Moira on the road

A week ago I went to the opening of a photo exhibition called Amazing Cambodia. Originally it's a facebook page where people post photos of old times, before the Khmer Rouges. My friend Y. and I both noticed how people in these photos, mostly from the Fifties or the Sixties, look a lot like Cambodians today. It seems not much has changed.

But that's only the surface. On the back wall, dozens of photos of artists, singers, actors and actresses, film-makers, dancers. The captions tell a blood-chilling story, one that you realize slowly, watching one photo after the other. Too often the date of death is not known, or it is simply marked as "died during the Khmer Rouge regime".

It's decided: I will run the Angkor Wat International Half Marathon!

What could be more inspiring for a lazy ass amateur runner like me than to run my first half marathon among the beautiful Cambodian temples!


Now, this is going to be a challenge! Running in Cambodia has been quite difficult so far, I am way below my regular distance and times. I barely managed 6 km today, and it was slow. I don't know if it is the heat, the humidity or what, but I feel like a potato :(

So all encouragement is VERY WELCOME!!!

Random pics from the last week in Cambodia - there is a story behind many of these pics, maybe one of these days I'll find some time to write them. In the meantime, have a look at my favorite Wonderland!

Meditation class

I have been away only one year, and I can already see the difference.
Phnom Penh is changing. Fast.

There are huge building projects, like the Korean Booyoung Town close to the airport. Ugly buildings like the Vattanac Bank building (honestly, whoever is the architect, please.)

Lots of traffic, flashing lights, noise. Progress is coming. Fast. And I have a feeling it is leaving behind many Cambodians. I saw yesterday a "Khmer barber": a small barber shop that I suppose is called "khmer" to mean that is traditional, no fancy foreigners stuff, and cheap. Close to a Mega International Super-Duper Fancy Bank - I promise, that's the name.

When I went to Saigon, I liked its energy but most of all I liked that it made me appreciate even more the quiet, simple generosity of Phnom Penh. It would be a pity if all Cambodia pursues is the progress, without even a look back at its traditions, its people, its history. I have no reason to say what I am saying except an uncomfortable feeling, I didn't look up any stats and should probably wait more than 2 days before having any strong opinions on a country that is so radically different from me.

But I do like Cambodia very much, and I don't like what I am seeing.

(Also, it's election time. Wait and see.)

Your average day in Prey Veng starts with a Chinese lady who yells your order for coffee to the kitchen 30 meters away (effectively causing your brain to shrink from pain) and hearing the news of the day: 5 elephants in the north of the Kingdom are pissed off for some reason and so they have come to the main road to kick cars passing by. (Obvious but necessary note to self: never ever for any reason piss off an elephant.)

My two days -one and a half really- in Prey Veng were interesting, maybe less impressive that Kampong Cham and Siem Reap but full of amazing moments.

Passing by some city whose name I don't remember, I saw a woman giving rice to six or seven very young monks on the side of the road. Picture them all in a row, probably 7-8 years old, with their orange robes and their containers for food held out while she was filling them one at a time, with jasmine rice.

Then we crossed a bridge, and below in a big pool of brown water from yesterday's rain, a women was paddling to the centre in these half boats of theirs, open to one extremity. The water was like liquid milk chocolate, the soil all around light brown, the woman dressed in beige and brown tones. It was a perfect monochrome. I wish my photography skills were enough to match the beauty in this country.

Irrigation canal. It is not connected to any other canal so it just collects rainwater.

A woman on her rice field, with a kid and a cow

Kids watching us from the distance

Negotiating traffic :)

Me...always taking pictures. Rural bridge, it can't hold the weight of the car so we walked to our meeting

The health centre

Commune meeting at the local police post (the name on the board is still written in French!)

Now where are all these ducks running to???

...home of course!!!

Heading home, bye bye!

Temple in Siem Reap province, taken from the car :(

Kampong Kleang commune (7 villages), during the dry season is like this, during the wet season water of the Tonle Sap lake raises to the houses level. They are "in the lake" for six months a year.

Meeting with the Commune Council and village chiefs

Trying, with embarrassing results, to introduce myself in Khmer :)

Map of Kampong Kleang Commune - the dotted/green area is the extension of the Tonle Sap lake during wet season

Young monks playing with slings

Young monks

Commune council members (left and centre) and village chief (right)

The main road

A house on stilts

More houses on stilts

One of the four pagodas in the commune

Pagoda in K.Kleang. A drawbridge connects the pagoda to the main road, and it is raised during wet season so boats can sail through it.

The courtyard

Inside the monastery

Inside the monastery

The Naga, or Dragon, symbol of Cambodia

View of K.Kleang main road from the pagoda

Drying the dry season rice on the main road after the harvest

In case you can't find your way following tuk tuk's and tourists, HERE IS Pub Street

Dinner with L. and N.

The world is a book. people who don't travel only get to read one page.

Sticky rice - a delicious Cambodian snack of rice and beans with coconut milk cooked inside bamboo sticks.