flip'n travels

Knowing locals and immersing in their everyday lives  are the things that we never failed doing whenever we go out on a trip. It’s a leaning, enriching and inspiring experience. It makes us feel like toddlers all over again–ignorant and clueless as blank slates.

My favorite subject is people, particularly children. Watching them while they play (or work), inspires us to sit down and start writing and tell their stories. Or, take their pictures, to show their smiles and how they see the world through their unclouded eyes.

Each one got something to say and a story to tell. We draw courage to ask and play the game of charades to send the messages across. Most of the time, a moment of non-verbal interaction is enough for us to feel the non-categorical connection.

We saw dreams, desires, beliefs and an candid emotions of people we stumbled-upon. We are the strangers, and they are the generous hosts who openned their doors for us.

We still believe in the innate kindness of people, and that a simple gestures like a nod or a smile to a stranger will open-up barriers of social connections. We have met amazing characters as we walk around the towns, cities and unbeaten paths. We’re lucky to keep some of them and maintain constant lines of connection.

Though there were some that we barely got the chance of knowing them, not even asking for their names. At times we failed getting their email addresses and phone numbers, simply because they don’t have one. Our only remembrance of them would be those moments that we captured through the lenses of our cameras and inks blotted on our journals.

We are truly grateful to the Khmer people, for opening up their lives and letting us in… qualmlessly.

The town of Siem Reap is a provincial capital, a concrete oasis sprouted out of the vast land of scattered temples, rice fields and jungle. It has its own international airport and a fair share of first class accommodations. No building is higher than three floors and most of the establishments are converted or made to cater tourists from all over the world, that is in a form of hotels, restaurants, massage parlors, bars and the list goes on. Pub street (where our hostel is located) is the heart of the town. Beer is flowing 24/7 and looking around, majority of the populace walking were tourists from US and Europe, there’s not a lot of Asian travelers (Other than those groups of Koreans wearing a field trip uniform shirt and hat).

Food is one of the many things I love about this place, it’s inexpensive and the flavors charmed our  palates. The taste of dishes in Indochina has a unified theme: the presence of coconut milk, noodles, rice, chili peppers, myriads of spices and (of course) hints of lime. But Cambodian cuisine maintained an identity and character unique from the neighboring countries.

A vendor selling Le’s Hal. Dried river shells with salt and chili.

It’s always a warning for tourists to be careful of what to eat in this side of the continent, but HECK! We want it down and dirty! I’m a nurse and part of my pre-trip preparation is to make sure I can perform first aid in cases of ailments (from diarrhea to mild myocardial infarct).

Upon arrival, I was half expecting that a vendor would approach us to sell some sort of sautéed tarantula or a jungle bug hors d’oeuvre, but it didn’t happen. So we just made-use of the menus in Pub street restaurants flooded with American/European retirees for our pseudo–Cambodian food trip.

Yes, in Cambodia they have a sweet and spicy delicacy called A-ping (Fried Skuon Tarantula), don’t fret, it’s just like eating crablets!

After feasting on our late breakfast at Common Grounds, we walked across the town center. Upon passing along Pub street we noticed that there’s one common poster outside the resto’s—BEER 25c/bottle. And ANGKOR BEER is the best I tasted to date. Too bad, I can’t bring some bottles back home. Bought a souvenir shirt though.

Due to our limited budget, we cannot try all the dishes in the menu, we chose those dishes that were recommended by our friend Meang.

Amok is the most popular Cambodian dish among tourists. If you can’t brave eating sautéed tarantula (Skuon a-ping), then this one could be for you. It’s a cod fish fillet bathe and stewed in a concoction of coconut milk, turmeric, paprika, curry powder, ginger, garlic, chili pepper, kaffir lime and fish sauce (aka. kroeung). We tried out several varieties served in different restaurants, but my favorite is the one served at Kkmer Family Restaurant in Pub street.

Loc Lac is Stir fried cubed beef served with fresh red onions, served on a bed of lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes and dipped in a sauce consisting of lime juice and/or black pepper. This is derived from the Vietnamese dish known as Bò lúc lac. It’s not Vietnamese, but khmer krom cuisine. Khmer krom are indigenous khmers in southern Vietnam.

Kuyteav, a rice stick noodle soup which is one local specialty that we tried. We bought it from the carinderia-style or street vendor make-shift restaurant. This is the tuktuk drivers’ favorite hang-out place while waiting for the tourists. It’s around 5,000 riels (about US$1) per serving. The lady kept on refilling my bowl before I even actually consume half of it.

One interesting place where you can dine, talk and hang-out is Temple Bar along Pub street. They got an al fresco cafe right outside, a Club on the first floor and a balcony restaurant upstairs.

They have an Apsara performance every night, showcasing the traditional dance and music of Cambodia. Meang, reserved a table for us on our last night in Siem Reap, it is usually fully booked so make sure to reserve in the morning before hitting the road to Angkor.

We didn’t really get the right opportunity to give the Cambodian Cuisine a fair chance due to our limited budget. There’s a lot gastronomic kitchens to explore, from the familiar treats like the counterpart of the Filipino Balut to the exotic and unique arachnoid-fear factor-ish cuisine adventure. And maybe next time we will get a shot to try their famous ‘Happy’ Pizza (wink!). So we promised to go back… SOON!

There is such a thing as being lost to reality. A reality spun by ancient dream weavers so that what you see is a reflection of what used to be. Angkor’s magic is like such, and we were willing to get lost in its web. 

Banteay Srei, also known as the ‘Citadel of Women’ or ‘Citadel of Beauty’ because of its intricate carvings, was said to have been dedicated to Yajnyavahara, a courtier of King Rajendravarman, who was known for his philantrophy. Originally known as Tribhuvanamahesvara — great lord of the threefold world, the temple is greatly dedicated to Shiva and partly to Vishnu.  

The carvings are more pronounced here than anywhere else as the great Hindu stories of the old lend themselves to the the red sandstone from which the temple is made of. The pediments, the roughly triangular spaces above rectangular doorways or openings, depict scenes from Ramayana while lintels, horizontal beams spanning the gap between two posts, support the reliefs and at the same time, decorate doorways with carvings of numerous apsara dancers. 

A few minutes of tuk-tuk ride and we found ourselves rounding the pools of Neak Pean meaning ‘The Entwined Serpents’ or ‘Coiled Serpents’, deriving the name from the Nagas (snakes) that encirle the temple. King Jayavarman VII had this built for medical purposes. The Hindu belief of balance is shown with the presence of four pools representing Earth (elephant), Wind (man), Fire (lion) and Water (horse). They are connected by the main pool at the center where the statue of Bahala (Bodhisattva Guan Yin transformed into a horse) ferries the people to safety.  

We are long gone from the surreal world that is Angkor, but the images are as real as if I can touch them in a handspan. We can’t wait to be lost in her arms once again…

Once, Shiva, a very powerful god, grew tired of the cycle of life and death and reincarnations. He decided to give up the pleasures of life and he smeared his body in ash and he didnt eat or drink or indulge in any physical pleasure. This created a terrible fire within him. It transformed him into a blazing lingam which threatened to destroy all creation. The other gods didnt know what to do. A yoni appeared, the symbol of the goddess. She absorbed Shiva’s terrible heat, restoring balance to the world and saving the universe from destruction. Thus is the one of the many origins of the Shiva Lingam.

Phnom Kulen which houses Kbal Spean, otherwise known as ‘River of a Thousand Lingas’ or ‘Bridgehead’ is located 50 kilometers northeast of Siem Reap. A 45-minute hike is required to get to the temple which predates the construction of Angkor Wat by 200 years. The trail was steep and Ron and I were sweating like fabulous pigs…

 The river found in the mountains is the source of the Siem Reap River. The lingas were carved to bless the water that would eventually flow past Bayon continuing to Bantea Srei and into the plains of Angkor. 

Aside from the ligams carved on the face of the riverbed, an impresive carving of the trimurti of Hindu gods can be seen. Vishnu is seen reclining to give birth to Brahma from a lotus growing out of his navel. Shiva with his consort Uma is also present.

In 2003, the head of Vishnu was robbed. It was restored August 2006.