Siem Reap's airport was large. The majority of passengers also applied for their visas on arrival. It didn't take long though and was mostly formality for collecting $30. We still needed to scan through the border. Declaration for customs simply meant throwing our cards in a bin on the way out.
The tuk-tuk driver was waiting with Jay's name on a card. Just as we remembered from our visit years ago, these are not the Indian Bajaj type of tuk-tuks with which we are familiar. These are custom built pull-along trailers for regular motorcycles. It took about 15 minutes get downtown and cross the river to find our way to the Nine Incense Sticks Guesthouse.
We were exhausted and waited around talking to Dominique, the French guy who owns the place. We also petted Nono and walked around the garden. Eventually, when a room was ready, we slept. We slept for about two and a half hours. After that and a shower, I started to feel human again. Presently, we're in a room in the old Khmer house section of the building. We have A/C and will most probably use it during nights, unlike in Penang.
After we eventually got around to walking about, it was almost 4:30 PM. We walked through a huge Buddhist Temple area that provides a shortcut to the river. We eventually got to the old part of town. It takes about a half hour. It was still light when we finally had some dinner. Other than some food on the plane this morning, this was our only food. We ordered extra. I also had a extra glass of beer as they were small. They cost just 50 cents though.
It goes dark before 7 PM, so we got to see Pub Street get more crowded. I'm going to like our time here. Life feels very comfortable and the people happy.
