COUNTRY: Cambodia
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Health & Education
WRITTEN BY: Emma Winen
Well, first I was super excited to arrive at Siem reap. Not only because of what I expected of the next four weeks but because of how warm the weather was and how pretty the airport was!
First impressions were good ones. I was greeted by Dayvy and Siphuong at the airport with a hug and Siphuong having no front teeth (later explained by Dayvy that she was naughty and not much of a brusher). We waited for about thirty minutes until the other three girls arrived.
I wasn't to know how close we would become in such a short time. With Lauren, Caitlin and Nikki being those three girls it was bound to be fun!
We jumped into the van which was to take us the accommodation, of course my initial reaction to put on my seatbelt was quickly put to sleep, not in this place! We sped off down the road and again my prior knowledge of road rules and safety were going to be no good to me here! I've decided that the only road rules are don't hit anyone and dont get hit.
When we arrived at Bou Savy after a very interesting trip in (a road of both extremely rich hotels and poor people) from the airport, I was pleasantly surprised at how cute and homely the guesthouse already seemed. We were greeted with a smoothie and showed our rooms which would be home for the next month. Lauren and I were placed into a room on the first floor, right next door to Nikki and Caitlin.
The custom of wearing no shoes inside and trusting everyone not to steal them from the doorway, is still being worked on, but hey there's worse things that could have been removed!
My first experience in to town (old market, pub street etc.) was a good one. I used my free time to meet with a school friend from South Australia. I love the tuk tuk rides! They are a lot of fun and a great way to see the town. We enjoyed fresh spring rolls (basically, rice paper rolls) at one of the many places to eat out on pub street. For $3.50 including a drink, I'm not complaining!
I later met the girls at the guesthouse and we sat in our new favorite spot! We have lovingly named this spot, situated above the restaurant, our Sloth Loft. This is purely because the couches up there are purely for slothing on, all day if it takes your fancy. Slothing is basically lounging sprawled as inelegantly as possible for long periods of time. Once sloth time was over (because we got hungry again, even after Caitlin and Nikki had their three banana smoothies EACH!) we went back into town for another amazing Cambodian meal, not to mention how insanely cheap it was again. $2 cocktails, can I get a hallelujah?
We have prepared a bucket list of things to do while in Cambodia. Some of these are:
- go to as many temples as possible
- eat a cricket
- do a Cambodian cooking class
- try fish amok
- get a fish pedicure
- see Angkor wat at sunrise and many more!
After a few cocktails we decided to head for bed (9pm, an early night never hurt anyone!)
The following day, after a great sleep in our new rooms we went to the Bou Savy restaurant for our complimentary breakie. These comprised of some banana pancakes, omelettes and the smallest and most delicious bananas (by the bucket load). Of course we enjoyed these in the Sloth Loft, now known as SL.
We trekked into town with our newest arrivals Immy and Dee to show them around. After a spot of shopping in the markets and near dry reaching at some points, we headed to the famous blue pumpkin for some ice cream. The Blue Pumpkin is great! It has delicious ice cream plus the added bonus of more lounges in an air conditioned roomed, in case we want to sloth some more.
Our afternoon was spent at this beautiful resort named River Garden were we got to use their pool if we bought a drink, don't mind if we do. This was a great and fun way to get to know one another some more and pass the time away in the cool.
We somehow managed to walk back into town to check off one of our buckets- fish massage! Well Dee and Immy didn't brave the tank, but we paid our two dollars and jumped right in! After much squealing and attracting attention to ourselves we lost some of the ticklish part and could kind of enjoy it...a little! For those who don't know, a fish massage is a big tank of water which you sit around and pop your feet in. The tank is full of tiny little crazy fish that suck on your feet, eating your dead skin away. Definitely a new and peculiar way to get a pedicure!
When we arrived back at Bou Savy we were greeted by two more of the team! Bek and Laurie were the newest two. We also found out that we would be having a welcome dinner at this beautiful restaurant named the Angkor Amazon. This was by far the BIGGEST buffet and dining area I have seen. I am not ashamed to say I went up there three times! The first plate was full of delicious vegetables, fresh spring rolls and some chicken stir fry with green beans. The second plate was much smaller, as my eyes soon realised how my belly was now feeling.
I tried chicken amok, a traditional Cambodian dish, I loved it! It tasted like coconut and curry served in a little banana leaf. Will definitely be having this again. The third plate didn't really count, but hey I gave it a go! It was this rice pudding jelly square, kind of tasted like sweet rice with a hint of sesame inside. I also tried a sample of the tapioca, which had an fruit inside which I'm not sure exactly what it is, don't think I will be having it again.
Cambodian dinners are still number one in my eyes! After our bellies were full we got to sit back and enjoy some traditional dance performances. There was a series of four performances all very beautiful and unique. My favourite would have to be the coconut dance, it was so interesting and clever. Made of both young girls and boys, the dance used half coconut shells to make a brilliant sound.
After our ears were soothed and bellies full, we caught the bus back to the guesthouse and rested our little heads. I'm enjoying myself so so much and cannot wait for what's to come next :)
A bit more of a sleep in was had today which I loved! We followed suit and enjoyed our breakfast on the SL. I had the scrambled eggs and a coffee, but I think the banana pancakes are becoming a fast favourite with the girls.
Imogen, Dee and myself decided to spend the morning at the National Museum, just a pleasant ten minute walk away. The parks were beautiful and the sounds of the Buddhist ceremonies got us in the mood for some more Cambodian culture. The museum had plenty to offer! For just twelve dollars we were educated on the many kings, traditions, religions, teachings and even dress code throughout the past centuries. Of course Angkor Wat was a great part of the tour. But my favourite was the first room, a floor-to-ceiling display of Buddhas (on all four walls, might I add!)
We returned home to find a delicious selection of "family lunch" waiting for us. This was comprised of many tasty flavours to try and none were even slightly disappointing. Food is quickly becoming a big part of our days! I may or may not return the size of a house.
Our In Country Partner Tom and Jo joined us in the afternoon. We spent time learning about the recent Cambodian past and how they are today. This was really interesting and of course eye-opening to realize many of those who suffered are alive today. We lightened the mood with some language learning! This was so much fun! We learnt basic terms like "Hello, How are you?" and "My name is Emma, What's your name?" but perhaps the most fun was counting. The way the Cambodians count could be an great indicator of why they are so good with maths. For example the first ten numbers is said: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5+1, 5+2, 5+3, 5+4, 10. so they are adding up all the time!
By night we watched the sunset in the SL then ventured back into town to a new place named the temple bar. A big mix of people here, from all different backgrounds. The food was of both Khmer and western origins, giving those of us needing something other than stir fry a choice (I was not one of these people yet). After our bellies were full up to the brim, once again, we trekked down to the night market. This was a new place we hadn't discovered thus far. It was a lot calmer than old market, only a couple of people shouted at you "masaaa lady?" However we did find the bargaining a little more difficult here. After we got a little lost we strolled back to the guesthouse were a much needed sloth was had, well for me, I was updating you great readers on our adventures!
Until next time, xoxo Emma ;)
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