The Party People of Phnom Penh

[Travel blog for trip of the (birthday) month September: Ho Chi Minh - Phnom Penh - Siem Reap - Ho Chi Minh. Part 2 of a 4 part, 3 city series. More photos here. (click!)]

When our plans of going to vietnam and cambodia started to take shape, I immediately contacted Tra, a Cambodian who was a friend of KAPS back in Japan. He went to the same school as I did (although he was a post graduate student) and was pretty much in every party the filipino scholars arranged. We (south east) asians were tight. He agreed to be our host in pnomh penh, even offering to pick us up and drive us to wherever we needed. I was really excited to see him (and his family!) because it made me feel that I did have "couches all over the world".

After we left at 9 am, our ride from Ho Chi Minh to the Cambodian border was considerably quick (about two hours along scenic country road). The bus took the Bavet-Moc Bai crossing, the first one to open to foreigners and the most popular one for those travelling by land. Our bus guide had collected our passports as soon as we got on the bus to check for visas and prepare for immigration procedures (he filled everything out for us too) and since most of the people on the bus were locals and satoko, who needed a visa, had applied for and received one in advance, crossing over to the next country didn't take much time. We stopped at a canteen near the border for lunch, changed a couple of dollars to the local currency (TIP: research on the exchange rate before you get there! at that time, $1 converted to roughly 4500 riel or Php1=100 riel) and continued on to Phnom Penh.

(the loveleh border. the designs are culturally inclined, AND pleasing to the eye. I'm so inggit.)

I was looking out my window the whole time and saw dirt road, endless green and houses on stilts. If it wasn't for the occasional temple (and sugar palm tree), I would have thought I was on Philippine soil, taking a trip up north.

After four more hours, we reached the capital tours bus terminal in the middle of a busy market in Phnom Penh. I had arranged for my cambodian friend to pick us up and even asked my bus seatmate, a middle aged cambodian man whose name I could not pronounce, to call him a few hours before we arrived so we wouldn't have any trouble finding each other at the station (I don't know if its just me, but I feel more comfortable talking to strangers in a foreign country). Just as I imagined, as soon as we got off the bus, a group of tuktuk drivers descended upon us offering their services and whatnot VERY VERY PERSISTENTLY. The trick here is not to let them get to you, they're just trying to make a living.

Tra found us soon enough and within a few minutes, we were riding around phnom penh. We were there kind of late so there wasn't enough time to see the city while it was light outside but still we passed by some interesting places like the Royal Palace, the prime minister's house and the Independence memorial before we drove to our home in Phnom Penh. Tra and his family lived in a gated community with people who drove luxury cars for neighbors. Apparently second hand luxury cars from the US are a popular form of family transportation. Bikes too.

After a quick shower we all went out to enjoy Phnom Penh's night life. First stop, the Phnom Penh night market where they sell everything from food to crafts to cellphones and antiques. There is a big stage in the middle of the market where performers entertain the huge crowd of locals out and about. Food stalls are grouped at the back of the market around an open space where everyone can picnic (like a school fair! what fun). Oh and we saw more than a few people walking around in pajamas - not just loose clothes that you would usually wear in bed but real pajama sets! That was awesome.

(KFC is the first international fast food chain in cambodia)

Next we went for dinner at a fancy cambodian restaurant/NGO. Squid with peppercorns, fried frogs, fish amok, green curry and Angkor beer filled us with happiness. Angkor beer tasted like a cleaner version of San Miguel Pale Pilsen and was nice and refreshing. But what really won me over that night was the peppercorns in the squid dish (as I have never tried fresh peppercorns before). Fun AND yum.

After a quick drive to tra's in-law's house (we had to drop of their kid for the next destination). We went out to DANCE! Phnom Penh IS the nightlife district of Cambodia. We arrived at around 10 pm and the club was already full of people of different races (and fashion inspirations). Basketball shorts and tsinelas, anyone? Too bad we couldn't take photos.

The music was great (except for the sometimes odd interjections of the dj) and the big surprise of the night: everyone knew justin beiber (and danced to his music too). Also, the waiters seem to be allergic to half-full glasses. They were constantly roaming around topping up drinks, adding ice and compulsively cleaning.

Since we had another early bus ride the next morning, we couldn't stay for longer. And when the sun shone the next morning, we thanked the party people and bid them goodbye :D

Useful Information:

Capital Tours Guest House

cheap rooms, right where the bus stops

No. 14AE0, Road 182

Sangkat Beng Prolitt

Khann 7 MAKARA Phnom Penh, Cambodia

http://www.capitolkh.com/default.htm

Phnom Penh Night Market

Red Soil Garden, Along Riverside, North of Old Market (Phsar Chas)

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Open friday to sunday (5pm-12am)

MEKONG EXPRESS LIMOUSINE BUS

87Eo, Sisowath Quay, Sangkat Wat Phnom

mekongexpress@online.com.kh

-- we took this bus to siem reap. they charge an additional 3 dollars for foreigners (but you would never know that if you didn't try to have a cambodian buy tickets for you). You get snacks (yummy pastries) and water on board. plus the tour guide is pretty informative about the surroundings. :)

Good Morning, Ho Chi Minh :)

[Travel blog for trip of the (birthday) month September: Ho Chi Minh - Phnom Penh - Siem Reap - Ho Chi Minh. Part 1 of a 4 part, 3 city series. More photos here. (click!)]

When we had our passports renewed a year ago, our lolo asked us where we were going next and I immediately answered Thailand. I promised a couple of friends that we would meet again in a foreign country and Thailand seemed like the best option for all of us. Unfortunately, Thailand was receiving some grim publicity at that time, so my dreams of going around south east asia was put on hold. Even my friends, busy with their own lives (in their own countries) were unable to commit to a date and the initial excited planning died down to a promise that we will all converge somewhere in the world, someday.

Fast forward to a year later, I was determined to put a stamp on my passport that had gone unused since. My international travel history listed only 2 countries and I had used a new passport every time so my dream of having a collection of immigration stamps was nowhere near reality. A friend from work suggested Vietnam (partly because she was a vietnamese language major and had friends there) and said she would happily accompany me whenever I decided to go.

A couple of weeks (and an airline promo) later, we were on our way to saigon.
Before the flight, I read a couple of travel blogs, looked at some photos and asked a few friends on what to do in ho chi minh. Eating (and eating A LOT) was on the top of their lists. My list included singing along to "Miss Saigon" while walking along a sidewalk, drinking only coffee (and beer) and fanning myself with a million dong. Ate was on a mission to hoard mountaineering equipment for Mt. Pulag in december.

And because I was really bent on collecting stamps for my passport, we squeezed in a plan to cross the border to Cambodia and go see the angkor wat. That way, we get to be in two countries in a week! It was tiring just to even think about the amount of time we were going spend in land transit (because we were backpackers with no money to fly) but that was trumped by the thought of old buildings, trees and tomb raiders.

We flew in on Cebu Pacific's late night flight (never too late for games!) and hailed a cab outside the airport. Our vietnam-based contact recommended only VinaSun or Malinh taxi cabs because the drivers won't try to charge you extra. Plus they have clean cabs in an assortment of sizes. We went straight to a backpacker's lodge located in district 1 that Satoko had found and booked over the internet. The seem pretty used to tourists, spoke good english and helped us buy bus tickets to Phnom Penh the next morning.





The bus was scheduled to leave at 7am and 9am. We chose the latter so we could go for an early morning walk in search for breakfast. There was a park right across the alley where our guest house stood, filled with Vietnamese people of all ages playing badminton, dancing to ballroom music and enjoying a lazy saturday morning. There weren't a lot of tourists around (probably still asleep or drunk from the previous night). We walked for about twenty minutes and found the deli we were aiming for where we got some Banh Mi (incredible sandwiches consisting of baguettes filled with sliced meat, pickled vegetables and liver pate) which we promptly brought to a nearby street-side cafe and devoured. And when I say street-side, I do mean street (we were sitting on the side of a building with a styrofoam ice chest acting as a table. a common sight around hcmc).



The sidewalk cafe served vietnamese coffee for people on the way to work (or anyone else in need of a fix) so we got some to go with our sandwiches (and so we they would let us sit there). This coffee, served SWEET and in beer mugs filled to the brim with ice chips, was a revelation. I have always been more of a hot, black coffee person only because I have never encountered iced coffee that I liked in manila. But this was a whole world of difference. I couldn't stop. It was so sweet that the first sip tastes like chocolate, but the rich, earthy flavor of the coffee and strong kick of caffeine wasn't too far behind. Like frozen, dark chocolate covered espresso beans in liquid form that was flooding my mouth. I finished my mug even before the ice melted (which is probably recommended to stagger the strength of the coffee and dilute the sugar) and I ended up drinking coffee like crazy for that whole week. It was really THAT good.



We decided to walk back to the hotel so we could immediately put all those calories to work but it turns out we burn food pretty fast and we still had time (and space in our stomachs) to swing by another alleyway shop for a second breakfast. We had beef noodles, strawberry sinh to and passion fruit juice (which is literally just one whole passion fruit sliced in half and squeezed into sugar water and ice. delish).



This (double) breakfast was easily one of the better ones we had in the entire trip. Lazy, local and purely delicious. Plus, it kept us full until lunchtime at the Cambodian border. But that's for next time :)

Useful Information:
GUEST HOUSE THANH THUONG
241/6 Pham Ngu Lao st. Pham Ngu Lao ward, District 1, HCMC
booking can be made in advance, english OK, payment in US dollars, breakfast optional. Free WIFI and nice staff. they would even help you buy tickets for your next destination.
email thanhthuonghotel@yahoo.com

CAPITOL TOURS BUS

Phnom Penh Office and Station

#14AEo, Street 182 Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Tel: +(855) (0)23-217627

www.capitolkh.com

English Speaking bus guides, cheap rates (although bus stop is in the middle of a prett busy market). they also operate a backpacker guest house for the budget traveler :)

BANH MI sandwiches and beef noodles
available everywhere :)

full days

It's a rarity for me to spend weekends in Manila. Even rarer for me not to take advantage of mondays declared as holidays (thus, a three day break) and not plan for a weekend further out into the beautiful Philippine countryside. But when thursday rolled around last week and I still couldn't decide on where to fly off to, I decided to fill my weekend with crafts I wanted to do, things I wanted to eat and people I needed to see within Metro Manila. So saturday took me from caloocan to pasig to makati to quezon city, meeting with new friends, college friends and even friends from high-school. Saturday felt like a long day that was still too short. If you get what I mean :) (sunday saw me nursing a hangover but that's beside the point. everyone needs a rest day)

art makes me happy

Growing up, I never had confidence in any of the drawings that I made in school. It was always not cute enough, or too real or tried to do/show too much. Needless to say, I didn't enjoy projects that involved a lot of drawing. Or the use of pens. My handwriting wasn't any better. I could not for the life of me write in cursive. I would literally sweat buckets and hurt my hands from gripping my pen too hard. I dis, however, enjoy crafts. In kindergarten, my hands were always rough with dried up glue and I always had weird paper cutouts stuck to different parts of my body (still happens to me now and it makes me very happy).

When I started studying Japanese, I was frustrated at how my handwriting looked nothing like the characters that appeared in the books. I felt like I was drawing the characters and forcing them to look right instead of them coming together naturally with every stroke that I add (which, I heard, was what it was supposed to feel like). My handwriting looked like a font. Comic sans in Japanese.

After a couple of years, my handwriting got better and I started appreciating how cute my drawings and characters looked like. I guess exposure to the Japanese culture made me look at "cute" in a whole different way. It also made me appreciate handwritten notes and hand drawn figures (which, I think, is a rarity in the Filipino culture. we don't write a lot of notes as a people). The fliers advertising organizations in ritsumeikan were always hand drawn and there was a certain soul to each of them that I couldn't "feel" in the other posters that were produced using computers. I guess hands just have some sort of magic for me.

About a week ago my boss handed me an envelope from an art university in Tokyo. Inside was a postcard made from recycled "bagasse" and a note from a group of senior students who were heading the art project. Bagasse is the pulp that remains after the juice is extracted from sugarcane. They made it into raw material for paper and sent these postcards to people living all over the world (I assume they sent one to every Japanese embassy). The letter says for the recipients to mark their locations on the map, draw whatever, and then send it back to them. The postcards will then be used in an art installation. I don't really know why my boss handed me the card to complete. I think I looked bored that day and he was sweet enough to give me something to do. I'm actually excited to send it back.

What do you think I should write on it?