Last Minute Shopping in Siem Reap

(Photo credit:http://www.tourismindochina.com/cambodia/tours
/Taste-of-the-City-of-Angkor_451.html)

After the visit at Artisan, I walked the rest of the way to the Old Market which -- according to the guidebooks I read -- is where the souvenirs will be a lot cheaper.

One of my must-buy's was a souvenir t-shirt and I spent a great deal browsing the shops. I bought Tatay, Janin and Bolet one each. What I was really looking forward to buying though were the silver bangles. I wanted one for my own and my friends have specifically pointed out to me they wanted to get one as well. They turned out to be a bit pricey so I almost ended up not buying anything for me. Then, in this one store there it was, the lone slim bangle that has the Angkor Wat design. That was totally distinct. It stood out from the rest. The common designs had elephants on it or those of Apsara Dancers. Not that these two are not special in themselves. It's just that that was the only bangle then that had the Angkor Wat etched on it. And so I bought it even though it cost me ten dollars. Imagine that.

I splurge on one other item though. It was a jade pendant in silver. I thought of Mama and I know how it would go with the chain I bought her once as a Christmas gift. I thought then that the silver goes well with the jewelry case I bought earlier at the Artisan. There were a lot of items that took my fancy like some jewelry and some stuff for the house like silk throw pillow cases and table runners and stuff but I stayed away from them. I could only look and run my fingers longingly at them. I had to do some balancing stuff, because there's still Bangkok to visit and I wouldn't want to limit my choices there either just because I wasn't wise about handling the limited budget I had for that entire trip.

After a while I got hungry. That morning, I was resolute about trying out some of the restaurants outside of my hotel. After all, that was going to be my last night in Siem Reap. I saw some prospects while I was on my way to the Old Market and so I decided to retrace my steps. I was intent on the task that I did not notice that a woman, carrying a baby, was approaching me until she was brushing right at my arm.

She was a bit filthy and disheveled and so was the baby she was holding in her arms. She caught me in surprise and my immediate reaction was to withdraw from her. I told her I have no money to give her and immediately crossed the street. After some time though I got a bit guilty and regretted not giving her some spare change. The mother in me immediately thought she might be hard-pressed about providing needs for her baby and thus the begging. With these thoughts running in my head, I crossed the street and asked the vendor there where the lady had gone. The vendor informed me that she's a regular around there and that I should not just mind her. I still felt guilty though but accepted as well that the chance to help had passed me by. I let everything go with that.

Crossing the street, I stumbled upon a pleasant surprise: right in front of me is a vegetarian cafe. Imagine that. My last day in Siem Reap and that was the only time I came across a vegetarian cafe. I resisted the urge to jump like a kid in front of the cafe. Very eagerly I made my way inside. I could imagine I must have this really pleasant smile on my face the whole time I was in the cafe. I felt pretty much like how Alibaba must have felt stumbling upon the cave full of treasure.

What a feast followed. As what had become a habit the past days I was in Siem Reap, I ordered a banana smoothie. It was a bit of a disappointment as the bananas used were not quite ripe yet. The specialty for the day was pasta marinara and so I ordered that. Unlike the smoothie, it did not disappoint. I felt my entire being tingle (not exactly and exaggeration hehe) as I took the first bite. The sauce made from fresh tomatoes with just the right hint of basil in it was heavenly. The spices and the taste of cheese was perfect as well. I savored every bite and made conversation with the owner of the cafe. I casually asked what nationality numbered the most visits to his cafe. When he told me "Philippine," I was really surprised. Well, I am one and most my family members and friends are meat eaters. While I have quite a number of vegetarian friends, the meat-eaters easily outnumbered them. Still, it was nice to know that there are more and more of us who are vegetarians.

As I made my way back to my hotel, I recalled and savored the fortuitous events that made the entire trip really pleasant. Stumbling upon the vegetarian cafe while I was intent about celebrating my last night in Siem Reap was one of them. I was so grateful for everything that I felt as if my heart was about to burst with it. Grateful much, indeed.