2012 August | Inside Cambodia

APAD 352: Nature-tripping

Posted by The Insider on Aug 23, 2012 in A Photo a Day, Addicted to Meme, All things Khmer, Signs of Times, That's My World, travel, What's On in Cambodia | 2 comments

O’ Traw Sek Resort, inside the Kirirom National Park in Kampong Speu Province.

This small sign doesn’t look promising but… this I tell you, once you enter and climb up the national park, the temperature gets colder.

If my memory serves me right, “o” or “ou”means “stream” in Khmer language; “traw sek” means cucumber. Put them together and we have Cucumber Stream Resort. But, of course, I may be wrong. I don’t know why it is called as such. No cucumber patch anywhere but there is a stream that winds through boulders of rocks forming small pools and mini-water falls.

Very inviting, isn’t it? I imagined hurling myself into the icy water, lol.

The water is icy! To those who aren’t up for a dip, there are huts to have refreshments or have your meal. The place is so peaceful, you can only hear the sounds of the gurgling stream and jungle insects. This piece of heaven is only over an hour away from Phnom Penh. No wonder this resort is a popular weekend getaway amongst the locals.

APAD 351: Beautiful butterfly

Posted by The Insider on Aug 22, 2012 in A Photo a Day, Addicted to Meme, sights, That's My World, travel | 7 comments

Go to Wordless Wednesdayfor more entries.

APAD 350: Wat Phnom

Posted by The Insider on Aug 21, 2012 in A Photo a Day, Addicted to Meme, All things Khmer, sights, That's My World, What's On in Cambodia | 0 comments

I took this photo of Wat Phnom while inside a moving vehicle. We were on our way home from the Post Office driving along the street between Electricite du Cambodge and Cambodia Developmment Council.

The stupa, along with a small wat hidden amidst the vegetation, sit on top of the hill. The stupa’s spire looks like it is reaching out to the gods in heaven.

Wat Phnom, or the hill temple, is one of the most beautiful and popular landmarks in Phnom Penh.

According to the local folklore, in 1372 a woman named Penh, retrieved a koki tree from the river. Within the tree were four statues of the Buddha. To commemorate her find, she built the hill and the wat which still exists today, having been renovated many times over the years. Phnom is Khmer for ‘hill’, hence the city is named Phnom Penh, after the hill which she built. The temple has further significance also as inside the stupa are the ashes of King Ponhea who moved the capital from Angkor to present day Phnom Penh. – Source

The stupa rising amidst the canopy of trees caught my eye and immediately snapped this photo. To add more element of interest to the picture, I edited it a monochromatic look and this is what I came up with.

APAD 349: Wild flower

Posted by The Insider on Aug 20, 2012 in A Photo a Day, Addicted to Meme, sights, That's My World | 3 comments

Saw this plant while we were flying kites at a reclaimed area just outside Phnom Penh. The yellow flowers are very small and pretty dainty but seem to be tough having survived and thrived in this harsh (sandy and very dry) environment.