Burnt Tourists

Hello again! Jetlag has set in and we were awake until 3 a.m. 👍🏼

Friday started like the days before with a shift at the clinic. Somehow, there was a vibe of things going wrong: either the patients didn't want treatment despite its necessity, or they wanted treatments from us that we couldn’t justify medically, or the anesthesia wanted to work but didn't. Check it off and move on, that's part of it too.

After work, we went to one of the huge malls and found very local food stalls there. At some of them, we preferred to walk by with our eyes closed, as they sold local delicacies that are quite special for our European habits. If you're brave enough, you can Google 'Balut' 🤢 or fried tarantula. (BUT AT YOUR OWN RISK!)

We opted for our first fried rice with Lok Lak and then had a little shopping spree through the stores and the grocery section. There we found rice in rather unusual quantities.

So what about today? We actually have the weekend off, which is why we decided to sleep in and go for a city stroll after the previous rather short night.

Until noon, we lounged by the pool and then took a TukTuk to the Royal Palace. Upon arrival, a guide offered us his services and showed us the grounds in about 45 minutes, explaining a lot about the royal family, Buddhism, and Hinduism. The two religions go hand in hand here. It was also interesting to learn that the first government of the country was a queen, which is why in the throne room the queen's throne is always higher than the king's.

He also led us through the Silver Pagoda, where the entire floor is covered with tiles made of pure silver. There is also an overwhelming number of Buddha statues made of marble, silver, gold, and even emerald. Unfortunately, no photos are allowed there.

After that, we walked through a park to Bassac Lane where we just managed to get into a restaurant right before the monsoon-like rain began.

Once it passed, we were able to walk through the wet alleys to the Aeon Mall. Just as huge as the one the day before, only even more crowded. And with a spectacularly large scooter parking lot in front.

In one of the changing rooms there, we had to realize that the hour by the pool in the morning sun was unfortunately enough to give us our first sunburn after just three days. Mine is even worse than Feli’s, as my skin hasn't seen much sun this year yet. We also found what is probably the most beautiful bookstore we have ever seen in this mall.

After we had completed our 10,000 steps, we headed back to the apartment and after a light dinner, also to bed. Tomorrow we plan to get up a bit earlier and head to Silk Island.

Good night ❤️