Not many internet cafes here, and I really didn't have much time to write anyways, as my days were long, trying to get it all in in 3.5 days! Good thing I'm staying with my friend W and have some more friends here to tell me where to go, show me around, and speak better Chinese than me.
The first day was full of temples. I wanted to get my fortune by shaking out a numbered stick from a tube. It was 93. This year was bad for me, the music is harsh, clashing and evil sounding. My business will not make a profit, and it's not a good year to get married. I should buy a complementary Chinese horoscope sign to wear, to offset this. We also went to another temple to change my fortune by paying money and spinning a pinwheel. How superstitious is that, eh?
I met with my colleagues who were also visiting, and we went to see the Peak. It is up a funicular on Hong Kong Island. Would've have been a great view except for the major smog from pollution. The pollution index is 61! A good number is 20-30.
At night, we went to see the laser light show along the waterfront. It was a bunch off lasers reflected off the tall buildings and some buildings have their own light displays as well. Along the sidewalk, was the Avenue of stars. We found Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Bruce Lee.
The second day, we went to Ocean Park, Hong Kong's adventure land with animals, rides and games. We saw the pandas and all the marine life. It was a great aquarium with 4 levels of pools where all the fish swim together. The jelly fish display was fantastic too! Definitely the highlight. We took in a roller coaster and a couple more rides, but I think I got heatstroke again as I was feeling dizzy after a ride or 2 going in circles, which is not normal for me. I had to skip the rest, too bad, as there was a hellevator type tide I wanted to go on! We didn't make it up the hot air balloon either, as it was too windy when we decided to go.
We went shopping at many places. There are so many malls and outdoor markets here, it's crazy! You can find high end stuff, knock offs, knick knacks, souvenirs, jade and even animals for sale. There are also fortune tellers and we went to see another one. I was told my eyes leak out money, that I should get glasses. I haven't worn glasses since grade 6! And I don't think glasses are that attractive on me. I was told that life will be difficult for me until I get married, but I will not get divorced. I have high expectations and I split with my love in my 20s. I'm stubborn, even upsetting my parents, but have gotten a little better over the years. I should bring back any photo of a guy I'm interested in, and the fortune teller will tell me if he will be my husband. How intriguing is that?!
Day 3 was out to the country side, near China, where my friend W brought me to Sai Keung to see the fishing boats. We also went by a former refugee camp which is now a golf country club.
The next day, I had to leave! Got to have a lunch with a friend's sister who moved here almost 10 years ago. Been so long,and people still look the same.
I was pooped and couldn't wait to get home. This is the first trip where I felt homesick. I missed my large spacious condo, the more moderate temperature (15C vs. 35C), the amount of public space, the car I drive, the cleanliness of the bathrooms (in Asia, I have to bring toilet paper every time).
I really like their efficient transit system though. I didn't get a chance to experience the night life or see Big Buddha, but I guess I have to save something for next time!
Friday, April 16, 2010
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Cambodia highlights
Siem Reap:
favourites: Angkor Wat, Bayon, silk farm, night market, old market, landmine museum
friendly people here, not very agressive
small town, I feel safe and can walk around
things to note:
cost of a tuk tuk: $15USD/d
food: $4/entree
beer 50 cents
Phnom Penh:
favourites: cooking class, stroll along the riverfront, toul sleng museum, massage by a blind person
things to note:
cost of a tuk tuk $4/trip
things I didn't like:
Temperature: 40C, 80% humidity - it's too hot, I'm taking a shower almost 3x a day and you sweat as soon as you get outside
Very aggressive tuk tuk drivers and tour guides. I had quite a few drivers telling me stuff that wasn't true. I went by my guidebook, but they just argued with me that I was wrong, when I was right in the end. The traffic is crazy, almost no rules!
Very large city, I don't feel that safe, always protecting my bag, can't walk around my hotel at night
Very dirty, hazy air.
favourites: Angkor Wat, Bayon, silk farm, night market, old market, landmine museum
friendly people here, not very agressive
small town, I feel safe and can walk around
things to note:
cost of a tuk tuk: $15USD/d
food: $4/entree
beer 50 cents
Phnom Penh:
favourites: cooking class, stroll along the riverfront, toul sleng museum, massage by a blind person
things to note:
cost of a tuk tuk $4/trip
things I didn't like:
Temperature: 40C, 80% humidity - it's too hot, I'm taking a shower almost 3x a day and you sweat as soon as you get outside
Very aggressive tuk tuk drivers and tour guides. I had quite a few drivers telling me stuff that wasn't true. I went by my guidebook, but they just argued with me that I was wrong, when I was right in the end. The traffic is crazy, almost no rules!
Very large city, I don't feel that safe, always protecting my bag, can't walk around my hotel at night
Very dirty, hazy air.
Friday, April 09, 2010
Phnom Penh
I've been here for 3 days and have noticed that there is not as much to see here as there is in Siem Reap. The first day, I tried to search for group tours and only found one which had 2 people in it. I found central market. It's a large art deco building being renovated on the inside, so all the vendors are on the outside. Not that many souvenirs here, mostly housewares, jewelry, clothing and groceries.
Then, I found a Khmer cooking class through a brochure at Frizz Restaurant. I think that's what I'll do on my second day!
Cambodian cooking has mostly curry and spices. I learned to make spring rolls, fish amok (yellow curry) steamed in a palm leaf bowl, banana blossom salad (made from the banana flower, before bananas grow from it) and sticky rice and mango. Wow, I was full by lunchtime already and it was a full day course. I met a couple from Toronto and 2 girls from England. Everyone is roaming around Asia as well.
We finished early due to the small class size, so I had time to go to the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda. The King is currently here, and fed the monks this morning before the Khmer New Year, so closed the palace. Good thing I went in the afternoon. The same thing happened to us in Thailand, when the King's sister died and closed off portions of the Royal Palace. The Silver palace is renowned for the silver tiles, only some of which they display. The rest they keep covered with large rugs for preservation.
I was pooped and went back to the hotel for a dip in the pool, pretty refreshing, but the pool is deep, I couldn't really relax as I couldn't step on the bottom. I ended up getting a full body Thai massage as well as a foot massage. I just about fell asleep and it wasn't even 9pm!
On my 3rd day, I joined an Intrepid city tour. I saw the S-21 prison, now the Tuol Sleng genocidal museum. The Khmer Rouge (KR) regime led by Pol Pot, sent people here to be interrogated and tortured. There were only 7 survivors when the KR were defeated by the Vietnamese army in 1979 and 2 still living as of today. I met one of them, Chum Mey. It must be so hard to walk around the grounds and see the cell you were imprisoned in. The photos indicate the madness of those times. He has testified in the UN tribunal against one of the leaders. The other, paints the memories of S-21 and has them on display here.
The Cheoung Ek memorial was built at one of the killing fields where they found mass graves in 1980, the year after the regime was over. It was found by the smell. There are 17 tiers of clothing, skulls and bones. Even foreigners died here. I was only a child when this was all happening on the other side of the world from me. It begs the question, is there another genocide happening today? It's hard to believe this happened in modern day, 1975 - 1979.
I went to see the remainder of the main sights, including the Independence Monument (now a war memorial), Wat Phnom hill (the originating area of the city and also the highest part of the city), the Russian market (most of the foreigners after the KR were Russians) and the riverfront. I took a sunset cruise along the Mekong River and met some British ladies and an Aussie guy.
I had a massage from a blind person (it's quite popular here) at Clinic Massage by Blind and boy, he can't see, but he sure can figure out where all my knots were. I like strong massages, but this one hurt in some places. The travelling has really been hard on my body!
I am feeling a bit homesick as I am travelling alone, the country is dirty and hot. I miss my clean condo, the public transportation system, the English speaking people and the cooler temperature. I don't feel safe to walk around. I was told Phnom Penh is not full of friendly Cambodians as the rest of the country, they are more selfish due to the past, as Phnom Penh was the centre for the KR. Kill or be killed. Watch out for yourself. But in the end, Pol Pot killed all his soldiers anyways.
I am getting mosquito bites everywhere and getting prickly heat/heat rash. Well, I'll be in Hong Kong by tomorrow night, so hopefully will be feeling a little more adventurous.
Then, I found a Khmer cooking class through a brochure at Frizz Restaurant. I think that's what I'll do on my second day!
Cambodian cooking has mostly curry and spices. I learned to make spring rolls, fish amok (yellow curry) steamed in a palm leaf bowl, banana blossom salad (made from the banana flower, before bananas grow from it) and sticky rice and mango. Wow, I was full by lunchtime already and it was a full day course. I met a couple from Toronto and 2 girls from England. Everyone is roaming around Asia as well.
We finished early due to the small class size, so I had time to go to the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda. The King is currently here, and fed the monks this morning before the Khmer New Year, so closed the palace. Good thing I went in the afternoon. The same thing happened to us in Thailand, when the King's sister died and closed off portions of the Royal Palace. The Silver palace is renowned for the silver tiles, only some of which they display. The rest they keep covered with large rugs for preservation.
I was pooped and went back to the hotel for a dip in the pool, pretty refreshing, but the pool is deep, I couldn't really relax as I couldn't step on the bottom. I ended up getting a full body Thai massage as well as a foot massage. I just about fell asleep and it wasn't even 9pm!
On my 3rd day, I joined an Intrepid city tour. I saw the S-21 prison, now the Tuol Sleng genocidal museum. The Khmer Rouge (KR) regime led by Pol Pot, sent people here to be interrogated and tortured. There were only 7 survivors when the KR were defeated by the Vietnamese army in 1979 and 2 still living as of today. I met one of them, Chum Mey. It must be so hard to walk around the grounds and see the cell you were imprisoned in. The photos indicate the madness of those times. He has testified in the UN tribunal against one of the leaders. The other, paints the memories of S-21 and has them on display here.
The Cheoung Ek memorial was built at one of the killing fields where they found mass graves in 1980, the year after the regime was over. It was found by the smell. There are 17 tiers of clothing, skulls and bones. Even foreigners died here. I was only a child when this was all happening on the other side of the world from me. It begs the question, is there another genocide happening today? It's hard to believe this happened in modern day, 1975 - 1979.
I went to see the remainder of the main sights, including the Independence Monument (now a war memorial), Wat Phnom hill (the originating area of the city and also the highest part of the city), the Russian market (most of the foreigners after the KR were Russians) and the riverfront. I took a sunset cruise along the Mekong River and met some British ladies and an Aussie guy.
I had a massage from a blind person (it's quite popular here) at Clinic Massage by Blind and boy, he can't see, but he sure can figure out where all my knots were. I like strong massages, but this one hurt in some places. The travelling has really been hard on my body!
I am feeling a bit homesick as I am travelling alone, the country is dirty and hot. I miss my clean condo, the public transportation system, the English speaking people and the cooler temperature. I don't feel safe to walk around. I was told Phnom Penh is not full of friendly Cambodians as the rest of the country, they are more selfish due to the past, as Phnom Penh was the centre for the KR. Kill or be killed. Watch out for yourself. But in the end, Pol Pot killed all his soldiers anyways.
I am getting mosquito bites everywhere and getting prickly heat/heat rash. Well, I'll be in Hong Kong by tomorrow night, so hopefully will be feeling a little more adventurous.
Thursday, April 08, 2010
other things in Siem Reap
Well, the last day here, so I figure I'd go see what else Siem Reap has to offer. I tell you, it's hard to find! My hotel doesn't have the plethora of flyers as the Vancouver hotels do, so I had to try to find stuff from my guidebook.
I went to see the Royal Palace, which isn't grand, and you can't go into anyways. It is beside a small garden which I thought was for the King, but is actually upkept by a hotel, probably 5 star. There is also a Buddhist temple here, and the Khmer New Year is starting on the 14th, so people are starting their celebrations. Lots of flower offerings, a few groups of children and adults in traditional clothing go around the businesses for offerings and good luck? I really don't know, but am assuming that it's similar to the Chinese New Year.
We drove by the Wat Bo riverside. It's just an area of small houses/businesses, but I wanted to venture out a little bit and had lots of time today with my tuk tuk driver. I then went to Old Market. I had actually found it by accident last night, but went again in the daytime. I just love the fact that people are selling meat without refrigeration, reminds me of how they do it in Peru. I saw lots of veggie and fruit stands. I bought some rambutan, longan and lychee for my afternoon snack.
I got a ride home for lunchtime, but since I had a bowl of noodle soup, I wasn't hungry, so I wanted to write in my journal. I'm 2 days behind, but all the days are so full! I promptly fell asleep for 3 hours! That tells you how tired I am. Besides, it's a hot country and most people have siesta now, don't they?
Well, I went down to the lobby where they have some tables, usually for breakfast and decided to write. I ended talking to a Chris, a swiss guy who was roaming around the temples on his own. Too bad I didn't meet him any earlier, as we could've shared a tuk tuk or something. He's so brave to do it on his own with the lonely planet guide. Even with my tour guide, I don't feel that I can explain anything...
I went to Old Market for dinner and ate at Temple. It's recommended by Lonely Planet, but I didn't know that until I saw the sign. There is traditional Apsara dancing shows during dinner, so for me, it was a 2 in 1. I ate some fried fish with Cambodian spices, sure was tasty and served in a little palm leaf bowl!
This is such a great area for tourists to roam around. It's safe, concentrated, has souvenirs, massage places, bars, etc. Beer is 50 cents and dinner is less than $5. Your tuk tuk can take you back home for $2!
I went for a pedicure, my nail polish needed to be changed. I met a girl, Song Va and her English was pretty good for someone who works there. I had a foot massage yesterday and the guy, Thi, only knew a few phrases. The massages are so cheap, $5 to $10 for an hour, same as Thailand. If I could, I would have one everyday, but I have a sunburnt neck and shoulder so those areas are sensitive.
I picked up a tour guide from the restaurant and went through the pages, I am missing out on cooking classes and the silk farm! If only I knew, that's where I'd be right now.
So, the next morning, before the airport, I asked to squeeze in a trip to the silk farm at Atrisans d'Angkor. I just love silk and want to know how it's made. I saw the whole thing: silk worms being fed mulberry leaves, making cocoons, how the silk is extracted from the worm, spun into thread, dyed and weaved into a scarf! It's truly amazing and what a beautiful product. I really wanted to buy something, but I have already bought too many souvenirs and I have an extra 6kg in my luggage!
Aw darn, at the exit I saw a sign that I could've had a silk weaving class! I would've totally done that!!!
I went to see the Royal Palace, which isn't grand, and you can't go into anyways. It is beside a small garden which I thought was for the King, but is actually upkept by a hotel, probably 5 star. There is also a Buddhist temple here, and the Khmer New Year is starting on the 14th, so people are starting their celebrations. Lots of flower offerings, a few groups of children and adults in traditional clothing go around the businesses for offerings and good luck? I really don't know, but am assuming that it's similar to the Chinese New Year.
We drove by the Wat Bo riverside. It's just an area of small houses/businesses, but I wanted to venture out a little bit and had lots of time today with my tuk tuk driver. I then went to Old Market. I had actually found it by accident last night, but went again in the daytime. I just love the fact that people are selling meat without refrigeration, reminds me of how they do it in Peru. I saw lots of veggie and fruit stands. I bought some rambutan, longan and lychee for my afternoon snack.
I got a ride home for lunchtime, but since I had a bowl of noodle soup, I wasn't hungry, so I wanted to write in my journal. I'm 2 days behind, but all the days are so full! I promptly fell asleep for 3 hours! That tells you how tired I am. Besides, it's a hot country and most people have siesta now, don't they?
Well, I went down to the lobby where they have some tables, usually for breakfast and decided to write. I ended talking to a Chris, a swiss guy who was roaming around the temples on his own. Too bad I didn't meet him any earlier, as we could've shared a tuk tuk or something. He's so brave to do it on his own with the lonely planet guide. Even with my tour guide, I don't feel that I can explain anything...
I went to Old Market for dinner and ate at Temple. It's recommended by Lonely Planet, but I didn't know that until I saw the sign. There is traditional Apsara dancing shows during dinner, so for me, it was a 2 in 1. I ate some fried fish with Cambodian spices, sure was tasty and served in a little palm leaf bowl!
This is such a great area for tourists to roam around. It's safe, concentrated, has souvenirs, massage places, bars, etc. Beer is 50 cents and dinner is less than $5. Your tuk tuk can take you back home for $2!
I went for a pedicure, my nail polish needed to be changed. I met a girl, Song Va and her English was pretty good for someone who works there. I had a foot massage yesterday and the guy, Thi, only knew a few phrases. The massages are so cheap, $5 to $10 for an hour, same as Thailand. If I could, I would have one everyday, but I have a sunburnt neck and shoulder so those areas are sensitive.
I picked up a tour guide from the restaurant and went through the pages, I am missing out on cooking classes and the silk farm! If only I knew, that's where I'd be right now.
So, the next morning, before the airport, I asked to squeeze in a trip to the silk farm at Atrisans d'Angkor. I just love silk and want to know how it's made. I saw the whole thing: silk worms being fed mulberry leaves, making cocoons, how the silk is extracted from the worm, spun into thread, dyed and weaved into a scarf! It's truly amazing and what a beautiful product. I really wanted to buy something, but I have already bought too many souvenirs and I have an extra 6kg in my luggage!
Aw darn, at the exit I saw a sign that I could've had a silk weaving class! I would've totally done that!!!
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
last day at the temples
I went to see Banteay Srei, ladies temple. This is the favourite for tourists as the carvings are all still well preserved. Quite elaborate, but the temple is quite small. One thing I noticed is that the steps are really short in depth, it only fits my foot sideways; and they are really steep. This is definitely not a trip for the elderly or unfit. You can climb up to 3 levels and in this heat, it's exhausting.
I trekked most of the ruins for about 8 hours a day and sometimes didn't even stop to eat. I just want to see it all! After here, we stopped into the Land Mine Museum. Really good museum run by Aki Ra. He was a former Khmer Rouge soldier and now has devoted his life to clearing landmines and making the country safer.
Next up was a killing field near a Buddhist temple. There were bones and skulls encase in a glass structure so that you can see them.
Now, I am finalizing my plans for Phnom Penh. I just booked my flight and hotel for the 3 days. Things are getting pricier as Khmer New Year is starting next week and people leave work on Thursday.
'
One more night here to explore at a more leisurely pace and then I'm off.
I trekked most of the ruins for about 8 hours a day and sometimes didn't even stop to eat. I just want to see it all! After here, we stopped into the Land Mine Museum. Really good museum run by Aki Ra. He was a former Khmer Rouge soldier and now has devoted his life to clearing landmines and making the country safer.
Next up was a killing field near a Buddhist temple. There were bones and skulls encase in a glass structure so that you can see them.
Now, I am finalizing my plans for Phnom Penh. I just booked my flight and hotel for the 3 days. Things are getting pricier as Khmer New Year is starting next week and people leave work on Thursday.
'
One more night here to explore at a more leisurely pace and then I'm off.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)