Last day here, so I
booked myself in to an oil painting workshop through a co-operative
called Backstreet Academy. I found it through Trip Advisor - things to
do in Siem Reap. For $16 I was offered a 3-4 hour workshop to produce my
very own oil painting. So I checked out of my room after repacking my
bag to fit in all my souvenir shopping and caught a tuktuk to the venue.
I was the only one doing oil painting. An American couple were doing
pencil sketching and soapstone carving so it wasn't very busy. It was a
bit odd, because my teacher (who was a lovely bloke) didn't actually
show me what my finished work was supposed to look like, and since
Angkor Wat was one of four ancient temples I visited yesterday, I wasn't
at all sure what it actually looks like....
Nevertheless,
M was a very patient teacher and very lavish with his praise as I
laboured on. I found it very different managing a brush thick with oil
paint compared to the acrylics I used to use for folk art, and there was
no opportunity to practice brush strokes or anything, so to my
perfectionist eye, my finished work was disappointing, but I thoroughly
enjoyed the experience, and will one day try again to master this medium.
When
I got back to Home Sweet Home (after 2 hours) I found a place in the
sun around the side to put it, hoping it would dry in time to take it
home. By
then it was lunch time so I had my second go at Cambodian food, and
ordered Chicken Amok from the kitchen. Simple fare, but delicious! ..and this time no side effects...
I
still had 3 hours to kill before I had to go to the airport, when the
tuktuk driver, Wang, came over to have a chat and practice his English.
He is 24, and earns $100 a month, of which he sends $60 home to pay off a
government loan to cover medical expenses when his father needed an
operation last year. It will take him 2 years to repay the debt. Then he
will save up so he can buy his own tuktuk. I
asked him if he could take me for a ride for an hour or so and just
show me around, so for $5 he was more than happy to oblige. We drove out
of the city into the countryside for a bit... the houses are quite
different from Vietnam, and the rice paddies seem a lot less intense.
We stopped at a Music School and Wang suggested I should go and have a look, which I did. A friendly young man proudly showed me through and asked me to sign the visitors book. It was lovely to see so many young people enthusiastically participating in the various classes. I left a small donation.
Next
stop was very unexpected. He took me to a very up-market shop called
Cambodian Art Galley. OH MY GOODNESS.... Totally surrounded by exquisite
works of art... I was gob-smacked! A very charming man named Javid
welcomed me and showed me an array of beautiful pieces that had me
captivated. Of course the prices matched the quality, and after
bargaining myself silly at the market over a few dollars, here I was
considering hundreds of dollars!
It
came down to realising that if I didn't stick my neck out and buy, I
would always regret the opportunity missed. I did manage to save over
$300 by bargaining with him, and I am thrilled with the three exquisite
pieces I bought... Two embroidered silk scarves made in Cambodia, and an
elaborate wall hanging made in India....but like they say: "You get
what you pay for!" and what I've got is unique as well as exquisite
(if totally over budget. LOL)
When I got back to the tuktuk, Wang asked me for a copy of the receipt.
Seems that there's a chance he might win a new motorbike on New Years
Eve for every receipt with his name on it gives his a chance in the
draw. Talk about clever marketing.... I would never have gone there if
he hadn't taken me, though to give him credit, he did assure me that I
was under no pressure to buy by going in for a look...... Hmmmm.
I
felt pretty windblown and dusty by the time we got back to Home Sweet
Home, so I had a quick wash and got changed and repacked my bag once
again and it was time to go to the airport.
I
lined up to check in only to find I had booked the flight for
tomorrow!!! Originally, Gene had considered coming with me and she's
flying home from Hà Nội on Wednesday, so we were talking about returning
on Tuesday. Then she decided to have the extra days in Hải
Phòng, so I
decided to come back on Monday...today! But when I booked online, I
apparently selected the original date...duh! The Vietnam Airlines
manager was called over and he went off with my ticket to see what he
could do...and how much it would cost, while I stood waiting, praying
for God's grace.... I was delighted when he told me the change over
would only cost me $30!! That was a very pleasant surprise.
So
at 6:10pm I left Cambodia and got back to Việt
Nam by 7:30pm. Sorting out my
visa on arrival didn't take long and I was soon in a taxi headed for Bat
Dan Street. Note to self....next time, get Little Hanoi Diamond to
organise a car to pick me up....that only costs $15. The taxi cost
$20... Mind you, he definitely took a convoluted route to get here. As
we wandered through the old quarter taking the long way round we went
through an area where there were hundreds of people overflowing from the
pavements eating street food...and it's just an ordinary Monday night!
Ivy put me in room 401, around the back...a VIP room. It even has a bath! A pleasant change from humble ol' Home Sweet Home.
A quick walk to grab some dinner and I'm a very happy lady!
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