It was a really tiring day. After capping the day off with the sunset at Phnom Bakheng, I was famished. Fortunately, Siem Reap is not short of eating places. After a lengthy search for food, we finally decided on eating at the Le Tigre de Papier. I guess that means Paper Tiger. I never really found out why they named it that way, nor did I care. I was starving.
We ordered some Khmer rice meal and managed to find seats overlooking the street on the second level. It was then that a power failure struck. The whole street was pitch black. But it seems that power failures are something the people of Siem Reap have to live with since a lot of the establishments have back up power. Well, Le Tigre de Papier, didn’t have back up power in the form of electric generators, but rather in the form of candles.
We would just watch in envy as the Temple Club opposite our restaurant come alive with back up power. So did the other shops. I had to eat my dinner by candle light. This didn’t diminish the quality of the food though. It was great, or maybe I was just starving. It is also worth noting that Le Tigre de Papier is a book exchange point. Travelers can bring books here and exchange it for something they like. It is something like recycling.
The power failure lasted for an hour and I was relieved to see power come back. After that hearty meal I went shopping for souvenirs. There were a couple of interesting bookstores there. I would just wish that the photos I took of Angkor look as gorgeous as the ones on the coffee table books there.
When we got back to the Golden Temple Villa, it seems like they still haven’t gotten back power. This probably means it will take the whole night. But it didn’t really matter to me, once I hit the bed, I was fast asleep.
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