All things Khmer

It feels good to come home! Taken in December 2007 after more than two weeks of work-related travel (Malaysia and Nepal). In my case, home for now – and in the last 11 years – is Phnom Penh. 

I was so excited to be home that time, having narrowly avoided the Christmas rush – what a huge relief it was! To keep my excitement at bay, I kept on looking out the plane’s window, and down, to see the landscape. I think I did a pretty good job in capturing the chocolate landscape that looks like a giant jigsaw puzzle. And look, I even captured the shadow of the airplane. This is one of my favourite pictures!

This is my comeback entry (for the  nth time) at Photo Hunt. More Photo Hunters are found at tnchick’s site. Please click the link to go there.

More sky photos at Skywatch Friday. 

Whoever thought of this is  brilliant. This is a monster hit not only for the locals but also for expats. For only 3000riels (US $1=4000riels), you have three vegetarian viands of your choice and rice. It comes with bottomless hot tea as well. Not bad.

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Back when I used to work with IDRC’s iREACH Project, I regularly visited one of our project sites in Prey Veng Province. To go there, I took a local taxi – usually an old Toyota camry – and takes about three hours or so. Halfway-point is Neak Loung, separated by only a 15minute ferry ride across the Mekong river to the main land of Prey Veng.

Every day, hundreds of taxis and buses arrive at Neak Loung, and they are always greeted by a swarm of vendors, old and young alike. They sell canned sodas, packed lunches, BBQed pork/chicken, candies, bottled water, boiled eggs, and a host of others.

Most girls (the age of the girl above) are not in school because they are tasked of helping their parents earn additional income for the family. The boys, however, are given priority in education simply due to cultural values, while the girls are kept at  home to help in the housework, looking after siblings, or, in this case, earn money for the family. Most parents here think that girls are going to get married and leave home anyway.

Sad, but true. This happens everywhere in the world, especially in third world countries.

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Door-to-door delivery service. Only in Cambodia. You can barely see the driver. I just hope and pray that he goes around safe each day.

More photos at That’s My World.

The fishing boat (foreground),  the population 01 island (middle, I nicknamed it myself *proud*), the Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc (background), the showy clouds, and the waves of the Gulf of Thailand, as viewed from the coast of Kep. Imagine what I’ve been missing for a long time!

This picture taken in one of our previous trips there. I can still remember the salty smell of the breeze as my husband and I waited for our dinner to be served. We watched the most spectacular sunset – arguably the best sunset in all of Cambodia, if I may say so – while feasting on Kep’s fresh seafood. It was a beautiful, balmy night. In the company of a shy moon, a squad of fireflies, and an orchestra of crickets and other nocturnal insects, my husband and I walked back to our hotel, hand in hand.

More sky photos at Skywatch Friday.