Tropical Storm Tour: Cambodia Part 8
Friday, July 10, 2015
Siem Reap, Cambodia
The tranquil setting of the Peace Cafe in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Although I planned to take the day off to allow my feet and leg muscles to recover from eight straight hours of walking, climbing and standing at Angkor yesterday, I decided to make one short trip north a couple of miles to the British Khmer Clinic. I’d had a sore throat for a week, and since no phlegm or coughing was involved, I suspected I had some kind of infection. After renting a bicycle at 3:00 pm and pedaling all the way up there, I was dismayed to find the front door locked, despite the fact that the clinic’s web site said they were open until 5:30 pm. But, at least there was a note saying to ring a bell on the side door.
A couple of minutes later, a young lady appeared and informed me that they were closed. When I pointed out the web site hours stated that they should be open, she got annoyed and said the doctor was out of the office and to try again tomorrow. Oh, well. You can’t count on much on this side of the Earth when it comes to punctuality or certainty in general. On the bright side, the Peace Cafe was located right on the way back to my room, so I stopped by for another veggie burger before retiring for the rest of the day to catch up on my daily writing and Photoshopping duties.
If you’re ever in Siem Reap, I highly recommend eating at the Peace Cafe. True to its name, it’s a tranquil little place set back from the road behind a small manmade “jungle.” You can kick back in bamboo furniture out there or in an open air dining area with a roof, free wi-fi, and an excellent menu full of delicious vegetarian dishes featuring a silly image of a cat meditating on the front cover. There’s also a fair trade shop that sells goods made by local artisans; and when the wait staff has downtime, they can often be seen sitting at a table stringing up bracelets. The Peace Cafe also offers cooking classes, informal sessions in which you can help locals with their English and much more.
Words and photos ©2015 Arcane Candy.
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