APAD 165: Flooding in Cambodia
Took this photo just this afternoon on our way home, around 5.30pm. We were driving along Sisowath Quay and I noticed that the water in the river is very high. A few more inches and the water will surely overflow to the main road.
The rising water level in the river is due to the incessant rains the past weeks. In fact, floods hit some parts of the country since last month and there have been reports of deaths. According to Relief Web, about 100 people have been reported dead. The Cambodian National Committee for Disaster Management also reported that approximately 90,300 families in 15 provinces have been affected, around 170,000 hectares of rice fields and 63,000 homes were under water.
To those who have generous hearts, please donate some canned goods and clothings to the Cambodian Red Cross.
This is my entry to this week’s Our World Tuesday. Click on the logo for more pictures of our world.
APAD 164: Cambodia celebrates Pchum Ben Festival
Today, 26th of September, until Wednesday,the 28th, are the official dates for Pchum Ben this year. is the Pchum Ben Festival is the time, according to Buddhist beliefs, when the spirits of the dead walk the Earth.
Cambodians believe that to ease their ancestors’ spirit’s sufferings, they prepare food and gather to the pagodas to offer the food for them to eat. This is similar to the All Soul’s Day that is celebrated back in my native Philippines. So most of the Cambodians take this time to go back to their hometown to observe this tradition. So, naturally, the streets of Phnom Penh are virtually empty during these three days.
And, since most of the Cambodians and resident expats are out of the capital, the streets of Phnom Penh are virtually empty and devoid of the usual hustle-bustle of daily life! In fact, we can actually see the yellow and black-striped lane divider!
You can find more information about the Pchum BenFestival here.
More Mellow Yellow Monday entries here (please click logo):
APAD 163: Jiggly with caffeine!
One of the pleasures of living in Cambodia is sitting down in a streetside cafe and sipping a glass of super-yummy, oh-so-sinfully sweet iced coffee. You can easily get this very sweet beverage anywhere in the city but there is one place at the Russian market that is so popular to both locals, expats and tourists alike that a Facebook fan page was created especially for this legendary iced coffee and its star coffee-maker in Phnom Penh.
So when you are in Russian Market (or Psah Tuol Tumpong) in Phnom Penh and you see this sign…
… you should really give it a try! Honestly, it’s truth in advertising! I already get jiggly whenever I see this sign and I rush to order one. And the effect on me – I talk non-stop for the whole day, almost manic. Oh gosh, what a kick. It’s not exactly for the health-conscious because it is an extremely rich and strong caffeine brew with an automatic refill. With that said, I still urge you to try it – it really is worth it! Here is Mr. Bounnarith and his Facebook fan pag and here is an excellent blog post introducing him and his legendary iced coffee.
More signs all over the world at Signs, Signs. Please do have a look.
APAD 162: Royal Palace at night
This is my favourite photo of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh at night. It was taken with my trusty point-and-shoot camera while my husband and I were enjoying the night river cruise.
The lights decorating the Royal Palace creates a golden (almost embossed) outline of the building amidst the blackness of the night. It was a fantastic sight, almost like something magical and surreal you read about in many fairy tales.
This is my entry to this week’s Our World Tuesday. Click on the logo for more pictures of our world.
APAD 159: The polite tuk-tuk driver
I was supposed to post a different photo but this one caught my attention while I was browsing through my twitter page. I just knew I had to post it today:
This sign just says it all!
If you have been to Phnom Penh or Siem Reap, you would know how it is being harrassed by persistent tuktuk drivers. Upon arrival at the bus stations or bus stops, or merely walking down the streets, you cannot escape an awful lot of tuktuk and moto drivers swarming around you (or stalking you) for a ride. I know they have to be in order to make a living but, by golly, it is a traumatic experience even for a resident expat.
This photo was originally uploaded here by LTO_Cambodia.
More signs all over the world at Signs, Signs. Please do have a look.
APAD 155: The red earth
After being powdered by the dust of summer comes the red, sticky mud of the rainy season, particularly in rural Cambodia.
I love the beautiful red clay soil in the countryside. Looks greasy from this angle but, no, it’s the thick, red, muddy road!
The mud is really harsh, and, as you can see, the road is virtually impassable – sticky, slippery, and will bury your vehicle (and you) if you’re stubborn enough to go on. Our shoes and flip-flops get coated with the sticky soil, and hardens like cement when it dries up, making them impossible to wear again.
This picture was taken in Kep, Cambodia in one of my field activities. I was based there for about 6months in 2006 and, I tell you, the rainy season added more challenge to the already very challenging work we were having at that time.
Huge props to the people on bicycles and motorcycles who patiently ply roads like this during the rainy season.
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