as everything is improved by the addition of this herb.
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