Day 93: Fishy Business

“I’m going to get up early tomorrow, probably around 8am, have some breakfast and go do something.”
– Jamie Bliss

Well let me tell you ladies and gentleman, that didn’t happen. I woke up around 9am and researched places in Cambodia for us to go (yes, I did some research) as well as downloaded films/tv shows for future long haul bus journeys. Whereas the other two didn’t stir until around 11:15am. How do those words taste Jamie? Eventually we left the room and went into town for some breakfast. We found a secret side street restaurant which sold various dishes for cheap prices, but they specialised in Khmer dishes. We discussed where we would visit next as we ate, and settled on Battambang. After eating we continued into town and booked a bus for the following morning to get us there, iIt was set to pick us up at 9am.

With that sorted we went to The Blue Pumpkin where I bought the best brownie and vanilla ice cream I had ever had. The three of us then decided to get a foot pedicure from some fish, like I had a couple nights previous. Jamie was well up for getting it done, however, the real task would be convincing the girl with the phobia of fish to join us. Peer pressure claimed it’s victory, and one by one we dipped our feet in the oversized fish tank. I recorded the whole thing. It cost us $2 each but there was no time limit. It all came down to how long you were able to withstand the tickling sensation. We were a hilarious spectacle to any passers by, with Sarah screaming and cursing, and Jamie shouting and wiggling all over the place. For someone who is extremely ticklish I was quite surprised how quickly I got used to the fish. I found it was more ticklish if you watched the fish suck on your soles, but if you were able to ignore them, the feeling changed to a more pins and needles like sensation. A big congratulation to Sarah for sticking it out as long as she did. We remained with our feet in the water close to 35 minutes before paying the $2. We then tried to find a tuktuk to take us to the Land Mine Museum.

It turned out the museum was a long way away, around 30km, so in the end we decided against it and returned to our hotel instead. The interaction with the tuktuk driver wasn’t a complete waste, as his vehicle was decorated with Batman symbols. We asked if we could take some photos of me sat in there (he obliged) then after, I showed him my tattoo sleeve which he really liked. We wandered through the markets for a bit before starting the walk back to our hotel. Along the way we stopped in a mini shopping centre where I bought a pirate DVD of The Expendables 2. That would provide the entertainment for the evening. It’s funny how back in England there are crackdowns on illegal pirate DVD distributions, yet over here in Asia it is out in the open. We took a slight detour to visit an Adidas store for Jamie, however due to the high label prices we soon left and followed an alternative route back. When we reached our hotel there was somebody already occupying the tv in the lobby, instead we returned to the room for an hour or so to shower and such.

The tv was free when we returned we took full advantage, put the DVD on, ordered some food and beers, got our free popcorn and enjoyed the movie. Half way through, a guy from England joined us. He was from Bristol, better still he was from Chew Valley. What a small world. He told us he was heading through Asia before going home, after having spent the last 11 months in Australia. When the film finished Jamie and I had a quick game of pool, before the three of us retired to our room. After Sarah made a quick Skype call, we then had the fun job of settling our bill of the last 5 days. It was a complicated procedure, and we could have paid less by accidentally forgetting a breakfast or two, but seeing as we are good people we paid the amount in full. Thanks to Sarah working out who owed what. For the final time that day we returned to the room and remained there for the rest of the night…. Now, I wonder if Sarah will have nightmares about fish?