Let's crack on!

Yesterday, while working, we casually learned that October 15th is a holiday in Cambodia, so we wouldn't be working. This is the death anniversary of the King's father.

After we finished work, we wanted to visit the mall one more time to grab a book or two from the bookstore. So, we ordered a TukTuk via Grab and off we went. Somehow, we drove and drove and did not arrive. At some point, Feli said, 'I think we are completely wrong here.' It turned out that there are two malls with the same name in Phnom Penh: one is 15 minutes from our apartment, and the other is an hour away. Well, that was unfortunate. But there was a small bookstore there, and we were able to stock up on thrillers (ask us in the coming days if they are worth recommending!).

Then, it was an hour back home, and time for a shower because we had a date! We had dinner plans with Annalina and Mara (you remember, the other two interns). They had discovered a super authentic Khmer restaurant. The menu wasn't even translated into English, so we had to guess using pictures and try to figure out with Google Translate what we would order. But we managed without anyone ending up with fried tarantula on their plate.

Since we had the day off today, we could sleep in a bit longer and then start our new books by the pool. By noon, hunger drove us to downtown, where we found a cute little café. Afterward, we wanted to take the opportunity to really get pampered, so we booked a traditional Khmer massage. This is similar to a Thai massage, but it's performed without oil, and you wear a more or less traditional outfit. Then, your whole body gets kneaded, pressed, pulled, and stretched.

After that, we went to the Russian Market. You can imagine it like a marketplace where the stalls are very close to each other, you squeeze through narrow alleys, everything is covered somehow with tarps and sheets, and you can actually snag some very good bargains. The offerings range from typical tourist souvenirs to clothes, fake designer handbags, woodwork, straw accessories, beautifully handcrafted lamps and furniture, to silver jewelry and gemstones. You can easily spend an entire afternoon there. But we had an appointment again! Back to downtown to the Wat Phnom Temple. Beautifully situated on a small hill, this Buddhist temple towers over the city. Inside, you'll find breathtaking wall paintings, statues made of gold and marble, and numerous altars for offerings.

Together with Mara and Annalina, we strolled through the French Quarter to the Night Market, where our day ended with a fresh iced lemon tea and street food. This eventful day left its mark on me a bit, so we headed back to the apartment relatively early.

Tomorrow we are going to the clinic for the second to last time, so we should better get some sleep now. Until then!