Nurture for Happiness

When was the last time you REALLY switched off?  Forgetting (on purpose) about all the deadlines and responsibilities and just looking after yourself.
 
Lucky me.  Siem Reap offers me just that!  It is a pretty special place to nurture my mind (overly charged at times) and body (it’s the miles, not the age ;-))). 

Massage Heaven
Seriously, Siem Reap probably has more spa than schools!  There are hundreds of them in the town centre and their prices range from US$5 to $20 for a decent foot massage for an hour.  You can literally get a massage at nearly every corner of the street.  If you like a clean and a bit more private place (just like me), then every hotel or guest house offers an inhouse spa and they are equally fantastic value.
 
Have you heard or seen a “fish spa”?  It involves dunking your feet in a huge fish tank and let the many little (or big) fishes nibble on the skin off your feet!  Although this is very common in Siem Reap and may cost you only a couple of dollars, I have to be honest that this not my cup of tea although many people fancy it.

My god son was so curious about the Fish Spa, as he believes fish is only for dinner.

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My favourite way to nurture my body has to be having a 4-hand massage. What?! Is there such a thing called “4-Hand Massage”?   Yes!  It involves 2 very experienced therapists synchronising their massage movements while working on my body.  It feels like having 2 hours massage in 1 hour, but with the maximum intensity. Without me knowing it, the 4-hand massage has become one of my ‘happy treats’ while staying in Cambodia.

Some of the better spa include my favorite in-house spa at any of the Golden Temple hotels, Lemongrass Garden and Bodia Spa. 


Yoga
Slightly more active than a massage is yoga which not only gives my body a good workout, but it cleanses my mind at the same time.  After each yoga session, I find myself being far more grateful for life and things that I have.  It helps me to reinforce one of my personal beliefs which is to be grateful every day for everything we have, health .
 
In Siem Reap town centre, there are many excellent yoga studios around and it only costs a few dollars to attend some of the best yoga studios.  It is fairly popular with the expat community in Siem Reap but some of the local Khmer are catching up and loving the practice too.  
 
Some of the more well-known /-liked studios can be founded here.

Flex My Muscles
When I am overseas, I am not a sporty person and rarely wear my sneakers.  My husband tends to have a few words with me about this now & then.
 
In Siem Reap, I found myself far more active and often give my body a good workout just by living local life.  I absolutely love it!

In the village, I use a push bike to commute as there isn’t any other means of transport that is easily available.  I also love walking around in the village just to say hi to people.   Mobile phones are not that common here plus body language doesn’t work over the phone (English isn’t that well practiced). ​

In the late afternoon, we tend to play a bit of football or volley ball when the children are around.  Children here are very inventive which due to their curiosity and also the lack of resources. It is beautiful to see them make kites from bamboo sticks (straight from a bamboo tree) and paper, or using plastic bottles to catch fish in the small river.

Sleep Well, Live Well 
Sleep is one of the most basic yet most important things we need to do to look after ourselves and low key village life is perfect for that.
 
I love my village room as it is very simple and it has all I need.  I don’t have a study desk in my room nor any wardrobe to hold my clothes, but It often amazes me how little we need to live a simple and happy life.

My day normally ends at 9pm.  You see, none of those modern home entertainments such as Netflix exist here and most of the families do not even own a TV! Sometimes, I like to watch a bit of Korean drama on my iPad at night.  Not that I am chasing after those Korean good looking celebrities, but the drama tends to send me to sleep just like a lullaby

 
I normally rise up and get ready for my day at around 5:30am.  There is no need to set any alarm clock because the beautiful sound from the cow bells never fails to wake me up gently in the morning. There are plenty of cows walking slowly passed my home and heading to the field for their work day from 5am.
 
8+ hours quality sleep and little distraction. Heaven! Judging by how refreshed and energized I feel after a few days I sometimes what toll the hectic work and lifestyle takes on our bodies. I certainly wouldn’t want to miss my village ‘get aways’. This is my little sanctuary. 
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My Happiness journey
This blog is the part 2 of my sharing as “Currency of Happiness”, which expresses what happiness means to me, especially when I am in Cambodia.  
 
I don’t believe there is an exact formula to happiness because personal perspective plays a vital role in determining what happiness means to us individually. It is more or less like a currency which works in one country but perhaps not in another.  Some currencies are worth a little bit more than others but there is beauty and happiness in every single one. 
 
There you have it, my take on “Currency of Happiness” in Cambodia!
 
Follow me if you like it. Let me know what your Currency of Happiness is. I’d love to hear from you! 
 
Of course we at PeopleStories are always happy to have volunteers over in Cambodia. See and feel for yourself how much real impact you can make and bring at the same time a smile onto your face ;-)

read more of Vic's Stories

Read Read part 1 - Currency of Happiness