Durian, Fish-massage, and Coffee-in-a-bag

So the wonderful Meow has suggested to me that we both make lists of things we want to do before leaving Cambodia.

My list is very long.

However, despite the length of our lists, Meow and I got off to a good start yesterday when we headed to the market and ate...durian. Known for smelling like your brother's rolled-up-not-clean gym socks after being left in the corner of his room for a few weeks, durian isn't exactly popular among the foreign population. I actually have had it before, however, so I knew that it wasn't quite as ominous as most seem to think. Both Meow and I--biting into the mushy fruit--found that, well, people have exaggerated. Not to say that it's any good. It's not. Soon we both had a rather peculiar and disgusting aftertaste in our mouths--but at least it didn't taste like my brother's socks. Not that bad at all.

Secondly we drank coffee out of a bag. I love this. Good, Khmer coffee with sweetened condensed milk with tons of ice in a little plastic bag. Heavenly stuff. I won't miss the durian when I'm in the States--but oh, I will miss the Khmer coffee.

Sipping our coffee, we headed over to the first fish-massage place in Cambodia. It was...odd. "Odd" being the understatement of the month. The fish--some of them doing loop-the-loops, some of them rather huge--nibble away at your feet. And it tickles. Badly. You'll simply have to try it yourself some day--writing fails when it comes to fish-massage. But oh, it is odd.

And afterwards, Meow and I rounded up the day by doing some good ol' clothes shopping--namely a beautiful jacket that I quite love and *might* be able to get away with wearing in the summer without anyone questioning my sanity. And lastly, Meow and I walked home from the market--a bit of a feat, but one I quite enjoy.

So, Day One of Things-To-Do-Before-Leaving was a wonderful success.