Today we had a surreal experience. It was a very unexpected moment of bliss. We decided last night to visit EuroPark this morning. EuroPark is a quiet beautifully manicured park with small scale replicas of some of the most iconic European and Australian monuments.
We took a 20 minute tuktuk ride there at 9AM, we went early trying to avoid the scalding heat that late mornings and early afternoons bring. Well, it did not matter, it was still really hot. It was a beautiful and peaceful place to be. It was pretty funny to see all those monuments and get those pictures but all of a sudden I realized the music playing all around us was a Brazilian Bossa Nova (sung in Portuguese). As we continued walking around the park, I realized there was a Brazilian Churrascaria (Steak House) right there. Needless to say, that was going to be our lunch place for the day. I just chuckled to myself. Here I was walking around a park in Phnom Penh, with an Eiffel Tower, a small Sydney Opera House, a Big Ben and the Venice Canal, listening to Brazilian music. This was truly a surreal moment.
Eating at the Churrascaria also brought back so many childhood memories and made me realize how much “saudades” I have of my roots. Eating the “pão de queijo” and the “mousse de maracujá” made me so happy, I felt like I died and went to heaven. Ben looked at me at one point and smiled. I asked him what was going on and he said “You are just so happy”. That was a sweet moment for us.
We also visited the National Museum of Cambodia this week. It as an interesting experience, very different from most museums we have been to, I thought it was a bit expensive for what it was but I don’t regret visiting it. We took the audio option and it was nice to hear and see so many of the statues that build their long history. I also learned that Cambodia is a leading country in restitution of their artifacts. I was glad to learn that information, after all this is not a rich nation but they are trying their best to get their history back where it belongs. One of the hardest parts of the visit was that the museum is open so it is really hot inside.
Thank you for reading and stay tuned for more of our adventures,
