A Different Side of Life

"Dog carcass in alley this morning, tire tread on burst stomach.

This city is afraid of me. I have seen its true face.
The streets are extended gutters and the gutters are full of blood and when the drains finally scab over, all the vermin will drown.
The accumulated filth of all their sex and murder will foam up about their waists and all the whores and politicians will look up and shout "Save Us!".....
...and I'll look down, and whisper, "No"."

- Watchmen

Don't get why people are surprised when I mention a holiday to Cambodia

Yeah I get that its not a usual place for mi to go for a 'holiday', 3rd world country, poverty, filth and no luxury shopping, well there IS a different side to me....just whether you get to see it or not.

Im glad I went, despite leaving behind a mounting pile of work backlog, debts and came home struck by a 2-week long illness.

From knowing nothing except few keys words to describe Cambodia: "khmer rouge" "pol pot" "angkor wat", I can now proudly recite their history to anyone who cares to know.

Over 5 days and 4 nights, I traversed a part of Asia I never once gave much thought about and had imagined the worst of it. Thanks for the ride, the history lessons and the solitary moments of reflections.

SIEM REAP

Chilly Moments

I warm up to Siem Reap the minute I touched down - the chilly wind smacks right in my face as I stepped out into the sunlight, which reminded me of the time when i first stepped out of Fukuoka airport. Our driver was hospitable and pick us up in a car instead of tuk-tuk to avoid the cold. And man, their command of english is amazingly good. Too bad he couldn't continue the job and got his kaki to help.

Breasts
Dunno why marv got shell-shocked at the sight of a mother breast-feeding..though i admit it ain't often you get to see boobies flashin around like that..but hey its third world country like you said...

English

Competitive environment > Survival of the fittest > Superb command of English language > Gawky tourists blown away like us.

'Nuff said.

Angkor Wat
Finally. Finally finally I get to stand there and soak in the aura of the majestic temple spread out over acres of land. Though ruined, run-down and brimming of tourists, the melancholic and regal vibes of the bygone era were bouncing off the carved granite like sparks off firecrackers.

Satisfied.

See if you can spot me....

Good Vibes
Yep, Seap Reap gave off good vibes; Be it the environment, the place. Like how everything is pretty much contained within the area and that made it a lot accessible. Local food really sux in the morning bcoz i didnt appreciate ants in my breakfast. Night life was pretty happening compared to Phomn Penh. Oh of course not forgetting the buggies that were relentless in their show of hospitality to me across 3 days. Spiders on my mosquito net, ants in my bee hoon soup, cockroach on the bus window inches away from me, bugs landing repeatedly in my dinner soup...the list goes on.

No, I dun want any pesticide thank you.

Yum.

Bliss of ignorance

PHOMN PENH

Accomodation
I lurve our Frangipani boutique hotel with the 'unique' bathroom. The neighbourhood is quiet, breakfast is provided. The room ultra spacious. Geez it just gets better. Acting on a whim of rashness and spontaneity, we found out my 'dream' hotel The Quay was pretty affordable, and so..we changed hotel :) Since we couldnt stay in the ultra-luxe frenchie hotel in Siem Reap, this was definitely the next best thing. And man, the frenchie hotel really stood out like a sore thumb on the streets of Siem Reap.

Good n Comfy

Better n Chic

Best n unaffordable

- Between a thin wall of concrete stood 2 worlds in complete reverse

Genocide
I finally get to see the aftermath of the famed genocide torture cell. It was pretty surreal to even be there, let alone see the eroding metal bed frame still in the cells, and a picture of the same bed hanging on the nearby wall - with a torture victim on it. Mug shots of victims, their clothes, torture devices, stains, writings, commandments. A hush of silence, out of disturbia and respect fell along the corridors of Tuol Sleng

The lone metal bed frame stood innocently admist a history of torrential violence, radiating evil and malevolence.

"No espression of joy and laughter" - out of respect to the victims and place

Children's bone stacked underneath a tree in the Killing Fields

On our way back to town, visited a rubbish dump where families reside and have their children pick useful garbage to sell


Dusty-Very. Super. Ultimate.

As we travelled by tuk-tuk through out the trip, we were naturally exposed to the elements of the environment. The amount of dust and sand floating around is scary, so much so I rather wrap myself up into a padi field aunty than to be exposed to it. On a daily basis, I could feel the pile and layer of dust accumulating on my skin as the day wears off, and had to go back to hotel to scrub it off. Thank gawd for that trip to the spa.

~ I suppose its one of those places to go once in your lifetime and with the speed of development, it'll be some time before you'll need to go back again ~