Siem Reap: Wonderful Hotel and Cooking Class

Traveling out of Vietnam into Cambodia posed no issues for us. Giep ordered us a taxi and walked with us down the alley to the street, speaking to the taxi driver for us and hugging us good-bye. We had spent quite a bit of time talking with him during our stay. At the airport, just lines to join: airline counter, immigration, security screening. Our flight was less than an hour, basically up to cruising altitude then "prepare for landing." Immigration into Cambodia was not a problem as we had already obtained our visas. The visa-on-demand line was quite long, so preparation paid off. We were met just outside security again, this time by Nene, in a professional uniform with a nametag. He was a hotel employee, not a taxi driver. Within a minute of meeting Nene, I knew that I had made the correct hotel choice. Nene offered us cold water and chilled, jasmine-scented damp washcloths with which to refresh ourselves. 

Upon arrival at the hotel, we were provided with a snack of seasoned peanuts, glasses of cold water, and another jasmine-scented washcloth. The hotel supervisor provided us with hotel information, items like the wifi password. Nene took us to our room, on the second floor, overlooking the pool, with a table and chairs on its terrace. On the bed: flower petals with "Welcome Phillip and Patric" spelled out in bamboo. The hotel booking site had apparently truncated the spelling of my full name. We did get a chuckle and appreciate the staff's gesture. 

We love this hotel! Khmer Mansion Residence with a not-so-appealing address on Concrete Drain Road. And yes, there is a huge concrete drain running beside the road. That's probably why the hotel must frequently spray for mosquitos. Phillip was initially hesitant about the hotel, saying he didn't like such fawning over us. His actual wording was a bit different, as the family can imagine. His hesitancy lasted only until we got our much-needed glass of water and refreshing washcloths again after a short walk. The grounds are beautiful, and staff are all friendly and smiling. It is apparent that customer satisfaction is paramount. The pillows were too firm for us, so after our first night, I mentioned this to the front desk and we had softer pillows within the hour. Every time we sit, either at the pool or reception area, they bring us water and a snack. Peter, the desk worker this morning, just brought potato and banana chips as I type now! 

Other than walking the one kilometer to the downtown area twice a day and swimming in the hotel pool, our only activity was a cooking class yesterday. I booked a three-hour class, not private, at the Paper Tiger Restaurant on Pub Street. The Cambodian New Year celebration was last weekend, so this week is the lull week after the holiday crowds. That meant that we had a private cooking class (and it means that our hotel is not full). We enjoyed the market tour and food preparation during class. 

Phillip made spring rolls and lok lac and I prepared green mango salad and fish amok. We both had a hand in making our dessert of sautéed bananas with passionfruit sauce. 

And, of course, we ate our prepared food. We both liked the lok lac best as it reminded us of Korean bul go gi. Fish amok, the national dish of Cambodia, is fish curry. It was tasty, but we are Texas beef eaters. 

I took a few photos around town, during our day walks and evening walks. The following is the same bridge, prettier when lit up at night. 

We have three days until our Angkor Wat tour, so I expect we will find some mischief to get into or delicious restaurant to try. We stay at the hotel during the afternoon. Yesterday, walking back from the cooking class at 1 pm, the temperature was only 97 degrees, but the heat index was 117.