Hammock Cafe

There's a bunch of Western style cafes complete with AC and wifi but I also like the local Cambodian style cafes as well. I'm sure what they are called but we call them "hammock cafes" that you can relax in while you have your coke or iced coffee. They're all built over the lake like a deck so you have the beautiful view of the lake as well, although this is dry season so everything was just grass. It's especially a treat when you go there late afternoon and watch the sun set as you lay on your hammock. 



Unfortunately when we went the cloud hung over the skies so we didn't get a good view of the sunset but we still had a good session of Yangtze (my first time!). A British, Canadian, and American playing board games while talking about our home countries over non-alcoholic drinks, that doesn't happen quite often.

The highlight of this session must be that the the headlight broke on my coworker's moped; 3 people on a motorbike the only way we made the 15km ride back home in the dark, our iPhone flashlights came to our rescue. Too bad I couldn't take a picture but it must've been quite a funny sight as we've got many strange looks along the road!

Also, I repeat that this venue is over the lake, which I must warn you of mosquitoes. Only when I got back to my room when I realized I've gotten numerous bites on my buttocks!

The other Angkor What

Siem Reap is a funny place. Tourists flood into this tiny city from all corners of the world, mainly to see one big colossal tourist location: the Angkor Wat. Many are drawn to the historical significance as well as the aesthetics and the UNESCO prestige. After their 1-3 day passes are up, the vast majority of the two million annual tourists all pack up their things and are out the door probably to never return again. Those few days are a magical experience to the tourists, seeing beautiful old temples, witnessing exotic Buddhist monks, discovering amazing Cambodian food, meeting hospitable Khmer people, and last but not least partying at Pub Street.

Pub street didn’t really actually exist until the last decade or so. The number of expat bars and restaurants in that area concomitantly sprang up as the number of tourists increase over the years. The booze is cheap: a draft beer starts anywhere from about $0.50 and cocktails average about $2-3. Food is aplenty from authentic Khmer fish amok to pizza parlors. And most of all, what more than you need after a long hard day of walking around the temples and in the heart of exotic Southeast Asia than a little letting loose?

I have heard many stories about the clubbing scene here but I just had to witness it once myself. Out we went to the one and only, Angkor What? Notice that the “Wat” is changed to “What”, giving it a cheesy and lovable name by all who come in through their doors. I swear this club must make a fortune. All you party-goers know that it’s against the rules to go clubbing on a Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday. Oh, but not in Siem Reap where all the tourists are on vacation so days of the week are out the door. So is the clock since everyone is jetlagged anyway. Throw in the fact that there is a 99% chance that you will never see anyone in that club again and the fact that you’re in a foreign country. Security is minimal. No drinking age.  The result is worse than you can ever imagine at a NY club or frat party. You will see girls stripping, boys hunting for girls, shots gulped down like water, and mayhem all over.

In all honesty though, it’s quite amusing when you’re the spectator :) 

 

Dtuk Umpel

One of my favorite afternoon snacks. It's called dtuk umpel (literally water tamarinds) but I don't know the English word for it. Some people don't like it but I like the slightly nutty and sweet taste. You usually see it sold on the street by fruit vendors.  2,000-3000riel per bag. Yum!

Remembering 3.11

My parents are from Rikuzen Takata, a small quaint city in the Northeastern region of Japan. Every summer, I spent about 2-3 months to stay with my relatives and to be immersed in my cultural heritage. I went to the local school, played with my cousins, and my aunts/uncles spoiled me as their youngest niece. I went hiking in the lush mountains and went on family picnics by the beautiful beach coast. In all, I've probably cumulatively spent about 3 years of my life there.

Then 3.11 happened. 

I lost count of how many family and friends were lost 3 years ago. They say pain get easier with time. The thing is, you can never heal the pain but only to lessen it. If anything good came out of this tragedy, it made my bond with my surviving family much, much stronger. I just had a chatting session with my cousins (2nd cousins to be exact, we're a huge family) to make a trip back there this summer for the annual festival. I look forward to the reconstruction of my city and happier times to come.

This year was my first time away from Japan since the earthquake so I asked my friend and collegaue monk to hold a special commemoration service for me at our Wat. It was sad and beautiful. I cried throughout the ceremony but I feel grateful and thankful! 

震災以降初めて海外で過ごす3.11。同僚でお友達のお坊さんにお願いして特別に法要と供養をしていただきました。法要中泣きっぱなしでしたが新たにパ ワーを頂いたような気がします☆ 犠牲者・被災者・そして未だ復興に立ち向かっている全ての人にご冥福と回復をお祈りいたします。4年目もがんばっぺし！ぺしぺし！

Offering food to the monks. This little Buddha is about 8 years old, and chanted the loudest! So adorable.

Giving offering to the monks

Joking Monks

Love it when the monks are joking around.. they're just as human too :)

Cooking by Pictures: Som'loh Machu Kroeung

These are the step-by-step pics of the dishes I made at the cooking class.

Though I have the recipe given to me by Le Tigre de Papier, I am not posting it since I don't want to violate their copyrights. Sign up for their classes to learn the exact recipe, you won't regret it!  Mean while, enjoy the food pics ;) Somloh machu is literally "sour soup". Many soups in Southeast Asia are sour due to the Tamarind sauce that is added. Plus a number of spices and herbs are also added, giving the soup more complexity.

前回の 料理教室で作ったソムローマチューです☆　お教室からレシピは頂いたのですが著作権に関わるので実際のレシピは控えさせていただき ます。なので写真でお楽しみください～ソムローマチューカンボジアの代表的なスープです。タマリンドという東南アジア独特のフルーツのエキスを足すことによってスープに酸味と風味が加わっておいしいんです♪ 更にこのスープにはカンボジア風のカレーペースト、クルングが加わります。これがまたご飯が進むんですよ～

Putting together the herbs

Mashing everything to make the kroeung

Tra-gkoon (morning clory), chee konkgaem, chicken, and the freshly made kroeung paste

Cooking by pictures: Vegetarian Fried Spring Roll (Naem Chayo)

These are the step-by-step pics of the dishes I made at the cooking class.

Though I have the recipe given to me by Le Tigre de Papier, I am not posting it since I don't want to violate their copyrights. Sign up for their classes to learn the exact recipe, you won't regret it!  Mean while, enjoy the food pics ;) 

前回の料理教室で作ったカンボジア風春巻き（ベジタリアンバージョン）。お教室からレシピは頂いたのですが著作権に関わるので実際のレシピは控えさせていただきます。なので写真でお楽しみください～　カンボジアの春巻きの皮は日本と違ってお米でできてるんですよ～麦が苦手なあたしでも食べれるので好きです♪

Frying the sliced veggies!

My favorite part..rolling them up! I've done them before when my mama makes lumpia at home so no sweat. The Cambodian "paper" is different from the Filipino/Chinese/Japanese one in that they are made out of rice.