This had been due for one whole month now…due to some recent events that left me lazy, crazy and depressed… superb combination there… my bad. Am not gonna talk about that just yet. Not before i post this first or i might procrastinate again. Yikes!
Oh well, here is the fixed draft i had done few weeks ago (right after i came back from the trip) and some random images that i thought might be nice. Enjoy.
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20th July 2007
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I just came back from Cambodia! Well not the whole of Cambodia exactly, just the small town, Siem Reap and some part of the Angkor Archaeological Park *wakaka. I’ve gotta tell ya, it was THE MOST AMAZING TRIP EVER! um..actually it was my very first trip out of Malaysia… But still, if i were to go anywhere else after this, this is still gonna be the best-est.
Talking about trips, actually i’ve never really been to anywhere locally let alone out of Malaysia. *so jakun and ulu hor? Blame it on over-protective parents and my genetically inherited fat lazy arse k.
Back to the topic, the PigDog Klan* and myself (i’d recently sign up for hopefully a lifetime of membership @o@) had successfully booked a FOC flight to Siem Reap=>Angkor Wat from our low cost carier AirAsia. We just had to fork out for the air-port tax (departure & return). *thank you Air Asia, i love you!
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Introducing the PigDog Klan*. What and who am i talking about you ask? They’re not the new and improved KKK that’s for sure >_<.
Taa Daa! Introducing da PigDog Klan*. Pic taken before departure at LCCT duty free shop
PigDog Klan* currently have many many unintelligent geniuses who were fooled into joining this senseless klan, but those who actually went to the trip consists of (couples from left) :-
1) DrugLaw
2) BigSistaJune
3) MicrophoneChiang
4) SnapMe!Eve
5) #*@!FoulJoe
6) NotSoCandidKelvin
7) SweetToothTim
8) EatAllYouCanShung
9) SlowCatchUpKuan =>> that’s moi *hehe
(sounds like a mob family…i just made all that up. blek! sue me!)
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We also manage to get a real cheap deal at MATTA fair, a group package for the 9 of us. What a steal! Each of us only paid approx. MYR600 for a 5D4N trip which included the all fixes i.e. accommodation, meal, tourist guide, etc. Come on, where else could you get such a deal?! 5 friggin’ days man! Normal packages are retailing at about MYR800++ for just 4D3N which doesn’t include aguide and they’re telling you it’s already a discounted rate. *so cekik darah. Taveling fans out there, don’t get reaped off. Do check out MATTA fair for a better deal especially for trips to Asia countries (there will be another fair in Sept07).
14th July 2007 (midnight)
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Things i packed for my trip:-
1) 1 pair of pasar malam rubber slipper? CHECK!
2) 1 pair of REEBOK sneaker? CHECK!
3) 5 pair of Tshirts? CHECK!
4) 5 pair of shorts/pants? CHECK!
5) Loreal shampoo & conditioner CHECK!
6) Johnson & johnson body shampoo >CHECK!
7) Cellnique traveling kit with body cream, facial wash, toner & moisturizer CHECK!
6) Veet shaver CHECK!
7) 5 pair of undergarment CHECK!
8) Trusty Panadol & tummy pills CHECK!
9) OP cap (a loan from SlowCoachShung) CHECK!
10) Small towel CHECK!
11) Converse school bag CHECK!
12) Baush & Lomb contact lens & specs CHECK!
13) Whisper sanitary pad..just in case CHECK!
14) I/C & Passport CHECK!
I’m damn proud to declare that i did not buy any new stuffs for the trip. *way to go! This is supposed to be a budget trip (at least it is for me). So i packed all my ready old stuffs *good job!
Time to ZzZzzzzZzzzz…
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Spent the whole night packing packing packing. Can’t wait, can’t wait! But still waiting… Aiya… EatAllYouCanShung told me we had to check-in 2 hours before departure at 10am… *batang hidung pon tak nampak! Maybe i should have nick him SlowCoachShung instead… Dang, my house is so far from the airport. Somemore had to pick up #*@!FoulJoe from Setapak then to NotSoCandidKelvin‘s place so his mom could play chauffeur…
Rushed like hell to LCCT but the flight was delayed -_-”…
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Excuse me for describing my humdrum first time but it was really my first time traveling and aboard a plane so please understand my magnified excitement and bear with me ya :)
Silly me took alot of pics while on air..inside the plane lar… *duh! Coz all in all IT IS my jakun first time *wakaka
Flying Weee!!
View of beautiful Cambodia before landing
We arrived safe and sound. Being my first time on plane, furthermore on a low cost carrier it was a bit scary during the landing part when the plane kinda jolted on the strip. But all was well, i did not scream or do anything that would embarrass myself *wakaka So with that, i declare myself NO MORE A JAKUN! There you go!
Uncle + aunties at Siem Reap International Airport
Arrived at the Siem Reap International Airport and picked up as expected by the Sun Sun Ly Tourism Agency bus. Our guide, PuppyEyes looks nice and honest enough but i was stumped coz he speaks only Chinese. My Chinese sux to the max k. Couldn’t complain since i was the only one in the PigDog Klan* that doesn’t speaks or understand much Chinese… *bummer
It seems that most of the locals here understands Chinese coz of the historical background. Once upon a time there were lotsa Chinese in Cambodia. Plus Siem Reap is a tourist town, so it’s not hard to communicate with the locals. They know a lil’ bit of English coz income comes from foreigners like us.
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Our first meal in Siem Reap was a luxury. To our delight, we were treated to a feast of 12 types of different dishes in all plus one big bowl of soup. The servings were large and the food was actually similar to Chinese dishes in Malaysia. Served with rice of course. Fried prawns, steamed fish, kangkung, tauhu and i forgot what else… mostly steamed dishes.
Meal time in Cambodia
EatAllYouCanShung digged into the food before we could say ‘Yan Can Cook’! Full of concentration, the eyes never left the plate *wakaka 3 bowls of rice? Nah..Bring it on man! More more more!
Food there was nothing out of the norm but really tasty. Not too oily and not too heavy with Ajinomoto unlike Malaysian dishes. The kangkung in Cambodia rox coz it’s real good. *thumbs up. For a person who hates green stuffs, i had plenty :).
Not to be missed, is the local delicacy called ‘Amok‘. It’s something like an omelet with mashed prawns/fish. Bit weird and fishy for my liking though…
Oh ya, every meal comes with sliced pineapples as dessert. By the end of the trip, i guess all of us were a bit ‘muak’ with pineapples…
Local delicacy “Amok”
*maybe coz this is our first day here so they treat us to such a big meal lar.
For the next consecutive days, we had 12 dishes for every single meal (read EVERY). Breakfast excluded, coz for breakfasts… *jeng jeng jeng…we had Western style buffet! Egg, bacon, poridge, toast, etc… *@@ pengsan. So much food for a MYR600 package… where to get our tell me?!
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Do not mistake Artisans Angkor with Artisans d’Angkor. Notice the ‘d‘ in the middle. Artisans Angkor is a cultural and art workshop for young apprentices learning local authentic Khmer style handcrafts such as wood/stone carvings, silk weaving, lacquering and etc while the later is a 3 year project that began in 1997 to revive Khmer art in Cambodia. They help to create jobs for both artisans and non-craftsmen in rural Cambodia, by setting up workshops and investing in new apprenticeships and skills creation via continuous training and setting up new village workshops. Apparently, many Khmer Rouge genocide survivors were part of the initial program.
Pass to Artisans Angkor
EatAllYouCanShung and moi in front of Artisans Angkor workshop
We declare this property of PigDog Klan*
Artisans Angkor was built in 1999 and is part of the said foundation. Complete tours of the workshops take you from raw materials to splendid craft-wares.
The centre was not really large but there were sufficient rooms (looked like school classrooms) where you could watch local apprentices weaving their magic. Adults and kids were recruited as apprentices. Some were really young (like maybe 12 year old).
Not to worry, there were guides at the centre following us around and explaining the works to us *she also speaks Chinese wan lar -_-”. Nevertheless, there were guides who speaks other languages; English, Thai, French, Japanese, etc at your service. The guide’s explanation, some I manage to catch but most i had to bug EatAllYouCanShung every few minute or so for some good ol’English translation *so so sorry dear :P.
Moi with art ~ Buddha head statue
Making “Apsara”, Khmer celestial nymphs
life size Buddha statue..see it’s taller than the door!
Needless to say, stone carvings were obviously the main attraction there. Some looked really aged. I thought that it were genuine artifacts from the archaeological park! You see, some works were intentionally chapped and were polished with traces of ‘gold paper’ (like those paper money Chinese burns for ancestors) so it’ll look antique. Alot of details and effort put into it. *very impressive
Temples at the Angkor Archaeological Park inclusive of the famous Angkor Wat are restored via this method too coz most of the temple sites were destroyed either during the ancient/rouge war or by age itself. What a pity!
For those looking forward to owning some of the crafts, there is a boutique within the workshop area. Beautiful treasures but i couldn’t afford those that interests me :(. Mind you, the boutique is not like those flea markets, the things they were selling were very good quality products (made from by apprentices from the workshop) and worth the price.
I found a silk Cambodia style long pants that i really like. It was USD79. Do the maths. Also caught my eye was a big stone carvings (bout 1 meter in length) of marching soldiers holding weapons side by side with elephants portraying the Angkorian war. I forgot what was the price but i do remember when converted to MYR it was almost… *gulp… 2k… Lots of angmohs there buying things like no tomorrow though. Wish i was earning USD!
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We stayed at Prum Bayon Hotel which was only 15 minute drives from Siem Reap Airport and 15 minute drives to the Angkor Wat temple. That was convinient enough.
There were 9 of us but 4 rooms. EatAllYouCanShung and myself at Room 212. Fortunately our room was the coolest and most comfy *yes! The 2 star accommodation was actually quite comfortable and considering that it was not p
eak season, we were the only guests there. Hurray! *wakaka. But the only thing that got to me was the hotel’s centralized air-conditioner. The temperature couldn’t be adjusted *bengang. Wasted my time pressing the button! Had to wait bout 30mins for the room to cool. I’m not a diva but i can tell you, the weather in Cambodia was really warm! 30mins is a long time to wait while sweating like a buffalo…
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Note:
All nice pics taken with my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX8, the not so nice pics are courtesy of other PigDog Klan* members :P
