at last rain

The rain that fell this evening was the heaviest I have seen since arriving in Cambodia. Previously there were a few extremely brief and light drizzles but no downpours. It was great to have some rain because the past few days were extremely hot and more rain means that our boat ride to Battambang on Thursday will be smoother too. Besides, I am yet to experience what a downpour in Cambodia feels like.

We were walking around Siem Reap town when it started to pour. We initially wanted to visit a restaurant recommended by Lonely Planet but the heavy downpour discouraged us from going too far.

We serendipitously decided to take a chance at a small discrete local eatery just round the corner. We saw roasted pork and pig intestines displayed at the front and decided that that was good enough for us.

It turned out to be a great choice. Nothing beats enjoying a steaming hot meal with dishes that remind one of home at a ridiculously low price while it is pouring outside. The stall sold white porridge together with dishes reminiscent of a mixture of local Singaporean grub like braised pig intestines, roasted pork and salted vegetables. The price gave us a surprise: 3 large bowls of white porridge and a pile of salted vegetables, roasted pork, braised pig trotters and 3 salted eggs cost a grand total of slightly over 4 USD. The tea was free flow and the family running the place was friendly too.

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On the Blue Pumpkin munch trail, I bought an Earl Gray tea muffin, a loaf of wheat bread and a small ginger bread today for less than USD 1.5. That is some cheap.

The wheat bread was more flavourful than the farmer’s load I had yesterday, and it went well with the roasted chicken I bought off a roadside stall. The ginger bread was pretty unique as there were sesame seeds all over the top of the bun which added a new dimension to the flavour. The muffin was significantly less sweet than the other muffins I had previously and was a welcome change.

I shall save some of the wheat bread to give to the children I meet tomorrow.