Humility - Cambodia

I've decided to pack my bags and head off to Cambodia with my colleagues from PwC. We have been working in an long hours audit and thought we really needed a break.

A trip to Cambodia can be interesting yet emotional. The population has lived in poverty for so many years, overshadowed by their gruesome past. Pol Pot during his 4 years reign as the prime minister of the Khmer Rouge empire has slaughtered nearly 25% of Cambodia's population through a series of execution, forced labour and malnutrition. The 'killing field' in Phonm Penh is part of the testament to Cambodia's shuddering history.

Kids with their pet snake asking for money when tourists try to take picture with them.

Cambodia's glory lies in the past as it is one of the earliest civilisation in South East Asia. The Angkor Wat, built majestically in the fields of Siem Reap, is one of the icons of Cambodia and is one of the 7 wonders of the world. Angkor Wat is huge and is divided into a few sites. Walking from one site to another can be tiring especially due to the humidity and the heat. Entrance fee is USD 40 which left us wondering why is the country still poor given the amount tourist and money generated.

Angkor Wat at sunrise

Corrosion

Cars, bikes and pedestrians sharing this narrow entrance into the site

Vandalism or corrosion? There has been plenty of cases where statues were stolen and smuggled out of the country for sale in the black market. Some statues have missing arms or heads while some are totally damaged.

 Trying to be funny. Smelling the lion's ass.

Trees surrounding the side of the moat

Despite the beauty of the relic of Angkor Wat, the streets of Cambodia are still lined with poverty. Kids selling postcards to tourist when they'r suppose to be studying at school. Beggars lining the entrance of tourist attraction. Eating in restaurants has never been worse when you can see kids peering through the window with their hunger face looking at the food that you're eating.

Things in Cambodia aren't as cheap as i thought it would be. Most of business dealings are dealt in US dollars and a bowl of noodle can cause USD 2 which is appoximately the same price as a bowl of soup noodle in Malaysia.

Cambodian's tonic

We took a trip down to the Tonle Sap lake, the largest fresh water lake in South East Asia. Some facts about the lake: during rainy season, the lake expand and floods the Mekong delta through the Mekong River while dry season causes the water to discharge from the Mekong River back into the Tonle Sap. Along the bank of the Tonle Sap, residents live in floating houses that have sticks planted deep into the riverbed. This is to hold the house and prevent the house from being carried away by the tide during the dry season. The living conditions there is appalling with no proper basic necessity such as clean water and electricity. Many drink from the river water in which they wash their clothes and do their 'toilet business'. Government has been trying to create awareness by setting up booth to distribute clean water. Not sure to what extent the effectiveness of the campaign. Residents there generally work as fishermen although many recently complain that there are less fishes nowadays due to over-fishing. Some who can speak basic English works as tour guide in the area. While the men go out to work, the women takes care of house chore and the kids go to a floating school (how cool is that!). It's practically a floating village there. 

A typical floating house

Layout is pretty much like a small house with a common area, kitchen and toilet

Floating church

Notice the stick sticking out at the side of the house. 

Floating school

Drinking water station

Tonle Sap!

So here's my post about Cambodia, away from the much talked-about Angkor Wat to a glimpse the life of the people in the Cambodians' floating village life.

I want to go to Bali/Yangon with Travelar!!

Came across Digi Nuffnang's Competition on the blog writing that highlights the destinations of Yangon and Bali. So this is my virgin post entry for this competition!

I want to go to Yangon with Travelar SIMPLE BECAUSE....

Note: The Myanmar government has published a guide to travelling in Myanmar and can be found in the following link: http://www.dosanddontsfortourists.com/

An interesting place to visit given the controversies that surrounds the country’s political situation. A predominantly Buddhist country, Burma’s early civilization is influenced by Theravada Buddhism, giving birth to interesting temples such as the Shwedagon Pagoda. Legend has it that the pagoda has existed for more than 2,500 years ago and has relics of the past 4 Buddhas enshrined within. The history also states that the pagoda was destroyed several times and has been rebuilt to its current state in 1970. That leaves us wondering if the relics are still safely enshrined within the pagoda. Nevertheless it is an amazing structure and is definitely the highlight of the Yangon. 

There are also a couple of such religious sites in Yangon such as the Sule Paya and Botataung Paya. These sites consists of a stupa that were built more than 2,000 years ago. Another highlight in Yangon is the Karaweik palace in the Kandawgyi Lake. The Karaweik is majestic and it looks like a golden palace in a lake backdrop during the night. Karaweik is a palace on the eastern shore of Kandawgyi Lake that was designed by Burmese architect U Nghwe Hliang. Besides this, if I have the time, I would certainly like to visit the Aung San Suu Kyi Mansion.

Nightlife in Yangon is nothing comparable to Bangkok’s Khao San Road, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t anything to do at night there. 19^th Street caught my attention as the place to go to at night. From the pictures, it seems similar to our very own Jonker Street, with plenty of cheap cocktail bars and street food peddler around. I would also like to visit the Vista Bar, which is essentially a rooftop bar that offers a good night view of the city with the Shwedagon Pagoda in sight.

19th Street

Despite not being adventurous in food, I would like to explore the food of Yangon. Myanmar, just like most South East Asian countries, has unique and exotic flavors for their food. I am a lover of street food when I travel simply because they are cheap and usually come in big portion. But most important of all, it brings you closer to the everyday lives of the locals. It is interesting to eat what the locals eat, where the locals eat and how the locals eat.

BBC wrote: “A tendency towards a strong sour flavour is common and most dishes, even a simple meat curry, will come with dozens of side dishes, such as herbs, dips and sauces, which add texture, spice and flavour. Sample the basics of what the country has to offer by wandering around downtown Yangon, feasting at the food stalls that are crammed against a backdrop of colourful colonial buildings.”

So here’s some interesting food that I would like to try in Yangon:

Burmese fritters or Vadai?

1. Burmese Chinese food – a variety of them ranging from roast duck (pretty similar to Malaysian style) to exclusive Burmese Chinese food such as Kyay-Oh. Kyay-Oh is a mixture of thin rice noodles, tofu and vegetable like broccoli. Another Burmese Chinese food is Nga Acho Chin which is an adaptation from the Chinese sweet and sour fish. 
2. Fritters – ranges from Calabash to Shrimp, the style is pretty similar to our Vadai.
3. Shan flavors – Shan stalls are identifiable by their large blocks of Shan tofu. Shan are an ethnic group with their own state of the same name in the northeast Burma.
4. Deep Fried Bugs! – Myanmar’s Irrawaddy Delta, an area largely used for rice cultivation. Similar to Cambodia and Thailand where large number of the country’s population are employed in the paddy fields, Burmese loves their deep fried bugs. To get rid of the pest (crickets, grasshoppers, scorpions), they catch them and cook as a free source of protein.

Fear Factor Challenge

Oh I find this interesting when I was searching for interesting food in Yangon. Go-Myanmar.com has a review on a restaurant named PYONGYANG KOREA. What’s fascinating is the restaurant is owned by the North Korean government.  It is located in Saya San Road in Bahan Township. Tripadvisor reported that there isn’t a lot variety in the food and price is pretty sky high. But it is definitely worth a visit for the dining experience.

So if I win the trip to Yangon (which I most certainly will ;)), this is how my itinerary will look like:

Day 1:

•  Arrival
• Shwedagon Pagoda
• Kandawgyi Lake and its surrounding area

Night: 19^th Street

Day 2:

• Sule Paya
• Saint Mary’s Cathedral
• Aung San Suu Kyi Mansion

Night: Dinner at PyongYang Korea and chill in Vista Bar later on

Day 3:

•  Ciao, Yangon!

I want to go to Bali with Travelar SIMPLY BECAUSE

Compare to Yangon, Bali is a whole different place to visit. There are so many places to visit and things to do in Bali. 2 nights won’t be enough to cover them all. Nevertheless, lets look at the highlights of the island.

Balinese are predominantly Balinese Hinduism and its cultures owes much to its history dating as far back to 2000BC. The Besakih Temple is one of the examples of majestic temples found on the ‘island of thousand temples’. The Besakih Temple is known as the Mother Temple and is over 1,000 years old. The second most important temple after mother temple Besakih is Pura Bratan which is dedicated to Dewi Batari Ulun Danu, goddess of lake and river. There are also lots of temples worth visiting such as the Goa Lawah Temple, Royal Temple of the Mengwi Empire and the Tanah Lot Temple.

Prayer in Besakih

Of course, visitors to Bali are not only confined to temple visits. I would of course like to visit Kuta Beach and indulge in diving activity in Nusa Penida. Nusa Penida is identified as the world class dive site due to its rich water that supports no less than 247 species of corals and 562 species of fish. Nusa Penida is considered an off-beaten track from the main Bali island so if I’m there, I might as well indulge in bird watching as the island is considered a bird watching sanctuary by the Friends of the National Parks Foundation (FNPF). Watch out for the endangered Bali Starling which is found only in Nusa Penid.

Bali Starling

Another place to visit is Ubud, a town in central Bali. This town is famous for its arts and crafts and also its rich architecture of its temple. I want a visit to Gunung Kawi which has structures carved into the sides of a steep river valley. The site is presumed to be the burial site of King Anak Wungsu and his many wives. And then, I want to head over to Tirta Empul for a hot bath in the hot spring.  This temple is one of the holiest temples in Bali and is built around hot spring that still bubbles in the central courtyard. Well, “too much good thing can be wonderful” – by Mae West. 

Vespa Hippies in Ubud.

Nightlife:

Bali is considered to be Asia’s Cancun. Nightlife here is one of the best that you can find in South East Asia. People go to Kuta to sunbath, surf, and drink. I have never been to Cancun and won’t be going there in the near future, but how about a taste of Cancun in Asia? I certainly don’t mind.

My research on Bali shows that Bali produces its own local wine. It is available in white, red, rose, and sparkling varieties. However, the quality is said to be inconsistent although the rose one is said to be usually okay. Put these aside, the good part is we get to bring our own bottle in with them. Certainly something worth trying!

Balinese wine Hatten

Bali is also home to the Hard Rock Café chain of restaurants and hotel. Being a pin collector, it would be a must to visit the Rock Shop to trade and buy pins.

Hard Rock Cafe Bali

How about trying out Kopi Luwak in Bali? One the most expensive coffee in the world, the Kopi Luwak is coffee brewed on beans that has been through the digestive system of civets, which has recently raised a lot of controversies on how the civet are used as money making machines. Civets have been reported to be kept in cages and are fed nothing but coffee cherries. However, coffee producers denied such false claims and us consumers are left to decide what is right or wrong. Right or wrong, I wanna hear from you guys who read my post.

So this is my summary highlights of Bali. I would certainly like to visit both places in the future. I think Yangon is a city full of cultural and political history that was not known to us until the last few decades. Whereas Bali is a holiday paradise where people go there and chill and have a time of their lives. Two different taste, two different experience, but equally exciting.

So tell what's your choice of destination in the voting poll at the side!

End.
-Jaric-