pinaywifespeaks » Cambodia

Food Trip Friday: Cambodian Kari Nom Yah

Lui — Thu, 24 May 2012 12:02:36 +0000

I’m hopeless when it comes to cooking Khmer dishes (mainly coz I haven’t tried hard enough..yet) but I love eating Khmer food. I’m actually passionate about home cooked Khmer food. And thankfully, I have a really awesome mom-in-law who indulges my cravings. Whenever she cooks up some of my favorite Khmer dish, then she’ll always send some to our house.

And this was what she cooked for Mother’s Day. I was feeling bit blue that day coz Hi-ace was on a trip so it was just me and the kiddo at home. And so of course, this made my day.

Kari Nom Yah with Nom Ban Chouk noodles.

Nom ban chouk noodles are freshly made and usually served with a fish based sauce – check out my previous post about the typical Nom Ban Chouk noodles. But Kari Nom Yah is slightly different. It still uses fresh nom ban chouk rice noodles, same kinds of veggies goes in, but its the sauce that makes the difference.

Fresh Nom Ban Chouk Noodles Wrapped in Lotus Leaves

The sauce still uses flaked fish, but its flavored a bit like curry and its red. The ‘curry’ is not as heavy as the meaty Kari Nom Ban Chouk, its lighter in flavor and consistency. And the taste? I love it. very very tasty and I like the balanced flavor.

veggies: basil,peppermint (+some more greens, I don't know what to call), lotus stem, sprouts, cucumber and can't do without chili

The Sauce. This tasted so good, I swore I'll learn how to make it!

I also like adding a lot of peppermint leaves for extra zing and chopping in a lot of lotus stems for the extra crunch. I ended up liking it so much that I asked M-I-L for another set last Thursday. I know I’m getting too spoiled here. Lol.

Off To Mondulkiri Day 2: Pu-tang Village

Lui — Wed, 23 May 2012 03:45:41 +0000

This is one of my most anticipated part of our Mondulkiri trip. A visit to the Phnong hill tribes in Pu-tang Village. The Phnong Khmer ethnic minorities live on the rolling hills some distance from the city of Monorom. Their main sources of livelihood is agriculture and their ethnic homes, costumes are very interesting to see.

The views going to the village is nothing short of amazing. The photos doesn’t really do it justice. Gentle rolling hills that Mondulkiri is famous for and crisp, cool air will greet you as you drive along.

The Pu-tang Village though is decidedly a lot colder than in any parts of the province, its actually hard to go out without a thin jacket. So most people there weren’t wearing their traditional garb but were swathed in thick clothes.

It’s dry season so everywhere I looked, the hills were covered in dry grass..

The number of traditional Phnong houses were smaller compared to those who have now built ‘modern’ Khmer style houses. But still, the few present in the village are worth having a peek at. The Phnongs are also incredibly warm and welcoming and would even allow you inside their houses if you ask politely.

The kids with us prepared some clothes, books and food donation and also interacted with the villagers and I left them to it while I wandered about taking photos.

The Phnongs are passionate about their rice wine. It keeps them extra warm during really cold nights and they usually store their rice wine in these jars and drink from it using long plastic straws.

And this is the traditional Phnong ethnic house. The owner kindly invited me inside to look around but I didn’t take photos out of respect for his privacy. But let me just describe what’s inside.. It’s dome shaped (kinda reminded me of an igloo), and made of wood and other local materials. On the inner center was a place for fire to keep them warm. On both sides there were raised platforms they use to lounge around and they also have hammocks. One of these platforms were lined with jars filled with rice wine and another section housed a small cotton weave. There was also a hanging storage platform very near the roof with some huge baskets made of native materials stored.

Road Trip Up to Bokor Mountains and Thansur Bokor, Part 1

Lui — Tue, 15 May 2012 07:44:28 +0000

Finally. I got around to downloading all pics and videos from this road trip. I’m usually very enthusiastic about taking photos and vids during road trips but once the excitement of the trip simmers down, I’m really really lazy about downloading and editing photos. And this one made me extra lazy coz I couldn’t stop myself from taking photos, and I brought with me three cameras = gazillion photos. Yes, I am really an OC person.

I’m breaking down this whole thing into two parts as I have tons of photos even after I spent a lot of time deciding which one to post. This first part would be about the road trip up and some snapshots of Thansur Bokor Resort. Part two will be some snapshots of the scenes around Bokor.

For so long, we’ve been planning on going up to Bokor National Park well, ever since we got here three years ago. But in the end, this trip always took the backseat coz before this year, the roads weren’t really good, and while we do like to rough it up sometimes, we also have a kiddo to think about, so her comfort takes precedence. But when we heard that the new casino/hotel had its soft opening last March and the roads are now immaculate, we then gave it a go.

Signage - National Road 3 to Kampot

Bokor National Park is located some distance from Kampot. Main attractions would be the ruins scattered in the old French hill station built the French during the 1920′s. Its easy to guess why they picked this place, its super scenic and offers a great respite from the heat of Cambodia’s plains. Free airconditioning. Ha!

Knowing this much, I was very much excited and ready to be impressed by the scenery. I am and always will be a huge fan of nature and fantastic panorama. So we packed our bags for the trip and left Phnom Penh about 7 am. The trip going to Kampot is easy, with pretty scenes of the countryside, occasional towns like the one below..

small Cambodian town along N3

And before we knew it we were in this turn..

..turning right to Phnom Bokor Resort

From here we drove on towards Route 4 for about 8 km and the turn to Bokor National Park came up. There were a lot of workers about the turn, planing the road sides with colorful bougainvilla shrubs. I’m starting to imagine how this place would look like when these plants are big and blooming.

Road Turn to Bokor National Park

Entrance to Bokor National Park

What followed was a drive on a wide, winding road with very very pretty scenery. I did have to stop myself from asking hubby to stop the car so I could take photos. If I did that, we probably would have reached the hill top at night time. So I held back and just took snapshots from the car.

Winding roads going up to Bokor

Gorgeous Views this shot can't even begin to capture

But it was just gorgeous! You can see long, stunning stretches of the coast and the plains below that I know these pictures doesn’t really do it justice.

..more pretty views..

old bridge still intact..

Here’s a video of the road trip up:

Click here to view the embedded video.

After an hour or so of driving up, we came upon a short junction with an empty rest-stop, and a small shrine where travelers can pray for safe trip.

praying for safe trip..

Turning left, we drove on some more and before long we were looking at the hill top’s latest addition. The ginormous Thansur Bokor Resort. I’m not really sure how I feel about this huge complex built in here. On one side, I think I find it a little garish and I have the feeling it doesn’t belong among the eerie and sad ruins on the hilltop but the passive side of me thinks, oh well, its there. And drawing visitors again.

Thansur Borkor Resort

The hotel/casino is actually now operational although there were still a bit of construction and fixing going on in some parts. You can check out their website at Thansur Bokor Resort and bookings can be done there too. We opted not to stay there for the night and just go down instead to Kep, but we do plan stay there at least overnight next time we go.

Thansur Bokor Resort Reception

Thansur Bokor Resort, Bokor Cambodia

Bokor can be really chilly and foggy but it was a really welcome treat coming from the super hot and humid Phnom Penh. See the photo below of the Thansur frontage? That’s not some sort of photo effect, its just all fog.\

fog. fog. fog all around.

We drove around the area for a few hours and I’ll be posting the photos on the next part.

Food Trip Friday: Cheap Buffet at Thansur Bokor

Cambodia Snapshots: Busy Sisowath Quay

Lui — Sun, 13 May 2012 01:49:38 +0000

Phnom Penh’s tourist lane. This riverside promenade runs side by side with Tonle Sap river on one side and a busy, crammed street full of restaurants, hotels, bars,cafes etc. Its a busy busy street and its where most tourists and expats converge. Early morning and afternoon turns this place into a group exercise haven.

Cambodia Snapshots: Clock on the Ground at Wat Phnom

Lui — Sat, 12 May 2012 01:15:28 +0000

One of Phnom Penh’s landmarks – Wat Phnom. And aside from the shrines, wat and museum in this place, another thing of interest is this ginormous clock embedded on the ground. This thing is also illuminated at night, but I have yet to take photos of that. For now, we’ll have this afternoon snapshot of the Wat Phnom clock.

Food Trip Friday: Cheap Buffet at Thansur Bokor

Lui — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:09:47 +0000

Two weeks ago, we went up Bokor Mountains to check out the new road and the new resort/casino as well as some sights there. Whenever we go on road trips like this, we usually don’t pack a lot of food, just the basic snacks. The kiddo doesn’t like eating ‘old’ cold food and we always try to eat somewhere local.

We did the same thing this time, but I was also apprehensive if there was any food places up there coz as far as I know the casino has just had its soft opening and not all facilities are operational yet. But I needn’t have to worry as we found out when we got there coz they have a coffee shop as well as an Asian buffet. Check out their web site – Thansur Bokor.

Hungry as we were, it was no brainer that we opted to go buffet. The whole spread cost $6 only. Which was a great great deal coz it was not a measly spread. There were a lot of options, vegetable salads, fruit salads, vegetarian dishes, Asian and stir fried viands, soups, porridge, plain and fried rice, drinks plus lots of breads. I didn’t take photos of the buffet table as there were a lot of people there and I think it would be rude.

I took snapshots of our plate though. Here’s what hubby and I shared:

my veggie salad. their dressings are really good.

fish fillet with shredded mango salad, pork and tofu saute, some pastries.

my fruit plate. I had two servings of this. It was that good.

I also love the bold decor. I usually think too much color like this becomes an eyesore, but they somehow managed to keep it together. And it was an easy guess that I would beeline for this purple seating. Of course, I could never resist anything purple. Ha!

An entry for:

Cambodia Snapshots: Beach Bum Parking Space in Sihanoukville

Lui — Sun, 06 May 2012 01:59:53 +0000

The summer heat is making me think of and escaping to the beach. While I’m not a huge fan of Occheateul Beach (even if its pretty) in Sihanoukville coz its too crowded, this set up gives the illusion of relaxation. It’s certainly is possible to relax in here if you just master the art of ignoring persistent vendors.

If you want some peace and quiet in Sihanoukville, I would suggest checking out Sokha, Independence or Otres Beaches.

As for my post title, well that’s what I usually call loungers and umbrellas like this. It makes me really want to park my bum and just relax.

Cambodia Snapshots: Mangrove Walk in Koh Kong

Lui — Sun, 06 May 2012 01:27:53 +0000

One of the must-visit places in Koh Kong, Cambodia – the mangrove forest.

Off To Mondulkiri Day 2: Bousra Waterfalls

Lui — Thu, 03 May 2012 06:31:32 +0000

I really ought to be shot. I forgot to update about the Mondulkiri trip last Feb when all the photos have been ready for a few weeks already. I am really starting to be soo forgetful. Being a mom/wife/student/freelance worker can sometimes do that to a person. So I’m resigned to my fates.

Thankfully, a friend of mine asked me about Bousra Waterfalls this morning and I suddenly remembered I had to post about the second day of our trip to Mondulkiri. In case you’ve missed the first part, check it out here – Mondulkiri 2012 Day 1.

~oOo~

We started the day really early coz we had to visit a couple of schools for an outreach project. I was with a group of students whose mission is to help schools in far flung areas with books, school materials etc etc. That time, they were bringing a lot of book donations as well as school supplies for the kids. The ceremony was a bit long and it was around noon time when we left for Bousra Waterfalls.

I was excited to see the falls again. The last time we went to visit this place, its was just awesome (see post here). And I was curious if there has been any changes.

And yup. There has been some changes in the last two years. The road now is nicer. Not concrete or anything but no muddy potholes in them. There were also more people coming and going. Last time we went there, we were the only ones enjoying the places. This time there were lots of families picnicking. A group of monks and several groups of barangs.

I won’t bore you much now with my inane chatter, so here’s the pics spam.

the ‘entrance’

the last tier. and this one’s fairly long and stretches down a hundred meters or so. Not exactly spectacular, but some people like looking down on this so I’m glad to see they built new railings around the sides. It was scary the last time we came when they didn’t have any fence or railings near this.

The first tier. The volume of water is obviously down if you compare it with my previous photo. I was kinda disappointed even though its still beautiful. Then I remembered, we came this time during the dry season. Lol. Silly me.

postcard pretty!

locals love to ~~swim~~ shower here..

up close..water curtains

from the top. before the big water drop.

stream where the cascade comes from..

So pretty, right? I do LOVE out of the way gems like these. If you wanna visit this place, do so now before more and more people start discovering it.

Cambodia Snapshot: Scenic Royal University

Lui — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 11:52:31 +0000

The Royal University of Phnom Penh has a nice campus. Wide open spaces, frangipani and golden shower flowering trees around and big ponds make the place look really serene. A breath of fresh air from the increasingly crowded Phnom Penh city centre.

Snapshot above taken from the fourth floor of the Faculty of Science Building.

Cambodia Snapshot: A Roundabout

Lui — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 11:42:12 +0000

A small roundabout I saw in a town on the road going to Ho Chi Minh from Phnom Penh. I actually forgot what province this is..

Random Posts

Living in Phnom Penh: Whirlwind April

Lui — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 05:58:24 +0000

This morning I took our my planner thinking I should really organize myself coz I’m guilty of having done almost nothing this month. And I just had to sigh coz April is almost over.

Everything.. the days of this month just passed me by like it was some tornado. I guess it was the overabundance of Khmer holidays that set me to thinking I have all the time in the world to finish things but really, I am always cramming.

I’m almost done with my Khmer classes, with just a few more weeks to go on. And I’m pretty much pleased with myself coz I could now read (very very slowly – ha!) simple Khmer sentences. Yay! to me. Level 2 would make things easier in terms of speaking and writing and I’m looking forward to enrolling in that class.

During Khmer New Year, we stayed in Phnom Penh deciding we didn’t want to go with the hordes of people traveling out of the city. It was a very good call coz friends and relatives told me a lot of places in the provinces were pretty much crowded. And I loathe that. Too much crowd gives me claustrophobia and we usually stay away from places in need of serious crowd control. We had Phnom Penh very much to ourselves and I loved it.

My husband however didn’t feel that happy that we didn’t go anywhere. Lol. Between the two of us, he has an ‘itchy-er’ feet. And since it was going to be a start a new semester in his university, he decided we need to go somewhere.

So we decided to climb up to Bokor Mountain in Kampot. Have a look around at the new casino, take photos of the awesome mountain views, then go down to Kep for some downtime, swimming and seafood. I’ll be posting about the trip with photos and videos (of the trip up Bokor Mountain) soon. I just need to sort it out and do a bit of editing first.

More later.

Food Trip Friday: Khmer Stilt & Hammock House

Lui — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:04:00 +0000

A friend told me a few weeks ago that I’m lucky, I’m in the front row seat when it comes to experiencing Khmer cuisine. I mean real Khmer food. The one’s cooked at home, not those delicious but often ‘fusion’ or tweaked food to suit the visitor’s palate. I never really thought about it, but then most of these things I consider ‘normal’ or a daily routine. I eat mostly Khmer food now, so I guess I took it for granted.

Sure there are a lot of Khmer restaurants around, but those catering specially for tourists don’t really offer the real Khmer food. More like a semblance of Khmer food. I think its a bit hard to find, authentic Khmer food in those restos. Probably, the most usual Khmer fare that tourists and some expats taste would be amok and lok lak which is a shame coz the country has a lot to offer in terms of food. Take for instance, their wide variety of samlors (soups), its a must try but they are often hard to find. That’s why if you have Khmer friends and you get invited to their homes to eat, I would suggest jump at the offer (I know it sounds mercenary but..) you might be in for a little palate adventure.

While its a bit hard to find authentic Khmer fare in most city restos, you can still find something close to it across the Japanese bridge. I’ll let you on a little secret: this place is my favorite place to relax during weekends – those little stilt huts with hammocks along the river! Mind you, these places aren’t posh, and not for those who prefer their napkins to be sparkling white. But its an experience you’d find in no other place. This is an entirely Khmer affair and celebrates the Khmer love for lounging around on mats, hammocks and food.

There are a couple of places like this a few minutes drive away from the Japanese bridge, but the ones we usually go to are the one’s near the Chinese temple. I’m not sure exactly about the directions and the restaurants usually have Khmer names. But these places are a fantastic places to relax, be with family and friends. The food is also cheap and really really really delicious.

Just a few weekends ago, we went there again to enjoy the food and some quiet time. Here’s some pic spam..

The food..

grilled shrimps with garlic-chili sauce, served with herbs, cucumbers & tomatoes

chicken stir-fried with ginger & spring onions

samlor koh kor – veggies, fish, spices and flavored with roasted rice..this is super delicious.

Nice, relaxing place..

fabulous river views..

little huts for some privacy

the super happy to be there kiddo. she loves the hammocks obviously.

This is an entry for:

Owning a Home in Phnom Pehn

Lui — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 11:52:08 +0000

I’m going to talk real estate here. So I can’t guarantee its going to be interesting. Hahaha. I personally find finance, real estate blah blah boring. But since I’m a wife and a mom with a family to think of, such things I have to deal with. A little disclaimer, I’m not an expert in real estate nor am I a broker. I also have no knowledge about foreign ownership of real estate in Cambodia and its legalities. So what I’ll be discussing is our own personal experience in owning a home in Cambodia.

We have our own lot and a small house here in Phnom Penh. It’s within the city limits and very accessible to the markets, and other conveniences. We love the place coz its quiet, safe but very accessible. We’re not moneyed folks and a ~~billion~~ trillion light years away from being an ohkna (equivalent to tycoon), so owning a house and lot was a big hurdle for us.

If you’re just like us, regular working folks, then buying a lot and a house is almost impossible here. For several reasons: (1) Prices are so steep-really crazy steep and unregulated! (our neighbor’s lot 6×20 m is priced at $80,000! I find this amount obscene! It’s not even a commercial area!) (2) Home financing is not widely available nor is it popular, and its not a very practical option either as loan interest are sky high.

Before we decided to settle here, I was full of complaints about how real estate in the Philippines was so expensive and how lame was the government backed home financing – Pag-ibig, was. BUT when we got here and was faced with the realities of how we can own and not rent our own place, I had to appreciate that the real estate prices back home was regulated and people could at least have some access to home financing without being buried in debt and interest.

I could only thank my lucky stars that my husband has some financial genius tucked in there somewhere in his brains. Early on in our marriage, when prices are not so high here in Phnom Penh, and instead of spending a lot on a lavish wedding, we decided to just invest in a piece of land. That time, this lot was pitiful looking. With a smelly creek at the back, not much neighbors/houses around, pot holed streets, and I lamented that this place can’t possibly get any internet connection (ha!) and it ‘seemed’ far from the city. But hubby argued that the city is expanding rapidly, and we won’t have to wait long till the area is developed. So we shelled out a couple of thousand dollars and got ourselves that lot. I was consoling myself that at least we won’t have to rent a place when we moved here.

After purchasing the lot, we also built a small 1 bedroom house just enough for the three of us. That time budget was really tight and we really had to scrape to build the place. Constructing it was a hardship too coz here if you want something done with passable quality, you have to be involved. Construction skills/services at that time were mediocre at best and how I wish there was something like san diego synthetic turf, where you just call someone and voila! they’ll install a gorgeous backyard for you. But since it was going to be a temporary home, we made do.

Fast forward to eight years later, our neighborhood is now crowded. Were surrounded by houses, the smelly creek at the back a thing of the past since a neighbor decided he wanted to build a house on top of the creek so he filled the area up. And I have internet, unlimited, not expensive and a wifi at home. Wahahaha. And I hail hubby as a genius coz now that we think about it considering how much our neighbors lot’s are worth now, our place is a very good buy.

Some things I have noticed:

Prices of houses and lots in the city centre and within its immediate vicinity is astronomical. Seriously astronomical, perhaps a lot more expensive that other more developed cities. You just have to check out various real estate classified ads to know what I mean.
Rental prices on the other hand I consider to be fair. Perhaps because of the fierce competition so you can have a variety of options for a temporary stay. I think furnished apartments are a really good deal here in Phnom Penh.
It’s good to see that there are some home financing offers already cropping up. They are still considerably expensive but at least its a start. I’m hoping this will improve in time, so housing would be more readily available to most Cambodians.
If you’re considering purchasing a lot, then it wouldn’t hurt to look at the available places on the suburbs. In fact I would recommend this. As I’ve mentioned the city is expanding so fast, I’m sure in a few years time those places that used to be ‘far’ would be near enough. And the prices aren’t as dear as those within the city.

As for us, right now were saving up to build a proper house in our current lot and we also have our sights on another place in the outskirts of the city. For sure, when were older we want somewhere with a little less noise, fresher air and little more space for greens.

Image: Naypong / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Phnom Penh’s Psah Thom Thmei: Gorgeous Art Deco Building

Lui — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 01:08:20 +0000

Friends and some readers ask me if there are malls here in Phnom Penh. Yes, there are malls, but not like the huge malls in neighboring countries. They usually are smallish and the goods being sold in there reminds me of those sold in 168 Mall in Manila. Bargain, and low quality items at inflated prices. I observed Khmers don’t have a huge fondness for shopping in air-conditioned malls, they usually just go there to cool down, eat or go to the supermarket. And you really can’t fault them since what’s being sold there can be found in most traditional markets at a much lower price.

signage ‘reads’ to Psar Thom Thmei meaning New Big Market

One of the most popular traditional markets here is the Central Market or Psar Thom Thmei. This place is also pretty much always on a tourist’s itinerary not just because of the goodies you can find there. You can buy gold coins and jewelry, Cambodian souvenirs, cheap clothes, electronics and the wet goods area is also a place to see. Another reason to account for its popularity and why its considered one of Phnom Penh’s landmarks is that its a really gorgeous place. Not your typical ramshackle market.

It’s made with a unique Art Deco design and was constructed during the 1930′s. It features a huge yellow dome and four arms as extension. The dome houses jewelry shops, while the four ‘arms’ houses various shops. It has recently undergone an extensive renovation and is now more beautiful than ever.

Whilst the place is huge and can be extremely hot during mid-day, its also very easy to navigate and the shops are organized well enough. The surrounding shops are also interesting to see, with most of them selling mobile phones, tablets and all sorts of gadgetry.

If you’re here in Phnom Penh and have an interest in both shopping and architecture, then this place should be on the must visit list.

An Almost Empty City

Lui — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 15:03:43 +0000

Hmm, I think I just found my favorite time of the year to be in Phnom Penh: Khmer New Year! Why? The streets are almost empty, I had a crazy time driving around. Lol. The only time I could actually brave to drive. Hahaha. Yes, those careening motos and speeding SUV’s makes me a coward so I’m really scared to drive here and I’m trying to overcome that sloooowly.

Phnom Penh Street During Khmer New Year. Yay! Almost empty!

The past few Khmer New Years, we joined the exodus of city dwellers to some vacation destination. But this year, we have decided to stay on. And I’m so happy we did decided to stay behind. The only downside is that most shops were closed from the 13th, so if one suddenly gets inspired to shop for test sieves, I doubt if there is any place open.

an almost deserted junction. this place is usually packed with traffic..

The only places open for business were biggie supermarkets and a couple of restaurants and mostly just along the riverside area. Our neighborhood which is usually noisy has been eerie with too much quiet. Even our neighbors dogs are out of town!

my kind of street. I can drive here. hahaha!

But sigh, this moment of peace and quiet is almost at its end. I’m sure lots of those who drove out of the city are now hurrying back. Hmm, still, I’m happy we got to loosen up a bit.

Living in Phnom Penh: Celebrations…

Lui — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 14:27:33 +0000

There are always reasons to celebrate. Just the fact that we can celebrate is a reason to celebrate. Lol. That was a mouthful. I have always believed that everyday is a day to celebrate but there really days that are extra special.

This time of the year is specially hectic with celebrations for us because its Khmer New Year and it coincides with my daughter’s birthday.

Cambodians (as well as some other countries around the region like India, Burma and Thailand) celebrate a separate New Year from the international new year (Jan 1) and Chinese new year. The Khmer New Year lasts for 3 days but the declared holidays usually start a day before and then a day after the said days. This new year simply means the end of the harvest season and the time for the farmers to enjoy the fruits of their labor and they also await the incoming rainy season.

During this time, Khmers cook special dishes for the family and for offering in pagodas/temples. They also make an offering table and place it on their patios. Offerings usually consist of fruits (bananas in particular), sodas, candies, flowers, etc. I even saw our neighbor place cigarettes, perfumes & cosmetics on their Khmer New Year offering table.

This is a really merry time for Khmers and they usually hold parties, with dancing and often part of these parties are traditional Khmer games. A Khmer friend told me that this is the time when Khmers really spend their money and splurge. They also believe that wearing new clothes is lucky.

On another note, we had a quiet but super fun birthday celebrations for the kiddo. That’s our rule, during birthdays, we do what the celebrant wants to do as long as its reasonable. Ha! I mean we had to stipulate some ‘limits’ coz she might one day take it in her head to ask for a trip to the moon on her birthday. Lol. I’d much rather she ask for Godin Bass instead of something totally outrageous and one we cannot afford.

For this year, she just asked for a whole day of swimming on a pool, lots of spaghetti and not to forget her favorite double chocolate ice cream cake. Of course, since she had been a good girl she got what she wished for plus some more.

And whoa! this ice cream cake is totally awesome. Sinful, specially for a serial dieter like moi.

Living in Phnom Penh: Khmer New Year, Almost!

Lui — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:05:38 +0000

Yay! Time for my random blurbs. Why is it that now that I am doubly busy, I am more motivated to blog? I’m weird like that. Or perhaps I just have a lot of stories struggling to be told. Hahaha. I know it sounds serious but what I have are just mundane everyday stuff.

Phnom Penh was in a bit of a frenzy this past week. The ASEAN Summit was held here so traffic jams, soldiers in full uniforms, attentive police (for once!), journalists, convoys abound. Some universities were told to suspend classes to lessen the traffic jams. And I did have a lot of fun getting stuck in the traffic and watch out for those wang wangs and diplomatic bigwigs and their convoys.

And yup, a big indicator if there are some foreign dignitaries/visitors in this country: lots and lots of flags scattered throughout the city. Here’s a big lot of them in front of Chaktomouk Theatre along Sisowath Quay.

I’m very very excited. Why? Khmer New Year is almost upon us and I’m always happy when it comes around. Not that I would stop working on my online projects and blogging, but the one week vacation would be a wonderful reprieve for me. And besides hubby and the kiddo won’t have work/school so we’ll all be together. We might go somewhere else for some R & R but at this time our plans are fluid. Bwahaha.. It’s subject to change and follow our whims.

My Khmer language classes are going really well. You won’t believe how happy I was the first time I was able to read a sentence written in Khmer. I was practically giddy, I dunno why. Perhaps because I have always thought this language is difficult to learn and here I am actually making some progress in learning it. As of now, I only know about 15 consonants and a couple of vowels and I still have a long long way to go, but right now I’m all positive I could do it.

Going back to school, even if its just a short course, is bringing some excitement back in my life. Not that my life now is not exciting but I kinda feel old. But going to school and seeing kids like these in the photos makes me feel a bit younger. Ha! I think there really is some truth to some advice I heard or read before that when you surround yourself with young ‘uns you’ll feel younger. See.. The snapshot below looks idyllic. Sigh.

Cambodia Snapshots: Bank in Pink

Lui — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 05:22:51 +0000

This is a snapshot of National Bank of Cambodia in Siem Reap City. And yes, its bathed in pink hues.

The National Bank of Cambodia has some very interesting buildings. The one here in Phnom Penh is covered in pink-purple hue. It’s not garish looking, in fact I think its pretty and unusual. Banks make me think of chrome, metals. Serious stuff. At least this one deviates from that.

Cambodia Snapshots: Rural Scenery

Lui — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 04:23:25 +0000

Cambodian rural scenery is just gorgeous. Idyllic, lavishly green and makes me think how I wish it’ll be preserved as is forever. But judging by the rapid rate of development and real estate being bought and sold even at exhorbitant prices, places and scenes like these are slowly becoming hard to find..

pinaywifespeaks » Cambodia

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