Cambodia Travel Log - The Way I See It

I could not express further how awesome Cambodia was to us during our short vacation on end of June'16. Definitely its a must-visit holiday spot just to dive in some historic filled laid-back place.

Just to make my vacation more memorable one, I have compiled few 'picture alphabets' that i picked up along the 4 days vacation. Ideally, I planned to snap a scene/item that resembles a letter from the alphabet; but in reality, it is pretty hard to find items for certain letters. Nevertheless :

AMOK - NO! it doesnt mean rampage or whatsoever. Its a chicken/fish dish sauted in creamy coconut sauce with certain Khmer Spices like Kampot peppers, lemongrass etc.. Certainly tasty but the coconutish flavor gets deep into your throat. This dish is the first Cambodian dish and probably the most i have eaten throughout the holiday. The friendly tour guide of ours, showed us a good eatery spot with some reasonable price.

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BABAW - I had this rice porridge during my last day holiday in Cambodia; Phnom Penh to be spesific, as my breakfast. Hearty and felt wholesome. This was the most Cambodian flavors that i can take at that time to feel equally as a Cambodian and a satisfied tourist to keep me going for a long journey in Phnom Penh. Filling indeed!

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CHOEUNG EK - One of the memorable places that I have visited. Till this time now i still can recall  each bit of it. This killing fields screams EVIL-HORROR-SAD-TRAGIC all together. It has a stupa filled with nearly 5000 human cranials in 17 storey high acrylic glass 'cabinet'. During our fun trip to Cambodia, this was the only place that folded in deep sense of sympathy to Cambodians who were the victims of Khmer Rouge army force. I did not go to the Tuol Sleng Museum which was near the city, but this trip to The Killing Field was more than enough. Bones were everywhere in this place. Not a place for the soft hearted! 

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DANCE THEATRE / Robam Tep Apsara - The most easiest way to feel Cambodian at a instant. Haha!! With just USD12 entry (this was considered to be medium class show; there are more expensive ones than this), we got ourselves various dance shows of Cambodian culture and a whopping variety of Khmer food buffet to smack your lips. We had our Apsara Dance show at Kulen II Restaurant in Siem Reap after city leisure time; in which was a good ending to our first night in Cambodia. A wholesome experience!

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EL CHE - Now this is not and never can be Cambodian symbolism. This picture was taken during my night out in the legendary Pub Street a.k.a. the street where you find least Cambodians and most white folks. Tourism in Cambodia had force flooded huge range of foreigners idealism and influence into the nightlife of Siem Reap; which made the name and reputation of the street as equally iconic as ElChe. When i stumbled upon this random wall art, it only reminded me the Cambodian equivalent of revolutionist and radicalist Pol Phot. Read about them; you will find certain things in common.

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FUNKY BUDDHA - As you see it, you only can imagine a hipster with a weed in his hand painting this. LOL. A sudden eye candy within the Old Market of Siem Reap which you can find alot of things for alot of needs. The image of Buddha (Bayon style artistry) with a modern twist is one of the artisty besides wood carving, hand made jewelries and etc that you can find around Siem Reap.

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GARUDA - Now this guy is as famous as Michael Jackson in Cambodia. Its all over the Siem Reap City where the symbolism of eagle-head man (as depicted in Hindusim) can be found on shirts, buildings and certain artistry. The old Khmer beliefs was based on mostly Vishnuism (as i see it) with tiny bits of Saivism. Then, of course later blurred by Buddhism and its various sects. Now, the new practice of Cambodian people are Buddhism with little hints of these icons.

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HOTEL BUS - Yes! You read it correctly. This one i strongly recommend to those who love to experience new things. Its a bus with sleeping facilities (with pillows and mattress)  that takes you to destination that has long travel hours. We departed from Siem Reap for Phnom Penh using this. Many said the road will be bumpy, the driver will be hasty and gonna take alot of time (6-7 hours indeed); but my journey only took 4.5 hours with smooth ride. P/s : smelly tourists, unforseen foreign sleeping partner, firm mattress with sandy 'finishing' are some of the heads up i can give you if you are about to travel in one of these.

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INFECTION - No, not HIV or anything similar! I had terrible insect bites despite of the few mosquito repellent patches whilst i got my foot massaged in a massage parlor. Beware of any types of infections though!

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JAMBIE RED SEED - Now, this was tripping me off. When i was a kid, this thing called Jambie Seed (in Bahasa Melayu, we call it biji saga) was usually found in abundance in our school compound. Not knowing what to do with it, the girls will be collecting this for one of their games. Surprised to see the seed turned into a hand made neck piece which was priced at USD 25. Hahahaha! One man's trash is another man's treasure!

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KHMER -CHAM WAR - This was an amazing detailed painting of the depiction of Khmer-Cham War. I saw this enormous painting in the Angkor NAtional Museum, and every bit of the painting were explained by our tour van driver @ tour guide Mr Sithol. He was so proud to say that, the Khmer won over the Chams (Mostly native Muslims) back then. Im pretty sure he wasnt one of the Chams.

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LADYBOY - I thought they only exist in Thailand or something. It caught me by surprise when i saw crossdressers in the middle of Siem Reap Night Market. I was watching what they got to offer for sometime (FOC! woohoo) and noticed how 'soft' they were with their super high heels and overmakeup faces with revealing clothes. They were doing seductive dance moves with each other and groping asses; they even had a bid fan just to blow off their mini skirts, just to make it extra spicy. It looked pretty saddening though. To impress the crowds by impersonating as some one else. 

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MASSEUSE - Back in Cambodia, I had everyday foot massage; not because I'm tired, but because of it is cheap. There were 1 dollar massage, 2 dollar massage all over. But if you are thinking of a relieving good massage, then you might want to really survey before you opt for it (can be pricy though). Few massuese that me and my friends had were all came with their own tragic stories. Sick parents, cheated by husband, single mom of 3 at the age of 24, and so many more. Nevertheless, they get a minimum wage of USD70 or less in a month. Hmmmm.. Sounds like corporate exploitation in a third world country with strong cultural heritage *should ring a bell to some*

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NATIONAL PRIDE - This is really funny to me. Beer is their national pride. But is not a joke when I say you can get cheap free flow beers here. The night life in Siem Reap is just as similar as you can find in many other developed city with huge tourists crowd, various street foods and cafes/bars. 

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ORKHUN - It means Thank You in Khmer. The one and only pronunceable, memorable word in Khmer for me. I had my 'special' Khmer class from a waiter @ footballer who was so attached in serving us for a coffee break we had in Siem Reap (Temple Bakery in Pub Street). When i use it to acknowledge some anonymous Cambodian, they went all smiley and happy. 

TIPS : learn some local language if you are a tourist. Makes a difference.

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PLAYFUL KID - This kid was feeling F-A-B-U-LOUS when he knew I am taking a random photo of him. Saw him when I finished a little tour around Angkor Wat (which in fact, a must see in Cambodia) about 9am and then heading to have some breakfast. The kid was playing happily with his fellow buddies. Even though the food was under the par, it was a quiet an experience. 

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QUENCH - This was awesome. Super cheap fresh juices around the streets with varieties of sweet local fruits and the common ones. Really helpful during hot day time or just when you feeling like slurping some smoothies. 

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RATANAKIRI - The Ratanakiri Coffee is native to Cambodia from Ratanakiri Province (which by the way also beautiful place worth to visit - I just googled it). I bought this coffee with little bit of price cause the smell of it is just so heavenly. A good way to support local products.

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SILK MARKET - Cambodia is one place that screams cheap shopping; for those who are good at bargaining. A little tip is, get yourself shopping very early in the morning (esp in Siem Reap), because they believe in a thing called 'morning luck'. You can even find equally cheap outfits in Phnom Penh Night Market too. 

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TUK TUK - You cannot resist to travel around in Siem Reap/Phnom Penh without one of these. Gets you to places in just 2-4 USD (and of course, only if you know how to bargain). Windy and bumpy ride across the city is one hell of a experience. Some drivers will 'allure' you to take their ride by pestering you or following you wherever you go.  Sometimes they even get too pushy till you just give in by taking their service. Hmmmm -_-"

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USD -  Ohhh yeesss! Everything in Cambodia priced at USD. Depending on what exchange rate that you are currently having, this could be a curse or blessing that will determine how you will be spending in Cambodia. I spent almost USD 300 in total for all of my activities, lavish foods, tour guide, Tuk Tuk rides and entry fees to some tourist spots in Cambodia (3 days in Siem Reap and a day in Phnom Penh).

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VIVA MEXICO - A catchy Mexican themed restaurant in Siem Reap & Phnom Penh with decent foods and definitely friendly waitresses. Its perfect spot to hang out while having a long chat with you buddies, serve the net (ie update a blog ;P) or just take a moment to just observe the surrounding and indulge in the atmosphere. But, yeah there a lot of bars. cafes around in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh just like this. 

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WOODEN RONEAT - In Malaysia, we have similar form of musical instrument which is apart of Gamelan. This one made of wood.  I was knocking on it pretending I was a perfect Roneat player whilst waiting for my friends to finish their shopping. I have witnessed it being played during my visit to The Cambodian Cultural Village

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Quantifying God

 

Hindu. I was born into it. like so many other Hindus.

the one that right next to me who am I working with, he was born into a Muslim family. not so great piece of information; realizing the fact that many other born into some sort of different religion.

 

being born in different religion, some claims that The One is in singular form. some claim he/she/it is in the plural form. He is omnipotent, omnifarious, omniscient, omnipresent and a lot more weird word that could be used to describe the Great one; like we know it.

 

the whole idea of describing God is gross.  don't you think that it is utterly pathetic to declare that you 'know' Him, given that: you never met him, zero knowledge of his whereabouts, clueless on his looks, behavior, sense of morale & characters. people are fighting over centuries just to declare that they have more profound knowledge on God than anybody else. just ponder about it. all those wars, massacres, suicidal threaths etc, just to reinstate what THEY THINK IT IS RIGHT. they think they know Him. they think they follow Him. they claim that they are His obedient & pious (or should I say vicious) earthlings.

 

with the religion system being very much secondarily passed onto others, people do not have ANY clue the actual/real/ultimate truth about God. we recognizes God as what our parents told us. as what those preachers illustrated to us. as what described in holy books. ironically, very few of us get to experience God by ourselves, despite all these guiding sources. those holy crappy theory that says "you need a river to guide you to the vast ocean" idea is what we human believe to achieve. we want to get to God based on what it has been pictured to us.

 

fluffy clouds-filled heaven, white tall figure of God, ungodly bass voice that entice you (im thinking of a male's voice, but yah you can picture it as anything you want) .... those are the pictures that pops in your head that YOU WISH TO SEE the first thing when you are dead. how many of us beg to differ on that? how many of us think out of the box for once? we are so afraid to let go what we know in search of what we should know. more or less, we are 'cultivated' to scripted plot of being born as human- living a life- ultimate purpose-death-afterlife. and happens to be that, throughout the years of living, we realize greatest piece of knowledge at the very brink of our death. too late to dwell in it.  all those information that we know about religion are scripted with some reference to holy books and things that great sages/prophets/messengers told us IN WHICH could have diverted very much from what they originally conveyed over the freaking thousands of years.

 

 

recently in Malaysia, there was this huge hype on Mr Zakir Naik (just google about him) coming to Malaysia and preaching about the differences of religions and how Islam prevail to be the only ultimate religion. isn't that funny? I might believe it if the Holy Prophet himself come and preached it rather than a bookworm who reads-it-all preached  and claims that he found the Answer. we can say that he (and many other religious preachers of different sects) did not met God face-to-face in the first place. even if he did, he will not be telling everyone to abandon the religion that you believe in and start to follow some other religion. basically you do not have to. Jesus did not do it. Muhammad did not do it. Even Buddha didn't. during the time they exists, they did not come across Hindu-Islam-Jewism-Christianity-Buddishm at the same location.  Even If they did, they had the immense self-enlightenment to foresee all the religion only leads to one purpose; one God.

 

we fail to recognize that piece of knowledge. we fail to decipher that the small truth behind all of those thousands of pages of the holy books actually dictates, Him as in  only in ONE form. The One. Singular. Distinctive.

just like a coin with two sides. So singular yet plural in perspective.

maybe, just maybe, the four headed brahma is also The Ra himself. maybe too Allah. or perhaps, He was in the form of Muhammad/Buddha/Jesus. we would not have any clue to say "It Cant be". we will never know. as it always meant to be. just like HE intended in all of the creation.

 

 

and yeah, here we are trying to "understand" his creation. claiming to "know" him. quantifying him yet in the first place failed to embrace the purpose of human existence. just like fitting in jigsaw puzzle with no picture in it. stupid maybe?

 

religion is self journey. self realization is key to spiritualism that all religion preaches.

haha! what a paradox. we have so many holy books preaching stories but yet, not one triggered the Ultimate Truth to anybody. and perhaps, if it would have; well maybe I am just not aware of it. Just like the other 7.4 billions of crooked-heads roaming on the Earth.