Dolphin Day 26th of January
Yesterday turned into an unexpected day off work
Some of those loveable wags in my office have dubbed the day ‘Dolphin Day’
But I am getting ahead of myself…
In an effort to beautify the Ministry a somewhat random set of odds and sods have been appearing around the place over the last few months.
New fishes in the aquarium in the foyer, a new display cabinet there to with bits of old broken things in it.
A fishing boat in the car park, and a huge rattan and bamboo fishing trap by the entrance - and when I say huge I mean six feet in diameter and twelve foot long...
Another display item was to be a skeleton of a rare Irrawaddy dolphin. Unfortunately when it arrived, it was a full carcase – more than a little aromatic I can tell you !
So, rather than send it off to an already identified specialist to have it stripped down to the bones, the bones wired and set and a full exhibition exhibit returned what do my beloved colleagues do ?
Figuring to save a few bucks, they decided that it would be cheaper if they buried the carcase for a couple of months, then dug it up, then sent just the bones over to the institute to assemble and turn into an exhibit.
Thus the plan was conceived. The next part was the actual implementation.
Well, none of my guys were going to get there hands dirty digging a hole in the car park, so they paid a motodope driver 20,000 riel (US$5) to dig the hole and bury it.
Leaving him with a shovel and a dead dolphin we all go off for breakfast.
An hour later, full of rice and iced coffee, we stroll back to the Ministry.
Odd. None of the lights are on?
mmm, no electricity.
So it is too dark to work, lets pop out to the garden and see what is going on.
Once round the back of the building we see a crowd of Khmers standing in the corner where we left the motodope.
As we draw nearer, we see the motodope sitting on the ground looking somewhat dazed and unhappy.
One swift conversation later we discover the reasons for everything.
It seem that our fearless hole digger had struck something metallic during his excavation. Rather than be deterred he sets about hacking at it with the shovel and great gusto, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 swings…
BANG !!!
Yes, the main power line into the building was severed and he was thrown 20 yards back across the ground.
No electricity for the rest of the day while they waited for the Electricity Company to come and fix it – US$200 please thank you very much.
Would have been cheaper to just send the dolphin carcase off in the first place.
So, now that we have a stunned motodope and no money, the dolphin carcase is just laying in the car park under a piece of tarpaulin – becoming even more aromatic by the day…
Only in the Ministry of Fish in Cambodia…
Thursday, January 27, 2005
CAMBODIA: Sounds Good, I want to go, give me the skinny: Part II
CAMBODIA: Sounds Good, I want to go, give me the skinny
Part Two: Where to stay
The range and scope of accommodation in Phnom Penh is as wide as any capital city in the world; although maybe not as competitive at the top end, from US$3 a night backpacker flop houses, to Raffles La Royal
Where to stay – best of the best:
Raffles Le Royal; Street 92, corner of Monivong.
www.raffles.com where else would one want to stay ?
Indulgent colonial luxury; five star restaurant, spacious pool, the most elegant and decorative cocktail bar in town, and quaintly dressed natives…
The Cambodiana (313 Sisowath Quay) located in the Southeast of the city, the gardens at the rear backing onto the banks of the Tonle Sap river. Last month I went to a wedding reception that was held there [see article ‘’December 2004 in Cambodia’’] the food, service and drinks selection was excellent. A four star hotel of international standards.
The rest of the rest:
The Goldiana Hotel
Street 282
Two or Two and a Half star hotel. Currently in the middle of a floor by floor refurbishment, so at some point very soon it might gain that extra star :-)
Excellent little swimming pool on the roof, which if it is not busy, is quite a pleasure to relax in/around.
The Boddhi Tree
Street 113; directly opposite the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum (S21)
Intimate little guest house, atmospheric and relaxed with a small but excellent menu.
The Capital 3 guest house
US$3 a night for a room. Need I say more ? always busy though and does have its fair share of fans?!?
Further information
www.tourismcambodia.com.
The Cambodian Ministry of Tourism , www.mot.gov.kh.
www.khmer440.com
and
http://darrenconquest.blogspot.com/
of course !!!
Part Two: Where to stay
The range and scope of accommodation in Phnom Penh is as wide as any capital city in the world; although maybe not as competitive at the top end, from US$3 a night backpacker flop houses, to Raffles La Royal
Where to stay – best of the best:
Raffles Le Royal; Street 92, corner of Monivong.
www.raffles.com where else would one want to stay ?
Indulgent colonial luxury; five star restaurant, spacious pool, the most elegant and decorative cocktail bar in town, and quaintly dressed natives…
The Cambodiana (313 Sisowath Quay) located in the Southeast of the city, the gardens at the rear backing onto the banks of the Tonle Sap river. Last month I went to a wedding reception that was held there [see article ‘’December 2004 in Cambodia’’] the food, service and drinks selection was excellent. A four star hotel of international standards.
The rest of the rest:
The Goldiana Hotel
Street 282
Two or Two and a Half star hotel. Currently in the middle of a floor by floor refurbishment, so at some point very soon it might gain that extra star :-)
Excellent little swimming pool on the roof, which if it is not busy, is quite a pleasure to relax in/around.
The Boddhi Tree
Street 113; directly opposite the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum (S21)
Intimate little guest house, atmospheric and relaxed with a small but excellent menu.
The Capital 3 guest house
US$3 a night for a room. Need I say more ? always busy though and does have its fair share of fans?!?
Further information
www.tourismcambodia.com.
The Cambodian Ministry of Tourism , www.mot.gov.kh.
www.khmer440.com
and
http://darrenconquest.blogspot.com/
of course !!!
Commonly held Khmer beliefs, as taken from the Black Panther Stout Book of Records:
i) motodopes can fly
ii) you can only watch one TV channel for less than 5 seconds, then you have to change channels
iii) if you do not eat rice with a meal you do not get full
iv) barang can not see Khmer ghosts, only Khmers can
v) prohok smells very fantastic
vi) prohok is a food
vii) tiger balm will cure any illness, even the loss of a limb
viii) cockroaches are food
ix) flies have good hearts because they do not bite you
x) wat xxx in my home town is older than Angkor Wat was the inspiration for it
xi) Khmer language "has excellent linguistic rules that are superior to those of any human language in the world.”
xii) Manchester United is a small town near Manchester City, in London
xiii) The big island off the Kampot/Kep coast that used to be in Cambodia was given to the Vietnamese because the French colonists thought “girl Vietnam more pretty”.
xiv) Angkor Thom is the world’s biggest Angkor
xv) The Cambodian national football side has thrown the most games in the world in a five-year period
xvi) The French Foreign Legion (infamously hardcore nutcases) got a spanking from people with crossbows, wearing handkerchiefs covering their bits and bobs, who rarely get out of their hammocks
xvii) Angkor Beer won gold, silver and bronze medals at the Australian Beer Festival therefore it is the best beer in Australia (and Cambodia). And the 2nd and 3rd best too.
More too follow…
i) motodopes can fly
ii) you can only watch one TV channel for less than 5 seconds, then you have to change channels
iii) if you do not eat rice with a meal you do not get full
iv) barang can not see Khmer ghosts, only Khmers can
v) prohok smells very fantastic
vi) prohok is a food
vii) tiger balm will cure any illness, even the loss of a limb
viii) cockroaches are food
ix) flies have good hearts because they do not bite you
x) wat xxx in my home town is older than Angkor Wat was the inspiration for it
xi) Khmer language "has excellent linguistic rules that are superior to those of any human language in the world.”
xii) Manchester United is a small town near Manchester City, in London
xiii) The big island off the Kampot/Kep coast that used to be in Cambodia was given to the Vietnamese because the French colonists thought “girl Vietnam more pretty”.
xiv) Angkor Thom is the world’s biggest Angkor
xv) The Cambodian national football side has thrown the most games in the world in a five-year period
xvi) The French Foreign Legion (infamously hardcore nutcases) got a spanking from people with crossbows, wearing handkerchiefs covering their bits and bobs, who rarely get out of their hammocks
xvii) Angkor Beer won gold, silver and bronze medals at the Australian Beer Festival therefore it is the best beer in Australia (and Cambodia). And the 2nd and 3rd best too.
More too follow…
Soft shell crab with bean sauce
Kdam salk chien nung xieng .
(Soft shell crab with bean sauce. )
Soft-shell crab: Crabs shed shells many times during their life span; before the crab sheds its hard-shell, it grows a new layer of soft-shell under the hard-shell. During this shedding or moulting process crabs go hide or bury themselves under sand until the soft-shell hardens.
At this time the crabbers will look out for soft shell crabs.
When you are buying a soft-shell crab, touch its body to check for firmness.
Do not buy if soft-shell crab has strong odour. Fresh soft shell crabs have a very light odour.
Golden crispy deep fry soft shell crab savour with gingery black bean sauce is absolute delicious.
Ingredients :
o 2 Large soft- shell crabs
o 1 Cup of flour.
o 1 Cup of cold water.
o 2 Tablespoons corn starch.
o 4 Cups cooking oil.
SAUCE:
o 1 Cup water.
o 1 Tablespoon cornstarch.
o 2 Tablespoons soy bean paste. Rinse soybean under cold water, drain.
o 1 Tablespoon soy sauce.
o 1 Tablespoon oyster sauce.
o 1 Tablespoon sugar.
o 4 Cloves garlic..
o 1 onion. Sliced.
o 1 Tablespoon grated ginger root.
o 3 Stalks spring onion. Chopped ½ inch in length.
o ¼ Teaspoon black pepper.
o 3 Chilli pepper. Chopped.(Option).
Procedures :
Removed apron (flap on the belly) of the soft-shell crab, washed crab with cold water. Drain.
Pour cooking oil in a large skillet, before heat up the oil, save back 2 tablespoons of oil for the sauce later .
While waiting for the oil to heat up, mix the flour with the cornstarch and water in large bowl. Mix it well.
Gently immersed crab in flour batter and deep fry crab till both sides crispy.
Removed fried crab and placed it in paper towel covered plate to drain excessive oil.
SAUCE:
In a small bowl, mix water with cornstarch, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar. Mix well.
Pre-heat a small saucepan or skillet.
When it is hot pour in the 2 tablespoons of oil.
Sauté garlic, yellow onion, ginger, chilli pepper and soybean paste. Stirs well.
Pour cornstarch sauce in skillet; stirs well till the sauce thicken.
Add green onion before serving.
To serve:
Put crabs on large plate or platter, pour bean sauce over fried crab and sprinkles with black pepper.
Serve hot as m’hope sar (appetiser) or with rice as a main course.
(Soft shell crab with bean sauce. )
Soft-shell crab: Crabs shed shells many times during their life span; before the crab sheds its hard-shell, it grows a new layer of soft-shell under the hard-shell. During this shedding or moulting process crabs go hide or bury themselves under sand until the soft-shell hardens.
At this time the crabbers will look out for soft shell crabs.
When you are buying a soft-shell crab, touch its body to check for firmness.
Do not buy if soft-shell crab has strong odour. Fresh soft shell crabs have a very light odour.
Golden crispy deep fry soft shell crab savour with gingery black bean sauce is absolute delicious.
Ingredients :
o 2 Large soft- shell crabs
o 1 Cup of flour.
o 1 Cup of cold water.
o 2 Tablespoons corn starch.
o 4 Cups cooking oil.
SAUCE:
o 1 Cup water.
o 1 Tablespoon cornstarch.
o 2 Tablespoons soy bean paste. Rinse soybean under cold water, drain.
o 1 Tablespoon soy sauce.
o 1 Tablespoon oyster sauce.
o 1 Tablespoon sugar.
o 4 Cloves garlic..
o 1 onion. Sliced.
o 1 Tablespoon grated ginger root.
o 3 Stalks spring onion. Chopped ½ inch in length.
o ¼ Teaspoon black pepper.
o 3 Chilli pepper. Chopped.(Option).
Procedures :
Removed apron (flap on the belly) of the soft-shell crab, washed crab with cold water. Drain.
Pour cooking oil in a large skillet, before heat up the oil, save back 2 tablespoons of oil for the sauce later .
While waiting for the oil to heat up, mix the flour with the cornstarch and water in large bowl. Mix it well.
Gently immersed crab in flour batter and deep fry crab till both sides crispy.
Removed fried crab and placed it in paper towel covered plate to drain excessive oil.
SAUCE:
In a small bowl, mix water with cornstarch, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar. Mix well.
Pre-heat a small saucepan or skillet.
When it is hot pour in the 2 tablespoons of oil.
Sauté garlic, yellow onion, ginger, chilli pepper and soybean paste. Stirs well.
Pour cornstarch sauce in skillet; stirs well till the sauce thicken.
Add green onion before serving.
To serve:
Put crabs on large plate or platter, pour bean sauce over fried crab and sprinkles with black pepper.
Serve hot as m’hope sar (appetiser) or with rice as a main course.
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Cambodia - Get up out of the dirt!
A multitude of raw products are exported from Cambodia, to Thailand, Vietnam and even China, which are then processed and package and then resold around the world – crabs dressed and frozen, fish are processed in sauce, paste, canned goods, et cetera; fruit and nuts dried, roasted, packaged.
By way of example, let us take the not so humble cashew nut, exported to Thailand daily by the ton when in season; where they are shelled, roasted, salted and then tinned/packeted.
At which point they are then sold all over the world.
Labelled as ‘Product of Thailand’ by way of a small linguistic [not too mention legal] twist they can be labelled product, as refers to the overall product, but they can not be labelled ‘Produce of Thailand’
And nuts are just one example among many.
The problem is one of processing capability, that is too say; plants, technology, expertise and of course capital investment. Not too mention unfamiliarity with international sales and marketing.
As I keep banging, moaning and bitching on about – if just some of the annual US$504 million in direct aid was used to build business and trade for this Country, rather than being used to by huge 4x4 trucks for ex-pat ‘consultants’ or their Khmer counterparts…
Still I think we all know my feelings on that...
By way of example, let us take the not so humble cashew nut, exported to Thailand daily by the ton when in season; where they are shelled, roasted, salted and then tinned/packeted.
At which point they are then sold all over the world.
Labelled as ‘Product of Thailand’ by way of a small linguistic [not too mention legal] twist they can be labelled product, as refers to the overall product, but they can not be labelled ‘Produce of Thailand’
And nuts are just one example among many.
The problem is one of processing capability, that is too say; plants, technology, expertise and of course capital investment. Not too mention unfamiliarity with international sales and marketing.
As I keep banging, moaning and bitching on about – if just some of the annual US$504 million in direct aid was used to build business and trade for this Country, rather than being used to by huge 4x4 trucks for ex-pat ‘consultants’ or their Khmer counterparts…
Still I think we all know my feelings on that...
Monday, January 24, 2005
Luncheon - potential crisis !
Returning back to the Playboy Penthouse for a spot of luncheon, I find my faithful and trusty personal chef sat in the middle of the kitchen floor.
Great wailing in K’mai was issuing forth, along with a slight to’n’fro rocking motion of the upper body.
Fearing that I was intruding in some obscure Buddhist food blessing ceremony I started to back off to a safe, respectful, distance.
Chef then turned to face me and I saw tears building up in those slightly mad and increasingly unfocused eyes.
“M’hope onglee, pii back, nah!”
“M’hope onglee, pii back, nah!"
Came the chant, reaching an almost dervish level of pitch and intensity.
“English food, very difficult”
“English food, very difficult”
Nestled in chef’s lap was a mixing bowl, which upon closer inspection, appeared to contain somewhat lumpy mashed potatoes
Bravely taking a step closer into the room, I was further able to see a couple of thick pork chops on the griddle and bowl of broccoli and cauliflower heads awaiting their dunking into boiling (salted) water...
‘No problem Chefy’ I bellowed, as I bounded into the room relieving this frustrated minion of the large sharp knife being held loosely in one hand.
‘I shall aid you in salvaging this feast of England’
Quick as a flash, I was reheating the lumpy mash, adding a little more butter and starting to whip the sharp knife through the pan in a windmill like action.
Five minutes later all that was left for me to do was to oversee the final preparation of the onion gravy - a recipe that is still ongoing with Chefy getting confused on occasion between onions and mangos…
Half an hour later I am relaxing on the veranda in my easy chair, hunger satiated and the gentle, clatter sounds of the washing up being done in the back ground.
Another potential culinary catastrophe deflected.
Great wailing in K’mai was issuing forth, along with a slight to’n’fro rocking motion of the upper body.
Fearing that I was intruding in some obscure Buddhist food blessing ceremony I started to back off to a safe, respectful, distance.
Chef then turned to face me and I saw tears building up in those slightly mad and increasingly unfocused eyes.
“M’hope onglee, pii back, nah!”
“M’hope onglee, pii back, nah!"
Came the chant, reaching an almost dervish level of pitch and intensity.
“English food, very difficult”
“English food, very difficult”
Nestled in chef’s lap was a mixing bowl, which upon closer inspection, appeared to contain somewhat lumpy mashed potatoes
Bravely taking a step closer into the room, I was further able to see a couple of thick pork chops on the griddle and bowl of broccoli and cauliflower heads awaiting their dunking into boiling (salted) water...
‘No problem Chefy’ I bellowed, as I bounded into the room relieving this frustrated minion of the large sharp knife being held loosely in one hand.
‘I shall aid you in salvaging this feast of England’
Quick as a flash, I was reheating the lumpy mash, adding a little more butter and starting to whip the sharp knife through the pan in a windmill like action.
Five minutes later all that was left for me to do was to oversee the final preparation of the onion gravy - a recipe that is still ongoing with Chefy getting confused on occasion between onions and mangos…
Half an hour later I am relaxing on the veranda in my easy chair, hunger satiated and the gentle, clatter sounds of the washing up being done in the back ground.
Another potential culinary catastrophe deflected.
CAMBODIA: Sounds Good, I want to go, give me the skinny III
CAMBODIA: Sounds Good, I want to go, give me the skinny
Part Three: Where to Eat, Drink and Make Merry
Restaurants and food ranging from Khmer pavement stands to 4 star international cuisines – Phnom Penh has it all.
Where to Eat Khmer Cuisine:
Khmer Surin,
Street 57, south of Sihanouk Blvd. A combination of Khmer and Thai food in a very relaxed setting; eat under shelter outside, or dine inside on one of the three differently attired floors
Raffles Hotel
Street 92, near Monivong Blvd. Okay, listing hotel restaurants is usually cheating; but this is no ordinary hotel, or restaurant. Happy hour in the Elephant Bar see cocktails two for one, or as is currently the price US$6 for two cocktails.
Where your average Khmer eats ( they are pretty much all the same) :
Good Dreams
Street 214 between streets’ 63 and 51.
An atypical Khmer restaurant/beer garden; Blue plastic chairs, tin tables, the occasional table cloth.
Ankle deep in bones and general restaurant debris by the close of play, most of the staff speak no English whatsoever. If you venture in there you are pretty much guaranteed to be the only foreigner in there.
Personally I love this place. Usually in Khmer restaurants the staff has a tendency to be somewhat obsequious, not so here. Our usual waitress speaks not a word of English and when we try in our pigeon K’mai to talk to her there is a 50-50 chance that she will listen to what we say and then shake her head not understanding; or, she will just wander off bored, with you in mid sentence…
International Cuisine
The Rising Sun
Can be found on Street 178 about 12 yards away from the riverfront.
Claiming to be an ‘English Pub in the heart of Phnom Penh’ it could not be further from it. It is another of those hole-in-the-wall bars. This one just happens to have British movie and music posters and pictures on the wall!
What it does have though, is an English ‘Pub Grub’ menu that is second to none in this city. If you want [need] a full fried breakfast of a morning, the rising sun serves the best one in the city. Roast chicken on a Sunday lunch, pork chops with mashed potatoes or bangers, mash and onion gravy. Sometimes you just need a little fix of home, this place can provide it
The Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC); I know, I know, love it or loathe it, they are here to stay. Generally loved by tourists and loathed by ex-pats Regardless of which side of the fence you fall, everyone agrees it has one of the most commanding views of the confluences of rivers in Phnom Penh.
Where to Drink, Chat, Relax and Meet People…
The Peace Café
Lower end of Street 63 between Streets’ 360 and 380
A relaxing bar, run by Dave, a long term ex-pat. The peace café has been in this location for around 3 years, but prior to that was based up in skanky-backpacker-heaven, more commonly known as the lakeside. It is a dark bar, with original and slightly disturbing, artwork adorning the walls, all of which were done by Dave, the owner of the establishment.
Offering a reasonably priced menu of both Western pub meals and Oriental dishes. The beer is also reasonably priced.
They run a British style pub quiz on a Monday Evening; they have jam sessions with local ‘musicians’ on random nights.
Recently Dave has bought a movie projector, so he can show DVD’s. Thursday evening is Art-house night, showing a selection of the bizarre and random.
The Green Vespa
Top end of the Riverfront, near the port.
The advertising proclaims ‘the only bar in town with a motorbike on the roof’ well, it is true ! a friendly and relaxed little bar, ran by Alan. Offering a simple menu of western food and cheep drinks, the walls are covered with photos of vespas, Alan drives a green vespa and as they say, there is another green vespa on the roof ?!?
DV8
As their advertising says ‘booze, birds, billiards’ which just about sums it up !
Happy hour until 7pm, good selection of drinks and friendly staff. Barry who runs the bar is relaxed and always easy to talk to – which is more than can be said about some of his barmaids!
Zanzibar
Strangely enough this bar never seems to have any customers in it whenever I drop by. This is a shame because I really like the bar if I want a quiet drink where nobody knows me.
The are also a multitude of bars along the Riverfront, ranging from the awful to the wonderful
Martini, Sharky’s and Walkabout are the kind of places that you really need to make your own mind up about
Further information on beer and babes
www.khmer440.com
and
http://darrenconquest.blogspot.com/
of course !!!
Part Three: Where to Eat, Drink and Make Merry
Restaurants and food ranging from Khmer pavement stands to 4 star international cuisines – Phnom Penh has it all.
Where to Eat Khmer Cuisine:
Khmer Surin,
Street 57, south of Sihanouk Blvd. A combination of Khmer and Thai food in a very relaxed setting; eat under shelter outside, or dine inside on one of the three differently attired floors
Raffles Hotel
Street 92, near Monivong Blvd. Okay, listing hotel restaurants is usually cheating; but this is no ordinary hotel, or restaurant. Happy hour in the Elephant Bar see cocktails two for one, or as is currently the price US$6 for two cocktails.
Where your average Khmer eats ( they are pretty much all the same) :
Good Dreams
Street 214 between streets’ 63 and 51.
An atypical Khmer restaurant/beer garden; Blue plastic chairs, tin tables, the occasional table cloth.
Ankle deep in bones and general restaurant debris by the close of play, most of the staff speak no English whatsoever. If you venture in there you are pretty much guaranteed to be the only foreigner in there.
Personally I love this place. Usually in Khmer restaurants the staff has a tendency to be somewhat obsequious, not so here. Our usual waitress speaks not a word of English and when we try in our pigeon K’mai to talk to her there is a 50-50 chance that she will listen to what we say and then shake her head not understanding; or, she will just wander off bored, with you in mid sentence…
International Cuisine
The Rising Sun
Can be found on Street 178 about 12 yards away from the riverfront.
Claiming to be an ‘English Pub in the heart of Phnom Penh’ it could not be further from it. It is another of those hole-in-the-wall bars. This one just happens to have British movie and music posters and pictures on the wall!
What it does have though, is an English ‘Pub Grub’ menu that is second to none in this city. If you want [need] a full fried breakfast of a morning, the rising sun serves the best one in the city. Roast chicken on a Sunday lunch, pork chops with mashed potatoes or bangers, mash and onion gravy. Sometimes you just need a little fix of home, this place can provide it
The Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC); I know, I know, love it or loathe it, they are here to stay. Generally loved by tourists and loathed by ex-pats Regardless of which side of the fence you fall, everyone agrees it has one of the most commanding views of the confluences of rivers in Phnom Penh.
Where to Drink, Chat, Relax and Meet People…
The Peace Café
Lower end of Street 63 between Streets’ 360 and 380
A relaxing bar, run by Dave, a long term ex-pat. The peace café has been in this location for around 3 years, but prior to that was based up in skanky-backpacker-heaven, more commonly known as the lakeside. It is a dark bar, with original and slightly disturbing, artwork adorning the walls, all of which were done by Dave, the owner of the establishment.
Offering a reasonably priced menu of both Western pub meals and Oriental dishes. The beer is also reasonably priced.
They run a British style pub quiz on a Monday Evening; they have jam sessions with local ‘musicians’ on random nights.
Recently Dave has bought a movie projector, so he can show DVD’s. Thursday evening is Art-house night, showing a selection of the bizarre and random.
The Green Vespa
Top end of the Riverfront, near the port.
The advertising proclaims ‘the only bar in town with a motorbike on the roof’ well, it is true ! a friendly and relaxed little bar, ran by Alan. Offering a simple menu of western food and cheep drinks, the walls are covered with photos of vespas, Alan drives a green vespa and as they say, there is another green vespa on the roof ?!?
DV8
As their advertising says ‘booze, birds, billiards’ which just about sums it up !
Happy hour until 7pm, good selection of drinks and friendly staff. Barry who runs the bar is relaxed and always easy to talk to – which is more than can be said about some of his barmaids!
Zanzibar
Strangely enough this bar never seems to have any customers in it whenever I drop by. This is a shame because I really like the bar if I want a quiet drink where nobody knows me.
The are also a multitude of bars along the Riverfront, ranging from the awful to the wonderful
Martini, Sharky’s and Walkabout are the kind of places that you really need to make your own mind up about
Further information on beer and babes
www.khmer440.com
and
http://darrenconquest.blogspot.com/
of course !!!
Friday, January 21, 2005
Help: there is a nun in my house ?!?
Help: there is a nun in my house ?!?
So yesterday lunchtime I head home, expecting upon arrival to have my lunch ready and waiting, prepared by Heng as normal.
However, upon arrival I find Heng’s mum, the nun, in the kitchen. Heng is also there, along with a couple of toddlers that Heng’s mum is currently looking after.
It seems that Heng’s mum wants to repay my recent acts of generosity [some small donations to her temple] by cooking me a ‘special meal’
Fair enough, although in true Khmer fashion nobody consulted with me on the matter, timing or choice :-)
Feeling slightly outnumbered, I retreat into my room for a shower and change of clothes.
Ten minutes later there is a discreet knocking on my door, it is Heng, apparently lunch is served and they are awaiting my presence.
So I wander through to the dining room, where a veritable feast is ready for us:
o Pork; dry rubbed with Chinese spices and stir-fried with spring onions and green peppers
o Pork, broccoli and morning glory stir-fried with oyster sauce
o A salad of pickled vegetables
o Boiled rice and soy sauce dip with chillies and garlic
o French bread
I have to say, it was delicious.
A lot of visitors, not too mention residents and ex-pats, complain about the food here in Cambodia, but what they are referring to when they complain about it is what ‘those of us in the know’ refer to as motodope food; the cheapest of the cheap, eaten in roadside cafés off tin tables while sat on blue plastic chairs. It is, at best, functional food that is eaten by the cities army of lowly paid workers, e.g. motodopes.
***
For those not resident in Cambodia, a motodope is a small motorcycle taxi. There are probably 10,000 of these guys in Phnom Penh, you can not walk 10 yards without one pulling up alongside you saying ‘moto, moto, moto?’ they are quick, easy and cheap; they are also the only form of public transport in this city.
So yesterday lunchtime I head home, expecting upon arrival to have my lunch ready and waiting, prepared by Heng as normal.
However, upon arrival I find Heng’s mum, the nun, in the kitchen. Heng is also there, along with a couple of toddlers that Heng’s mum is currently looking after.
It seems that Heng’s mum wants to repay my recent acts of generosity [some small donations to her temple] by cooking me a ‘special meal’
Fair enough, although in true Khmer fashion nobody consulted with me on the matter, timing or choice :-)
Feeling slightly outnumbered, I retreat into my room for a shower and change of clothes.
Ten minutes later there is a discreet knocking on my door, it is Heng, apparently lunch is served and they are awaiting my presence.
So I wander through to the dining room, where a veritable feast is ready for us:
o Pork; dry rubbed with Chinese spices and stir-fried with spring onions and green peppers
o Pork, broccoli and morning glory stir-fried with oyster sauce
o A salad of pickled vegetables
o Boiled rice and soy sauce dip with chillies and garlic
o French bread
I have to say, it was delicious.
A lot of visitors, not too mention residents and ex-pats, complain about the food here in Cambodia, but what they are referring to when they complain about it is what ‘those of us in the know’ refer to as motodope food; the cheapest of the cheap, eaten in roadside cafés off tin tables while sat on blue plastic chairs. It is, at best, functional food that is eaten by the cities army of lowly paid workers, e.g. motodopes.
***
For those not resident in Cambodia, a motodope is a small motorcycle taxi. There are probably 10,000 of these guys in Phnom Penh, you can not walk 10 yards without one pulling up alongside you saying ‘moto, moto, moto?’ they are quick, easy and cheap; they are also the only form of public transport in this city.
Cars everywhere...
So I am loitering in the car-park with a coffee, a small huddle of us barang [foreigners] are having our usual venting session about banging our heads against the brick wall that is working here for the Royal Government of Cambodia.
When from around the corner we can hear a low rumbling sound, the conversation pauses, our heads all tilt in unison as we peer at the corner the noise is coming from.
When around said corner hovers into view a procession of new cars.
1, 2, 3, 4 … 9
Nine of them!
All Ford Rangers: extended 4-door cab, pickup back, running boards, chrome bull bars, chrome wing mirrors, chrome door handles, chrome trims here and there. A metallic forest green paint job – as the Khmer would say sa’aart nah [very handsome]
As the nine of them park in a row in the car-park we edge our way a little closer. Through the open door we can see leather seats, still covered with the factory plastic. The CD player is belting out some Khmer pop song through its quadraphonic speakers.
‘’Ah, my cars have arrived’’ a voice behind us says.
Turning we see Mr. xxx with a big grin on his face. Mr. xxx is a big man here at the Ministry.
Further discussion, and discrete enquires from ourselves, reveals that the nine cars in question are for one of the projects that we are trying to get up and running, but have had difficulty in starting due to a hold-up in the funds being released.
This would be the same funding delay that last week stopped a field researcher taking a US$5 taxi ride out into the province to do some research [he was getting sick of funding his research out of his own pocket!]
So, biting my tongue I ask when these cars will be being dispatched out to the five project teams.
‘’Next week, maybe week after. It depends when the five new speedboats turn up’’
???
Having knocked off works slightly early to get to the bank before closing, I cut through the car-park to see a small army of Khmer men polishing and cleaning the new cars, from their dirty and dusty drive all the way from the other side of town, as well as a couple of them taping stencils to the front doors, so that they can spray-paint the bank logo and loan number onto them, a practice that has perplexed me since I arrived here ?
When from around the corner we can hear a low rumbling sound, the conversation pauses, our heads all tilt in unison as we peer at the corner the noise is coming from.
When around said corner hovers into view a procession of new cars.
1, 2, 3, 4 … 9
Nine of them!
All Ford Rangers: extended 4-door cab, pickup back, running boards, chrome bull bars, chrome wing mirrors, chrome door handles, chrome trims here and there. A metallic forest green paint job – as the Khmer would say sa’aart nah [very handsome]
As the nine of them park in a row in the car-park we edge our way a little closer. Through the open door we can see leather seats, still covered with the factory plastic. The CD player is belting out some Khmer pop song through its quadraphonic speakers.
‘’Ah, my cars have arrived’’ a voice behind us says.
Turning we see Mr. xxx with a big grin on his face. Mr. xxx is a big man here at the Ministry.
Further discussion, and discrete enquires from ourselves, reveals that the nine cars in question are for one of the projects that we are trying to get up and running, but have had difficulty in starting due to a hold-up in the funds being released.
This would be the same funding delay that last week stopped a field researcher taking a US$5 taxi ride out into the province to do some research [he was getting sick of funding his research out of his own pocket!]
So, biting my tongue I ask when these cars will be being dispatched out to the five project teams.
‘’Next week, maybe week after. It depends when the five new speedboats turn up’’
???
Having knocked off works slightly early to get to the bank before closing, I cut through the car-park to see a small army of Khmer men polishing and cleaning the new cars, from their dirty and dusty drive all the way from the other side of town, as well as a couple of them taping stencils to the front doors, so that they can spray-paint the bank logo and loan number onto them, a practice that has perplexed me since I arrived here ?
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Cambodia Photo - at last !!!
Have managed to upload some of my Cambodia photos to the following address:
http://photobucket.com/albums/v246/darrenconquest/
It is a slow and painful process out here in the third world, but will be attempting to add all of my photos there in due course.
D
http://photobucket.com/albums/v246/darrenconquest/
It is a slow and painful process out here in the third world, but will be attempting to add all of my photos there in due course.
D
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
CAMBODIA: Sounds Good, I want to go, give me the skinny
CAMBODIA: Sounds Good, I want to go, give me the skinny
Part One: How to get there
There are no direct flights between the UK and Cambodia, but you can go via:
Bangkok with Thai Airways (0870 606 0911)
www.thaiairways.co.uk
Singapore with Singapore Airlines (0870 608 8886)
www.singapore air.co.uk or
Kuala Lumpur with Malaysia Airlines (0870 607 9090)
www.malaysia airlines.com
Expect to pay from £650 return from London Heathrow to Phnom Penh, although some internet bargains can be found on flights to Bangkok if you are flexible on dates.
Trailfinders (020-7938 3939; www.trailfinders.co.uk) offers return flights from Heathrow to Phnom Penh via Doha in Qatar with Qatar Airways from around £600 return.
Getting between the two main cities
Express boats run daily between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, leaving at about 7am from the new passenger terminal near the main post office. The one-way trip costs about $25 (£13).
Or a several coaches run between the two every day;
Or if there are a few of you, you can hire a car and a driver to take you the whole way for around US$45.
www.siemreap airways.com) flies several times a day from about $100 (£54). As do President Airlines.
Further information
www.tourismcambodia.com.
The Cambodian Ministry of Tourism , www.mot.gov.kh.
www.khmer440.com
and
http://darrenconquest.blogspot.com/
of course !!!
Part One: How to get there
There are no direct flights between the UK and Cambodia, but you can go via:
Bangkok with Thai Airways (0870 606 0911)
www.thaiairways.co.uk
Singapore with Singapore Airlines (0870 608 8886)
www.singapore air.co.uk or
Kuala Lumpur with Malaysia Airlines (0870 607 9090)
www.malaysia airlines.com
Expect to pay from £650 return from London Heathrow to Phnom Penh, although some internet bargains can be found on flights to Bangkok if you are flexible on dates.
Trailfinders (020-7938 3939; www.trailfinders.co.uk) offers return flights from Heathrow to Phnom Penh via Doha in Qatar with Qatar Airways from around £600 return.
Getting between the two main cities
Express boats run daily between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, leaving at about 7am from the new passenger terminal near the main post office. The one-way trip costs about $25 (£13).
Or a several coaches run between the two every day;
Or if there are a few of you, you can hire a car and a driver to take you the whole way for around US$45.
www.siemreap airways.com) flies several times a day from about $100 (£54). As do President Airlines.
Further information
www.tourismcambodia.com.
The Cambodian Ministry of Tourism , www.mot.gov.kh.
www.khmer440.com
and
http://darrenconquest.blogspot.com/
of course !!!
Monday, January 17, 2005
Founder of the Feast
Founder of the Feast
Lunch: Monday the 17th of January
Get home from work at lunchtime to find Heng loitering.
It seems that some of the nuns from Battambang were in Phnom Penh for the week and they wanted me to go and have lunch with them, feeling somewhat smug I happily accepted and headed off up to the North end of town. Upon arrival it was all formal hellos and bowing and all that jazz.
I was pleased to see Heng’s mum was there, in fact it was her invitation to me, she was also the chef behind our little lunch.
Proceeding straight to the dining table we were served swiftly and in silence – not big on talking during meals the Khmers.
- Cold rice noodle salad – cucumbers, tomatoes, and a spicy chilli and honey dressing
- Amok Such Mon – or chicken curry for those of you who do not speak K’mai :-)
- Boiled Rice and French bread [a couple of fluffy nann breads from the Spicy King restaurant in West Ealing would have gone down a treat!]
Well we tucked in heartily and every time the [large] bowl of curry ran low it was removed and refilled from what seemed to be an endless supply, out the back somewhere.
There were, of course, several dogs wandering around the room and under the table picking up scraps as well as several children running around. The television was on showing some Khmer soap-opera, the radio was also on with Khmer pop-songs intertwining with the dramatic sound track of the TV every time somebody walked into the room.
In short, a typical Khmer meal in a typical Khmer house.
When I regretfully had to say goodbye to the Sisterhood [back to work I am afraid], they loaded my down with a huge box of curry to take home with me for dinner, as well as some fresh sweet mangos just plucked from the tree in the front garden – I really am developing a mango addiction, I can not remember the last time a day went by without me having some? Oh well, mango season ends in another month or two, then I think we all move on to jackfruit, which is totally unappealing as far as I am concerned.
Well, as suspected at the end of all this, I was hit up [again] for a donation to the pagoda, for the nun’s – what the hell, another US$10. Still I am starting to think that having a dozen or so nuns praying for me is probably no bad thing :-)
Lunch: Monday the 17th of January
Get home from work at lunchtime to find Heng loitering.
It seems that some of the nuns from Battambang were in Phnom Penh for the week and they wanted me to go and have lunch with them, feeling somewhat smug I happily accepted and headed off up to the North end of town. Upon arrival it was all formal hellos and bowing and all that jazz.
I was pleased to see Heng’s mum was there, in fact it was her invitation to me, she was also the chef behind our little lunch.
Proceeding straight to the dining table we were served swiftly and in silence – not big on talking during meals the Khmers.
- Cold rice noodle salad – cucumbers, tomatoes, and a spicy chilli and honey dressing
- Amok Such Mon – or chicken curry for those of you who do not speak K’mai :-)
- Boiled Rice and French bread [a couple of fluffy nann breads from the Spicy King restaurant in West Ealing would have gone down a treat!]
Well we tucked in heartily and every time the [large] bowl of curry ran low it was removed and refilled from what seemed to be an endless supply, out the back somewhere.
There were, of course, several dogs wandering around the room and under the table picking up scraps as well as several children running around. The television was on showing some Khmer soap-opera, the radio was also on with Khmer pop-songs intertwining with the dramatic sound track of the TV every time somebody walked into the room.
In short, a typical Khmer meal in a typical Khmer house.
When I regretfully had to say goodbye to the Sisterhood [back to work I am afraid], they loaded my down with a huge box of curry to take home with me for dinner, as well as some fresh sweet mangos just plucked from the tree in the front garden – I really am developing a mango addiction, I can not remember the last time a day went by without me having some? Oh well, mango season ends in another month or two, then I think we all move on to jackfruit, which is totally unappealing as far as I am concerned.
Well, as suspected at the end of all this, I was hit up [again] for a donation to the pagoda, for the nun’s – what the hell, another US$10. Still I am starting to think that having a dozen or so nuns praying for me is probably no bad thing :-)
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Archives now all uploaded
Despite only having had this Blog a week or so now, I have managed to upload all of my archives - well, all the public archives – so any of you who are missing chapters from the early months in Cambodia can now review these important, historical, documents at your leisure ?!??
All I need to do now is work out how to do links and add-ons and a new sidebar and photos and, oh hell, all seems a bit technical to me !
All I need to do now is work out how to do links and add-ons and a new sidebar and photos and, oh hell, all seems a bit technical to me !
Road Trip to Battambang 5th to the 8th
Road Trip to Battambang 5th to the 8th January
Monday the 3rd
Random Holiday day
Take the bike up to Vay’s bike shop for a pre road trip service.
Unfortunately Vay is not there yet and his assistant speaks no English, my K’mai is not up to explaining what I want doing with the bike so I decide to head to the office and drop it off there later.
Arriving at the Ministry I find it virtually disserted, Kanika appears after a few minutes and explains that it is a bank holiday, so I check my Email, go out for breakfast, kill some time and head back to Vay’s.
Leaving the bike with him, I head home for the day; returning back to is shop at 16:00 to collect a fully serviced bike, including; new speedo cable, new clutch cable, oil change, brake fluid, air filter, et cetera for the princely sum of US$20 all in.
The bike is running like a dream.
Wednesday the 5th
The Road Trip to Battambang starts.
National Highway 5 from Phnom Penh to BB around 300 kilometres – which will either mean everything or will mean nothing to the reader, depending on whether or not they have ever seen/been on a Khmer road or not…
Battambang is Cambodia’s second largest city, bisected by the Stung Sangker River. It is actually a quiet, sleepy, little town that is pretty much closed by 9 o’clock at night. A welcome change to Phnom Penh for a few days.
07:00 up and at ‘em tiger.
08:30 after some initial flitting around PP – petrol, mineral water, picking up some things to deliver to people in BB – the bike, my friends and I are heading North out of the city
10:00 clear of all of PP’s outskirts and a few miles of countryside you come across the first town on the road, the town of Prey Khmer. A reasonable point at which I felt it appropriate to stop for a spot of breakfast and some much needed coffee – the dust from the road was already making my throat dry and my eyes water.
10:30 full of rice, bacon and iced coffee I head back on the road, clearing this tiny pit-stop of a town before I reach 3rd gear.
The next couple of hours see a fairly straight road with the minimal amount of death-trap potholes, loose gravel, mudslides, random animals crossing the road – cows, goats, water buffalo, ducks, et al.
The next city that one comes across on NH5 is Kompong Chhnang.
I am tempted to stop, at the very least for a coffee, as I have a couple of friends that live in KC, but I know that if I meet up with them that it will turn into a few hours and then I run the risk of not getting to BB before sunset - no street or road lights out here – so I press on, making a silent promise to myself to pay them a proper visit in the near future, on one of the upcoming bank holidays perhaps.
The road between KC and Pursat becomes somewhat treacherous; it narrows to just the width of two cars, has major potholes [some big enough to lose a water buffalo in] gravel, sand, et cetera. the going gets slow as I weave between the hazards slowly, trying to keep an eye on the road, the cars overtaking, stray animals…
Fortunately, the city of Pursat eventually comes up, and the road returns to one of solid tarmac and widens to a reasonable width for a major traffic artery.
Bordered on either side by rice paddies and fish ponds the road is raised around 20 to 25 feet above the land, creating an elevated feeling that can make one a little nervous while being overtaken by a speeding car.
15:30 arrive at Battambang, aching and somewhat tired
Check into the Chhaya Hotel – fan room US$5 a night.
17:00 an early dinner [late lunch?] at the Neak Poan restaurant overlooking the river, a more than acceptable plate of fried egg noodles with beef and broccoli.
During the course of the day I have also learnt a new K’mai phrase ‘Khew Koot’ which means sore arse.
Thursday the 6th
Breakfasting at a Khmer corner restaurant – The White Rose - I am surprised to find Western food items on the menu, feeling somewhat daring I order the omelette and toast. To say that it was disappointing was somewhat of an understatement…
Breakfats over with it is time to start playing tourist, first stop:
Phnom Sampeau
18 Km from BB town along an averagely bad road.
This hilltop temple has a long and hot climb to the temple and stupa at the top – nearly 2,000 steps in all.
Parking the bike in one of the many restaurants at the bottom I run the gauntlet of restaurant owners, beggars, ‘tour guides’ et cetera. Saying no, no and no to all of them, a couple of teenage boys start to follow us up the road anyway telling me about the history of the place, what the hills are on the horizon, that sort of thing.
About half way up we stop at a strategically place wooden shack selling cold water, fresh coconuts and snacks.
Reaching the Chinese temple about 75% of the way up we go in to pay our respects to Heng’s mum who is a nun at this particular pagoda – lots of bowing and being polite.
After which we head around the back of the Chinese temple and over to the Killing Caves, a small platform with skulls and bones, we walk through the caves in which the monks have placed several small shrines and statutes to these victims of Pol Pot’s insanity.
Exiting back to the main shrine at the entrance, where they are in the middle of building another small pagoda, one of the ‘tour guide boys’ explains that they are raising the money to do this through donations from visitors and tourists – surprise, surprise – so the monk explains that for a US$10 donation I can have my name put on one of the benches outside the pagoda in the gardens. After a little hesitation I hand over the money and the monk duely records my details in a book and one of his brothers comes over and starts painting my name onto the pink marble garden bench straight away !
Leaving them to there calligraphy, we wander back up to the Chinese temple where the nuns have prepared a simple luncheon for us – rice and roast chicken with fish broth – I guess that it helps to be travelling with Khmer friends who have relatives who are nun’s :-)
After a quiet hour eating rice and looking out over the miles and miles of flat rice plains, it is time for us to make the final ascent to the top.
Wat Phnom Sampeau is a lot smaller than you think when you finally get there and currently under a fair amount of restoration, but is typical of the architecture one would expect of a Khmer temple, every wall and ceiling painted in bright and vivid colours depicting scenes from Buddha’s life, gold coloured statues of him, fresh lotus flowers everywhere, monks in saffron and orange silk robes milling about.
You know, the usual !
From here you have a commanding view of the province, Phnom Sampeau being the highest thing for miles and miles around. You can see villages, roads, rivers, reservoirs and of course the obligatory mile after mile of rice paddies.
Phnom Mon - Chicken Hill ???
A baby climb up to the summit after Phnom Sampeau, less than a hundred steps !
Atop, surrounding the modestly sized shrine are statues of a woman fighting and killing tigers, my friends attempt to explain the legend behind ‘the woman who kills tigers’ but our joint linguistic skills can not find enough common words to get it all across.
Kamping Poy
Mile, after mile, after mile of the roughest dirt track, pothole laden, ploughed field of a road I have ever seen to get out here to this 8km long dam and recreational lake.
Hand built by conscripts to the Khmer Rouge some 10,000 Khmers died during its construction. Nowadays it serves as a tourist attraction and picnic spot.
Upon arrival we were greeted by hordes of children and old women, both groups of which were deeply intent on selling us fruit and/or boat trips around the reservoir. Settling for just some fruit – and a fresh green coconut to drink, we sit on a bench and just watch the water for a while.
Enough playing tourist for one day, back to BB for a spot of dinner at the recently opened KK Restaurant on street 2 ½ ?
I decide to risk the cheeseburger and fries and am very pleasantly surprised by the quality of this homemade peppered burger.
Midway through dining I am joined by a friend of mine, Dickon, who lives in Battambang, and we enjoy a couple of tall bottles of Angkor Beer, while chatting about mutual friends as well as him recommending places to visit/things to see while in BB.
By a strange coincidence, he is going down to Phnom Penh the following day.
Friday the 7th
The Sun Rise Café, a somewhat feeble attempt at an English breakfast in this ex-pat restaurant/coffee bar.
What made it all the more bizarre was the table of 20 or so evangelical American god botherers all standing at the beginning of their meal to pray out loud for the food and the salvation of the godless heathens of Cambodia. A cynical translation of their aims could be summed up thus:
- yes we are here to help,
- we will feed the hungry [if they come to our church service first]
- we will buy your naked children clothes [if they attend our Sunday School]
- we will teach English to you all in our school [ but the only lessons will actually be bible studies]
Now, I have nothing against missionaries per se, but when they are here in disguise, pretending to be another Aid Charity, it just seems somewhat underhanded and smacks of religious colonialism.
After this slightly odd start to the day, the only thing on our tourist agenda is a trip to:
Wat Ek Phnom
The somewhat disappointing ruins of an 11th Century Angkorian temple built during the rein of Suryavarman the First.
Having visited quite a number of Angkorian temples since arriving in Cambodia I have to say that this was the most disappointing one.
Paying a dollar for admission to the tourist police was just adding insult to injury.
Entry into the Angkorian temple of Ta Prohm near the Tonle Bati and Wat Nokor in Kompong Cham province was free and they are in much better condition than this one. Still, what the hell is a dollar.
We head back the scenic route, doubling around to NH5 and re-entering the town by the main road. Am supposed to be meeting my friends family for lunch, but we arrived too late and they had already eaten. So we head off to a small Khmer restaurant for rice.
P’sar Nat
The local market. Usual bits and pieces; odd looking fruits and western clothing.
Followed by iced coffee, Khmer ‘cakes’ and general wandering about the town.
[do not ask about the Khmer cakes, urrrkk]
Saturday the 8th
08:00
Breakfast, rice pork and iced coffee, and fare-thee-well to BB
09:00
Head out on the highway, looking for adventure…
Route and ride back to PP pretty much the same as the journey up.
The only real difference was that on the way back I had a much more spectacular view of Phnom Udong on the horizon, several miles of flat rice paddies in the foreground and a clear blue day.
Phnom Udong [The Victorious in K’mai] was the capital of Cambodia back in the 1600’s and as it was partially backlit by the setting sun it looked very impressive, all ‘dawn of time’ type stuff.
Pressing on for the last few miles back to Phnom Penh I decide that I will have to make the pilgrimage out to Phnom Udong at some point soon.
Monday the 3rd
Random Holiday day
Take the bike up to Vay’s bike shop for a pre road trip service.
Unfortunately Vay is not there yet and his assistant speaks no English, my K’mai is not up to explaining what I want doing with the bike so I decide to head to the office and drop it off there later.
Arriving at the Ministry I find it virtually disserted, Kanika appears after a few minutes and explains that it is a bank holiday, so I check my Email, go out for breakfast, kill some time and head back to Vay’s.
Leaving the bike with him, I head home for the day; returning back to is shop at 16:00 to collect a fully serviced bike, including; new speedo cable, new clutch cable, oil change, brake fluid, air filter, et cetera for the princely sum of US$20 all in.
The bike is running like a dream.
Wednesday the 5th
The Road Trip to Battambang starts.
National Highway 5 from Phnom Penh to BB around 300 kilometres – which will either mean everything or will mean nothing to the reader, depending on whether or not they have ever seen/been on a Khmer road or not…
Battambang is Cambodia’s second largest city, bisected by the Stung Sangker River. It is actually a quiet, sleepy, little town that is pretty much closed by 9 o’clock at night. A welcome change to Phnom Penh for a few days.
07:00 up and at ‘em tiger.
08:30 after some initial flitting around PP – petrol, mineral water, picking up some things to deliver to people in BB – the bike, my friends and I are heading North out of the city
10:00 clear of all of PP’s outskirts and a few miles of countryside you come across the first town on the road, the town of Prey Khmer. A reasonable point at which I felt it appropriate to stop for a spot of breakfast and some much needed coffee – the dust from the road was already making my throat dry and my eyes water.
10:30 full of rice, bacon and iced coffee I head back on the road, clearing this tiny pit-stop of a town before I reach 3rd gear.
The next couple of hours see a fairly straight road with the minimal amount of death-trap potholes, loose gravel, mudslides, random animals crossing the road – cows, goats, water buffalo, ducks, et al.
The next city that one comes across on NH5 is Kompong Chhnang.
I am tempted to stop, at the very least for a coffee, as I have a couple of friends that live in KC, but I know that if I meet up with them that it will turn into a few hours and then I run the risk of not getting to BB before sunset - no street or road lights out here – so I press on, making a silent promise to myself to pay them a proper visit in the near future, on one of the upcoming bank holidays perhaps.
The road between KC and Pursat becomes somewhat treacherous; it narrows to just the width of two cars, has major potholes [some big enough to lose a water buffalo in] gravel, sand, et cetera. the going gets slow as I weave between the hazards slowly, trying to keep an eye on the road, the cars overtaking, stray animals…
Fortunately, the city of Pursat eventually comes up, and the road returns to one of solid tarmac and widens to a reasonable width for a major traffic artery.
Bordered on either side by rice paddies and fish ponds the road is raised around 20 to 25 feet above the land, creating an elevated feeling that can make one a little nervous while being overtaken by a speeding car.
15:30 arrive at Battambang, aching and somewhat tired
Check into the Chhaya Hotel – fan room US$5 a night.
17:00 an early dinner [late lunch?] at the Neak Poan restaurant overlooking the river, a more than acceptable plate of fried egg noodles with beef and broccoli.
During the course of the day I have also learnt a new K’mai phrase ‘Khew Koot’ which means sore arse.
Thursday the 6th
Breakfasting at a Khmer corner restaurant – The White Rose - I am surprised to find Western food items on the menu, feeling somewhat daring I order the omelette and toast. To say that it was disappointing was somewhat of an understatement…
Breakfats over with it is time to start playing tourist, first stop:
Phnom Sampeau
18 Km from BB town along an averagely bad road.
This hilltop temple has a long and hot climb to the temple and stupa at the top – nearly 2,000 steps in all.
Parking the bike in one of the many restaurants at the bottom I run the gauntlet of restaurant owners, beggars, ‘tour guides’ et cetera. Saying no, no and no to all of them, a couple of teenage boys start to follow us up the road anyway telling me about the history of the place, what the hills are on the horizon, that sort of thing.
About half way up we stop at a strategically place wooden shack selling cold water, fresh coconuts and snacks.
Reaching the Chinese temple about 75% of the way up we go in to pay our respects to Heng’s mum who is a nun at this particular pagoda – lots of bowing and being polite.
After which we head around the back of the Chinese temple and over to the Killing Caves, a small platform with skulls and bones, we walk through the caves in which the monks have placed several small shrines and statutes to these victims of Pol Pot’s insanity.
Exiting back to the main shrine at the entrance, where they are in the middle of building another small pagoda, one of the ‘tour guide boys’ explains that they are raising the money to do this through donations from visitors and tourists – surprise, surprise – so the monk explains that for a US$10 donation I can have my name put on one of the benches outside the pagoda in the gardens. After a little hesitation I hand over the money and the monk duely records my details in a book and one of his brothers comes over and starts painting my name onto the pink marble garden bench straight away !
Leaving them to there calligraphy, we wander back up to the Chinese temple where the nuns have prepared a simple luncheon for us – rice and roast chicken with fish broth – I guess that it helps to be travelling with Khmer friends who have relatives who are nun’s :-)
After a quiet hour eating rice and looking out over the miles and miles of flat rice plains, it is time for us to make the final ascent to the top.
Wat Phnom Sampeau is a lot smaller than you think when you finally get there and currently under a fair amount of restoration, but is typical of the architecture one would expect of a Khmer temple, every wall and ceiling painted in bright and vivid colours depicting scenes from Buddha’s life, gold coloured statues of him, fresh lotus flowers everywhere, monks in saffron and orange silk robes milling about.
You know, the usual !
From here you have a commanding view of the province, Phnom Sampeau being the highest thing for miles and miles around. You can see villages, roads, rivers, reservoirs and of course the obligatory mile after mile of rice paddies.
Phnom Mon - Chicken Hill ???
A baby climb up to the summit after Phnom Sampeau, less than a hundred steps !
Atop, surrounding the modestly sized shrine are statues of a woman fighting and killing tigers, my friends attempt to explain the legend behind ‘the woman who kills tigers’ but our joint linguistic skills can not find enough common words to get it all across.
Kamping Poy
Mile, after mile, after mile of the roughest dirt track, pothole laden, ploughed field of a road I have ever seen to get out here to this 8km long dam and recreational lake.
Hand built by conscripts to the Khmer Rouge some 10,000 Khmers died during its construction. Nowadays it serves as a tourist attraction and picnic spot.
Upon arrival we were greeted by hordes of children and old women, both groups of which were deeply intent on selling us fruit and/or boat trips around the reservoir. Settling for just some fruit – and a fresh green coconut to drink, we sit on a bench and just watch the water for a while.
Enough playing tourist for one day, back to BB for a spot of dinner at the recently opened KK Restaurant on street 2 ½ ?
I decide to risk the cheeseburger and fries and am very pleasantly surprised by the quality of this homemade peppered burger.
Midway through dining I am joined by a friend of mine, Dickon, who lives in Battambang, and we enjoy a couple of tall bottles of Angkor Beer, while chatting about mutual friends as well as him recommending places to visit/things to see while in BB.
By a strange coincidence, he is going down to Phnom Penh the following day.
Friday the 7th
The Sun Rise Café, a somewhat feeble attempt at an English breakfast in this ex-pat restaurant/coffee bar.
What made it all the more bizarre was the table of 20 or so evangelical American god botherers all standing at the beginning of their meal to pray out loud for the food and the salvation of the godless heathens of Cambodia. A cynical translation of their aims could be summed up thus:
- yes we are here to help,
- we will feed the hungry [if they come to our church service first]
- we will buy your naked children clothes [if they attend our Sunday School]
- we will teach English to you all in our school [ but the only lessons will actually be bible studies]
Now, I have nothing against missionaries per se, but when they are here in disguise, pretending to be another Aid Charity, it just seems somewhat underhanded and smacks of religious colonialism.
After this slightly odd start to the day, the only thing on our tourist agenda is a trip to:
Wat Ek Phnom
The somewhat disappointing ruins of an 11th Century Angkorian temple built during the rein of Suryavarman the First.
Having visited quite a number of Angkorian temples since arriving in Cambodia I have to say that this was the most disappointing one.
Paying a dollar for admission to the tourist police was just adding insult to injury.
Entry into the Angkorian temple of Ta Prohm near the Tonle Bati and Wat Nokor in Kompong Cham province was free and they are in much better condition than this one. Still, what the hell is a dollar.
We head back the scenic route, doubling around to NH5 and re-entering the town by the main road. Am supposed to be meeting my friends family for lunch, but we arrived too late and they had already eaten. So we head off to a small Khmer restaurant for rice.
P’sar Nat
The local market. Usual bits and pieces; odd looking fruits and western clothing.
Followed by iced coffee, Khmer ‘cakes’ and general wandering about the town.
[do not ask about the Khmer cakes, urrrkk]
Saturday the 8th
08:00
Breakfast, rice pork and iced coffee, and fare-thee-well to BB
09:00
Head out on the highway, looking for adventure…
Route and ride back to PP pretty much the same as the journey up.
The only real difference was that on the way back I had a much more spectacular view of Phnom Udong on the horizon, several miles of flat rice paddies in the foreground and a clear blue day.
Phnom Udong [The Victorious in K’mai] was the capital of Cambodia back in the 1600’s and as it was partially backlit by the setting sun it looked very impressive, all ‘dawn of time’ type stuff.
Pressing on for the last few miles back to Phnom Penh I decide that I will have to make the pilgrimage out to Phnom Udong at some point soon.
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Thursday, January 06, 2005
Getting 'Monked'
Sunday the 2nd
Time to get Monked !?!
A good luck ceremony at the Pagoda.
Having been talked into this by some of my Khmer friends we head off up to a Pagoda in the North of the city near P’sar Kandel.
Having arrived via a small altercation with a moto towing a 12 foot trailer and my left-knee we arrive at the venue with me somewhat annoyed.
My Khmer friend has a chat with the head monk; who then offers a quick prayer and a blessing on us all; offerings of food, drink and money are then given to the pagoda, and then outside to some small individual ceremony cubicles.
Once in the cubicle we have to strip down to our underwear, then we have to sit on small stools [about 4 inches high] with the monk standing behind us.
He then starts chanting in K’mai and pours saucepans full of ice-cold water and lotus blossom over us for about 10 minutes, while chanting continually and then he leaves somewhat abruptly.
As we towel off and find our dry clothes I see the head monk get on the back of a motodop and head off out of the pagoda grounds, presumably off to his next blessing or ceremony.
All rather a strange way to spend an hour Sunday afternoon???
Time to get Monked !?!
A good luck ceremony at the Pagoda.
Having been talked into this by some of my Khmer friends we head off up to a Pagoda in the North of the city near P’sar Kandel.
Having arrived via a small altercation with a moto towing a 12 foot trailer and my left-knee we arrive at the venue with me somewhat annoyed.
My Khmer friend has a chat with the head monk; who then offers a quick prayer and a blessing on us all; offerings of food, drink and money are then given to the pagoda, and then outside to some small individual ceremony cubicles.
Once in the cubicle we have to strip down to our underwear, then we have to sit on small stools [about 4 inches high] with the monk standing behind us.
He then starts chanting in K’mai and pours saucepans full of ice-cold water and lotus blossom over us for about 10 minutes, while chanting continually and then he leaves somewhat abruptly.
As we towel off and find our dry clothes I see the head monk get on the back of a motodop and head off out of the pagoda grounds, presumably off to his next blessing or ceremony.
All rather a strange way to spend an hour Sunday afternoon???
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
New Years Eve 2005
New Years Eve 2005 in Cambodia
With only half a plan in mind, we head off round to the Peace Café. The idea being that everyone meets up there and about 10 or 11 we all head off to find a party somewhere, Dave the owner included.
Café Sonteipheap (The Peace Café) http://www.sonteipheap.com/
20:00 two of us in the bar [and Dave the owner] not a good start ?!?
over the next hour a few of the regulars wander in, we all sit at the bar chatting and discussing where we feel like going, has anyone heard anything about a good party for tonight, that sort of thing.
There are only a couple of places that people have heard are having parties. So we head to one of the larger venue in the city which is having one:
Café Freedom
23:45 arrive to what appears to be a big let down, the 8 of us join the other 6 people there for ‘the big party’ ?!?!
Midnight comes and there is a slightly half hearted ‘cheers’ and a few hugs, followed by a round of nervous laughter, which was followed by another round of beer.
Time to try another venue and to check out another ‘party’…
Elsewhere Bar
01:00 a couple of dozen very drunk people stagger around in this walled garden bar, some swaying dangerously around the dance floor, a few swaying very dangerously along the edges of the pool. One guy, clearly under the influence of some mind altering substance, is floating fully clothed in the middle of the pool, eyes closed and smiling about something to himself
A very large, old and sedate black Labrador was lolling around the place. He eventually climbs up onto the bench next to me and went to sleep drooling and snoring as he lay there.
A slightly surreal feeling was in the air, which was not changed by the appearance of some random Frenchman in swimming trucks strutting across the dance floor [area] and swaggering into the pool.
Mmm, 02:30 not really that exciting time to try…
Salt Lounge
Only recently opened, it is in fact a gay bar, but we were all curious and we had some ladies in the group so we all felt secure !
A modern design, Perspex and blue neon. Friendly staff. Only two other customers in when we arrived – two guys – the cocktail list was long, the beers only US$1 a can, same for shots.
During our visit there the two guys left and two girls appeared, the owner came out and chatted to Dave - fellow bar owners and all that
Not really our thing, but friendly and interesting.
Now, after all the beer we are getting a bit peckish, time to try…
The George Bar and Kebab house
Opening night for Phnom Penh’s newest bar – and only kebab house!
We all went there for ten seconds, it was around 3AM and we were all desperate for a kebab. Having got past the thirty odd girls (?) we were told by the giggling Khmer guy behind the bar that ''we no have food, maybe next week, maybe next week?'' A kebab shop with no kebabs. I give it a month, unless the guy can get me a tandoori chicken donar with fresh chillies and all the trimmings.
Not even bothering to stop for a beer we head off for…
Howie Bar
We find the chuck wagon in its usual spot outside Howie’s and the Heart of Darkness. Feeling in need of substance [i.e. not rice] I opt for a bacon cheese burger with fries!
At this time of night, and after a lot of beer, it almost seems edible.
The road is absolutely solid with moto’s, cars, motodop’s, party-people, taxi-girls, tourists, ex-pats, et cetera. Every species of Phnom Penh city dweller and visitor is represented.
Dave and I have a quiet couple of beers on a pavement table outside Howie’s and watch as the stream of people going into the Heart just keeps increasing – it is not that large inside, it must be shoulder to shoulder all they way throughout.
04:00 time to go home…
With only half a plan in mind, we head off round to the Peace Café. The idea being that everyone meets up there and about 10 or 11 we all head off to find a party somewhere, Dave the owner included.
Café Sonteipheap (The Peace Café) http://www.sonteipheap.com/
20:00 two of us in the bar [and Dave the owner] not a good start ?!?
over the next hour a few of the regulars wander in, we all sit at the bar chatting and discussing where we feel like going, has anyone heard anything about a good party for tonight, that sort of thing.
There are only a couple of places that people have heard are having parties. So we head to one of the larger venue in the city which is having one:
Café Freedom
23:45 arrive to what appears to be a big let down, the 8 of us join the other 6 people there for ‘the big party’ ?!?!
Midnight comes and there is a slightly half hearted ‘cheers’ and a few hugs, followed by a round of nervous laughter, which was followed by another round of beer.
Time to try another venue and to check out another ‘party’…
Elsewhere Bar
01:00 a couple of dozen very drunk people stagger around in this walled garden bar, some swaying dangerously around the dance floor, a few swaying very dangerously along the edges of the pool. One guy, clearly under the influence of some mind altering substance, is floating fully clothed in the middle of the pool, eyes closed and smiling about something to himself
A very large, old and sedate black Labrador was lolling around the place. He eventually climbs up onto the bench next to me and went to sleep drooling and snoring as he lay there.
A slightly surreal feeling was in the air, which was not changed by the appearance of some random Frenchman in swimming trucks strutting across the dance floor [area] and swaggering into the pool.
Mmm, 02:30 not really that exciting time to try…
Salt Lounge
Only recently opened, it is in fact a gay bar, but we were all curious and we had some ladies in the group so we all felt secure !
A modern design, Perspex and blue neon. Friendly staff. Only two other customers in when we arrived – two guys – the cocktail list was long, the beers only US$1 a can, same for shots.
During our visit there the two guys left and two girls appeared, the owner came out and chatted to Dave - fellow bar owners and all that
Not really our thing, but friendly and interesting.
Now, after all the beer we are getting a bit peckish, time to try…
The George Bar and Kebab house
Opening night for Phnom Penh’s newest bar – and only kebab house!
We all went there for ten seconds, it was around 3AM and we were all desperate for a kebab. Having got past the thirty odd girls (?) we were told by the giggling Khmer guy behind the bar that ''we no have food, maybe next week, maybe next week?'' A kebab shop with no kebabs. I give it a month, unless the guy can get me a tandoori chicken donar with fresh chillies and all the trimmings.
Not even bothering to stop for a beer we head off for…
Howie Bar
We find the chuck wagon in its usual spot outside Howie’s and the Heart of Darkness. Feeling in need of substance [i.e. not rice] I opt for a bacon cheese burger with fries!
At this time of night, and after a lot of beer, it almost seems edible.
The road is absolutely solid with moto’s, cars, motodop’s, party-people, taxi-girls, tourists, ex-pats, et cetera. Every species of Phnom Penh city dweller and visitor is represented.
Dave and I have a quiet couple of beers on a pavement table outside Howie’s and watch as the stream of people going into the Heart just keeps increasing – it is not that large inside, it must be shoulder to shoulder all they way throughout.
04:00 time to go home…
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
December 2004 in Cambodia
December here in Cambodia has been a busy month with lots of local events as well as the traditional Western ones, plus the usual assortment of random Cambodia moments.
December 2004 in Cambodia
Crab Night
Back at the beginning of the month a friend of mine – who owns and runs a couple of Cambodia websites [ http://www.khmer440.com/ ] spent a week down at Kampot and Kep beach – allegedly doing research for his new, soon to be launched, travel website – hotel bookings, reviews of; restaurant, bars, temples, places of interest, et cetera..
On his last day there he bought a couple of dozen marine crabs – violet vinegar crabs I believe the species is.
As he was sat in the back of the taxi with them all trying to make a bid for freedom, he was phoning round a few of us to meet up, have a few drinks and to eat crab.
Now, I like crab, but have always been of the opinion that they are a lot like hard work to eat, all that dismembering, cracking, disembowelling, more cracking, but what the hell I thought, sounds like it would be a fun evening if nothing else.
So we all met up at the Peace Café, had a couple of aperitif’s – a few glasses of chilled Tio Pepe; as fine a fino sherry as one can get out here - and headed back to his place to start boiling crabs to death.
Now, Pete was the first one through the door and when those of us following him heard him exclaim ‘oh shit!’ at rather a loud volume we wondered what was up.
Entering into his flat we could see that a box on his dining table was over turned and that 2 dozen crabs were scuttling around the table, the work surface, the floor. One made a twitchy advance for the door, quick little buggers that they were, they were not quick enough. The great crab round up began, as we crawled around the floor, poked behind fridges, bookcases, work units, et cetera.
Having spent half an hour rounding up stray crustaceans we felt much less squeamish about boiling them to death, ripping them apart and scoffing them down with a few jugs of Pimm’s - the latter a relatively recent arrival in Cambodia and one that seems to be popular with us English ex-pats.
To accompany the crab I threw together a simple green salad and made a tangy citrus lime and roasted garlic dressing.
Having eaten our fill, and then some, we headed back to the Peace Café for a digestif and nightcap.
Ah, for a smoky 18 year old Scotch. Alas, Cambodia is not yet equipped with such things, so we made do with Jameson’s Irish instead.
Senses fully satiated we all went our separate ways around 2AM
Long weekend in Kompong Cham province.
Guest of the Dom~Ray family… Sort of…
At 07:00 on Friday morning there was a pounding on my door. It was Heng, Strai’A and Dom~Ray. The car was waiting outside and we were all off on a jolly holiday weekend to the provinces.
National Highway 7 is the road from Phnom Penh to K. Cham. If you say that [write that] fast enough it gives the impression of it being a motorway, or any other sort of main road…
The best road in the country is National Highway 4, which goes from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville [the main beach resort] that road is the equivalent to an English ‘B Road’ [normally at this point I might translate a few such items for my Transatlantic readers, but you idiots voted Bush back in for a second term so my sympathy for things American is at a new all time low]
Anyhow, back to National Highway 7. Once upon a time NH7 might have had a surface of tarmac, free of potholes, but oh no, not any more. Three hours of bouncing, jolting, banging and sweating
Well, we arrived at K. Cham in just about enough time to go and have something to eat.
We dine in what can only be described as a bamboo garden shed with no walls, sitting on the [raised] floor on rush mats and eating a selection of the local delicacy’s – boiled fish, fried fish, fish soup…
After which Dom~Ray’s brother is to play as tour guide for us for the rest of the afternoon. We drive for an hour and half through what can only be described as a ploughed field to the reservoir, so that I can look at the water and see some fishermen pottering about on boats – guess that they thought I may not have seen such a sight before working for the Ministry of Fish…
The whole of the way there the in-car TV/DVD Player had Khmer karaoke on at the usual ear-bleeding volume, over which everyone shouted at each other to be heard
After which we head of to a pagoda so that the Khmers can pray and I can stare at a 30 foot high golden statue of Buddha – was annoyed with myself at this point for forgetting my camera, it was a fairly spectacular sight.
Also in the grounds were; a huge ancient library of Buddhist scroll and teaching, a smaller temple and an area where they were building a new shrine, what the gang described to me as ‘a lady shrine’. I guess being a female in Cambodia is tough enough to justify you needing your own place to pray.
After which we set of back towards the town [with in-car karaoke system still playing at full volume]
Passing through the town and out the other side I am told that they are going to show me an Angkorian temple that is older than Angkor Wat. On arrival we are greeted with the requisite crowd of Khmer beggars – old women, mothers with babes in arms, dirty children with big toothy grins, amputees, et cetera.
The temple itself was in a fairly bad state of repair, with a few rooms that had collapsed in on themselves and some fairly bad weather erosion n the bas-reliefs.
Still, at over 900 years old, look as good I will not.
Well, after all that we then set about trying to find a guest house, unfortunately as well as it being a holiday weekend there was also some huge conference going on in the town, we eventually found a guest house with one room free, so the five of us ended up sharing one twin room for the night?!?
Now, I was not best pleased with this arrangement, but there was very little that we could do, still I ended up paying the US$4 for the entire room for everyone and only sulked a little about it.
Next of course was the getting ready to go out for the evening meal, which with five us rotating through one bathroom took quite a bit of time.
Eventually we were all ready and we piled into the car, heading East over the long suspension bridge over the river we passed several atypical Khmer restaurants, my host asked me which one I would like to go to, not having a clue I asked him which one had the best food – the response was so typically Khmer - ‘’that one there is the cheapest’’
That simple Question and Response sums up a major cultural difference between Khmers and Barangs [foreigners] …
After a little more questioning from myself – in a subtle roundabout way – we settle on a medium price restaurant, called ‘The Heng Heng Restaurant’
Once inside Dom~Ray’s brother [have real trouble remembering Khmer names] started ordering large amounts of food and then to my surprise a lot of litre bottle of San Miguel started appearing…
He was, of course, drunk after finishing one bottle, but that did not stop him attempting a second, or third, bottle. By which point he had his arm around my shoulder and was slurring something in my ear in K’mai.
After an hour or so of this, along with some fairly bland food, he was just about asleep on the table.
I was just finishing off the best dish on the table – pickled green cabbage with peanuts – when he sat bolt upright, stared around the place and yelled for the bill.
It seems that he was late for work!?!?
When the bill came (US$12) he insisted on paying it and then we strolled back to the guest house while he headed off to his job, driving a car around the city delivering cases of San Miguel to all the bars and restaurants in town…
Waking early the following morning, before the rest of the unruly mob, I decide to slip out for a quiet breakfast with just Heng.
About 10 yards around the corner we find a Khmer pavement restaurant serving the traditional Khmer breakfast fare.
Having finished my bowl of beef, bone and intestine soup I am relaxing with an iced coffee with sweet milk, when in strolls the rest of the gang.
How did they find me? It was easy; they just asked the people outside the guest house ‘Which way did the large white man go?’
After everyone had finished eating, and I had finished my 4th coffee of the morning, we decided to take a stroll up to the local market, to have a look around and see what Kompong Cham had to offer the discerning traveller. The market carried the usual array of goods found in Khmer markets; fruit, rice, clothes, posters of Khmer pop stars, little gold Buddha statues, et cetera…
After about an hour of meandering around the market Strai’A’s phone rang, it was Dom~Ray’s brother, he had finished work and was looking for us, so we headed off back to the guest house.
Piling into the car we headed off down the road, after 10 minutes we pulled over outside a petrol station and everyone got out, when I asked what was going on I was told that this was where we caught the minibus back to Phnom Penh. It seems that Dom~Ray’s brother was not heading back to Phnom Penh. So we hung around the petrol station for half an hour until the minibus turned up. Fortunately it was relatively empty, on half a dozen of us on it – which is remarkable for a Khmer minibus which would normally have 18 people in a 12 seater; along with bags, boxes, animals, et cetera
Head off home in a minibus, bounce, bounce, bounce…
Three hours later, home, showered and laying on the sofa wondering if the back ache from the minibus ride would ever give up…
Nung’s Birthday party
Nung is the Head Barmaid at the Green Vespa bar
I frequent this particular establishment, from time to time, and it seems that Nung was inviting as many people as she could to her birthday bash
Arriving at 9pm it seems that I had missed the happy hour – or more importantly, everyone else had not missed it and had taken full advantage of it !
Nung it seems had been enjoying herself with the vast majority of customers buying her drinks and giving her presents [oops, I knew that I had forgotten something]
While ordering myself a beer I started talking to Alan the owner – who was sat at the bar just as drunk as everyone else – it turned out that everyone had been celebrating since lunchtime.
It was a very strange scene in the bar, a dozen very drunk guys all trying to chat to [and flirt with] Nung and her trying to split her time evenly with everyone who had bought her a present and had bought her drinks. I just perched myself at the end of the bar and people watched the theatre that was going on :-)
I chatted to Alan for a while – he was relatively sober – asking him how business was going, et cetera. then I called it a night, managing to slip out of the debris that was the party.
I often wonder if any psychologist has ever done a study on ex-pat life and alcoholism. Virtually every ex-pat I know spends a significant number of evenings in bars and restaurants.
Somony’s Wedding
Cambodiana Hotel. 5 Star Luxury, and then some !
Ceremony starts at 07:00 the reception in the evening starts at 17:00. So I decided to skip the ceremony and go straight to the party !
Arriving at the hotels long tree lined driveway, I felt relived that I had decided to dress up for the evening [suit and a tie!] as we were all ushered through the hotel to the rear patio we were bowed to by hotel staff positioned at every doorway [about 10 doors] whose only job it seemed was to stand at doorways and bow to guests ?!?!
Reaching the rear of the hotel we start walking down the red carpet to the reception line, shake hands with my friend Mony and he introduces me to his new bride, who then gives me a little silver box as a present for attending their wedding [now that is the way to do wedding presents!]
Down to the rear patio and gardens, tables for 600 guests set up all around with a commanding view of the confluence of the city’s 3 rivers.
Live band, alternating singers – 3 or 4 plus songs in K’mai, English, French and Spanish !?!
We were seated at table by one of Mony’s cousins that I had met a couple of months ago at the funnel party for Mony’s mother, he recognised me and promptly sat down to eat with us, his ushering duties seeming forgotten !
After a couple of glasses of wine and everyone at the table doing the usual introductions and ‘How do you know the bridge/groom’ things the food started to arrive, around 8 courses of it…
- Assorted starters
- Wild mushroom and egg soup
- Lemon Chicken
- King Prawns in batter
- Whole Roast suckling pig
- Tom Yam soup
- Boiled rice and fried rice
- Assorted fresh fruits
All served with lashings and lashing of wine.
The bride and grooms’ procession – lotus leaves thrown as confetti, camera flashing like strobe lights and the video cameraman walking backwards in front of them for the whole 100 yards.
Up on to the dais and speeches from the father of the groom and the mother of the bride.
About this time my phone rings and it is the boys from the office, they have spotted us sat on the other side of party - it is a big party, 700 odd guests - and want us to go over and join them – so we did.
As the food and crockery was being cleared away, fresh glasses were brought out, the wine was replaced with several bottle of Johnny Walker Black Label Whiskey on each table…
Red wine, whiskey, more red wine, more whiskey – all of a sudden it is hazy and it is 23:00 and everyone is heading off
Giving my Khmer colleagues the slip – they were all heading off to a karaoke bar – I dropped into the Peace Café for some peace and quiet, and in the hope that my head might stop spinning for a bit.
As it turned out eh Peace café was very peaceful, but I was far too tired to stay long, heading home I collapsed into bed and slept the sleep of the just – or the damned, depending on ones point of view.
It was a major struggle the following morning to get into the office for 07:00…
Ho Ho Ho
Merry Christmas ~ and all that jazz
As Christmas was on a Saturday this year I decided to take off the Friday, Monday and Tuesday.
Christmas Eve
‘twas the night before Christmas,
and all through the house,
not a creature was stirring,
not even a mouse’
Thought that it might be nice to go out for lunch to somewhere nice for a change – give the rice and fish a miss for a bit...
But as it turned out I could not be bothered, so Heng cooked rice…
The evening was spent relaxing in front of the TV until about 10 o’clock when I thought it was time to pop out for a quick beer and to say hello to everyone.
Heading down to the Peace Café I was surprised to see how busy it was, I guess quite a few people had decided to have a small Christmas eve celebration, we managed to while away about 4 hours without even noticing, suddenly it was 2AM and I was feeling very tired, time to call it a night.
Christmas Day
Having weighed several options, I decided to stay in Phnom Penh for Christmas and to have Christmas lunch in the Peace Café with Dave, his family and several friends.
Going to the beach was my number one choice for most of the time, but the more people I spoke to, the more said that they were going down to the beach, or their friends were. So it just seemed like most of Phnom Penh’s expat community was heading down to Sihanoukville, which is not that big a town in the first place !
I was awoken at about 07:00 on Christmas Day morning by a phone call from a friend in China wanting to wish me a Merry Christmas, I think I managed to gurgle out a few ‘ug’ ‘ug’ ‘mmm’ err Marry Christmas ug ug ‘’ and that kind of thing, my brain was not too clear at that point!
10:00
Feeling much better and much more awake now, I settle down with a large coffee and a small individual Christmas cake [thanks mum] for breakfast
After breakfast I make another pot of coffee and settle down to read the papers – The Cambodia Daily and The Phnom Penh Post - which I get delivered.
Now the two English language newspapers here are not great, the Daily comes out 6 times a week (Saturday sees a ‘weekend edition) and the PPP comes out every other Friday.
Both are rags usually less than a dozen pages of inane gossip, week old news and token international articles usually stolen from the New York Times or the Washington post – the owner is American.
The PPP usually has the edge, not to mention much better print quality, but it is still only one step up from ‘The Ealing Times’
Having finished the papers [maybe 10:10] I settle down to watch some TV and an old movie or two
03:00
Roast turkey, roast potatoes, mash potatoes, sweet corn, peas, carrots, stuffing, sausages wrapped in bacon, gravy – all washed down with a few glasses of Bordeaux
Afterwards we all nibbled at the cheese board for an hour or so and chatted about the usual nonsense that we all do, as well as wondering if we could get the Queens Speech on the BBC world service radio
After which I then shared my Harrods’s Christmas pudding [thanks Amanda] with a few of the Khmers who were there, as they had never seen one; have to say, I do not think that they were very impressed with it :-)
After we were all feeling stuffed and replete Dave had a screening of the original version of the ‘Italian Job’ as a ‘traditional Christmas movie’…
After that we watched ’24 Hour Party People
Somehow or another the time just flew by and before any of us knew what was going on it was 02:00 !?!?
Slowly winding my way the 100 yards home I slipped into bed feeling quite done in.
Boxing Day
‘Help, we have gone on holiday by mistake!’ [Withnail and I]
Woke up feeling a little restless, thought that it would be a nice change of pace to get out of the city for a bit.
So I threw the [sketchy] Cambodia road atlas I have into a rucksack, along with my camera and things, and headed out of Phnom Penh on National Highway number 1.
Now the reason that I chose National Highway [NH] number one was deeply considered and well thought out. The two main reasons being [i] it is nearest to my house [ii] I know where it is…
Crossing the Tonle Sap river by way of the Monivong bridge you come to a small Khmer market just on the otherside. While it maybe small it is certainly not quiet or sleepy, hundreds of people were entering, shopping and leaving; cars and moto’s parked everywhere – absolute road chaos, Khmer style!
Having weaved my way through the assorted road traps here; animals, small children and in-road market stalls, et cetera I get to the main part of NH 1. From here on out I only have potholes, roadwork’s and stray farm animals to wiry about ?!?
After a couple of hours I decide that I need to stop for a coffee. Pulling over at a random Khmer restaurant I order an iced coffee with sweet milk and relax for 20 minutes.
Having left the restaurant and now feeling much more refreshed I am pleased to discover that this next section of the road is in good condition and is fairly clear of traffic. Feeling more relaxed I can take in some of the scenery, dropping away from the road about 12 feet below us are rice paddy’s stretching as far as the eye can see. Interspersed between the sections of paddy are tall coconut trees in pairs – male and female trees – water buffalo wander randomly about eating whatever it is that water buffalo eat.
Occasionally there are small ponds in which people are washing themselves, or they have people fishing on them. At one point there is a fairly large section of either flooded forest or pond, which had a couple of small wooden fishing boats drifting lazily along on it, the fishermen not seeming to be doing much, other than just ambling along in the fierce heat of the Cambodian midday sun.
After an hour or so of this I suddenly, almost without warning, arrive at the ferry port. The town of Neak Loeung is split into two parts, 25% on this side of the river, the rest over the river.
Paying the 500 riel fee I crossed on this dangerous looking roll-on roll-off ferry, along with a few hundred other people, motos and cars.
The banks of the river down to and up from the river are at about 45degree angles and a few of the motos carrying 500 weight of rice were struggling, my bike, the beast, made it up without a problem.
Once over into the main town I stopped at a restaurant I had eaten in during my last visit here. It is just a small Khmer hole-in-the-wall type restaurant, but the food is fresh and tasty. Also, outside they have large tin bowls full of live lobsters, crabs and fish that they sell - or cook.
After eating a dish of stir-fried chicken in ginger and soybean sauce I head over to the best hotel in town, oops, I mean the only hotel in town, and check in for the night.
Having showered and changed I decide to take a small wander around the local market, something that I did not have time to do the last time that I was here.
It turned out to be a typical small town Khmer market, after half an hour I had seen it all, bought myself a couple of tees-shirts and was wondering out the back of it when I spotted a small stall just outside. Stopping at the stall I ordered an ice-coffee and sat for a while watching the world go by – while simultaneously the [Khmer] world was watching me not go by.
After a couple of coffees the women running the stall kept trying to press some food on me, the other couple of customers there were eating small bowls of papaya salad – which is a popular snack over here
I figure, what the hell and say yes to a small bowl
Papaya salad – long thin strips of papaya, flacked smoked fish, bean sprouts, lime, random looking green leaves and slices of small hot powerful red chillies.
It was very good, but I needed a couple more ice coffees to deal with the chillies!
Finishing my coffees and snack I thank the old ladies and head back to the hotel. Still having a few hours of sunlight I feel like getting out of town for just a little longer. There not being much to see in Neak Lueon town itself so I head out of town for an hour on NH1 towards the Vietnamese border.
Stopping after half an hour or so I pull up at a random roadside stall for an ice coffee [hey, it is hot out here!] within ten minutes of me being there I have a crowd of about 12 Khmers around me looking at me and chatting to me, pigeon English, pigeon Khmer, hand gestures, it is a fun 20 minutes when I realise that the sun is getting very low in the sky.
Reluctantly I leave my new friends and start the ride back to the hotel.
The sun is setting on the left, tree lined horizon, rice paddy’s and flooded field filling the fore view – the Cambodia heartland, a much needed change of view and pace after Phnom Penh
Back to hotel, shower, change and ask a random motodop for the best restaurant in town ?!?
After a 20 minute moto ride out into the middle of nowhere with no street lights and almost no houses we turn off down a dirt road towards some trees. This is it I thought, I am going to be mugged in the middle of nowhere by this guys friends and there is nothing I can do about it !
Turning a corner on the dirt road we are suddenly face to face with a large, brightly lit restaurant full of people.
How relieved am I !!!
The food at the restaurant appears to be somewhat limited in choice, but it turns out to be very, very, tasty.
Restaurant in the middle of nowhere
- ground pork, onion and bean sprout omelettes with salad and herbs
- beef stew; onion, carrots, bok choy, morning glory, noodles, soya
- a few Tiger Beers…
27th – Heading Back to PP
The following morning I have a bit of a late start, laying in bed until midmorning, after which I checkout and stroll around the corner for the traditional Khmer breakfast – rice and bacon, sweet chilli sauce, pickled veg and fish broth…
After which, all that is left is for me to start retracing my steps, first of all to the hotel, then to the ferry and then to Phnom Penh.
The journey home is pretty much the same as the journey out here, with me even stopping at the same restaurant as on the way out for a midway coffee break.
The only change in routine was a stop for petrol, way, way cheaper than in PP due to it being smuggled into Cambodia from Vietnam in this part of the country! As well as a stop at a local market to buy sheets of dried mango, green mango, sweet mango and corn on the cob [1,000 riel (12p) for 10 cooked corn on the cob, bargain!]
Until after two and a half hours I am back home at last !!!
*********
New Years Eve will be covered in January’s update, as will January field trips to Battambang province and Kompong Chhnang...
December 2004 in Cambodia
Crab Night
Back at the beginning of the month a friend of mine – who owns and runs a couple of Cambodia websites [ http://www.khmer440.com/ ] spent a week down at Kampot and Kep beach – allegedly doing research for his new, soon to be launched, travel website – hotel bookings, reviews of; restaurant, bars, temples, places of interest, et cetera..
On his last day there he bought a couple of dozen marine crabs – violet vinegar crabs I believe the species is.
As he was sat in the back of the taxi with them all trying to make a bid for freedom, he was phoning round a few of us to meet up, have a few drinks and to eat crab.
Now, I like crab, but have always been of the opinion that they are a lot like hard work to eat, all that dismembering, cracking, disembowelling, more cracking, but what the hell I thought, sounds like it would be a fun evening if nothing else.
So we all met up at the Peace Café, had a couple of aperitif’s – a few glasses of chilled Tio Pepe; as fine a fino sherry as one can get out here - and headed back to his place to start boiling crabs to death.
Now, Pete was the first one through the door and when those of us following him heard him exclaim ‘oh shit!’ at rather a loud volume we wondered what was up.
Entering into his flat we could see that a box on his dining table was over turned and that 2 dozen crabs were scuttling around the table, the work surface, the floor. One made a twitchy advance for the door, quick little buggers that they were, they were not quick enough. The great crab round up began, as we crawled around the floor, poked behind fridges, bookcases, work units, et cetera.
Having spent half an hour rounding up stray crustaceans we felt much less squeamish about boiling them to death, ripping them apart and scoffing them down with a few jugs of Pimm’s - the latter a relatively recent arrival in Cambodia and one that seems to be popular with us English ex-pats.
To accompany the crab I threw together a simple green salad and made a tangy citrus lime and roasted garlic dressing.
Having eaten our fill, and then some, we headed back to the Peace Café for a digestif and nightcap.
Ah, for a smoky 18 year old Scotch. Alas, Cambodia is not yet equipped with such things, so we made do with Jameson’s Irish instead.
Senses fully satiated we all went our separate ways around 2AM
Long weekend in Kompong Cham province.
Guest of the Dom~Ray family… Sort of…
At 07:00 on Friday morning there was a pounding on my door. It was Heng, Strai’A and Dom~Ray. The car was waiting outside and we were all off on a jolly holiday weekend to the provinces.
National Highway 7 is the road from Phnom Penh to K. Cham. If you say that [write that] fast enough it gives the impression of it being a motorway, or any other sort of main road…
The best road in the country is National Highway 4, which goes from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville [the main beach resort] that road is the equivalent to an English ‘B Road’ [normally at this point I might translate a few such items for my Transatlantic readers, but you idiots voted Bush back in for a second term so my sympathy for things American is at a new all time low]
Anyhow, back to National Highway 7. Once upon a time NH7 might have had a surface of tarmac, free of potholes, but oh no, not any more. Three hours of bouncing, jolting, banging and sweating
Well, we arrived at K. Cham in just about enough time to go and have something to eat.
We dine in what can only be described as a bamboo garden shed with no walls, sitting on the [raised] floor on rush mats and eating a selection of the local delicacy’s – boiled fish, fried fish, fish soup…
After which Dom~Ray’s brother is to play as tour guide for us for the rest of the afternoon. We drive for an hour and half through what can only be described as a ploughed field to the reservoir, so that I can look at the water and see some fishermen pottering about on boats – guess that they thought I may not have seen such a sight before working for the Ministry of Fish…
The whole of the way there the in-car TV/DVD Player had Khmer karaoke on at the usual ear-bleeding volume, over which everyone shouted at each other to be heard
After which we head of to a pagoda so that the Khmers can pray and I can stare at a 30 foot high golden statue of Buddha – was annoyed with myself at this point for forgetting my camera, it was a fairly spectacular sight.
Also in the grounds were; a huge ancient library of Buddhist scroll and teaching, a smaller temple and an area where they were building a new shrine, what the gang described to me as ‘a lady shrine’. I guess being a female in Cambodia is tough enough to justify you needing your own place to pray.
After which we set of back towards the town [with in-car karaoke system still playing at full volume]
Passing through the town and out the other side I am told that they are going to show me an Angkorian temple that is older than Angkor Wat. On arrival we are greeted with the requisite crowd of Khmer beggars – old women, mothers with babes in arms, dirty children with big toothy grins, amputees, et cetera.
The temple itself was in a fairly bad state of repair, with a few rooms that had collapsed in on themselves and some fairly bad weather erosion n the bas-reliefs.
Still, at over 900 years old, look as good I will not.
Well, after all that we then set about trying to find a guest house, unfortunately as well as it being a holiday weekend there was also some huge conference going on in the town, we eventually found a guest house with one room free, so the five of us ended up sharing one twin room for the night?!?
Now, I was not best pleased with this arrangement, but there was very little that we could do, still I ended up paying the US$4 for the entire room for everyone and only sulked a little about it.
Next of course was the getting ready to go out for the evening meal, which with five us rotating through one bathroom took quite a bit of time.
Eventually we were all ready and we piled into the car, heading East over the long suspension bridge over the river we passed several atypical Khmer restaurants, my host asked me which one I would like to go to, not having a clue I asked him which one had the best food – the response was so typically Khmer - ‘’that one there is the cheapest’’
That simple Question and Response sums up a major cultural difference between Khmers and Barangs [foreigners] …
After a little more questioning from myself – in a subtle roundabout way – we settle on a medium price restaurant, called ‘The Heng Heng Restaurant’
Once inside Dom~Ray’s brother [have real trouble remembering Khmer names] started ordering large amounts of food and then to my surprise a lot of litre bottle of San Miguel started appearing…
He was, of course, drunk after finishing one bottle, but that did not stop him attempting a second, or third, bottle. By which point he had his arm around my shoulder and was slurring something in my ear in K’mai.
After an hour or so of this, along with some fairly bland food, he was just about asleep on the table.
I was just finishing off the best dish on the table – pickled green cabbage with peanuts – when he sat bolt upright, stared around the place and yelled for the bill.
It seems that he was late for work!?!?
When the bill came (US$12) he insisted on paying it and then we strolled back to the guest house while he headed off to his job, driving a car around the city delivering cases of San Miguel to all the bars and restaurants in town…
Waking early the following morning, before the rest of the unruly mob, I decide to slip out for a quiet breakfast with just Heng.
About 10 yards around the corner we find a Khmer pavement restaurant serving the traditional Khmer breakfast fare.
Having finished my bowl of beef, bone and intestine soup I am relaxing with an iced coffee with sweet milk, when in strolls the rest of the gang.
How did they find me? It was easy; they just asked the people outside the guest house ‘Which way did the large white man go?’
After everyone had finished eating, and I had finished my 4th coffee of the morning, we decided to take a stroll up to the local market, to have a look around and see what Kompong Cham had to offer the discerning traveller. The market carried the usual array of goods found in Khmer markets; fruit, rice, clothes, posters of Khmer pop stars, little gold Buddha statues, et cetera…
After about an hour of meandering around the market Strai’A’s phone rang, it was Dom~Ray’s brother, he had finished work and was looking for us, so we headed off back to the guest house.
Piling into the car we headed off down the road, after 10 minutes we pulled over outside a petrol station and everyone got out, when I asked what was going on I was told that this was where we caught the minibus back to Phnom Penh. It seems that Dom~Ray’s brother was not heading back to Phnom Penh. So we hung around the petrol station for half an hour until the minibus turned up. Fortunately it was relatively empty, on half a dozen of us on it – which is remarkable for a Khmer minibus which would normally have 18 people in a 12 seater; along with bags, boxes, animals, et cetera
Head off home in a minibus, bounce, bounce, bounce…
Three hours later, home, showered and laying on the sofa wondering if the back ache from the minibus ride would ever give up…
Nung’s Birthday party
Nung is the Head Barmaid at the Green Vespa bar
I frequent this particular establishment, from time to time, and it seems that Nung was inviting as many people as she could to her birthday bash
Arriving at 9pm it seems that I had missed the happy hour – or more importantly, everyone else had not missed it and had taken full advantage of it !
Nung it seems had been enjoying herself with the vast majority of customers buying her drinks and giving her presents [oops, I knew that I had forgotten something]
While ordering myself a beer I started talking to Alan the owner – who was sat at the bar just as drunk as everyone else – it turned out that everyone had been celebrating since lunchtime.
It was a very strange scene in the bar, a dozen very drunk guys all trying to chat to [and flirt with] Nung and her trying to split her time evenly with everyone who had bought her a present and had bought her drinks. I just perched myself at the end of the bar and people watched the theatre that was going on :-)
I chatted to Alan for a while – he was relatively sober – asking him how business was going, et cetera. then I called it a night, managing to slip out of the debris that was the party.
I often wonder if any psychologist has ever done a study on ex-pat life and alcoholism. Virtually every ex-pat I know spends a significant number of evenings in bars and restaurants.
Somony’s Wedding
Cambodiana Hotel. 5 Star Luxury, and then some !
Ceremony starts at 07:00 the reception in the evening starts at 17:00. So I decided to skip the ceremony and go straight to the party !
Arriving at the hotels long tree lined driveway, I felt relived that I had decided to dress up for the evening [suit and a tie!] as we were all ushered through the hotel to the rear patio we were bowed to by hotel staff positioned at every doorway [about 10 doors] whose only job it seemed was to stand at doorways and bow to guests ?!?!
Reaching the rear of the hotel we start walking down the red carpet to the reception line, shake hands with my friend Mony and he introduces me to his new bride, who then gives me a little silver box as a present for attending their wedding [now that is the way to do wedding presents!]
Down to the rear patio and gardens, tables for 600 guests set up all around with a commanding view of the confluence of the city’s 3 rivers.
Live band, alternating singers – 3 or 4 plus songs in K’mai, English, French and Spanish !?!
We were seated at table by one of Mony’s cousins that I had met a couple of months ago at the funnel party for Mony’s mother, he recognised me and promptly sat down to eat with us, his ushering duties seeming forgotten !
After a couple of glasses of wine and everyone at the table doing the usual introductions and ‘How do you know the bridge/groom’ things the food started to arrive, around 8 courses of it…
- Assorted starters
- Wild mushroom and egg soup
- Lemon Chicken
- King Prawns in batter
- Whole Roast suckling pig
- Tom Yam soup
- Boiled rice and fried rice
- Assorted fresh fruits
All served with lashings and lashing of wine.
The bride and grooms’ procession – lotus leaves thrown as confetti, camera flashing like strobe lights and the video cameraman walking backwards in front of them for the whole 100 yards.
Up on to the dais and speeches from the father of the groom and the mother of the bride.
About this time my phone rings and it is the boys from the office, they have spotted us sat on the other side of party - it is a big party, 700 odd guests - and want us to go over and join them – so we did.
As the food and crockery was being cleared away, fresh glasses were brought out, the wine was replaced with several bottle of Johnny Walker Black Label Whiskey on each table…
Red wine, whiskey, more red wine, more whiskey – all of a sudden it is hazy and it is 23:00 and everyone is heading off
Giving my Khmer colleagues the slip – they were all heading off to a karaoke bar – I dropped into the Peace Café for some peace and quiet, and in the hope that my head might stop spinning for a bit.
As it turned out eh Peace café was very peaceful, but I was far too tired to stay long, heading home I collapsed into bed and slept the sleep of the just – or the damned, depending on ones point of view.
It was a major struggle the following morning to get into the office for 07:00…
Ho Ho Ho
Merry Christmas ~ and all that jazz
As Christmas was on a Saturday this year I decided to take off the Friday, Monday and Tuesday.
Christmas Eve
‘twas the night before Christmas,
and all through the house,
not a creature was stirring,
not even a mouse’
Thought that it might be nice to go out for lunch to somewhere nice for a change – give the rice and fish a miss for a bit...
But as it turned out I could not be bothered, so Heng cooked rice…
The evening was spent relaxing in front of the TV until about 10 o’clock when I thought it was time to pop out for a quick beer and to say hello to everyone.
Heading down to the Peace Café I was surprised to see how busy it was, I guess quite a few people had decided to have a small Christmas eve celebration, we managed to while away about 4 hours without even noticing, suddenly it was 2AM and I was feeling very tired, time to call it a night.
Christmas Day
Having weighed several options, I decided to stay in Phnom Penh for Christmas and to have Christmas lunch in the Peace Café with Dave, his family and several friends.
Going to the beach was my number one choice for most of the time, but the more people I spoke to, the more said that they were going down to the beach, or their friends were. So it just seemed like most of Phnom Penh’s expat community was heading down to Sihanoukville, which is not that big a town in the first place !
I was awoken at about 07:00 on Christmas Day morning by a phone call from a friend in China wanting to wish me a Merry Christmas, I think I managed to gurgle out a few ‘ug’ ‘ug’ ‘mmm’ err Marry Christmas ug ug ‘’ and that kind of thing, my brain was not too clear at that point!
10:00
Feeling much better and much more awake now, I settle down with a large coffee and a small individual Christmas cake [thanks mum] for breakfast
After breakfast I make another pot of coffee and settle down to read the papers – The Cambodia Daily and The Phnom Penh Post - which I get delivered.
Now the two English language newspapers here are not great, the Daily comes out 6 times a week (Saturday sees a ‘weekend edition) and the PPP comes out every other Friday.
Both are rags usually less than a dozen pages of inane gossip, week old news and token international articles usually stolen from the New York Times or the Washington post – the owner is American.
The PPP usually has the edge, not to mention much better print quality, but it is still only one step up from ‘The Ealing Times’
Having finished the papers [maybe 10:10] I settle down to watch some TV and an old movie or two
03:00
Roast turkey, roast potatoes, mash potatoes, sweet corn, peas, carrots, stuffing, sausages wrapped in bacon, gravy – all washed down with a few glasses of Bordeaux
Afterwards we all nibbled at the cheese board for an hour or so and chatted about the usual nonsense that we all do, as well as wondering if we could get the Queens Speech on the BBC world service radio
After which I then shared my Harrods’s Christmas pudding [thanks Amanda] with a few of the Khmers who were there, as they had never seen one; have to say, I do not think that they were very impressed with it :-)
After we were all feeling stuffed and replete Dave had a screening of the original version of the ‘Italian Job’ as a ‘traditional Christmas movie’…
After that we watched ’24 Hour Party People
Somehow or another the time just flew by and before any of us knew what was going on it was 02:00 !?!?
Slowly winding my way the 100 yards home I slipped into bed feeling quite done in.
Boxing Day
‘Help, we have gone on holiday by mistake!’ [Withnail and I]
Woke up feeling a little restless, thought that it would be a nice change of pace to get out of the city for a bit.
So I threw the [sketchy] Cambodia road atlas I have into a rucksack, along with my camera and things, and headed out of Phnom Penh on National Highway number 1.
Now the reason that I chose National Highway [NH] number one was deeply considered and well thought out. The two main reasons being [i] it is nearest to my house [ii] I know where it is…
Crossing the Tonle Sap river by way of the Monivong bridge you come to a small Khmer market just on the otherside. While it maybe small it is certainly not quiet or sleepy, hundreds of people were entering, shopping and leaving; cars and moto’s parked everywhere – absolute road chaos, Khmer style!
Having weaved my way through the assorted road traps here; animals, small children and in-road market stalls, et cetera I get to the main part of NH 1. From here on out I only have potholes, roadwork’s and stray farm animals to wiry about ?!?
After a couple of hours I decide that I need to stop for a coffee. Pulling over at a random Khmer restaurant I order an iced coffee with sweet milk and relax for 20 minutes.
Having left the restaurant and now feeling much more refreshed I am pleased to discover that this next section of the road is in good condition and is fairly clear of traffic. Feeling more relaxed I can take in some of the scenery, dropping away from the road about 12 feet below us are rice paddy’s stretching as far as the eye can see. Interspersed between the sections of paddy are tall coconut trees in pairs – male and female trees – water buffalo wander randomly about eating whatever it is that water buffalo eat.
Occasionally there are small ponds in which people are washing themselves, or they have people fishing on them. At one point there is a fairly large section of either flooded forest or pond, which had a couple of small wooden fishing boats drifting lazily along on it, the fishermen not seeming to be doing much, other than just ambling along in the fierce heat of the Cambodian midday sun.
After an hour or so of this I suddenly, almost without warning, arrive at the ferry port. The town of Neak Loeung is split into two parts, 25% on this side of the river, the rest over the river.
Paying the 500 riel fee I crossed on this dangerous looking roll-on roll-off ferry, along with a few hundred other people, motos and cars.
The banks of the river down to and up from the river are at about 45degree angles and a few of the motos carrying 500 weight of rice were struggling, my bike, the beast, made it up without a problem.
Once over into the main town I stopped at a restaurant I had eaten in during my last visit here. It is just a small Khmer hole-in-the-wall type restaurant, but the food is fresh and tasty. Also, outside they have large tin bowls full of live lobsters, crabs and fish that they sell - or cook.
After eating a dish of stir-fried chicken in ginger and soybean sauce I head over to the best hotel in town, oops, I mean the only hotel in town, and check in for the night.
Having showered and changed I decide to take a small wander around the local market, something that I did not have time to do the last time that I was here.
It turned out to be a typical small town Khmer market, after half an hour I had seen it all, bought myself a couple of tees-shirts and was wondering out the back of it when I spotted a small stall just outside. Stopping at the stall I ordered an ice-coffee and sat for a while watching the world go by – while simultaneously the [Khmer] world was watching me not go by.
After a couple of coffees the women running the stall kept trying to press some food on me, the other couple of customers there were eating small bowls of papaya salad – which is a popular snack over here
I figure, what the hell and say yes to a small bowl
Papaya salad – long thin strips of papaya, flacked smoked fish, bean sprouts, lime, random looking green leaves and slices of small hot powerful red chillies.
It was very good, but I needed a couple more ice coffees to deal with the chillies!
Finishing my coffees and snack I thank the old ladies and head back to the hotel. Still having a few hours of sunlight I feel like getting out of town for just a little longer. There not being much to see in Neak Lueon town itself so I head out of town for an hour on NH1 towards the Vietnamese border.
Stopping after half an hour or so I pull up at a random roadside stall for an ice coffee [hey, it is hot out here!] within ten minutes of me being there I have a crowd of about 12 Khmers around me looking at me and chatting to me, pigeon English, pigeon Khmer, hand gestures, it is a fun 20 minutes when I realise that the sun is getting very low in the sky.
Reluctantly I leave my new friends and start the ride back to the hotel.
The sun is setting on the left, tree lined horizon, rice paddy’s and flooded field filling the fore view – the Cambodia heartland, a much needed change of view and pace after Phnom Penh
Back to hotel, shower, change and ask a random motodop for the best restaurant in town ?!?
After a 20 minute moto ride out into the middle of nowhere with no street lights and almost no houses we turn off down a dirt road towards some trees. This is it I thought, I am going to be mugged in the middle of nowhere by this guys friends and there is nothing I can do about it !
Turning a corner on the dirt road we are suddenly face to face with a large, brightly lit restaurant full of people.
How relieved am I !!!
The food at the restaurant appears to be somewhat limited in choice, but it turns out to be very, very, tasty.
Restaurant in the middle of nowhere
- ground pork, onion and bean sprout omelettes with salad and herbs
- beef stew; onion, carrots, bok choy, morning glory, noodles, soya
- a few Tiger Beers…
27th – Heading Back to PP
The following morning I have a bit of a late start, laying in bed until midmorning, after which I checkout and stroll around the corner for the traditional Khmer breakfast – rice and bacon, sweet chilli sauce, pickled veg and fish broth…
After which, all that is left is for me to start retracing my steps, first of all to the hotel, then to the ferry and then to Phnom Penh.
The journey home is pretty much the same as the journey out here, with me even stopping at the same restaurant as on the way out for a midway coffee break.
The only change in routine was a stop for petrol, way, way cheaper than in PP due to it being smuggled into Cambodia from Vietnam in this part of the country! As well as a stop at a local market to buy sheets of dried mango, green mango, sweet mango and corn on the cob [1,000 riel (12p) for 10 cooked corn on the cob, bargain!]
Until after two and a half hours I am back home at last !!!
*********
New Years Eve will be covered in January’s update, as will January field trips to Battambang province and Kompong Chhnang...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)