My Birthday!

I've heard that people usually feel down whenever their birthday approaches...I'm not one of them.  Maybe because mine fell on New Year's Eve and it's quite difficult to feel sad when you're around family and with lots of food and firecrackers pa nga!

But with all the stuff going on in my life recently, I'm afraid that I may just feel a little melancholic.  I still miss Mama, my sister left for Australia yesterday and I had a rift with the most important person in my life.  Though I know that things will get better, somehow life has a way of rubbing it in when you try your darnest best.

Well, so I turn a year older today...I guess I just have to embrace it with my head held high and a grin on my face.   I am already experiencing a life far beyond my wildest expectations.  So, I cherish it and I accept that certain things are meant to be, whether I like it or not.

I spent the best birthday yet with B.  Thank you for making me empowered enough to acknowledge that I deserve these blessings.  You and me, we made this possible. 

Christmas 2011

From our family to yours...

A very Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year!

Current Shoe Love!

The hunt for the most comfortable flats that I can abuse to death is over.

Inasmuch as I want to stay away because Melissa shoes don’t come cheap, I just can’t because I really needed super comfy footwear.  And I’m happy to discover that not only are Melissas comfortable as I had hoped, but they are sweet-smelling, too.  I recognize the scent from the Melissa retailers in the malls but I didn’t realize that the scent came from the packaging paper and footwear themselves. 

I use them in the office, went dancing and shopping with them and after hours of abuse, no strain whatsoever on my feet with a pleasant surprise to boot, my feet smelled fruity!  Can you believe that?  I’ve never encountered a shoe manufacturer that went out of their way to please the sense of smell even after they’ve made the sense of sight and touch very happy. This could be the start of a new addiction. I wonder if the heeled-ones feel just as wonderful as the flats?  Hmmm.  Erase…erase…erase!  Hehehe!

Campana Zigzag

Melissa Galactic

Vivien Westwood Ultragirl VII Logo

But this is why I really like these shoes…

Melissa  is a leading brand of the internationally acclaimed footwear manufacturer Grendene. The thermoplastic technology for Melissa was developed exclusively by and for Grendene and is leading the way for sustainable practice for design, fashion and manufacturing.

All Melissa plastic shoes are created with a zero waste ethos and particular attention to the life cycle of materials. Melissa recycles 99.9% of factory water and waste, and they recycle overstock styles into next season’s collection.

Melissa is also a proud partner of many non-profit organizations, donates monthly to support local homeless children and pregnant women (as well as massive donations of shoes) and also donates part of its monthly income to developing green urban areas. (source)

And to B who condones this newest fixation, thank you! Love these babies to bits.

Cambodia: Sidetrip to Phnom Penh!

The original plan was to take the Poipet border to get into Thailand but A thought that it’s going to be dangerous and tiresome so he surprised me with plane tickets from Siem Reap to Bangkok via Phnom Penh.  It’s a 4 to 5-hour trip to PP so we decided to hire a taxi to bring us to the airport and take us around if we still had time.  Soryar made sure that it’s going to be a pleasant and comfortable trip for A and me so he asked Mr. Polie to drive us to PP.  Let me just say that HE is the best person to drive you to PP.  It sure does help that he’s a retired policeman with connections in the busy city.  The language barrier really sucked but we’d see Mr. Polie giggling everytime A and I kid each other so I guess he was able to pick up some of the things we said.

A with Mr. Polie and the cab that would take us to PP.  It’s interesting to note that 90% of cabs that we saw in Cambodia were Toyota Camry.

Exiting Siem Reap

While busy taking shots inside the cab, I kind of heard Mr. Polie say “nice bridge…very old!”.  I didn’t really understand what he was trying to say so I just gave him my biggest smile and said “Yes!  Yes!”.  Boy, I was glad I did because what he was trying to say pala was that we could pass by an old bridge if we like.  Mr. Polie pulled over and there we saw, “Spean Preah Toeus”, also called “Spean Kompong Kdey” by the residents of the area.  It is said that in the 1930s, there used to be 22 ancient bridges like this within the area but because bridges were not a great concern during the restoration of ancient heritage, only 11 still exist at present.  These ancient bridges may have been erected during Jayavarman VII’s era…kasabay lang ng Angkor Temples.

The stone used in the construction of this bridge is laterite (Wikipedia:  soil type rich in iron and aluminium formed in hot and wet tropical areas.  Rusty-red most of the time because of iron oxides.)

The decorations such as the balustrade, pole, guardrails and serpent (naga) heads on both sides of the balustrade is made of sandstone.

And then we’re back on the road again.

Mr. Polie knows how to multi-task…driving at the speed of 120kph while sending his son an SMS while talking to Soryar.  I…was…scared!  Of his shirt.  Hahahaha!

Thank goodness for the beautiful Cambodian countryside…it took my mind off Mr. Polie’s shirt.  Hehehe

Parang Pilipinas din…fruit stalls selling rambutan and atis along the road.

After driving for more than 4 hours, we finally reached Phnom Penh.  I was not impressed.  Traffic began to get heavy…it was scorching hot.  Bad ako but PP reminded me of Binondo.

Again, diba para din kaming nasa Pilipinas?

We asked Mr. Polie to drop us off the National Museum and pick us up after 30 minutes and then we could grab lunch.

Entrance fee to the National Museum is US$3.

Inside you'll see amazing artifacts...too bad cameras are not allowed.

The ponds and gardens within the museum compound.

These guys love phallic symbols talaga!

At exactly 12noon, Mr. Polie was already waiting by the gate.  I knew where we’re having lunch and I was pleasantly surprised to know that it’s within walking distance from the museum.

Love the thought of just having a meal and being able to help at the same time.

We’re lucky to be seated right at once…reservation is required.

I ordered this by mistake…but it turned out to be so yummy!

Another yummy dish of minced meat and mushrooms!

Right after lunch, we asked Mr. Polie to take us to Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum or S21.  In halting English, he told us that it used to be a school before Pol Pot came into power and turned it into a prison.  He also said that his wife used to go to that school.  Having an idea of the crimes that were committed in that building, I was literally dragging my feet towards the entrance.

We paid the entrance fee and started to walk around.  A and I went inside several rooms (former classrooms) used as torture cells at Tuol Sleng.  Inside the room, you’d find a bed frame, chains, ammo boxes (they were the toilet facilities then) and the picture of the person who was found there.  I cringed at the sight of those pictures.  I remember feeling numb but I was still taking pictures…like a regular tourist.  And then A and I got into this room filled with pictures of all the people tortured and most probably killed during the Khmer Rouge regime.  It took all of my will-power not to burst into tears but as I went from one board to another, I could already feel the pain in my heart.  The last straw was when I saw the blown up picture of a wife of a party official holding a baby.  It felt like she was staring back at me with tear-filled eyes.  So I went out and cried like a baby.  I told A that I couldn’t believe a human being could do those things to another human being.  I also told A that I’d delete all the pictures taken inside the museum to which he agreed.

The Tuol Sleng Gate

The UNESCO marker inside the museum compound.

We met up with Mr. Polie again and asked him to take us to the Royal Palace.  We’re already in a rush and we still had a lot to cover.

The long line to the ticket counter.

Monks and locals get in for free.

This Cambodian sun IS unforgiving!

There are several temples like this inside the compound.

Reminds you of Thailand, noh?

After the mad dash inside the Royal Palace grounds, we asked Mr. Polie what’s there to see pa in PP and he said that he’d take us to Choung Ek or the Killing Fields.  After the episode in Tuol Sleng, I was already having second thoughts about the Killing Fields.  Mr. Polie drove for 45 minutes and traffic was starting to get really bad.  A and I were already panicking because our flight was scheduled to leave in a couple of hours.  And it didn’t help either when I heard Mr. Polie talk about a tree where they would smash babies to kill them, I knew that I didn’t want to go anymore.  And right at that instant, we busted our rear tire.

Mr. Polie and the mechanic.

Now, how on earth did that screw end up stuck in our tire?

After Mr. Polie had the tire fixed, we rushed to the airport.  And I truly believe that the gods in Cambodia were actually looking after A and me as we learned that our flight had been moved 30 minutes earlier than scheduled.  If not for the flat tire, we would’ve driven all the way to Choung Ek and totally missed our flight to Bangkok.  

Happy to see the airport!

Happier that we got there on time!

While I have nothing but praises for the Angkor temples and the locals that A and I met in Siem Reap, I will have to admit that I was not prepared for what I saw in Phnom Penh and learned there.  Tuol Sleng had been the most appalling sight for me but I would like to believe that we went there for the right reasons…and it’s that we should not forget.  I hope more people would choose to visit Cambodia because tourism is a major part of the healing and rebuilding process if Cambodia is to prosper in the future. 

So long Cambodia, till we meet again!

   

Cambodia: The Bike Ride Around The Temples of Angkor!

Just when I thought that I already experienced the best of Cambodia….Soryar came back to pick us up at the hotel and brought with him a couple of mountain bikes.  I was ecstatic!

A was 7 when he last rode a bike, hence, the frown.

See the dark clouds behind us?  Well, let’s just say that we have proven our power that day.

A photo opp in Angkor Wat is a must!

Riding by Angkor Wat’s moat.

Narni, our guide, in his pambors get-up.

By the South Gate of Angkor Thom

With the demons in our background.

Breezing through the Elephant Terrace.

Admiring the majestic Bayon!

A proud Pinay cyclist in Cambodia!

Cambodia: Eats!

I was actually not that excited about trying Cambodian cuisine because most of the blogs that I’ve read said that it’s kind of bland.  Well, comparing Khmer food to Thai…that’s probably true.  But I was pleasantly surprised because I kind of liked it.  My Filipino taste buds easily adjusted to Khmer cooking and most restaurants served good portions and that made A and I happy.

There was the lunch in Samroh Srah Srang Restaurant while taking a break from the temple tours.  I was quite hesitant to have our meal there because not one tourist was in sight and my gauge for a good restaurant is when it is flocked by people.  I have to really commend Soryar, he sure does know where to bring us.

The Angkor beer ad made A happy!

Loved these…sweet and salty peanuts.

Sweet and sour pork spare ribs.  I’m not into sweet sauce but the crunch of the pork was definitely worth it!

Ginger Chicken…the ginger bits were crunchy, the chicken fillets were tender.

Fish amok.  Amok is the national dish of Cambodia, it’s chicken or fish cooked in coconut cream.

Eat-all-you-KANIN!  Soryar said that Cambodians love rice so much that most, if not all, restaurants offer unlimited rice servings.

These dishes were too mild for my Filipino palate so what’s a girl to do?  I asked for patis (fish sauce), lime (they don’t have calamansi) and chili (got nice red ones).  Soryar said that I should put fresh garlic in my “sawsawan”  (it’s a Cambodian thing).  I politely declined because the Pinoy in me knows that fresh garlic is best with vinegar. Hehe!

And we also had a taste of Khmer merienda (snacks!).

Sticky rice cake wrapped in banana leaves, much like our suman!

But with a surprise inside…a banana!

A downed his rice roll with an energy drink.

I remember Sam, our driver and guide for the day, made a stop in one of the stalls by the highway and…

Bought us snacks…again!

Another Khmer snack cooked in a bamboo!

I was scared to take a bite…the black spots looked like huge flies to me!

I didn’t want to eat that rice cake but Sam was so nice buying them for us so the least I could do was try it, right?  Wrong!  It wasn’t THAT awful namanl, just bland and tasteless.  It sure could use a lot of sugar or kahit na salt.  I ate half of what was offered to me and was able to get over the taste (or lack thereof) and continued pretending that I liked it just because Sam’s act of generosity was so heart-warming.  Oo, plastic ako like that!  Hahaha!

We also had a taste of a Khmer buffet when Soryar booked us in Angkor Mondial.  This dinner buffet also included an Apsara show.  An Apsara in the Khmer language means “Heavenly Angel” so it was a dinner buffet while being entertained by dancing angels.

The salad spread.

Traditional Khmer cuisine.

Loved dessert!  But I think they used coconut milk instead of just plain milk in this “leche flan”.

This was what I enjoyed the most!  Yummy green mangoes!

And this was what I dipped the mangoes in.  Chili salt!

We were almost done with dinner when the show started.  The costumes were exquisite.  All dance numbers symbolize a story.  A and I were mesmerized.  We couldn’t take our eyes off their hands…the movement they made, bending their wrists and pointing their dainty fingers at every angle.  A also said that I DO look like an Apsara.  So that means I look like an angel???  Ako na ang magsasabi na HINDE.  Hahaha!  Well, he said that it’s my eyes…ang mata ko na malalaki at parang isda kasi sobra daw magkalayo.  Hahaha!

I think we had the best seats that evening.  Thanks, Soryar!

The girl (chicken) is Cambodia and the boy (monster) is Thailand.

They have small feet!

They almost look the same.  With elaborate make-up on their creamy white skin.

Loved the costumes!

See the hand movement

And our last dinner in Siem Reap was in Khmer Kitchen along Pub Street.  I love Khmer Kitchen!  Such great value.  Food is good and relatively cheap.  And the staff were so nice.  You gotta have at least one meal in Khmer Kitchen when you’re in Siem Reap.

Can’t wait to try the other dishes in the menu!

Stir-fried morning glory (kangkong?) in garlic

Deep-fried prawns with chili sauce.  The prawns tasted so fresh.  Loved it!

Shrimp in fried ginger.  Yummy!

A had another local beer…which he also liked.