Month: March 2011

Cambodia Trip: Engrish and Random Sights in Siem Reap

I’m almost done with my articles about my trip last January in Siem Reap, Cambodia. I figured I’d post some random snapshots of different signs and other observations of sights captured during this break. It would be a waste of shutter if I just kept them inside my computer.

As we were hopping from temple to temple, signs and directions were present to warn people or dogs (see 2nd photo below) where to enter and how to behave to avoid destroying these monuments.

cambodia sign
three-way

Somehow, I had to take second glances to verify if the instructions were clear enough. Engrish phrases, they break tension and alleviate stress that one acquires from walking all day.

cambodia signboards
Warning Signs

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My Adventure Partner: An Ode to My Feet

My feet, I’ve big ones and I’m insecure when people stare at them. But through the years and over the course of my adventures, not once have they complained.

I’m thankful for my feet. Every time I feel that my legs can’t handle another step, I think about people who cannot walk–literally and figuratively. I’m reminded of people who don’t have the privilege to wander because of not having this basic ability.

 soloflighted feet

No number of gears and gadgets in the world can replace our feet. Seldom do people realize that it only takes one step and they’ve already traveled. A couple more and that’s already an adventure. I vow not to wait for the day to lose them (heaven forbid) until their value is appreciated.

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No Ordinary Train Ride from Bangkok to Aranyaprathet

We took a train ride from Bangkok to Aranyaprathet so we could reach Siem Reap, Cambodia the cheapest way possible. On land, you can either take a bus or a train, the former is faster though more expensive. 200 Baht vs 48 Baht, it was a no-brainer for us since our funds were already depleted back in Cebu, Philippines.

Aranyaprathet is a district of Sa Kaeo Province in Thailand that borders Cambodia to the East. Riding the train was an experience that is foreign to me. Unless you include those small train rides in theme parks, I can say that I’ve never ridden this mode of transport before.

Bangkok Railway Station
Hua Lamphong

hua lumpong station
Hua Lamphong Train Station

Around 4am in Hua Lamphong Railway Station, we waited for the 5:55am train schedule by eating Thai food and buying snacks at a 7/11 convenience store. It was going to be a 6-hour ride, and we’ve been traveling and stopping from Cebu to Manila to Clark to Bangkok for over 24 hours. You can imagine how stressed I was considering that I wasn’t used to long journeys. But it would’ve been useless to give up knowing how far we’ve already come.

hua lamphong station
Station 6

The sign said it was an ordinary train going to Aranyaprathet. But after the whole traverse, there was nothing plain about it. In fact, it was one of the most notable experiences of the trip.

ordinary train to aranyaprathet
Ordinary Train? Didn’t see this one coming.

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Sagada Trip: Crazy Toploading from Banaue to Bontoc

Toploading from Banaue to Bontoc was an adventure itself as we headed our way to Sagada, Mountain Province. Imagine the wind brushing the sides of your face. You see a spectacular view of the mountain and rice fields. You inhale the scent of tall pine trees and see a couple of waterfalls every now and … Read more

Cambodia Trip: A Guide to Eating Cheap Khmer Food in Siem Reap

During our stay in Siem Reap, we mostly ate on the streets and nearby eateries. Because of having a limited budget, food is one of the things we had to compromise when eating in Cambodia.

We spent 3 days and 2 nights there but we did not starve ourselves during that trip. However, we didn’t splurge either. Average food costs around 2 to 2.50 USD but we really went in for those cheaper alternatives such as 1 dollar meals.

Breakfast Meals in our Guesthouse
Breakfast food were already provided during our stay in Bousavy Guesthouse so we saved a lot considering we had three meals in total.

What I like best is that they always have a banana and some pineapple slices on the side to go with the breakfast. A simple meal can look great when you know how to present it. With the big servings, my friends were not able to eat it all so lucky for me, I got to take the remaining portion of their food. hehe.

bread omelette khmer fried noodles cambodian
Omelet with Bread (Baguette) | Stir-Fried Noodles with Vegetables and Meat

cambodian pancake waffles ice tea cambodia
Pancake with maple syrup | Iced Tea

Dinner Meals at Bousavy Guesthouse
Apart from the free breakfast meals, we took advantage of a package that included one free dinner meal of our choice. It was great that we were able to choose from a wide set of choices. I apologize if I was not able to write down the actual names written on the menu.

fish soup
Milk Fish Soup | Pork Curry

khmer cuisine
Pork Meat in Coconut milk — not sure if this is Amok

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Moalboal, Cebu: A Beach Fix from the Office and School

One of the easier beaches to access when you have limited time in Cebu is Moalboal. It’s a quick beach fix whenever there’s a need for you to get away from the city while enjoying the sun, sand, and water.

I’m a beach boy at heart. I used to spend weekends with my cousins in different beaches in Davao which may have resulted to my fondness of taking a dip in salt water when opportunities arise. With so many beaches I’ve featured in this blog, I wonder why I haven’t been able to create a write-up about this nice retreat when it’s very much accessible from the city.

moalboal cebu beach
hut under the heat of the sun

I also have a couple of fond memories of Moalboal. Those occasions were spent with colleagues at work and with classmates in school – both of which I was able to do at the same time. Remembering those times when I had to work at night and then study during the day, I found my much-needed stress buster in this beach.

moalboal beach
Moalboal beach
photo by Bangbang

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Cambodia Trip: Insightful Conversations Over a Fish Massage

Meet Suti, he wants to be tour guide when he grows up. He’s only 16 years old and yet he’s been working as a fish massage attendant for awhile. Working at night by taking care of the fishes, he also persuades customers to try out the massage service. He currently lives with his grandmother as his parents are no longer around. He does this in order to provide for her as well as support his studies.

Pub Street
Siem Reap, Cambodia

khmer boy
Suti, a Khmer kid making ends meet.

It was our last night in Cambodia. After a long day of walking and after a stressful experience of haggling with vendors at the Night Market, we decided to spend the remaining hours at the Pub Street looking for a massage service.

massage siem reap
fish tank

Massage parlors: foot massage, body massage, spa services. Cambodia has lots of them at ridiculously low rates. If Philippine massage spas are cheap, you haven’t visited Cambodia. You can get a body massage for a dollar but I’m not too sure with the quality. Still, there are so many services and shops available that everybody’s competing with each other to attract more customers.

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Cambodia Trip: Land Mine Victims

Walking past the pathways in the temples and night markets in Siem Reap, I couldn’t help but notice traditional music being played in the background. Upon further walking, I was greeted by a sight of individuals playing musical instruments. Sitting in one corner while waiting for my companions to arrive, I listened attentively while taking a break from all the trekking. I didn’t observe it at first but only when I read a signboard did I realize that these people playing stringed and percussion instruments were all disabled. The label said that they were land mine victims in Cambodia.

“You mean to say that there could be bombs underground from where we are standing?” I asked my friend who’s been in Cambodia twice. She lifted her eyebrows to answer my question which made me terrified at the thought that an explosive device could be lurking anywhere from where we were. It even came to a point where I wondered why we visited Siem Reap in the first place.

landmine victims cambodia
Walking past the temples, this sight greeted me.

To this day it is estimated that there may still be up to six million land mines scattered around the Cambodian countryside which cause around 35 deaths a month. Already 40,000 people have lost limbs due to land mines giving Cambodia the unenviable record of having the most amputees per capita (about one in every 275 people have lost a limb). – Land Mine Victims in Cambodia – Wikipedia

After further research, I found out that the number of casualties have dropped every year which is a good sign. Still, one must be careful not to trek those off-the-beaten paths and one should consult the locals if it’s safe to go for a walk in remote areas.

khmer victims
I sat and took a break while admiring their music.

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Sagada Trip and the Movies

Just came back from a trip to Sagada, Mountain Province and I still have to sort my pictures according to albums but let me post this quick teaser of this recent break. I’m more of a beach person but I also appreciate a different scene once in awhile. Sagada was able to do that for … Read more

Killing Time in SM Mall of Asia

12 hours. It’s how long we waited in Mall of Asia in order to kill time before our trip to Sagada. We arrived from a Cebu to Manila flight and we decided to burn the hours online and stroll around this shopping and recreation center. We also bought some grocery items in order to spend less as they say that food is a bit pricey and we’ve been squeezing our resources because we’re really tight on our budget. Lunch and dinner are actually composed of those Jollibee 39er meals which keeps me full after an extra serving of rice.

bos coffee mall of asia
abusing the free WiFi in SM.

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Cambodia Trip: Chill Out and Relax at Pub Street in Siem Reap

If you want to chill and hang out like any other tourist in Siem Reap, Cambodia, the Pub Street is for you. This is where the night life happens when traffic is blocked so restaurants and bars can occupy a better portion of the street with tables and chairs.

On our 2nd day in Siem Reap, we quickly finished touring the temples and asked our tuk tuk driver to drop us off at the Old Market. We’ve had enough temples to visit for the day and we wanted to scan through the number of stalls selling different merchandise in the original marketplace. I still had some pending requests for items to buy and I was about to panic since we only had limited time left. Didn’t find much to explore there as most of the items were also in the night market.

We also wanted to explore the pub street when it’s not too crowded with people.

pub street day
pub street during day time

alley pub street
alley

The place has a number of nooks and corners and each of these are filled with shops that scream ART in every direction. There’s also a rich display of colors and designs which create a quaint but cozy look.

art pub street
saw this shop first in Marcus of Ambot-Ah.com and his site

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