We woke up this morning feeling wiped out from yesterday. We did a lot of walking, but not more than other high-step days we’ve had on this trip, so I’m not sure what tired us out so much. Whatever it was, we cancelled our plans to see more temples today and just took it easy.

The first stop of the day was for some very traditional Cambodian putt putt golf. We had a tuk tuk drive us there. It took about 15 minutes and even though it was close, the area felt rural. The paved roads stopped and our driver had to honk constantly to get chickens out of the road.

The place was a little run down but shaded and cute. Millie had a great time and didn’t get frustrated with her own performance, which is progress.

It was all Angkor Wat themed, which was actually very interesting because they had small recreations of the temples we saw yesterday.

Nick and I both admired the tropical fauna. I loved the orchids growing on the trees.

Well, I LOVED them. Past tense. I loved them until I looked too closely at the roots, which gave me the heebie jeebies. They looked like something from The Last of Us. Even this photo makes me want to run away.

As we were leaving, Nick got to chatting with the owner about the betel nuts he was chewing. These are energizing and very bitter, and very unhealthy if you chew them regularly. Of course Nick asked to try one and the man obliged. The review is that they were the most bitter thing he has ever eaten. The guy got a good laugh when Nick kept spitting it out.

We spent the afternoon at the pool. Millie is alllllmost at the age where she can swim independently. She has the skills but still needs the interaction. I read 3 pages of my book in between the calls of “watch this!”

After the pool we showered and got ready to head out for the circus. We walked 30 minutes to it. Nick and I both independently thought that the walk reminded us of our time in Ghana. It’s a similar temperature and has similar smells of distant burning, meat grilling, and exhaust. The sandy ground felt similar to walk on. It was a nostalgic walk.

At the circus we had dinner in their outside cafe and then watched the pre-show, which was a dance show put on by kids from the Phare school. This school is a nonprofit that teaches kids arts—theatre, dance, music, acrobatics—and the circus is where they perform.

When we told Millie we were going to a circus she enthusiastically said “do you think there will be juggling?! I’ve never seen that in real life before!” This is the thing she was most excited for, and when she saw someone practicing outside she ran over to take a picture. Oh to see the world through new little eyes!

The show was entertaining and the acrobatics were impressive. It told a story that none of us understood about rice, and used rice as the main prop. It was a clever idea.

The show ended at about 9:30 and she didn’t get to bed until near 10. Another late one!