All things Khmer
Litratong Pinoy #17: Madumi
Thursday, November 20th, 2008
… ang salamin ng kotse namin. Kagagaling lang namin ng probinsya. Alam niyo naman sa probinsya, hindi sementado ang daan at, kapag tag-init, sangkatutak na alikabok ang babalot sa iyong sasakyan. Kaya ganyan ang hitsura. Isipin niyo na lang kung ano ang itsura ng kotse kapag tag-ulan - inangkupo!
Kinuha ko ito habang papauwi na kami at tinatahak namin ang kahabaan ng Norodom Blvd. Kung maaaninag niyo sa kalagitnaan ng litrato ay ang Independence Monument. Maganda sana ang pagkuha ko kaya lang ay nasira dahil sa maruming salamin sa kotse. Tsk.
Photo Hunt #32: Ruin(ed)
Saturday, November 15th, 2008
Wordless Wednesday #59: Modern-day neary Khmer (Khmer woman)
Tuesday, November 11th, 2008
A female Khmer de-miner with her partner, an Alsatian sniffer-dog. She’s one of the many female members of the Cambodian de-mining team that participated in last Sunday’s 55th anniversary celebration of Cambodia’s Independence from France. To me, she represents the modern-day Khmer woman. Brave, independent, hard-working and yet remaining true and respectful to the ideals of being a Cambodian.
Cheyor, neary Khmer!
Cheyor, Kampuchea!
Juice Mio!
Tuesday, November 4th, 2008Living in Cambodia for a long time now makes me get used to signs that are funny, or, are not intending to be funny but because of the outrageous word combination (i.e., translations or context) it takes on another meaning (humorous) or no meaning at all. Long ago, I posted pictures of funny signs most of which I saw in my frequent trips to the countryside. This time, I am posting something that I found in a Chinese restaurant’s menu right here in Phnom Penh. Juice with fancy (funny) names available at one of the Chinese restaurants (forgot the name) near Hun Sen park. It’s located just between the Java Cafe and the Ministry of Environment and it’s got a large sign in Chinese and in Khmer languages.
Stepping inside, there is nothing much except rows of tables and chairs. It’s as basic as you can get and the place is clean, too. But do not be fooled by the not-so-fantastic interior of the restaurant. Some of the dishes may be oily, as most Chinese food are, but they are lip-smacking tasty and cheap. I didn’t have trouble ordering my meal but it’s quite — err, interesting (even challenging!). Then when I pored over the Keep in Good Health Fruit Juice list it got me into serious thinking…
Have a look:
Bongga di ba? Fancy names…
Since it was really hot that day, so I ordered myself this:
Can you guess what I ordered??
No, not the Relieve summer heat the plum juice. No luck. They have no plum in stock.
I wanted to ask for a glass of Keep like good health the turnip juice but then changed my mind. Singkamas juice ba ito? Eew.
So in the end, I settled for the cool water melon juice!
Boring ba? In fairness naman, the cool water melon juice is refreshing. I was told that the list I showed (pic) is not complete. There’s a page two so next time I go there, I’ll take a photo of it. I wonder what else is there 
How about you, what’s your choice?
If you are in PP and looking for a good Chinese restaurant, this is the place. Punta kayo dun, promise, di lang kayo mabubusog, maaaliw pa kayo.
***
This was originally posted at FudTrips.
Wordless Wednesday #57: Light and shadow
Tuesday, October 28th, 2008
Detail of a wall section in Angkor Wat.
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Check out other wordless entries at theWordless Wednesday HQ.
Litratong Pinoy #010: Ayaw Ko
Thursday, August 28th, 2008
Kelangan pa bang sabihin kung bakit ayaw ko nito?
Eto, close up view:
Malutong. Maanghang. Malinamnam.
Paborito itong papakin ng mga Khmer. Parang popcorn. Just pop one in your mouth - sharaaaap!
No sir, not me.
Kayo, gusto niyo?
Photo Hunt #27: Colorful
Saturday, August 16th, 2008
Everyday, this woman stands patiently waiting for buyers at the main entrance of Psah Thmey (Central Market). Draped around her body like a sash are hammocks of different colors. Every time I see her and her friendly smile, I am constantly reminded of one of my favorite biblical characters, Joseph the Dreamer.
Don’t you think so, too?
Wordless Wednesday #48:Psah (market) Kandal
Tuesday, August 5th, 2008
Psah Kandal, Phnom Penh
Check out other wordless photos at Wordless Wednesday.
Litratong Pinoy #8: Ang Mahiwagang Takip-silim sa Dalampasigan ng Kep
Thursday, July 31st, 2008
Paumanhin po at late na naman ako ngayong Huwebes. Nag-i-inarte na naman kaya ang internet connection dito sa amin.
Noong 2006, ako po ay tumira sa bayan ng Kep, 178kms ang layo mula sa syudad ng Phnom Penh. Dito, kasama ng aking asawa at alagang aso, kami ay nanirahan ng mahigit sa apat na buwan.
Ang mga sumusunod ay kuha sa dalampasigan ng Kep. Para sa akin, dito na yata matatagpuan ang pinaka-magandang takip-silim sa buong Cambodia.
Ito ang matatanaw mula sa kwartong inuupahan namin noon. Ang islang nasa background ay tinatawag na Phu Quoc at pag-aari na ng bansang Vietnam. Subalit ang mumunting isla sa gawing kaliwa ay pag-aari pa ng Cambodia at ito ay binansagan naming population one island dahil sa iisa lang po ang nakatira diyan at ito ay ang pulis na nagbabantay dito.
Kapag kami ay bababa patungong Psah Khdam (crab market), ito naman ang aming nakikita. Mga bangkang naghahanda sa muling pagpunta sa laot upang manghuli ng isda, alimango, pusit, atbp.
Ang mga nakausling kahoy na ito ay palatandaan na dito nakalagak ang lumang pier. Dahil sa kalumaan, nasira ito ng magkaroon ng masungit na panahon sa Kep. Dahil sa kakulangan (o kawalan) ng pondo ng pamahalaang lokal, hindi na ito nakumpuni pa.
Ang mga babae namang ito ang siyang naglilinis ng mga lalagyan ng kanilang huli. Ang iba riyan ay puno pa ng mga alimango at pusit na naghihintay na ibenta kinabukasan.
Ito naman ang mga sariwang pusit na galing sa itaas na larawan, niluto at naging masarap na pananghalian.
Photo Hunt #26: Support
Saturday, July 12th, 2008
Coming back again for the PH after such a long time of being absent. My entry for this week is a photo of one of the towers of a lesser known temple Prey Rup found at the Angkor Wat complex. Shown in the photo is a re-assembled tower, a temple mountain design symbolically representing Mount Meru (characteristic of a Khmer classical architecture), the legendary home of Hindu gods.
Being one of the World Heritage Sites, the Cambodian government took measures to protect the temples. There have been several conservation projects supported by Japan, Germany, France and other countries that were implemented and some are still ongoing. As you can see in the picture, huge blocks of sandstone are precariously held together by what looked like a string. I wonder though, with all the support generated for the conservation project, could they get another string/rope strong enough to support the sandstone blocks from falling down?
Wordless Wednesday #43: No U-turn?
Tuesday, July 1st, 2008
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New career path for me?
Tuesday, July 1st, 2008
Since I’ve already resigned from work, I am now at home 24/7. Compared with before when I was working and traveling almost every month for stretches of days, I now have all the time in the world to pursue other things; like doing the shopping at the local markets and cooking, for example.
Shopping at the local markets has become a routine for me and it is one chore that I love doing. I’m not kidding. There’s so much happening at the market, varieties of colors, noises, and the odours - aromatic or otherwise - that I find delightful to find myself in, despite the heat. For me, if you want to discover insights into the Khmer way of life, you need to go and explore the markets. You won’t be disappointed.
The very first recipe that I made was green mango salad, a hands-down favorite of my husband. Cambodia is abundantly blessed with several varieties of mango - and they are available almost year-round. When ripe, a mango is yellow, sweet and juicy and eaten as dessert. An unripe mango is green, sour and tangy, and is usually prepared as salad or served as an appetizer. Here’s a photo of the green mango salad I prepared:
Photo borrowed from www.fudtrips.blogspot.com
With the help of the kind vegetable sellers at Bouengkengkang market, I was able to buy the right kind of ingredients - mangos, shallots, chilli, fish sauce (patis), lime juice, dried shrimps (hebi), dried fish, mint and another herb that I have forgotten the name of. With all these ingredients mixed together, it has vibrant colors, as vibrant as its sweet, sour, and spicy taste. Best eaten as appetizer.
With the success of my green mango salad, I am seriously considering taking up cooking lessons offered by one of the local restaurants here in PP. With this, plus the free tips and advice from ming neak leuk (aunty veggie sellers), how could I go wrong? Who knows, this might be a new career path for me?
Litratong Pinoy #4: Tubig (Water)
Thursday, May 22nd, 2008
Ito ang Boeung Tonle Sap, o Great Lake, na matatagpuan dito sa Cambodia. Kung titingnan ninyo ang mapa ng Cambodia, ito ay napaka-prominenteng yamang tubig sa Cambodia at napapaligiran nito ang limang probinsya. Ang Tonle Sap ay itinuturing na isa sa mga pinakamalaking freshwater lake sa Asya, at, noong taong 1997, dahil ito ay isang ecological hotspot, idineklara itong biosphere na protektado ng UNESCO.
*Map from Wikipedia.
Kung tayong mga Pinoy ay tinanong kung ilang isla mayroon ang Pilipinas, binabalik natin ang tanong kung ito ba ay base sa high tide o low tide. Dito sa Cambodia, kung ako’y inyong tatanungin kung gaano kalaki ang lawang ito, tatanungin ko rin kayo ng “dry season o wet season“? Bakit kamo? Dahil ang Tonle Sap Lake ay may sukat na 2,500km2 at may lalim na isang metro lamang kung dry season. Subalit, kapag panahon ng tag-ulan o wet season naman, ang Tonle Sap ay lumalaki. Dahil sa tinatawag na reversal flow ng Mekong river na kung saan konektado ang Tonle Sap, lumulobo ang Tonle Sap, humigit-kumulang sa 16,000km2 at may lalim na umaabot ng 9m. Ang tubig galing sa Mekong ay tumutulak pabalik patungo sa Tonle Sap at umaapaw sa mga taniman ng palay at forests, tulad ng litrato sa ibaba:
Isa itong unique hydrological phenomenon sa Cambodia. Dahil dito, ganito ang itsura ng karamihan sa mga villages na nakapalibot o malapit sa Tonle Sap:
Ang litratong ito ay kuha sa Prek Toal sa Siem Reap noong nakaraang mga taon. Nagkataong rainy season ang pagbisita namin sa Prek Toal kung kaya’t inyong nakikita ay isang floating village. Kung dry season naman ang mga bahay na ito ay nakaupo sa mga mala-higanteng stilts. At kahit na taun-taon na sila’y napapaligiran ng tubig-baha, tuloy pa rin ang buhay para sa mga Cambodians…
Para sa karagdagang kaalaman ukol sa Tonle Sap lake, maraming online resources ukol dito, tulad na lamang dito.
Litratong Pinoy #3: Nag-aapoy
Thursday, May 15th, 2008
Susunod ang description sa ilang saglit. Back to work muna ako.
Photo Hunt #21 Funny/Creative Signs
Sunday, April 27th, 2008
Hi, I am back for this week’s Photo Hunt. I was absent from my blogging duties and I want to start making up now…
It is not so difficult to find pictures for this week’s theme. Walking around the the streets of Phnom Penh (and China) is like walking around a treasureland of posters and signs where the message being relayed is far from being funny but ended up with a funny message anyway. Here’s some.
Let’s start from my own inbox:
I do not mind the mistakes in the content, but I DO mind the salutation…
At a hotel in Kampong Thom province:
Along the highway…
Here’s one from China…
Here’s one poster that I think is nicely done. The message being relayed is a serious one, and it is presented straight-to-the-point to the readers. Even the non-Khmers can the tell the issue right away…
For more funny/creative signs, just head over to the Photo Hunters HQ.
Photo Hunt #21 Funny/Creative Signs
Sunday, April 27th, 2008
Hi, I am back for this week’s Photo Hunt. I was absent from my blogging duties and I want to start making up now…
It is not so difficult to find pictures for this week’s theme. Walking around the the streets of Phnom Penh (and China) is like walking around a treasureland of posters and signs where the message being relayed is far from being funny but ended up with a funny message anyway. Here’s some.
Let’s start from my own inbox:
I do not mind the mistakes in the content, but I DO mind the salutation…
At a hotel in Kampong Thom province:
Along the highway…
Here’s one from China…
Here’s one poster that I think is nicely done. The message being relayed is a serious one, and it is presented straight-to-the-point to the readers. Even the non-Khmers can the tell the issue right away…
For more funny/creative signs, just head over to the Photo Hunters HQ.
Suosdey Chhnam Thmey!
Saturday, April 12th, 2008That’s how we say Happy New Year in Khmer.
It starts today, Friday, 11th of April and ends on Sunday, 13th of April. Thousands of locals left Phnom Penh as early as last week, to go to their hometowns and be with their families on this special holiday. Sige, hala, magsi-alisan kayo para naman matahimik ang Phnom Penh!
Today being the first day, people clean their house, believed to drive away the evil spirits, and wear new clothes to greet the new year. Okay, I’m off now - gotta go clean the house before the New Angel arrives.
In case you didn’t notice, this is the third time we are celebrating the new year in Cambodia.
Litratong Pinoy #2: Tatlo ang Sulok Ko
Wednesday, April 9th, 2008
Ito ang Cambodian wat o temple.
Paki-click ng litrato upang palakihin ang litrato. Kung titingnan ninyo ng maigi, kapansin-pansin ang tatsulok na hugis ng roof o bubong nito. Ito ay karaniwang disenyo ng mga Buddhist wats dito sa Indochina, na kinabibilangan ng mga bansang Thailand, Burma, Laos at Cambodia. Ang litratong ito ay kuha malapit sa Oudong, may humigit-kumulang na 50kilometro ang layo mula sa capital ng Phnom Penh. Ang Oudong ang siyang dating capital ng bansang Cambodia, at dito matatagpuan ang mga stupas kung saan nakalagak ang mga labi ng mga miembro ng Royal family ng Cambodia.
Public Service Announcement
Monday, April 7th, 2008Tiny Toones: B Boy Benefit for Cambodia
April 26th 2008, 6pm ’til late
At the Greenwood Collective
8537 Greenwood Ave. NW Seattle WA
Featuring the work of:
World B Boy champs Massive Monkees, legendary Seattle photographer Charles Peterson, immigration activist Many Uch & photographer Stuart Isett.
$5 donation at the door
Photographs for sale
All proceeds benefit The Tiny Toones.
Background:
Tiny Toones was born in the Bassac slum area of Phnom Penh, Cambodia and provides free HIV/AIDS, health, drug awareness, performing arts and language education in English and Khmer to underprivileged youth. It also serves as a community center, with an open door policy, where hundreds of children have a positive environment to channel their energy into learning and performing arts. The group was founded by Tuy Sobil, a.k.a. KK, originally from Long Beach, who brought his b boy dance talents to the streets of Cambodia to help the country struggling to rebuild after 30 years of war.
Funds raised from the event will be used to support Tiny Toones as well as purchased a small mini-van so the kids can be driven safely to school, dance performances and rehearsals. A $5 cover will be charged, plus many talented, local photographers will be donating photographs for sale, with proceeds going to the benefit. Donations will also be accepted online and at the event.
For more info and donations, visit: http://greenwoodcollective.com/tinytoones/
Litratong Pinoy (LP) #1: Ako ay Bilog
Thursday, April 3rd, 2008
Ito ang moto-dop o moto-taxi. Kung ang Pilipinas ay may jeepney, ito namang moto-dop ang sagot ng mga Khmer bilang pangunahing transportasyon dito sa Cambodia. Bata, matanda, lalaki o babae - silang lahat ay nakasakay sa moto-dop papunta sa paaralan, opisina, palengke at kung saan-saan.
Sangkatutak na motodop ang nakaka-kalat dito pa lang sa Phnom Penh, ang kabisera ng Cambodia. Sa dami nila, hindi mahirap maka-ispat ng isa dahil halos lahat ng moto-dop driver ay madaling makita sa suot nilang baseball caps.
Gusto mong mamasyal? Mag-liwaliw at mag-shopping? Walang problema. Isang tawag lang ng moto-dop at sa ilang saglit ay nandun ka na sa iyong paparoonan. Ganun sila kabilis! Kung noon ay di pa kailangan ng crash helmet, ngayon ay ipinatutupad na ng gobyerno ang pagsusuot nito. Ang halaga ng pamasahe ay depende sa distansya ng pupuntahan at kung ilan ang pasahero - karaniwang nagsisimula sa 1000riels hanggang 10,000riels (more or less P10-100). Ang halaga ng pamasahe ay tumataas ng doble o hight pa sa pagsapit ng gabi.
Sa itaas na litrato, pinapakita na hindi lang tao ang sinasakay ng mga moto-dops. Kahit ano, actually, pwede, tulad na lang netong bisikleta….
*oist, ang hirap talagang managalog. Pasensiya na po.
Here’s the English text:
In the Philippines, we have the jeepney. Here in Cambodia, the moto-dop or moto-taxi is the most common means of getting around the city and they’re not that difficult to spot! There are tens of thousands of them in the city, and moto-dop drivers are all wearing baseball caps.
So you want to go sightseeing? Go shopping? No problem. Just hop on a motodop, a 100cc scooter. Before, wearing a crash helmet not required but in the recent weeks the government has just implemented a law requiring everyone to wear helmets when riding on motorcycles. A ride across town will cost around 1,000-10,000riels (P10-100), more, depending on the distance, and if there is more than one passenger. The price goes up a little at night.
Motodops not only ferry people around; it’s also used to transport goods.
Wanna join Litratong Pinoy? Hop on over and join us here.
Wordless Wednesday #35: Where Am I???
Tuesday, April 1st, 2008
For more WW fun, head to the WW HQ.
Wordless Wednesday# 33: Rural saleswoman
Tuesday, March 18th, 2008
To join in the Wordless Wednesday fun, click here.
Photo Hunt #17: I Spy
Friday, March 14th, 2008Okay, I am posting my Photo Hunt entry this early to make up for last week. I was meaning to post one but somehow got lost amidst the weekend frenzy, plus I have friends visiting. This week’s theme, I have to say, is one of Photo Hunt’s most challenging themes. So here’s my take. Go get your spyglasses or magnifying lenses and tell me what you can see in this picture. Can you make anything of it? Click to enlarge the picture.
I will post later tomorrow a close up of one of the spires.
Till then, ta-ta. Happy hunting, and have a great weekend!
Wordless Wednesday #32 - Apsaras and warriors of the Khmer empire
Tuesday, March 11th, 2008
These stone carvings of apsaras and warriors are found in the walls and temples of Angkor. Apsaras are supernatural beings in the form of young and voluptuous young women and were said to be heavenly dancers. Click here to know more on the once-great Khmer empire.
More WW participants are found here.
Wordless Wednesday #31: Table for two, please!
Tuesday, March 4th, 2008
Check out other fun photos at Wordless Wednesday.