“Same-same, but different” is what you will mostly hear while bargaining in Indochina, but for me the quirky phrase is more suitable with Cambodia; Phnom Penh and Siem Reap in particular. Both of these two cities belong to a same fascinating country, but shaped based on two different extremes. One is proud with all of its majestic architectures and supreme history, while another, although booming,  is ashamed of its sinister past. Four days were way too short to really get to know a country, and a bad beginning gave us the bad introduction. However we had our perception slightly changed merely to the kindness and hospitability of the people we met at the end of our trip, and a short jaunt to Angkor healed that wound fast. To be frank I don’t really like Cambodia – too commercialized and too many scams; but perhaps it’s a poor country and people will do anything in the name of survival. In the end I still hope it will not be the last time I step foot in the land of Khmer. Apart from revisiting Angkor, I wish to indulge again on the best meal I ever had there – one last time!

The Royal Palace throne hall in Phnom Penh. The ornate roof reminds me of the Grand Palace in Bangkok, an assimilation perhaps spawned by years of conflict history with Siam (now Thailand). 

Phsar Thmei, widely known as the Central Market, the iconic landmark of Phnom Penh. Orange in color with four arms jutting out from each diagonal direction, makes it hard to miss. 

I spotted the familiar, tiny sour fruits at the market, which I used to pick up fallen from a tree on my way to school during my childhood days. Gooseberries, or buah cermai in Malay which tree is now a rarity in Malaysia.

We went to the Pub street on our second day, the popular hang out place in Siem Reap and the name itself is self-explanatory.

We bought ourselves a postcard from a bookstore and headed to the Temple Pub for its cultural performance. To a cheapskate traveller like us, this is one of the place in Cambodia  that we could enjoy the traditional culture without burning a hole in our pocket! All you need is just buying some drinks and you’ll get to watch the whole spectacle, for free.

The show starts at 7.00pm, but we simply arrived early and picked our spot. By 6.50pm, the musicians entered and took their position, and soon the lilting instrumental of traditional Khmer started to warm up the place. The once empty restaurant was then flocked with audiences and diners as the orchestra burst all-out into an overture. Lovely ladies clad in exquisite traditional Khmer costumes and golden headdress glided daintily into the stage, and began dancing to the rythm. I was utterly hypnotized by their ethereal appearances and graceful movements,  only to be awaken from the spell when they tossed the flower petals from their fingers into the air. There are about 6 to 7 performances altogether; and apart from the ultimate Apsara, they also dance about the Cambodian legends and myth, and the peasants life.

A trip to Siem Reap is not complete without visiting the Old Market or Psar Chas as the local calls it. Psar Chas is the place to go if you are on a hunt for souvenirs and Cambodian handicrafts, as well as local spices and tidbits. Although based on my observation the price is a lot cheaper in Phnom Penh, but that is subject to your haggling skills. From the quiet lanes of colorful trinkets, we drifted to the another section of the market that’s more rich in character, where the locals were found busy with their day-to-day activities.

On our last night at Siem Reap we filled up the time strolling the night market for the last minute shopping. There are actually two night markets in Siem Reap, one is across the river in front of the old market, while another is behind it. These markets are just within minutes walking from our guesthouse.

Stall full with trinkets at the Siem Reap night market.

Kampong Stengmai, Siem Reap

Earlier  we found ourselves at the muslim village not far from the town center, of which we have been frequented for our supply of halal food. Connected through a narrow and dusty path pass some houses, the village is totally hidden from the touristy world outside. 

Muslim kids at Kampong Stengmai, Siem Reap

About 80 families reside in the village, whom all are the minority ethnic Champa. They look strikingly similar like Malaysian Malays, and some of them could even converse and understand malay words, although in thick Kelantanese dialect with the distinctive  nasal tone.  This is related to a fact that some of them had been to Kelantan to study religion. The Champs are actually remnants of ancient kingdom of Champa established circa 7th century, which border lies along the coast of Vietnam. They fled to Cambodia following its defeat to the Vietnamese, whose invasion extended the territory into present day Vietnam. As of today, only a few of the Champs left; the number has shrinked tremendously during the Khmer Rouge  ethnic cleansing ordeal and they are scattered throughout the country. Kampong Cham, where we bypassed on our way from Phnom Penh is the largest muslim Champa settlement that could be found in Cambodia.

Mouth watering Kaw Leng Phnom

Most of the time we had our simple meal at the Cambodian Muslim Restaurant (their chicken rice is recommended!), if not our typical instant food. But on our last night in Siem Reap we simply want to taste something different – a special local dish known as Kaw Leng Phnom, directly translated to Malay as “Daging Lembu naik Bukit” (Beef up a hill - doesn’t it sounds odd?) This sumptous meal could be found at Muslim Family Restaurant next to the mosque, owned by the Siem Reap mufti Hj. Musa. Unfortunately he was out of town when we arrived. We were attended by his adopted brother instead (I forgot his name) who cooked us the meal and entertained us. It is simply sliced beef cooked in butter and some vegetables but the taste is awesome! The meat was tender and juicy with a hint of sweetness from the carrot and the richness of the melting butter. The spicy sauce that accompanying it was marvellous, and the combination went well with hot, steaming rice – in was a blast in our mouth! Not to mention the warm welcome that we received made us feel like we were actually related, instead of just being patrons. We are after all, brothers and sisters in Islam. To Hj. Musa and family, thank you so much for the splendid food and the hospitality.

Kids playing at a river in Siem Reap

From a disturbing affair at Khmer Rouge torture prison and killing filed, a scam in Tonle Sap, enjoying the breathtaking view of the Temples of Angkor to having a delicious meal and meeting wonderful people – all that sum up our 4-day trip in the land of Khmer.  So, if you want to taste a “same-same, but different” experience, I would suggest visiting Cambodia. You would find the experience both intriguing and stressing at the same time.

Day 3 : Angkor Archeological Park, Siem Reap

It was 4.00am. We were sort of early birds these days. Angkor was on the plan, and it was imperative that we made our virgin pilgrimage to the sacred site during the sunrise hence had to wake up at an unearthly hour of the morning.  Still groggy, we dragged our feet out from the guesthouse to a dark and desolate town, and found Sweet faithfully waiting for us.

In the chill of the early morning, Sweet’s tuk tuk zoomed past the quiet streets and from time to time overtaken by other tuktuks heading for the same direction.  The queue was already building up when we arrived at the ticket counters, where we secured our entrance passes with our puffy faces out of lack of sleep stamped on it.

From the ticket counter we were then taken to Angkor west gate and trudged behind other tourists across the ancient moat to the temple ground. It was pitch black and the floor uneven; and walking would have been difficult if not for our flashlight and the bright blue LED lights emanated from others’ cell phones. We headed to the favorite photography spot in front the lake, but my hope for good sunrise photo of Angkor dashed upon seeing the crowd. The grey, bleak and cloudless sky was not helping either. Luckily we managed to get a spot with uninterrupted view of the temple, and tried to make the best of it.

We waited patiently for the light of day, and as the sun appeared I quickly hit the shutter for my first Angkor shot. While waiting for the long exposure to end, suddenly a woman and her friend came hastily from my behind and squeezed her way in front of me, knocking my tripod and several others out of balance. Without apologizing, she sat in front of me drooling at the stupendous sight with the ‘oohhs’ and ‘aahhs’ while her big head blocking our view, which added to my temper. I care naught  for the over romanticized traveller versus tourist definition - to me it was only a play of word at what you do instead of who you are, but I can’t really stand a stupid and rude one.  Annoyed and frustrated, I lifted my camera and took the shot handheld for fear losing the moment. Well this was my poor attempt at the capturing of the sunrise at that. However on the high note now I’ve more reasons to revisit Angkor, haven’t I?

Another version of the majestic temple with its corn cob like towers silhouetted against the vivid sky. It was indeed a splendid sight, and my inept skills at photos and words fall short in describing them.

The gibbous moon above Angkor, with tourists grazed the pastures down below.

A monk, enjoying the serene morning. 

A man found sleeping at one of the temple opening, with Angkor as its background.

We left the lake at the break of dawn, and made our moves to the main complex. The crowd were still there engulfing the breathtaking view of Angkor, hence we got the inside all for ourselves.  

 The symmetrical corridor of Angkor, which reminded me of David Bowie’s Labyrinth.

One of the pillars inside Angkor central hall, with unfinished engravings. Built by King Suryavarman II circa 12th century as his state temple and capital city; it took 30 years of hard work and some hundred thousand slave labors to eventually built Angkor Wat to its current state of grandeur, only to be abandoned shortly after the king’s death.

We traipsed along the quiet and dark corridors, marvelling at the architecture and the intricate bas-reliefs while tracing the steps of the ancient kings and royalties. I pinched myself hard, still can’t believe that I’ve finally made it here. I was so awestruck with the whole experience, and was lost for words. The epiphany of being inside such splendid megastructure befitting a king was too much to comprehend.

Angkor Wat was actually built in dedication to the Hindu Lord, Vishnu and later gradually changed to Buddhist in parallel with the adaptation of the country’s new faith. Similar to what we’d seen in Ayutthaya, the Buddhas inside Angkor are all headless, hacked and stolen by tomb raiders and thieves to be sold at the antiquities and collectors around the world.

It was hard to leave Angkor, and yet we’ve a lot more to discover. We lingered for a while, exploring every nook and cranny, touching and feeling how it was like during its heydays. We set off as people started throng in; with all the noise and rackets it was difficult to appreciate all the beauty and life it once had.

Next is Angkor Thom,  another temple city established by Suryavarman II successor, the Jayavarman IV, 27 years after the death of the former king. Surrounded by 10km square brick gate, Angkor Thom complex comprises of several temples and palaces including the famous Bayon.

 The many faces of Bayon, said to be resembling the face of the King Jayavarman IV himself.

 The Khmer guard, in front of his ancestral figure.

Smiling Bayon, in monochrome.

 A girl clad in the Apsara dancer costume getting ready for the photoshoot.

 Another girl in Apsara dancer’s costume.

Leaving Bayon and his many expressions, we walked to the next temple under the shades of the trees and spotted these kids at play while their mothers (in green uniforms) doing the cleaning.

The next temple in vicinity is the Baphuon. Located across a lake preceded by a long walkway, the structure is basically looks Mayan to me with a flight of stairs. This whole temple affair was too overwhelming (read: tiring) so we decided to hang on the outside and took this lovely kid’s photo instead.

 Tourists taking a breather under the tree in front of the Terrace of the Elephants.

We walked side by side along the long wall engraved with elephants carvings, some already fading and crumbling, until we arrived at the Terrace of the Leper King. At 10am the day was getting hot, and we were all sweaty and thirsty from all the climbing and walking hence decided to give it a pass.  Furthermore, there was not much review about the place and it is mostly skipped. But somehow we did it anyway, and are glad of it. On the inside of what looks like a dull, moth-eaten facade was full with rows of dramatic bas-reliefs of Apsara dancers and compositions depicting the royal lifes.

 Apsara dancers at the Terrace of The Leper King.

There are many versions on how the place got it’s nickname. Historians believe that King Jayavarman IV suffers from leprosy himself, due to the many hospitals he built during his reign. Others suggest that the Khmer architecture was indeed furnerary and serves as tomb for the kings, thus relates to the god of death Yama, whose a leper. What ever it is, walking along these ancient sculptures covered with all the cobwebs really give me the aura of Lady Croft. Although it only last for a few minutes. Hehe.

 Local workers cycling through Angkor Thom South gate.

Terrace of the Leper Kings ended our short discovery of Angkor Thom, and we headed to another temple in our Angkor mini circuit. We passed by few citadels such as the Ta Keo and Phimeanakas, but too tired to explore so we just taking photos of the overall structures. The next location was Ta Phrom, and the temple was located a few hundred meters away inside a forest.  Here we were being inspected for our tickets, and it is best to keep them safe until you finish your tour. 

Kids playing at Ta Phrom.

Ta Phrom. Similar to the Bayon, it was built by King Jayavarman IV, however after the fall of Khmer empire the structure was left uninhibited. After centuries of abandonment, the forest started to embrace the crumbling temple; until it was discovered in the early 20th century. Now it was one of the popular and most visited site at Angkor, thanks to the filming of the game adaptation movie Tomb Raider.

 A local woman taking a rest at the rubbles and ruins of Ta Phrom.

Shrouded by hundred-year-old giant trees, with their massive roots cuddling the mossy stone roofs and the walls bequeath the temple with the romantic and surreal charms. Ta Phrom is hauntingly beautiful.

Restoration worker at rest at Ta Phrom.

 Walls decorated with ornamental carvings and statues at Banteay Kdei.

It was nearing 2.00pm when we finished with Ta Phrom, and headed back to Siem Reap. On the way Sweet asked us whether we want to stop at Banteay Kdei, another temple in the large circuit which coincidentally on our route. Unfortunately we were too exhausted and the 34 degree heat was giving me headache, so we decided not to. Stretching over 400 square km, Angkor Archeological Park is really huge and a half day tour is definitely inadequate. There’s a lot more to see and photograph, but my short stay in the land of Khmer made that impossible. Looking back as Sweet’s tuk tuk took us away from all the brilliance, I made a self-promise to come back for more. Someday.

Day 2 : Phnom Penh – Siem Reap

We started our day early as we will be leaving Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. The bus departs at 7.30am, so while waiting for our pickup to the station we lingered around taking some photos of the nearby morning market.

6.30am in the morning at St. 144, Riverside Phnom Penh. The guesthouse that we stayed is located just a stone throw away from the ever bustling Phsar Kandal.

Some scenes at the market.

I didn’t get to explore much of the market though, as our pickup arrived shortly afterwards. The van stopped at a few locations to fetch other passengers, and then took us to the bus station in front the Central Market for us to board the bus to Siem Reap.

Although Siem Reap is separated from Phnom Penh by a mere 144 miles away, it took nearly 6 hours to arrive at our destination bypassing Cambodia rurals.

The journey was quite straight forward though, with the bus stopped in between nondescript villages and small towns to drop the commuters. The vista are somewhat the same throughout; dry and barren land which dullness accentuated by the hot weather with tiny huts lined along the road, and the folks were inside for the early afternoon siesta. We killed most of the time dozing off; otherwise listening to the MP3 while enjoying the view through the smeared window, or eavesdropping into locals conversation (which was quite loud – more like shouting actualy; as if they were quarelling or something. At times they were a bit annoying, especially when we were intermittently awoken from our slumber).

We finally arrived at Siem Reap around 2.00pm, and as we got off from the bus we found ourselves beseiged by pesky tuktuk drivers. We hurriedly leaved the scene in order to lose them, but one lad followed us faithfully. He introduced himself as Sweet (rather a sweet name for a guy), and  mentioned that this was the only day he got to pick up passengers from the station (they were on monthly rotational basis, hence explained the eagerness).  Since he looks less foxy compared to the other drivers and the fare was reasonable, we agreed with his offer.

We asked Sweet to drop us at Angkor Park Guesthouse right in the heart of the town, and got ourselves a spacious room at only USD9 per night.

Earlier, we had made a deal with Sweet to take us to the Tonle Sap, a fresh water lake that dominates Cambodia. After refreshing ourselves and a quick lunch (some bread and tuna) we headed to Chong Khneas floating village about 15km away, cruising along the inundated watery vegetation plots and blossoming lotus farms.

Upon arriving at the jetty we were surprised to see a newish terminal, and the thought of being ripped off immediately popped up in mind. Actually I did asked Sweet to take us to Mechrey, whereby it is less touristy and commercialized. Unfortunately we started our tour quite late and the village is located further away, so we finally agreed with Sweet suggestion to head to Chong Khneas instead (albeit the numerous pre-empts of its scandalous reputation). 

As we reached the terminal, we were approached by a group of man dressed in khaki uniforms, which I think the jetty operators. It seemed that the terminal was not fully operational yet, and there was no ticket counter in sight. All tickets were to be purchased from them. We were charged an exorbitant fare of USD20 per person (since there’s only two of us, USD15 if you are in a group of more than 3 people), and in exchange we get 2 hours of private tour (which didn’t matter to me). I believed there’s a higher say in the ticket price, and the control are definitely not governmental (they operated under the boat owners association, and I doubt is true). The fare is way too much for such short excursion, more than the price we paid for a full day jaunt in the gulf of Tonkin last year (and that was with meal!). So cunning was their operation that there’s no way we could share the boat, and they were a bit rude too! Seeing me contemplating, they finally reduce the fare (which confirmed our theory that the fare is fixed by them).

“To be, or not to be”, Will whispered in my ears.

“Well, what the heck”, I said to myself. It was fairly absurd to turn our backs now that we were already here. And with that notion we hesistantly chipped out some cash from our thin wallet and handed to one of the men, now smiling. Deviously.

We were ushered to a small boat, manned by a skinny man in mid 30′s and a young chap. Soon we found ourselves cruising the shallow and muddy water of Tonle Sap, bypassing long boats in white and blue. “These are the express boats from the Mekong River in Phnom Penh” the boy told us, in broken English. Taking a boat is another alternative of reaching Siem Reap, despite the normal bus trips.

It was the beginning of dry season in Cambodia, and water level drops tremendously. This in fact relates to Tonle Sap unusual behaviour – the flow changes direction with the change of season. In dry season the water drains into the Mekong River in Phnom Penh, whereas during the monsoon the water reverses its flow and flooded the lake and nearby area with all the sediments and nutrients make it a great fish breeding ground.

During the dry season most of the village folks live on land, as seen by the small wooden huts. They are tiny and portable, and can be moved to drier land when the water level increases.

There was not much to do during the low season, and the locals filled up the time fixing nets and boats to be ready for the next catching trip.

 Fishing is the main source of income at Tonle Sap, and everywhere we could see men with fishing nets.

The water was so low that most fishing activities were done at the riverbanks.

Oopssie…

The boat took us along the waterway for several minutes, until we reach the lake and the floating settlements. 

We stopped by the crocodile farm and a floating restaurant in the middle of the lake, which was the highlight of the tour.  

Traditional fish traps (Malay: Bubu) made of rattan.

 Dried crocodile skins were on display, among other things.

Aerial view of Chong Khneas village from the platform above the restaurant. The place is equipped with school, grocery store and police station. It look much the same with the floating village we saw in Halong Bay, Vietnam. 

 A family paddling by.

While we were enjoying the view I spotted a girl with a snake. She was paddling in a small metal basin with a phyton in one hand, happily shoving it to me. I was bewildered, and quickly snapped a photo of her. And that was before she raised her hand unsmilingly and made a gesture with her index finger – accompanied with a demanding voice: “1 dollar!!!”

When we were about to leave the restaurant I saw a family on boat; the girl playing with a snake while her mother feeds the sibling.  With a shy smile she posed for us, and timidly took the money I offered – only with her mother’s approval. They are really poor people, but yet didn’t ask for money like the others, which made me more than willing to give it to them. I don’t mean to brag, but it just feels good if that small favor could put smiles on their faces.

A boat house.

Our young guide asked whether we want to visit the orphanage and the school, where we could help donate some books and stationeries. We’ve heard about this scam as well, and said that we were uniterested. In reality I honestly want to visit and see the kids, and very much happy to chip in for the books, if it really goes to them. Which I doubt.

Without visiting the orphanage and what’s not, the tour ended shortly than promised. We were too dissappointed with the overall tour that we didn’t even want to argue. I felt a bit sorry for our hosts actually; the boy especially - when seeing his frowning expression we guessed that they also didn’t get their fair share from the jetty operators. And without the scam tour to the orphanage and school, it means that they lose the incentive as well.  At least we were thankful that they didn’t even push us into it.

At the end of our tour they asked for a tip, of which we handed a small not worth mentioning to the boy as a token of appreciation despite the rip-off, and believe that god knows better. What’s important it reached them. Perhaps I was too optimistic when I said this : I’m glad that at least a small losing on our side could mean something to these people. Perhaps I was simply an idiot.