The Khmer Way IV

旅行的意义到底是什么？我想，这是见仁见智吧！有的，只为了在异乡国度留下足迹；有的，是为了逃离现实的生活；有的，很没有骨气地，只为了‘跟大队’；有的，毫无目的地流浪;有的，如受洗礼后般，做个真真的道地人……说不完的“有的”。

the Holy Cow - guide of the Bakheng Temple

Everything here reminds me of Jogya - the Borobudur & Prambanan Temple. The difference is that the Angkor site has much more crowd.

some restoration works

We decided to come to Phnom Bakheng to watch the sunset. This was suggested by the guide from the Cultural Village. This was the compensation on the betrayal she had done to me.

climbing up - a not so easy job

I don't remember the last sunset I've seen. Was there really one? Trying to capture every moment of the sunset proved to be a failure. So, I decided to keep all the good view in my own memory instead.

the devout Cambodian

Unfortunately, the cloud is just too thick for us to have a nice view of the sunset. Maybe we should try our luck tomorrow!

in memory...

6/7/2008

The Khmer Way III

到底何谓文化遗产？难道只有历史悠久的建筑物才算是吗？那么比较人文的喜庆节日、地方语言、日常饮食或生活习俗，可不可以也被申请为文化遗产呢？我最不想看到的，就是国家级官员为了吸引游客赚外汇，才去申请。到头来，我们只在这些‘遗产’中，看到游客的足迹。而当地人，沦落为对遗产毫无认知，只会做游客生意的一群。

the proof...

I ate Balut! (or Pong tea khon in Cambodian). From wikipedia, 'a fertilized duck egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell'.

the Balut @ 鸭仔蛋

I never thought of it being disgusting! It tasted like just a normal boiled egg. At some point, I found myself eating something chewy. Was it the head?

what lies inside?

It's something that should definitely be recorded in my own Book of Records! After eating the fried insects in Bangkok & now Balut, what exotic food should I try next?

6/7/08

The Khmer Way II

去了柬埔寨近一个星期，让我重新认识这个国家。在这之间，对于这个国家的一切，除了吴哥窟之外，我是完全不懂的。我想，柬埔寨的旅游部，在这方面应该下了不少苦功。那么，再说回马来西亚，游客在这里绕了个圈后，他们还会记得我们的历史和风土明情吗？还是，一路上，他们从没机会接触到？

with Kin Wah at the Culural Village

What in the world! I've just be forced to get married with a Cambodian girl. Why was I chosen to be the 'lucky' guy where there're other hunks out there?

We were at the Cultural Village & sitting comfortably while waiting for the show to begin. It's about the traditional Cambodian wedding ceremony. The next thing I knew was me being asked to act as the bridegroom!

me -- such an idiot!

Trying to be a gentleman & playing the 'nice guy' card, I agreed 'involuntarily'. Why me? I was pretty sure the guide we hired had done something that made the probability of me being selected the highest. It's wrong as it's biased & a non-random event!

i'm not celebrity, get me out of here!

I felt so out of place on the stage! Close to being an idiot as not knowing what was going to happen next. The audiences joked around made me feeling like a monkey who had just performed a trick ordered by the master.

the 'very weird' ending

6/7/08

The Khmer Way I

为什么，游客往往都成了被“砍菜头”的目标？ 到底是游客都容易受骗？还是游客都是没脑的？真的不希望这会变成一种理所当然的“入境随俗”。大家都要做个精明的旅客！要不然，旅行还有什么意义呢？

scene of the floating village 1

scene of the floating village 2

We are now waiting for our lunch (or brunch, more precisely) to be served at the floating village around Tonle Sap. I think we are going to pay a slightly higher price for this meal. Too bad, we are trapped in the tourist spot.

Hopefully, it's gonna be a delicious meal. This place is supposed to be famous with its fresh water fish!

expensive lunch

The opportunity cost: the sunset cruise around the lake, with the serving of dubbed 'the best fish & chips in SEA'.

We decided to forgo this plan because we trusted the staffs from the guesthouse. We believed they had suggested to us the best itinerary.

supposed to go on this boat for the lake cruise

Next destination: the Cambodian Cultural Village. I think we are going to spend a few hours there. Gonna sleep early and rest well for the expedition to Angkor site tomorrow.

our tuk-tuk driver, Mr Trung, with a Python

6/7/08

Sorry, not at home

I'm going to Cambodia for a week. This time, I've found a travel companion, Kin Wah, one of my close friends known since primary school time. It’s a short vacation to get away from all the dramas happening in M’sia. I’m sure we will have good time there.

I bought the flight tickets for RM36 one way, taxes and other charges excluded, back in December 2007. Thanks to Airasia for its promotion.


We will be staying in Siem Reap for 4 nights; the other 2 in Phnom Penh. The highlight of this trip is, of course, the visit to the Angkor Archaeological Park. In Phnom Penh, Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum is where I want to go. I believe it will remind me of how I felt when visiting to the Jewish Museum in Berlin. War is cruel!

So, this blog is going to be ‘hibernated’ for a week. Hopefully, I will be able to upload some nice photos and write about the trip right after that. Well, I feel that my blog is slowly becoming a travelogue oriented blog. Do you think so?