YEP to Cambodia
Christmas Eve is spent reflecting on the trip :) I'm really thankful to the 3 PDs for giving me the chance to be part of this team. No regrets having jumped aboard this expedition, because I've a gained a good buddy and priceless memories at the very least. Could really spend a few more days in Siem Reap, but at least it ended on a high note. The only minor regret was not being able to find a round neck T-shirt with a design I liked.
I'm glad they actually included a visit to Tuol Sleng Genocide Musuem in the itinerary. I'm not a fan of museums but I learnt a bit about the dark past of the country. I was most interested in the testimonials of those who survived the Khmer Rogue. The journey from Phnom Penh to Prey Veng was approximately 2 hours, but it was an enjoyable ride, due to good company. Well, the people are always the ones who make a difference. Played some games and time seemed to fly by.
As mentioned before, the village we stayed in Prey Veng was pretty laidback. For our entire stay in Prey Veng, we dared not eat any meat except for processed luncheon meat in cans. Flies were buzzing around the stale looking meat at the market; they seemed unhygienic at their very best. (Actually we eventually tasted some chicken, but will come back to that later.) Each day, 3 people were in charge of preparing meals for everyone. None of the dishes tasted bad. I truly marvel at the skills and creativity of some trios. Meals at the village turned out pretty satisfying despite not having much meat. I remember the green curry, mac and cheese, pasta goreng, and the cold longan+rambutan dessert the best.
We helped build toilets for some of the villagers there. It turned out that the toilets were more proper, and the amount of work was more than what I expected. However, it was still manageable. Using cangkul(hoe) again after 2 years since NS. I had fun painting the youth centre. Brought me closer to some of the girls that I worked with - Audrey, Elena, and Si Ning. At some point we were pretty frustrated with the constant increase in workload but we still managed to complete our job on schedule. I'll always remember squatting/sitting on the ground while leisurely waving the paintbrushes stroke by stroke on the low wall. It was also relatively quieter since we were working on the outside of the house. Overall, it was therapeutic. We gave English lessons to some primary school kids at a nearby school. I felt that the two lessons did not help them greatly in improving their standard of English. They need to practise on their own because while some students were stronger in the language, some memorized the alphabet by order. If you ask them what comes after J, they would start reciting from A. However, I think they enjoyed our company and could further see the importance of education since they saw that people were actually willing to specially come from somewhere else to assist them. There was also a mini carnival held at the youth centre. I think the youth had a good time and man, they really love taking photos.
We were split into 3 groups for local house visits. I liked my group because we had Chuan De and Hakim to actively ask the villagers questions. That helped us to learn more about their life over there. There was a cultural night which we prepared some Singaporean food and put up a mini performance grooving to "Singapore Town" and singing two other NDP songs. They might not understand a word we were saying but you know sometimes music transcends barriers and borders. It was a pity that they left a lot of food untouched, but fortunately, the farm animals could clear the leftovers. The 3 foods prepared were Chicken rice, satay, and toast with kaya and butter. Of course, chickens had to be used. But they didn't taste bad or anything. The chefs cooked them well. The sauce helped to cover any weird taste too I think. Haha. But I must say that the chickens there were really scrawny and malnourished. I was part of the dishwashing team that day, and was glad that some people came forth to help with the tremendous load of dishes and clean some stubborn stains off the crockery. Tried crop harvesting as well, and it turned out to be a mega camwhoring session. Hahahahaha.
My buddy was Wei Xun. He was one of the PDs so he would usually be busy and left me alone. But we still managed to have HTHTs every night. We often looked out for each other, and sometimes we sort of reprised the Korean folktale of the two brothers and sacks of rice. Suddenly, there was no such thing as "secrets" during the days when we were in the village. And the two games we played, "Psychiatrist" and "First impression", made things worse. But to say a word of justice, the games were pretty fun.
I loved the R&R in Siem Reap. Enjoyed a boat ride and the sunset at Tonle Sap, and ended the first night of R&R with international buffet at a restaurant called "Koulen 2". It was well worth the USD$7, but of course you shouldn't expect sashimi and seafood at such a price. USD$20 for a one day pass to visit the Angkor temples. I was glad I did not stop after Angkor Wat. It was a wise decision to visit Bayon temple and Ta Prohm temple - made full use of the $20 yo. Walked around the Night market and Pub street and was amazed at how cheap things were. A lonely planet travel guide for USD$3. Drank at two different pubs at two different nights. Everyone showered Wei Xun with lots of care after everyone strongly believed he was drunk. I didn't think he reached that extent but he did talk some rubbish when we got back to the hotel. Had some legit Indian food at a restaurant called "Flavors of India", just that the portions were a tad small. Tried Palak paneer for the first time. It was a soupy dish of spinach and feta cheese. It was awesome, but wouldn't dare to say it would taste as good elsewhere. But will try it again the next time I visit an Indian restaurant. I wonder who found this cafe called "Sister Srey", which was popular mostly among foreigners. The food was heavenly and reasonably priced, much more affordable than those here in Singapore. The meal at Sister Srey with Wei Xun marked my last meal in Cambodia (Some people who left the temple visit earlier had already patronized it the day before).
Some details might have been left out but the above should have encompassed the bulk of this journey. Lastly I would like to thank Wei Xun again. He kept saying he's a bad buddy on the last night in Siem Reap, but despite everything, I wouldn't ask for anyone better.
I'm glad they actually included a visit to Tuol Sleng Genocide Musuem in the itinerary. I'm not a fan of museums but I learnt a bit about the dark past of the country. I was most interested in the testimonials of those who survived the Khmer Rogue. The journey from Phnom Penh to Prey Veng was approximately 2 hours, but it was an enjoyable ride, due to good company. Well, the people are always the ones who make a difference. Played some games and time seemed to fly by.
As mentioned before, the village we stayed in Prey Veng was pretty laidback. For our entire stay in Prey Veng, we dared not eat any meat except for processed luncheon meat in cans. Flies were buzzing around the stale looking meat at the market; they seemed unhygienic at their very best. (Actually we eventually tasted some chicken, but will come back to that later.) Each day, 3 people were in charge of preparing meals for everyone. None of the dishes tasted bad. I truly marvel at the skills and creativity of some trios. Meals at the village turned out pretty satisfying despite not having much meat. I remember the green curry, mac and cheese, pasta goreng, and the cold longan+rambutan dessert the best.
We helped build toilets for some of the villagers there. It turned out that the toilets were more proper, and the amount of work was more than what I expected. However, it was still manageable. Using cangkul(hoe) again after 2 years since NS. I had fun painting the youth centre. Brought me closer to some of the girls that I worked with - Audrey, Elena, and Si Ning. At some point we were pretty frustrated with the constant increase in workload but we still managed to complete our job on schedule. I'll always remember squatting/sitting on the ground while leisurely waving the paintbrushes stroke by stroke on the low wall. It was also relatively quieter since we were working on the outside of the house. Overall, it was therapeutic. We gave English lessons to some primary school kids at a nearby school. I felt that the two lessons did not help them greatly in improving their standard of English. They need to practise on their own because while some students were stronger in the language, some memorized the alphabet by order. If you ask them what comes after J, they would start reciting from A. However, I think they enjoyed our company and could further see the importance of education since they saw that people were actually willing to specially come from somewhere else to assist them. There was also a mini carnival held at the youth centre. I think the youth had a good time and man, they really love taking photos.
We were split into 3 groups for local house visits. I liked my group because we had Chuan De and Hakim to actively ask the villagers questions. That helped us to learn more about their life over there. There was a cultural night which we prepared some Singaporean food and put up a mini performance grooving to "Singapore Town" and singing two other NDP songs. They might not understand a word we were saying but you know sometimes music transcends barriers and borders. It was a pity that they left a lot of food untouched, but fortunately, the farm animals could clear the leftovers. The 3 foods prepared were Chicken rice, satay, and toast with kaya and butter. Of course, chickens had to be used. But they didn't taste bad or anything. The chefs cooked them well. The sauce helped to cover any weird taste too I think. Haha. But I must say that the chickens there were really scrawny and malnourished. I was part of the dishwashing team that day, and was glad that some people came forth to help with the tremendous load of dishes and clean some stubborn stains off the crockery. Tried crop harvesting as well, and it turned out to be a mega camwhoring session. Hahahahaha.
My buddy was Wei Xun. He was one of the PDs so he would usually be busy and left me alone. But we still managed to have HTHTs every night. We often looked out for each other, and sometimes we sort of reprised the Korean folktale of the two brothers and sacks of rice. Suddenly, there was no such thing as "secrets" during the days when we were in the village. And the two games we played, "Psychiatrist" and "First impression", made things worse. But to say a word of justice, the games were pretty fun.
I loved the R&R in Siem Reap. Enjoyed a boat ride and the sunset at Tonle Sap, and ended the first night of R&R with international buffet at a restaurant called "Koulen 2". It was well worth the USD$7, but of course you shouldn't expect sashimi and seafood at such a price. USD$20 for a one day pass to visit the Angkor temples. I was glad I did not stop after Angkor Wat. It was a wise decision to visit Bayon temple and Ta Prohm temple - made full use of the $20 yo. Walked around the Night market and Pub street and was amazed at how cheap things were. A lonely planet travel guide for USD$3. Drank at two different pubs at two different nights. Everyone showered Wei Xun with lots of care after everyone strongly believed he was drunk. I didn't think he reached that extent but he did talk some rubbish when we got back to the hotel. Had some legit Indian food at a restaurant called "Flavors of India", just that the portions were a tad small. Tried Palak paneer for the first time. It was a soupy dish of spinach and feta cheese. It was awesome, but wouldn't dare to say it would taste as good elsewhere. But will try it again the next time I visit an Indian restaurant. I wonder who found this cafe called "Sister Srey", which was popular mostly among foreigners. The food was heavenly and reasonably priced, much more affordable than those here in Singapore. The meal at Sister Srey with Wei Xun marked my last meal in Cambodia (Some people who left the temple visit earlier had already patronized it the day before).
Some details might have been left out but the above should have encompassed the bulk of this journey. Lastly I would like to thank Wei Xun again. He kept saying he's a bad buddy on the last night in Siem Reap, but despite everything, I wouldn't ask for anyone better.
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