Stuck In Transit...: March 2014

A Perfect Getaway (March 6-9) Part VII

We were ready to head back to Siem Reap on the night bus again. One of the families offered to give us a ride to Phnom Penh as they were also going out to the city to celebrate for their daughter’s birthday. Since we had time, we decided to follow along with them. We went to the mall to buy her a new outfit and also a birthday cake. We then asked KFC (of all places!) if they can allow us to celebrate there. After some negotiation, it worked and we hurriedly brought in our cake and candles into the store (only in Cambodia). We were very fortunate to have an accommodating staff as they all came out to our table to sing the happy birthday song with us.

It was truly an interesting sight on many different levels. Cambodians don’t typically celebrate birthdays; traditionally they all become a year older on Khmer New Year. But many Cambodians are on transition to moving towards Western traditions and celebrations and fr this family, it was the first times they were celebrating it. It was an intriguing sight to witness this cornerstone event for this family. A memorable birthday for sure.

A Perfect Getaway (March 6-9) Part VI

In the afternoon we headed off to the cultural village to daulane, or chill ou . The entrance fee to the cultural village is $3 for foreigners but since I was in a car full of Cambodians, I passed by as a local with no problem. It also helps that there is a large population of Cambodian-Chinese in Phnom Penh area so I easily passed as one of them in most situations while I was there.

The cultural village is modeled loosely on the traditional floating villages, with individual shacks built over a lake. There's an on-site cater which we can order food to be brought to our shacks or we can just simply wait until the boat vendors come to sell fresh and hot food. You can buy all kind of snacks such as shrimp crackers, fruits, grilled fish, fried snails, and dried clams Most of the snacks are cooked on spot on the boat!

Parties usually come to just chill out and enjoy the view of the lake but they also lend out life jackets and floating devices to play around in the water. There's also boat taxis as well as pedal boats for rental too. It was a good time to chill out and relax before we made the chaotic move to Phnom Penh again!

A Perfect Getaway (March 6-9) Part V

I am from the California West Coast so I love beaches but frankly, I'm not the resort type person. After 24 hours being at any sort of resort, I start to get a bit antsy. I guess I can't get the backpacker out of me whereever I am! So I was thrilled to hear that after a quick change of plans, we decided to go back early back to their villagers so we can meet the other villagers. The village is located about half an hour drive away from Phnom Penh. In other words, they live in the "subrubs" in Western terms. Carena has stayed over in the village the previous month for a village festival and have heard amazing stories so while the resort was nice, I was excited to meet everyone. But not before we stopped by some village markets on the way to pick up some foods to take back!

Getting ambushed by vendors at the market

Tasting the dried shrimp

Fresh crab

Condiments anyone?

I had a more primitive image when they mentioned “village” so I was pleasantly surprised it was more of a commune than a village. There were organized roads, houses, and establishments within the commune grounds. All the houses had electricity and many of the houses had cars. We stayed over as kind of a "homestay" with one of the families. I stayed with two sisters: the older sister is divorced with two children and primarily looks over the house and her mother (the grandma). The younger sister and her husband with their two children also live in the house. They both work in the growing garment factory in Phnom Penh and they are of a rising middle class family; they have a (used) car, motorcycle, and a two-story house.

But..there's no running water so showers are done "Cambodian style" ;)

So many things going on in the "living room"

kitchen area

I helped make the soup btw ;)

Marinated crab..yum!

The organization of the commune is quite compelling. There are different groups or “zones” each with a loose community organization. There are also small corner shops and restaurants but payment is done with money or other goods. When I went to eat noodles for breakfast, we paid with a combination of money and rice.

Communal restaurant for breakfast

My favorite...nom ban chok!!

In the afternoon, we headed out to a neighboring village which is famous for its high quality palm sugar. We went to a palm sugar farmer's house for lunch. Because palm sugar it is not refined, it has a low GI index and has a really nice caramel-ish aftertaste which I really like. Palm sugar is widely used in Southeastern Asian dishes from desserts to dipping sauces. Needless to say producing palm sugar is a long process but it is very high quality and a key ingredient in Khmer cuisine.

Greeting the villagers

Beautiful girl who was babysitting her sibling

Gauv and her cousin

Palm sugar wine

Fried fish with mango sauce

Kitchen area

With the palm sugar maker

A Perfect Getaway (March 6-9) Part IV

We took a break from the big family the next day and went on an island tour. It was quite a good deal considering it included exploring three islands, two hot meals, and snorkeling fee included. Moreover the water was beautiful, perfect for a nice swim and relaxing nap on the beach.