Signs

Night shots have frustrated me for some time now  especially that I’m only using a point-and-shoot digicam. My mistake always lie on my use and/or improper use of flash. The ISO setting doesn’t really do much to improve my shots either. They tend to be grainy and artificial looking. Bu then, one night last week, I got lucky. 

I was snapping like crazy while we drove long Sisowath Quay and out of the dozen photos, this one, taken just before we passed in front of the Royal Palace, isn’t really bad.I love how this picture turned out. What do you think?

For more Wordless/Wordful entries, please click here.

and here.

Four years ago, I was assigned in Kep for a big rural ICT project. Kep was a sleepy coastal town in the southernmost part of Cambodia. I lived there for 6months and during weekdays, I was busy with work, traveling from village to village spread across three communes in the district of Damnak Chang’eur. Weekends, however, was a different story. With no other means of entertainment, my husband and I took this opportunity to visit nearby communes and explore places that were rarely visited and were off-the-beaten track.

We found the sign (above) on the main road. On the right is a logo of UNDP Seila Project and, on the left, the Ministry of Tourism’s. We were convinced when we saw the logos and followed the trail. Some 45 minutes later, we were still nowhere near Phnom Chhngok cave. It was nearing noon, and hot and humid, and my butt was getting sore from the bumpy motorcycle ride. But we were glad we persisted in going. We stopped by to ask for directions with my sparse spoken-Khmer skills, had a chitchat for a bit, and enjoyed fresh coconut juice bought from a local roadside stall. The sight was a marvelous yellow and verdant green carpet of rice-field as far as our eyes could see. The coconut and palm trees, on the other hand, jutted out into the sky like skyscrapers.  When we finally arrived at the place…  we saw a limestone cave; small, but a beautiful one nonetheless. Inside it was chilly and there were stalactites and stalagmites here and there. But the main attraction there was the shrine (or remnants of what was once a shrine) inside the cave believed to be pre-Angkorian, around 1,500 years old. Some pictures on the way there can be found here at CambodiaMaps.

For more signs around the world, check out the main site by clicking the logo below.

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.

For more signs around the world, check out the main site by clicking the logo below.

Saw this sign at the entrance gate of a boutique hotel where I met friends for a swim not long ago. Here’s a closer view of the sign at the bottom:

I hope the message is heard loud and clear!

Massive efforts are being done to combat this global issue and in Cambodia, with the collaboration between the government, international organisations and the different sectors in the community, anti-trafficking projects are implemented in all levels. We are optimistic that this will be eliminated if every one is vigilant and cooperative. It is my fervent hope that I will not see signs like this anymore in the near future.

For more signs around the world, check out the main site by clicking the logo below.

The Electricite du Cambodge sign is an attention-grabber. 

I took this while inside a moving car but here’s a closer look at that sign:

Photo nicked from: Departures-and-Arrivals site. Click the link.

Apsaras are celestial dancers in Buddhist folklore. Images of apsaras are carved in the ancient temples of Khmer, particularly in Angkor Wat. Why are they in the company logo of an electric company, that I do not have any idea.

For more signs around the world, check out the main site by clicking the logo below.

For more signs around the world, check out the main site by clicking the logo below.