Some Tips

With so many entries, you might be lost as to what to do. Here are some tips.

1. Bring some pencils and notebooks if you are going to Kampung Phluk and/or Chong Khneas.

2. Bring sweets to be given away to the children. It's sad enough for the children to be working after school and here we are rejecting their offer to buy their stuff.

3. During the hot and dry season, remember to wear light clothings. Jeans is a no-no. Sleeveless is fine.

4. Remember to bargain during shopping. However only bargain to the price that you think is right. Don't over bargain. Don't walk away without buying when the price is lowered to your desired one.

5. Sunblock...lots of sunblock

Do feel free to email me should you need more advise. boogieans@gmail.com

Day 4: Going Home

Our flight is 7.45am and we thought we should reach the airport 2 hours earlier. Hence we arranged with Songpiak to send us to the airport at 5.30am. It takes about 15minutes to reach the airport. Guess what, the airport staff are still having briefing. We start to check in at almost 6.30am. At the airport, we still need to pay US$25 of airport tax. So expensive.

After all the procedures, we proceed to breakfast at a cafe. We have to wait very long for our sandwiches to be ready. Kaiyi and Xiulan ordered tuna sandwich. The girl could have prepared two portions of tuna together. Instead, she prepared one sandwich at a time. *Faint*. The oven is so big and they only toast one sandwich at a time...

A tired passenger...

This crazy woman decides to jump again. She didn't jump at Tonle Sap. Maybe too tired and hot. So today jump twice to make up for it.

Going home...

P.S. This is not the last entry. Look out for the next entry for other photos that I didn't include in my entry and some tips.

Day 3 (Part 6): Lunch - Dinner at Red Piano (Bar Street)

After Tonle Sap, it was only slightly into late afternoon. We were so hungry. Hunt drive us back to Jasmine Lodge. We are surprise to see an old lady in the van. It is Hunt's grandmother from the countryside. She is going to stay with Hunt's family in the city.

We have our lunch at the restaurant opposite Jasmine Lodge. Wrong choice. Food is expensive and not very nice. We order fried rice. Xiulan's is beef fried rice (above). Kaiyi and I have Chinese sausage fried rice (below). Each plate cost US$4. This time we have coke because beer is too expensive. Coke is US$1 each. By the way, Xiulan's fried rice taste better.

After lunch, we proceed to petrol kiosk (2min walk from Jasmine) to buy potato chips and an ice cream. Then we head back to our room to watch cable TV and take a nap before going for dinner.

Dinner is at a restaurant that we read about in Lonely Planet. So many foreigners. Another expensive place.

Though expensive, this place has one of the best food we ever had for our past meals in Siem Reap. The amount of meat and rice is totally inproportionate. Xiulan's dinner: Curry vegetables, rice and beer. Kaiyi's dinner: Chicken, rice and lime juice (it's fine to drink with ice here. The ice is made from purified water.) My dinner: Beef, rice and lime juice. Then we order a plate of fries to share.

Bar Street aka Pub Street. Red Piano is located at the junction. As a local and they can direct you to it.

If you are game enough, eat at one of these stalls. It's opposite the Pub Street.

Reminds us of the desserts that we ate during our first day.

Where's Kumar?

An interesting gallery. Like those vibrant colours used on the painting.

Tips: Remember to book your transport with Jasmine Lodge to the airport the day before. Ours is early in the morning. Tuk tuk transport to airport is US$4. It's Songpiak again.

Day 3 (Part 5): On the way back to shore

On the way back to shore from Kampung Phluk, we have to pass by Chong Khneas again. We stop by a restaurant cum souvenir shop which also doubles up as a museum. I have thought of eating in one of the restaurant on Chong Khneas but starts to be reminded of the bowl washing incident at the school earlier on. Better not...

The cat fish that they rear.

And crocodiles too.

The fishing tools that the villagers use.

Shore is not far from us.

What auspicious cigerettes pack.

Day 3 (Part 4): Kampung Phluk

The weather is getting hotter and our dear Miss Tay has to wrap herself like she's in a desert.

Then put herself into the sun...

Our captain bringing us into a "jungle" of tall houses. This is the dry season which explains why the land is dry. During the wet season, water will rise to cover 3/4 of the stilts that supports the houses.

The girl in green has never had proper English education but speaks fluent English. She learns from tourists. She has a good knowledge of her village.

Auntie cutting food.

This is the whole village...

Their way of life.

Their snacks. It's a type of snail.

Shrimps, another type of snacks...

This is how they make the shrimp snack.

Cook in boiling water.

Pick out those that cannot be eaten.

Then dry in the sun. A wedding. But we didn't manage to see the bride and groom.

Waiting for the invited guests to be seated.

Their cold dish.

The chefs...(above and below)

Decorations

These children go to school that Singaporeans built.

NUS Project Angel 10. A school for the children.

Some go to school, others work.

And some simply have fun.

Some just sulk in a corner.

But they are all happy children.

The big and the small children.

Time to say goodbye. These children have tried to sell books and pencils to us. But only when we are saying goodbye. The bulk of the time when they are with us, they are acting like little tour guides. Then a friend. The boy (not captain), starts to tell me his dream of working on a boat like the captain. Then I give him a bigger dream; to own a fleet of boats to bring tourists to his village. We did not buy anything from them but give them US$1 each to wish them a bright future. Yes, indeed these two children will have a bright future in front of them. One of the main reason is that they are people who treasures what they have.