Category: Cambodia

12 things I Love – Cambodia

by Tracy, posted in 12 Things I Love About, Cambodia

Two years ago at this time I was in Cambodia on my first Accounting for International Development (AFID) volunteering assignment for all of May and June 2017.  After mid-June I saw the imminent end to my adventure and decided to post 12 things I love about the country over my final 12 days.  I’ve been feeling nostalgic about that perspective altering adventure as I see the Facebook memories, and I daily feel blessed for the course change of my life since then.

I decided to share again these 12 things that I Love about Cambodia.  I will also be continuing this as a series as I experience new places.  12 Things I Love will not be hard to come up with for Zimbabwe, Peru, my home town The Pas, my home city of 20+ years Edmonton, or Vancouver Island/Victoria.

Without further delay, in the order I posted them – 12 Things I Love about Cambodia

  1. I love that toddlers can still run around naked, every toddler’s favourite outfit. In the rain on the corner of  my Phnom Pehn neighbourhood, here on silk island, wherever.  Just innocence running free
  1. Fruit is everywhere and it is cheap, like these passionfruit. Or in the case of these mangos, free – gifts from my Airbnb host Seyha

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  1. Afternoon rain on a tin roof
  1. These two roosters. Don’t worry, they spend their whole existence in these cages, just part of the day.  They seem quite content and health every time I walk by.  They crow all day, making me smile even if the immediate neighbours go a little batty! *this picture only shows one, but my post has a video of both – and some crowing!  Link: Rooster crow

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  1. The pull tab cap on Angkor Beer. It’ time for Labatts and Molson to catch on to this and bring it home to Canada

 

  1. Halfway point for my tribute. I love that everywhere I go I see monk in their telltale orange. Similar to the military at home, I learned that many poor and/or rural boys and young men become monks to get their education.  I snapped this while riding because I have been so careful no to take pictures of them in temples.  I wanted on picture for my countdown.

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  1. Lotus flowers. They are beautiful and pervasive.  Okay, the second photo is a fake one from the spa where I was pampered like a queen.  But the expanse in the third photo is an example of the fields of them!  Beautiful, peaceful and awe inspiring

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  1. The Majestic sugar palm tree, towering over the Cambodian landscape.

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  1. My chauffer to and from work. I do truly miss him.  His name is Touch (Tooc, like too) One day of parking in downtown Edmonton costs more than a week of tuktuk rides

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  1. The many uses of a moto: photo 1 – 2 lads on a massive stack of cardboard, 2 – dead chickens on the way to market, 3 – passenger sitting on a bale of lemongrass, 4 -mattresses, so many mattresses, 5 – back passenger holding the IV bag of the middle passenger. You have to look hard.  I saw so much more but only captured these.
  1. They never EVER see snow. The teacher in my cooking class told me that tens years prior it got down to 15 or 16 degrees and it was so cold!  When 15 degrees is the painful low, that is where I want to be!

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  1. Last and closest to my heart, my Cambodia family – Vanny, Seyha, Vanneca and Monica (spelled wrong). I still miss these people who welcomed me and treated me like a valued family member.

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These things are not about the places I loved.  I posted about Koh Rong, the Angkor temples, Udong, Tonle Batte and Phom Tameo and more separately, under the category Cambodia.

The Journey Continues

by Tracy, posted in Cambodia

Thanks for joining me!  I started to chronicle my experience volunteering as an accountant in Phom Penh, Cambodia in May and June 2017 on Tumblr (now imported here).  My latest volunteer accounting experience in Harare, Zimbabwe is just beginning and I hope to continue ‘accounting around the world’ for years to come.

Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world ~ Gustav Flaubert

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Tonle Batay & TaPruhm

by Tracy, posted in Cambodia

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Today, June 28, I went to one last temple ruin outside of
Phnom Penh.  TaPruhm is a 12th
century temple and it is located by Tonle Batay which is a popular weekend
getaway for city dwellers.  Since it was
a Thursday, I was lucky to have the entire riverside to myself.

Unfortunately, I also had the temple to myself which meant
the children pestering for money descended on me and would not leave.  If you don’t know, it is recommended that
tourists to do not give money to the children as it discourages them from going
to school.  I past a few schools full of
children, so I do not doubt this.  I gave
the usual offerings to Buddha and also gave to several elderly locals, but the
two girls didn’t stop bugging me the entire temple tour.  I got some good pictures, paid my respects to
the temple and was out in about 15 minutes.

I spent about an hour sitting peacefully in the hut on the
river.  My tuktuk driver sat with me and
we talked as best we could.  His English is
not great but it is much better than my Khmer.
I made sure to compliment him for knowing what English he does.

I head home in three more days, ready or not.  I will likely post some more of my Cambodia
adventures over the next month or so, to share and just to reminisce.

Eating (Drinking) Mexican in Cambodia

by Tracy, posted in Cambodia

Dos Besos Mexican Restaurant

Sunday afternoon margarita at Phnom Penh’s newest (and best) Mexican restaurant ❤🍸#cambodiaeats #phnompenh #dosbesos #margarita (at Dos Besos)

 

Angkor Complex part 3

by Tracy, posted in Cambodia

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Another delinquent Angkor post……

We visited the Baphuon (Khmer: ប្រាសាទបាពួន) temple June 4th.  It was our first stop of the day.

I loved this temple.
When reading about it I learned that the temple I got to see has had
significant restoration.  There are some
signs posted explaining some of the restorations that have been done.

This temple was constructed in the mid 11th
century (circa 1050s) Originally dedicated to the god Shiva, it was converted
in the mid 15th century to be a Buddhist temple.  That is when the reclining buddha was built.  Confession, when I first noticed the
roundness of that wall I thought it was because it was falling apart.  Granted, I was walking around the corner and
couldn’t see the front of the wall yet.
I still felt a bit silly when I took in the full figure from the front.

At the top of the temple there was a small area set up for
offerings, so I left my riel, lit an incense stick and said a small prayer.  It was very peaceful and, again, humbling.

I did some exploring on my own as Stephanie did not want to
scale the steps to the upper levels.
When I came back down I ventured off the beaten path, through a crumbled
doorway and took the selfie posted.  I
mean, I bought a selfie stick, I had to use it a couple of times!

On my way back to the tuk-tuk I saw a monkey,
and then another, and then I realized they were all around me.  They did not care about me one bit which made
it all the better.  No begging, no fear,
just completely uncaring about the human cutting through their late morning
shade.

Not a good day

by Tracy, posted in Cambodia

Today I visited Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, a soul crushing monument to the horrors that took place in Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. There is a room in the building shown in the second photo that welcomes graffiti. Today, shortly after my Twitter feed blew up because of the revolting verdict on the Philando Castile murder, I saw this on the wall of that room and I was further gutted. My heart breaks for his family and for my American friends. This is an ugly time for a great nation. I hope you come through it #S21 #remember #blacklivesmatter (at Phnom Penh)

Angkor Complex part 2

by Tracy, posted in Cambodia

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Pre Rup (Khmer: ប្រាសាទប្រែរូប)
– a Hindu temple built as the state temple of Khmer king Rajendravarman.  It was dedicated in 961 or early 962, so it
stood for over 1000 years before I was born.

This temple was the last one we visited. The views
captivated me, as did the entire structure.
When I read up on it I understood why.
It is truly ancient.

I walked around the base slowly before leaving, lingering
and savouring what I knew was my last Angkor temple.  Nature even gave me several hundred mementos
to take away with me.  In my wanderings,
I passed through some kind of weed that stuck so many seeds into my pants that
it took me four sittings and one washing to get them all (most) out.  I think I will still be picking some out when
I put them on in Canada.

Note:  when Khmer
people pronounce the word, they say Kmai – like Thai.  So now I say it that way too

Angkor Complex part 1

by Tracy, posted in Cambodia

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Taken June 2 2017 at Ta Prohm – the Tomb Raider temple, Siem
Reap

It was getting very hot at this point and this was our last
temple of the day.  I was in awe of the
entire place.  Nature had reclaimed so
much but the structure still dominates.
The mushrooms were growing along a crumbling wall.  Ruins are scattered around but you can still
walk in and around much of it.

Construction on Ta Prohm began in 1186 AD, and I was walking
in, around and on it 831 years later!
Humbling and truly awe inspiring.

Originally known as
Rajavihara (Monastery of the King), Ta Prohm was a Buddhist temple dedicated to
the mother of King Jayavarman VII.

It’s a Scorcher Out There

by Tracy, posted in Cambodia

June 13 – went for a walk at lunch today.  It seemed like a good idea at the time…..  It wasn’t a long walk.  45 celsius is 113 fahrenheit.  Or as I call it – hot AF

Oh, somebody was burning garbage too, at noon, in the sun, 45 celsius – Phnom Penh 🙂

Crickets! Nom nom

by Tracy, posted in Cambodia

June 9 – I meant to be more prolific with my posting but got carried away with my every day life in Phnom Penh. Today I was invited for a going away after work picnic in front of the Presidential Palace. I skipped the last going away gathering so I didn’t want to do that again.

It was a lovely picnic hosted by Dani, a young Scottish intern who is heading home for a bit. We had roast chicken, grilled fish, rice (of course) and finished with some crickets. I already had one cricket in Siem Reap – post of that visit coming – but these were more delectable. The garlic and chili seasoning made the crispy critters quite nummy. The only downside to cricket snacks is that the little legs tend to lodge between my teeth! But that won’t deter me.

The fruit was brought in to my office this afternoon and was so lovely I had to show you.

I can’t believe I go home in 3 weeks! Time has just flown by. This country continues to charm me and I will be so sad to leave it and my Cambodian friends.