Day 7

Today was my last day in Cambodia. I took a long walk in the morning, stopping for a breakfast of rice with grilled pork and a fried egg on top at one of the sidewalk eateries. Then I went to Frizz's Restaurant for a Cambodian cooking course. The other people taking the course included three French women (working temporarily in Phnom Penh), a young British couple (on holiday), an American girl (working with an NGO in Vietnam) and her mom (visiting), and an Australian woman (working at the embassy) with her Thai husband and adopted Cambodian daughter. It was fun talking to them about their travels and experiences. We went to a small market first, where our guide "Jenny" talked to us about the different fruits, vegetables, herbs, and meats used in Khmer cooking. Then we moved to the rooftop cooking school. We made fried spring rolls (stuffed with carrots and taro), and amok (fish in a curry-like sauce, cooked in a banana leaf and topped with coconut cream). The amok was tough because it took a while to grind all the spices (lemon grass, tumeric, garlic, lime peel, chili peppers) to make the curry paste. But it was soooo yummy! I also finally tried the stinky durian fruit! haha... (I had to keep my promise to you, Namuk!).
I walked along the river in the afternoon, enjoyed the air conditioning and free internet at a coffee shop, and then went back to my guesthouse to wash laundry in the sink and watch TV (there are two Korean channels! yay!). I'm a little tired and weary of constantly turning down drivers and beggars...it's hard to stay polite and friendly when you feel like you're being harassed...but it helps to try and see it from their perspective...what a hard, hard life.