Friday, July 21, 2006 . 12:47 AM

cambodia in a shoe string

Well kindred spirits and far-off friends, here I sit and here I write, in Singapore (not Cambodia!!). Before I begin, I'd like to apologise for missing out in action these past few weeks. I did have paltry internet access times over there (solely for emailing purposes) so I was completely unaware that so many "interesting" things happened here - especially with Rey now spamming this blog! Ha!

As you guys know, I was away on a 10-day solo Cambodia "budget" backpacking trip and I'm here to report on my adventures. For full expository and photos (uncensored), please request to view my Cambodia travelogue (still in the making). ;p

Anything goes here in Cambodia, and as long as you keep your eyes and ears wide open, you're in for a wonderful experience! Cambodia was cut out from the world for far too long and I felt fortunate to be there. It is still picking up pieces from its tumultous sufferings under the Pol Pot regime (Khmer Rouge) where millions of Cambodians were massacred. On the left, you see the skulls of those tortured and excecuted at the Cheuong Ek killing fields. There is also a palm tree whose trunk was used to kill thousands of babies. Guards grab them by the ankles and swing them head-on against the trunk, killing them instantly. Next, the moto-driver brought me to a shooting run by the army. "Mistah, I bring you to shooting!" Fired the CZ 57 handgun, and what a lousy shooter I was. Managed to hit 1 shot on the board out of 7, but the one shot was out of target! bleugh. The multitude black and white pictures are those captured and tortured at S21, which used to be a school turned torture facility turned museum now (Toul Sleng Museum). The methods of torture used by those of the Khmer Rouge were awfully cruel and inhumane. I couldn't imagine such a preposterous thing actually happened here which left indelible scars on the Cambodians. And those crickets, were supplement to my dinner. It actually tastes ok, but the thought of swallowing irks. ps: Not for the gastronomically unchallenged!

No matter the hardships of travel, as long as there's a shower and a can of coke, all is not lost. I marvelled at the can of coke which I drank one hot afternoon at a cafe near Angkor Wat. Not that I'm a Coca fan (that's what people call cola in Cambodia - coca)... In fact I resisted to patronise the American beverage till the 7th day of my trip. Coca has a similar effect as using the internet - it keeps one connected to the outside world. Coca is everywhere, and you realise that with Coca around, you know that you are still belong this world. Even the poorest of countries still sell Coca, but I digress.
Presenting Khmer delights (clockwise)

Kerchai, a Singapore carrot-cake equivalent. It has more veggies and has a more jelly texture. Nom Pangsach is a bread dish extremely popular with the locals. Inside's a sweet pork filling. You see carts being pushed along road sides everywhere especially so in Phnom Penh. Khmer curry is a delight both to the eye and taste buds. The curry's so thin yet so flavourful (taste abit like ginseng). However, I don't think this will appeal to the spice fans. Nom Ansomang is a glutinous snack wrapped in banana, then barbequed over fire. Interesting eh? :)

Of course, I'll not forget fellow traveller I met along the way. Meeting new people is definitely
one of the highlights of this trip. Clockwise again, meet Tom from Australia and Lenka from Czech. Mizue from Japan, Yirong and Franson from Malaysia with Kim and Anders from Denmark. Lastly Canadian sisters, Sherri and Faith, very very amiable people. Of course there are others like Jifeng from Taiwan, Manabu and Tsukada from Japan. When I start to get lonely, finding travellers to talk to will certainly do the trick. Most of them are very shy at first (Caucasians included!) but you've got to be daring enough to make the first move if you want to talk to them - otherwise, sometimes they do appear stuck up. I tell you, unlike Asian travellers, the ang-moh travellers are hardcore. They set aside a lump sum of savings to spend months and years travelling around. Impressive eh? Most of them either quit their jobs or have just graduated - that's why the travel.

That's all for now! Best shot of Angkor coming up soon!

cheers,
dash