Cambodia, here I come

11th Sept 2008 - After 2 hours of flight from KLIA on board MAS, we finally touched down : Siem Reap International Airport !

The night before, I was so excited about going on the trip. A close friend whom I hang out with a few days before the trip commented how excited I seem to be, compared to my pre-Bali trip earlier this year. Hmm ... Good things do come my way ^_^ Bought lots of kiasu stuff such as knee guards (had to use them when I climbed Mount Kinabalu and the Pinnacles in Mulu Caves some 15 years ago ... so, this round, I thought I'd better prepare myself to combat sore knees, thighs and calves !!!). Also bought muscle pain relief cream, some diarrhea medicine and mosquito repellent patches ^_^ Also exchanged Ringgit to USD : the rate was RM3.445 to USD1

After meeting our guesthouse airport transfer guide, we were then transported to The Villa Siem Reap. A quaint and comfy purple guesthouse with air-cond and water heater. Shared out room rate was USD90 per person for 5 nights. Ok lah ... affordable. Some more got 60 TV channels to choose from. Dove shampoo leh. Not bad huh? Love the orchids placed in our room :-)

Our first stop for the day was Tonle Sap Lake via a pleasant boat ride, one of the places with the more meadows of the Kampuchean everyday life and their reality. Here, all the life proceeds around water. Full of fishes, it shelters lake villages. Most of the goods arrive by the lake and it is the lung of Siem Reap, because the main roads to join the other cities are in too bad condition. It is the largest lake of Cambodia with many houses with roof built of straw or sheets, assembled on pile or floats.

We saw children studying in a floating school, traders showcasing their produce on little sampans or on their floating house-boats, little children jumping into the milky river for their daily fun baths. Life, to them, seem to be very much simpler and care-free? I really cannot imagine myself living in such an environment !

The locals also breed crocodiles and we had the luck to witness a feeding session .... the crocs were fed with life fishes .... so yuckily bloody !

As we climb up the platform for a better view of the lake and its surroundings, strong gushes of wind gave us fresh breaths of air and we felt thoroughly refreshed despite the non-rest after our flight.



For tea-break, we dropped by a local eatery, with hammocks hanging next to very low dining tables ... have always enjoyed the feeling of being swayed while enjoying the breeze back then (during my childhood days !! ... hahhhh ... those care-free days). Have always wanted to hang a hammock at my house ... hmm ... will surely get one of those good quality ones ... one day ...

Nice simple dishes : fried rice, steamed little prawns, fried 'bird', mixed veg. Also tried pole fishing ... managed to fish one tiny little fellow ... YEAH! after which, didn't have the heart to see that little fellow suffer ... so, let it go back into the river ...

Our next stop : Artisan Angkor where skilled craftsmen carves, sculpts, weaves and paint away ... bought a nice pinkish cotton scarf.
Next, we did some shopping in the market. Lots of handbags, scarves, t-shirts, silver accesories, etc on sale. Bargain, bargain, bargain and more bargain until we are satisfied after more than 50% off ... ha ha ... what else can 5 young ladies do in a market so popular for tourists like us ... Almost all shops sell the same things ... wonder why ... competitions aplenty ... how to get rich huh? Anyway, that's how we see it ... better for bargainers .... but less variety ...

For dinner, we were introduced to Pub Street where most foreigners would throng to for a chill-out on evenings. So, upon arriving at the Pub Street, we went in search of some nice restaurants strongly recommended by tourists on the internet and ended up in Khmer Kitchen Restaurant. Very nice Khmer curry, stir-fried morning glory (hey, didn't know morning glory leaves can be eaten ... yummy ...), egg-plants, pumpkin ... yummy, yummy !!! All dishes were gobbled up nice and clean ... unbelievable ! Beers were so much cheaper than mineral water / juices ! Ordered a jug for only USD4 ! Dinner ended with supper almost immediately ... caught a local 'roti canai' stall by the road side on our walk back to our guest house ... in the form of pancake laced with egg yolk, condensed milk and milo ... very very tasty ... highly recommended ya !

The night ended with a quick shower and a quick climb into bed. My room-mates told me the next day that I mumbled in Cantonese, shortly after I have gone to sleep : "Wei ! Big bro ! Still don't want to sleep ah? Tomorrow still got to wake up early leh !" Oh dear, didn't know I do talk in my sleep ... ha ha ha ... perhaps it was a deliberate warning to my room-mates for watching TV late into the night ... Guess they cannot help enjoying the many TV channels after all. Slept well though ...