I am flying back to Madrid today, only for the weekend though.
Wonder if its still gonna be the same. I mean, not much time has passed since we were all really living there and a lot of my friends are still there working, or looking for jobs in this weird time of crisis...
When I was in Canada I had to write this thing called "inner monologue" for English and I wrote it about leaving Canada and hoping to return "home" when I come back for graduation. I got a 100% for my little piece of poetry, however, Ms. Artiss, my English teacher at the time said to me: My dear, I left England when I was small and as much as I wish it would come true, in fact you will never return "home" whenever you left a place. You will always have to stay for a while and make it home again..." She was damn right that smart lady... But nevertheless, Canada stayed at least like a second home to me and I feel comfortable being there.
Madrid, I hope, will stay the same.
Germany really didn't. I feel home and visiting at the same time having to build friendships completely new and trying not to be too sad when I am forgotten to be invited for parties etc.
I think knowing that I will leave to Brazil soon makes it worse.
However, lets stay positive: I gotta catch a plane and keep playing jet-setter. Madrid, party-city, I am coming!
Donnerstag, 22. Januar 2009
Samstag, 23. August 2008
Hungry for Spicy Food
After coming back from Angkor Wat and my nap, I did not have dinner as I was tired out and the heat and especially the humidity made me lose any appetite.
When I finished my tea this morning and set off in the city the heat was still too much for me to take and to eat in it. Yet, when I arrived at about 12:30 in the middle of Siem Reap the smells got me hungry and full of appetite despite the weather around me.
I sat down in a little soup restaurant with fans, which turned out to be viatnamese and served wonderful spicy food.
On the table next to me sat a girl and we started talking. She comes from Canada and is on her way for two years now, teaching English in school times for a couple of months up to half a year and then moves on to travel until the money is gone (which is when she starts teaching again). We had a really nice talk and later went to the market together to stroll through the various stands of cloths and (fake?) jewllery.
Later on, Kim (thats the canadian girl's name) left to go to the gym. She had already lived in Siem Reap for two weeks now and enjoyed the city and her volountary work.
Myself, I still wanted to rent a bike to see some more parts of the city. I followed all rent-a-bike signs i could find, however, I never found the store that goes with it. Maybe, the few bikes these rental services have were all ready gone and I was too late. I don't know.
Anyways, I decided I should see some more of the city and set off by foot. It didn't take too long for me to realize, that the visit of the temples was not only mindblowing but also heavy leg training (from all the stairs) and my muscles right above the knees were so sore, that I could even feel it when walking camly and really not any stairs or slopes, after I had walked for a while. I kept going but after quite a while decided to sit down in a cafe and to have a nice break over a cold lime juice, just watching the Cambodian People folowing their usual saturday precedures. I enjoyed it a lot. People Watching here is very different than on the terrace of El Lateral in Madrid, where it is mostly about making fun of expensive dresses that make the ladies look like saussages or about the parking skills of girls, whos hair is never the less perfect (eh, Amber?).
As the plan to go to the concert is still standing, I am back now to take a shower and to get everything ready for tomorrow morning.
Later on, I might go back to the city to meet up with Kim again who said she would be in the Banana Leaf bar this night, in the famous pub street. Maybe I can get Martin the swiss guy to come with me, as he is wanting to do some voluntary work and to stay here some longer. Kim could maybe help him with that (yeah yeah, its all about the networking, as always... ;P)
Last but not least, I read the email today that York's wife gave birth to a little baby girl named Rubi! Welcome to Madrid, little one; happy birthday! And Congratulations to Luly and York, the proud parents :)
When I finished my tea this morning and set off in the city the heat was still too much for me to take and to eat in it. Yet, when I arrived at about 12:30 in the middle of Siem Reap the smells got me hungry and full of appetite despite the weather around me.
I sat down in a little soup restaurant with fans, which turned out to be viatnamese and served wonderful spicy food.
On the table next to me sat a girl and we started talking. She comes from Canada and is on her way for two years now, teaching English in school times for a couple of months up to half a year and then moves on to travel until the money is gone (which is when she starts teaching again). We had a really nice talk and later went to the market together to stroll through the various stands of cloths and (fake?) jewllery.
Later on, Kim (thats the canadian girl's name) left to go to the gym. She had already lived in Siem Reap for two weeks now and enjoyed the city and her volountary work.
Myself, I still wanted to rent a bike to see some more parts of the city. I followed all rent-a-bike signs i could find, however, I never found the store that goes with it. Maybe, the few bikes these rental services have were all ready gone and I was too late. I don't know.
Anyways, I decided I should see some more of the city and set off by foot. It didn't take too long for me to realize, that the visit of the temples was not only mindblowing but also heavy leg training (from all the stairs) and my muscles right above the knees were so sore, that I could even feel it when walking camly and really not any stairs or slopes, after I had walked for a while. I kept going but after quite a while decided to sit down in a cafe and to have a nice break over a cold lime juice, just watching the Cambodian People folowing their usual saturday precedures. I enjoyed it a lot. People Watching here is very different than on the terrace of El Lateral in Madrid, where it is mostly about making fun of expensive dresses that make the ladies look like saussages or about the parking skills of girls, whos hair is never the less perfect (eh, Amber?).
As the plan to go to the concert is still standing, I am back now to take a shower and to get everything ready for tomorrow morning.
Later on, I might go back to the city to meet up with Kim again who said she would be in the Banana Leaf bar this night, in the famous pub street. Maybe I can get Martin the swiss guy to come with me, as he is wanting to do some voluntary work and to stay here some longer. Kim could maybe help him with that (yeah yeah, its all about the networking, as always... ;P)
Last but not least, I read the email today that York's wife gave birth to a little baby girl named Rubi! Welcome to Madrid, little one; happy birthday! And Congratulations to Luly and York, the proud parents :)
A Calm Day
The eight hours of temple sightseeing really were enough. I spent a calm evening yesterday night here at the hostels garden and chatted with a Portugese and a Finnish guy over a couple of Angkor and Lao Beers. Lao Beer by the way is really yummy. You should try it! :)
Today I woke up at nine, went down to the garden and sat there with a couple of Germans and Swiss people to talk about travelling and about Asia in general. I ordered a tea, thinking of a green tea or something, but I received a Lipton Tea. Thought that was wierd.
Other than that, I didn't do much so far. It is just so nice to hang out and chat, and to let the experience sink in.
Maybe I will go and rent a bike to go down to the lake, and tonight I want to go to a free concert in town. Thats all the plan.
Tomorrow my driver will pick me up at 5:30am to go to the airport, where my plane leaves at 7:something... Even though the airport is so tiny, one is supposed to be there an hour early, but luckily I have my iPod and a book :)
Thats it for now, i guess...
Today I woke up at nine, went down to the garden and sat there with a couple of Germans and Swiss people to talk about travelling and about Asia in general. I ordered a tea, thinking of a green tea or something, but I received a Lipton Tea. Thought that was wierd.
Other than that, I didn't do much so far. It is just so nice to hang out and chat, and to let the experience sink in.
Maybe I will go and rent a bike to go down to the lake, and tonight I want to go to a free concert in town. Thats all the plan.
Tomorrow my driver will pick me up at 5:30am to go to the airport, where my plane leaves at 7:something... Even though the airport is so tiny, one is supposed to be there an hour early, but luckily I have my iPod and a book :)
Thats it for now, i guess...
Freitag, 22. August 2008
The Temples of Angkor
I did really get up at 4:30am... me! Can you believe it? I hardly can... hehehe
But it was worth it.
At 5am, my driver showed up and we set off in the dark towards the temples of Angkor. Somewhere in the middle of the street were huts to buy your ticket. It comes with a picture, so that you cannot share it.
After one has passed the booth, one keeps on moving on everyday streets and routes which are used by the people, who live in the villages between the temples, all the time. It doesn't feel at all like a museum site, but rather like a temple city, where people have these temples in their live, because they are there for ever, but not because they are something special.
At dawn, I sat at a lake on a little old stone plateau to watch it. The dawn was wierd though, the sky never turned orange nor did one see the sun rise really. It was just light so quickly.
On the other side of the lake was the first temple I saw. I felt like a crazy scientist or lara croft when I wondered through the calm temple in the jungle, as I was the only one there. I had it all to myself, cause most tourists start in the opposite direction to see Angkor Wat at dawn. Me, on the other hand, I listened to Kati and did it the "wrong"way, which was exactly right.
Of course, there were kids again, trying to sell braceletts, coffee or other things. Here, in this surrounding they were a bit annoying, even though they only followed me around outside of the temple itself.
The second temple was Ta Phrom. This is the so called "jungle temple" where trees have grown all over and through the massive walls and stones. Here, they filmed Tomb Raider, but even though I was alone (except for a so called guide) it didnt feel like the first temple. There were too many signs and construction sites to rebuild the temple. However, I liked this temple the most from the small ones, it is just very special with all the trees and the early sunlight.
Funny enough, one of the carvings displays a dinosaur. I wonder how they did know... or who played a very big joke, cause there is really no evidence for the dinosaur to be carved in at any different time than the gods shown in the reliefs.
I went on and saw a couple of more small temples which are not really necessary to mention, but of course, they were beautiful as well. One thing is to mention though: One of the temples was to be climed at own risk, and the stairs are really crazy. As narrow as ten centimetres and high as maybe 35cms... really hard to climb, and horrible to get down. I only climbed the first two levels.
The next highlight was in the City of Angor Thom. Next to another small temple there was a bigger one which is fully under construction right now, to rebuilt a huge reclining buddha. As one couldnt really enter it, they put up huge walls with explanations on how the re-construction works. It was actually started in the 50s, stopped in the war, and only restarted in the mid 90s.
Right in the middle of the City is the temple of Bayon, which is another really beautiful temple with many many towers which have huge faces on them. Unfortunately, I met a lot of tourist groups here (mainly japanese and english, by the way) which took a little of the charme and the some chances for amazing pictures. Still, I thought this was so beautiful that I sat down in the shade for a while and listened to the various guides, whenever I could understand them.
When I went back to search for my driver, I went to get a water. They couldnt change my ten dollar bill (I even think they didnt think it was real) so I gave them my last Riehls. I also wanted to eat something and so I sat down in the place where my driver had a quick meal as well. The girl there spoke english very well, she was about ten I guess, and assured me she could change it for sure. The food was yummy as always, and in the end she gave me nearly all small dollars and one dollar in Riehl, so that was really good.
The last temple I saw was of course the huge and beautiful Angkor Wat. Before one enters it, one has to walk a huge 200m causeway over to big mashes, then go through a 200m wide building used as gate with an entrance so big that an elephant could go through, and in the end another 150 Causeway before one reaches the terrace in front of the temple. Here, I had the post card view on the temple, really, with the five towers sticking out.
I entered and was surprised that there were hardly any tourists left in the building. The bas-reliefs in the galleries are so carefully carved and so detailed, it is amazing.
In the second floor i got a nice few on the towers, but unfortunately, the third level was closed off.
In one of the hallways I sat down for a while to read about Angkor Wat in my book and to take a sip of water. It was very calm and nice.
On my further way through the temple, I passed several buddha statues with golden scarfs and some with candles where people had prayed.
Somehow, the real feel of the temples isnt really possible to be described in words, especially not on a blog while being here, as time is limited. Maybe the pictures can tell more, and in the end I can always sit down with everyone who wants to hear about it and tell the stories over a glass of tinto (which I miss, really) on the terrace :)
After Angkor Wat, I drove back to the hostel. I had been looking at temples for over eight hours, even though I only did the "small"round. I felt smelly and stinky and tired, from waking and sweating in the incredible heat at noon. Luckily I had sunscreen with the number 50... I would have burnt myself otherwise.
I showered, took a nap while it rained heavily and now I will go and get a drink :)
But it was worth it.
At 5am, my driver showed up and we set off in the dark towards the temples of Angkor. Somewhere in the middle of the street were huts to buy your ticket. It comes with a picture, so that you cannot share it.
After one has passed the booth, one keeps on moving on everyday streets and routes which are used by the people, who live in the villages between the temples, all the time. It doesn't feel at all like a museum site, but rather like a temple city, where people have these temples in their live, because they are there for ever, but not because they are something special.
At dawn, I sat at a lake on a little old stone plateau to watch it. The dawn was wierd though, the sky never turned orange nor did one see the sun rise really. It was just light so quickly.
On the other side of the lake was the first temple I saw. I felt like a crazy scientist or lara croft when I wondered through the calm temple in the jungle, as I was the only one there. I had it all to myself, cause most tourists start in the opposite direction to see Angkor Wat at dawn. Me, on the other hand, I listened to Kati and did it the "wrong"way, which was exactly right.
Of course, there were kids again, trying to sell braceletts, coffee or other things. Here, in this surrounding they were a bit annoying, even though they only followed me around outside of the temple itself.
The second temple was Ta Phrom. This is the so called "jungle temple" where trees have grown all over and through the massive walls and stones. Here, they filmed Tomb Raider, but even though I was alone (except for a so called guide) it didnt feel like the first temple. There were too many signs and construction sites to rebuild the temple. However, I liked this temple the most from the small ones, it is just very special with all the trees and the early sunlight.
Funny enough, one of the carvings displays a dinosaur. I wonder how they did know... or who played a very big joke, cause there is really no evidence for the dinosaur to be carved in at any different time than the gods shown in the reliefs.
I went on and saw a couple of more small temples which are not really necessary to mention, but of course, they were beautiful as well. One thing is to mention though: One of the temples was to be climed at own risk, and the stairs are really crazy. As narrow as ten centimetres and high as maybe 35cms... really hard to climb, and horrible to get down. I only climbed the first two levels.
The next highlight was in the City of Angor Thom. Next to another small temple there was a bigger one which is fully under construction right now, to rebuilt a huge reclining buddha. As one couldnt really enter it, they put up huge walls with explanations on how the re-construction works. It was actually started in the 50s, stopped in the war, and only restarted in the mid 90s.
Right in the middle of the City is the temple of Bayon, which is another really beautiful temple with many many towers which have huge faces on them. Unfortunately, I met a lot of tourist groups here (mainly japanese and english, by the way) which took a little of the charme and the some chances for amazing pictures. Still, I thought this was so beautiful that I sat down in the shade for a while and listened to the various guides, whenever I could understand them.
When I went back to search for my driver, I went to get a water. They couldnt change my ten dollar bill (I even think they didnt think it was real) so I gave them my last Riehls. I also wanted to eat something and so I sat down in the place where my driver had a quick meal as well. The girl there spoke english very well, she was about ten I guess, and assured me she could change it for sure. The food was yummy as always, and in the end she gave me nearly all small dollars and one dollar in Riehl, so that was really good.
The last temple I saw was of course the huge and beautiful Angkor Wat. Before one enters it, one has to walk a huge 200m causeway over to big mashes, then go through a 200m wide building used as gate with an entrance so big that an elephant could go through, and in the end another 150 Causeway before one reaches the terrace in front of the temple. Here, I had the post card view on the temple, really, with the five towers sticking out.
I entered and was surprised that there were hardly any tourists left in the building. The bas-reliefs in the galleries are so carefully carved and so detailed, it is amazing.
In the second floor i got a nice few on the towers, but unfortunately, the third level was closed off.
In one of the hallways I sat down for a while to read about Angkor Wat in my book and to take a sip of water. It was very calm and nice.
On my further way through the temple, I passed several buddha statues with golden scarfs and some with candles where people had prayed.
Somehow, the real feel of the temples isnt really possible to be described in words, especially not on a blog while being here, as time is limited. Maybe the pictures can tell more, and in the end I can always sit down with everyone who wants to hear about it and tell the stories over a glass of tinto (which I miss, really) on the terrace :)
After Angkor Wat, I drove back to the hostel. I had been looking at temples for over eight hours, even though I only did the "small"round. I felt smelly and stinky and tired, from waking and sweating in the incredible heat at noon. Luckily I had sunscreen with the number 50... I would have burnt myself otherwise.
I showered, took a nap while it rained heavily and now I will go and get a drink :)
Donnerstag, 21. August 2008
Mmmmh, yummy lime juice...
I went back outside, as there is no point in sitting in my room of course.
It had cooled down a little and was slowly getting dark, so I decided to get a nice drink somewhere and to read in my travel book about Angkor Wat and its temples before searching for something to eat.
I found a nice bar and at one of the huge tables with couch-like seats sat a guy who seemed to travel alone as well. I figured, maybe he is up for a little chat, which would be more what I felt like than sitting alone, and so I asked if he would mind if I sat with him. He did not and so we started talking. His name is Paul, he is my age and on his travels around the world for quite some time now. It was really nice to talk to someone about seeing the world and I was really impressed by his journey he started over a year ago.
He gave me nice tips for the temples tomorrow and the hint to take a fresh squeezed lime juice from the bar we sat in. I can tell you guys, this juice was sooooo good. Really.
Paul also gave me some tips about where to go out in Siem Reap, where the people are, and where to eat. The hawker stalls here make such great food and it is so cheap, especially when compared to Madrid, ah well, when compared to Europe.
So I had a really nice and calm evening and am full with good food and information, and all set for tomorrow. Thanks Paul! I hope you have a great time in Vietnam, Hong Kong, Australia and where ever you go in between :)
Time to go to bed (and yes, it i insanely early forSspanish timing, but I have been up since 2:30am Cambodian time, and now its 20:42pm... I need these 7 hours of sleep I hope to get before I gotta get up and ready at 4:30am to take a Moto Ride in the dark towards Angkor Wat) Good Night!
PS: This one goes out to Rémy, mon grand frère adopté ;) qui a des beau vacances lune de miel, j'espère! Ce matin j'ai parlé avec une fille francaise (en francais), et quand sa copine est arrivé et nous avait ecouté, elle a pensé que je suis francaise! Pas allemand, ni canadienne, mais francaise.... hehehe, trop cool. Ca me ne paserais jamais, avant. Honestly. ;)
It had cooled down a little and was slowly getting dark, so I decided to get a nice drink somewhere and to read in my travel book about Angkor Wat and its temples before searching for something to eat.
I found a nice bar and at one of the huge tables with couch-like seats sat a guy who seemed to travel alone as well. I figured, maybe he is up for a little chat, which would be more what I felt like than sitting alone, and so I asked if he would mind if I sat with him. He did not and so we started talking. His name is Paul, he is my age and on his travels around the world for quite some time now. It was really nice to talk to someone about seeing the world and I was really impressed by his journey he started over a year ago.
He gave me nice tips for the temples tomorrow and the hint to take a fresh squeezed lime juice from the bar we sat in. I can tell you guys, this juice was sooooo good. Really.
Paul also gave me some tips about where to go out in Siem Reap, where the people are, and where to eat. The hawker stalls here make such great food and it is so cheap, especially when compared to Madrid, ah well, when compared to Europe.
So I had a really nice and calm evening and am full with good food and information, and all set for tomorrow. Thanks Paul! I hope you have a great time in Vietnam, Hong Kong, Australia and where ever you go in between :)
Time to go to bed (and yes, it i insanely early forSspanish timing, but I have been up since 2:30am Cambodian time, and now its 20:42pm... I need these 7 hours of sleep I hope to get before I gotta get up and ready at 4:30am to take a Moto Ride in the dark towards Angkor Wat) Good Night!
PS: This one goes out to Rémy, mon grand frère adopté ;) qui a des beau vacances lune de miel, j'espère! Ce matin j'ai parlé avec une fille francaise (en francais), et quand sa copine est arrivé et nous avait ecouté, elle a pensé que je suis francaise! Pas allemand, ni canadienne, mais francaise.... hehehe, trop cool. Ca me ne paserais jamais, avant. Honestly. ;)
Heat and Sweat, and Laughing Kids.
I must admit, I took a little nap...
After it had rained so hard, the streets where hardly walkable. Rather they were an orange, muddy puddle and since it was still very early in the morning and since I was a little tired, I decided to take a one hour nap. I didnt really sleep but rather rested and when I went back outside the sun was shining and it was warm. I sprayed myself with anti-mosquito stuff and off I went...
Right at the end of our street I quickly ate a few rice noodles with Mangold, Carrots and Cellerie, for breakfast. Ah well...
I walked along the river towards Psar Chas, the old town market hall. I passed a supermarket and stopped to get two big bottles of water. Drinking water is not drinkable here, and as it was getting warmer and warmer I decided I needed to carry some around. I am a very thirsty person, most of you know this ;) and indeed, the first liter was gone within half an hour...
Before I entered the market I walked a little around the little streets with its many new cafés and restaurants, most of which were filled with americans and british people. The "Pub Street" seemed a lot bigger on the map, however, for the muddy streets and little shop houses in this small town, it fits many bars.
Whereever I went, I was, of course, easily identified as tourist with my "light" hair, light eyes and, most obvious, a huge camera dangling around my neck. One girl came and ead of a note what she had to saz to me: "Hello. Lady. Bracelette, you want to buy?.... Bracelette... Come back later, yes? Later, don't forget about me and bracelettes..." I told her I didn't want it, but she walked another 50 meters with me and constantly repeated that I should remember. "TukTuk? Moto? Lady, Lady!" - "No thanks, I like walking... no really. No." Though the Tuk Tuks here arent real Tuk Tuks like I know them from Thailand. They are rather an old Rikscha with plastik top and a Moto tied up in front of it. They look quite comfortable, but I honestly do not need one. And for Angkor Wat and the Temples tomorrow I have already promised the guy who took me from the airport today, that he can drive me and pick me up at 5 am tomorrow morning. This is how it goes: The ride from the airport is reasonably cheap in order to be your guide at Angkor tomorrow. I had first thought about taking a bike, which I might maybe enjoy a little more, but then again, I want to leave in the dark to see the early morning at Tha Prom, before all the coaches ful of tourists arrive. And if it rains again and gets muddy again, a bike is probably less fun than its motorized big brother... but about that I will be able to tell you more tomorrow night, when I come back.
The shadow of the market hall was very inviting after walking in the sun for a while. Behind the first row of mainly caps and flip flops for the tourists on "Pub Street" a big hall opened where the sellers did not have little, tiny shops with three walls but only a big stone table and maybe a sink where they showed off her fresh food in big and colorful plastic bins that looked like the plastic thingy my flatmates and I use in Madrid to move our wet clothes from the laundry to the balcony in order to dry it... Here, I saw everything swimming in these big pots. Alive little crabs, baby squitin ice water, bananas, carrots, guaves, dragon fruits, mangold, and much more. It looked beautiful, really. Especially the fruit and vedgetables... the dead fish (though not at all stinky yet) is probably nothing for vegetarians.
The real vegetarian hell was behind all that though. An area where even I, and I can stand a lot when it comes to food (well, in countries where people simply do not have fridges): The meat area. It reminded me a lot of what I had seen a couple of years ago in the market of Querétaro, Mexico. The raw meat of all possible animals was lying around on the stone tables without any kind of cooling. It didn't smell that bad, but even the light smell of warm raw meat was not flattering to my nose. I know that I will probably eat part of the meat I saw when I go and have some food from the hawker stalls tonight. But then I won't see, nor smell it before, and it will be well done and fried in palm oil as most things are here, so thats okay. Still, I didn't want to stay in that area to long and neither did I want to take a picture of it. Though it looked quite funny with the selling women sitting with crossed legs on the table with the meat while chopping bones in front of them. They must be very experienced in this, cause neither did their feet get close to the food (obviously not, Cambodian people want clean and fresh food, even if it might be warm) and even there was hardly any space between her crossed feet and the meat she still managed to chop the bones in the space between.
I took a left to head back to the touristy shops and passed many stores with nice linen and cloth and very old sewing machines. At the end of the aisle I found a little bookshop with (nearly) new books. Kati had recommended me a book ("The Gate") about the years of the Khmer Rouge. A true story about a french correspondent who got kidnapped by the Khmer Rouge but survived last minute.
I decided to walk back towards the hostel to take a shower. When I walked along the River again, I saw many Cambodians lying in the shadow of the trees taking a nap. I decided that the nice shadow by the river is a wonderful spot and so sat down, took a big gulp of water and watched a woman fishing in the river.
It was so nice there, that I decided to take the newly bought book out and to read a little. While I was doing so, the little daughter of the fishing lady started wandering around where I sat. She was running and playing, yet she would look at me every once in a while and as soon as I looked back she grinned and ran away. "Hello" she said every once in a while and then ran off.
A few minutes later two other little kids joined her game and together they climbed what once held a swing but now was merely an old steel ruin. They dangled from the top like little monkeys, laughed and said "Helloooo, Helloooooooo". They pointed at my camera and told me to take a picture of their play and they ability to climb like little monkeys. I shot a few pictures, they smiled, I smiled, they kept playing, I kept reading. Every once in a while, when I looked up, they were smiling at me and running after each other. They were really cute.
The fishing ladies daughter was called to help. She took her left shoe (pink with sparkles, but there was no right shoe...) and left, the other kids left too. They said "Bye-bye", smiled and ran with their naked feet along the now dried and dusty, reddish road towards one of the closer shop houses where they went inside.
I finished the chapter I was reading and packed my stuff. On the other side of the street I could see the post office and next to it a golden boat with little temples. According to the story, a monk once crossed the river and his boat was bitten apart by sharks (yes, sharks...). It was bitten into two parts, but they were still swimming. The monk was saved and the boat now is a sacred object. The people were still working on a little temple behind it and it was super interesting to watch them carve signs into the stone.
I took a little detour torwards the hostel, and that is where I am now.
I still haven't showered, which was the original plan, but I will do so soon. Then I will get a new breeze of yummy anti mosquito stuff with 25% DEET (the active ingredient). I have it from Kati, as the highest I was able to buy at globetrotter in Germany was 8% I think. 25% is forbidden to be sold in Europe, but hey, it is Malaria Region and rainy weather... so I rather take a big chunk of spray on chemistry than that. Obviously.
Besotes grandes a todos mis amigos que me faltan mucho!
Und einen Kuss an meine Mama und meinen Papa, die sich immer Sorgen. Alles super hier, wie ihr ja lesen koennt!
After it had rained so hard, the streets where hardly walkable. Rather they were an orange, muddy puddle and since it was still very early in the morning and since I was a little tired, I decided to take a one hour nap. I didnt really sleep but rather rested and when I went back outside the sun was shining and it was warm. I sprayed myself with anti-mosquito stuff and off I went...
Right at the end of our street I quickly ate a few rice noodles with Mangold, Carrots and Cellerie, for breakfast. Ah well...
I walked along the river towards Psar Chas, the old town market hall. I passed a supermarket and stopped to get two big bottles of water. Drinking water is not drinkable here, and as it was getting warmer and warmer I decided I needed to carry some around. I am a very thirsty person, most of you know this ;) and indeed, the first liter was gone within half an hour...
Before I entered the market I walked a little around the little streets with its many new cafés and restaurants, most of which were filled with americans and british people. The "Pub Street" seemed a lot bigger on the map, however, for the muddy streets and little shop houses in this small town, it fits many bars.
Whereever I went, I was, of course, easily identified as tourist with my "light" hair, light eyes and, most obvious, a huge camera dangling around my neck. One girl came and ead of a note what she had to saz to me: "Hello. Lady. Bracelette, you want to buy?.... Bracelette... Come back later, yes? Later, don't forget about me and bracelettes..." I told her I didn't want it, but she walked another 50 meters with me and constantly repeated that I should remember. "TukTuk? Moto? Lady, Lady!" - "No thanks, I like walking... no really. No." Though the Tuk Tuks here arent real Tuk Tuks like I know them from Thailand. They are rather an old Rikscha with plastik top and a Moto tied up in front of it. They look quite comfortable, but I honestly do not need one. And for Angkor Wat and the Temples tomorrow I have already promised the guy who took me from the airport today, that he can drive me and pick me up at 5 am tomorrow morning. This is how it goes: The ride from the airport is reasonably cheap in order to be your guide at Angkor tomorrow. I had first thought about taking a bike, which I might maybe enjoy a little more, but then again, I want to leave in the dark to see the early morning at Tha Prom, before all the coaches ful of tourists arrive. And if it rains again and gets muddy again, a bike is probably less fun than its motorized big brother... but about that I will be able to tell you more tomorrow night, when I come back.
The shadow of the market hall was very inviting after walking in the sun for a while. Behind the first row of mainly caps and flip flops for the tourists on "Pub Street" a big hall opened where the sellers did not have little, tiny shops with three walls but only a big stone table and maybe a sink where they showed off her fresh food in big and colorful plastic bins that looked like the plastic thingy my flatmates and I use in Madrid to move our wet clothes from the laundry to the balcony in order to dry it... Here, I saw everything swimming in these big pots. Alive little crabs, baby squitin ice water, bananas, carrots, guaves, dragon fruits, mangold, and much more. It looked beautiful, really. Especially the fruit and vedgetables... the dead fish (though not at all stinky yet) is probably nothing for vegetarians.
The real vegetarian hell was behind all that though. An area where even I, and I can stand a lot when it comes to food (well, in countries where people simply do not have fridges): The meat area. It reminded me a lot of what I had seen a couple of years ago in the market of Querétaro, Mexico. The raw meat of all possible animals was lying around on the stone tables without any kind of cooling. It didn't smell that bad, but even the light smell of warm raw meat was not flattering to my nose. I know that I will probably eat part of the meat I saw when I go and have some food from the hawker stalls tonight. But then I won't see, nor smell it before, and it will be well done and fried in palm oil as most things are here, so thats okay. Still, I didn't want to stay in that area to long and neither did I want to take a picture of it. Though it looked quite funny with the selling women sitting with crossed legs on the table with the meat while chopping bones in front of them. They must be very experienced in this, cause neither did their feet get close to the food (obviously not, Cambodian people want clean and fresh food, even if it might be warm) and even there was hardly any space between her crossed feet and the meat she still managed to chop the bones in the space between.
I took a left to head back to the touristy shops and passed many stores with nice linen and cloth and very old sewing machines. At the end of the aisle I found a little bookshop with (nearly) new books. Kati had recommended me a book ("The Gate") about the years of the Khmer Rouge. A true story about a french correspondent who got kidnapped by the Khmer Rouge but survived last minute.
I decided to walk back towards the hostel to take a shower. When I walked along the River again, I saw many Cambodians lying in the shadow of the trees taking a nap. I decided that the nice shadow by the river is a wonderful spot and so sat down, took a big gulp of water and watched a woman fishing in the river.
It was so nice there, that I decided to take the newly bought book out and to read a little. While I was doing so, the little daughter of the fishing lady started wandering around where I sat. She was running and playing, yet she would look at me every once in a while and as soon as I looked back she grinned and ran away. "Hello" she said every once in a while and then ran off.
A few minutes later two other little kids joined her game and together they climbed what once held a swing but now was merely an old steel ruin. They dangled from the top like little monkeys, laughed and said "Helloooo, Helloooooooo". They pointed at my camera and told me to take a picture of their play and they ability to climb like little monkeys. I shot a few pictures, they smiled, I smiled, they kept playing, I kept reading. Every once in a while, when I looked up, they were smiling at me and running after each other. They were really cute.
The fishing ladies daughter was called to help. She took her left shoe (pink with sparkles, but there was no right shoe...) and left, the other kids left too. They said "Bye-bye", smiled and ran with their naked feet along the now dried and dusty, reddish road towards one of the closer shop houses where they went inside.
I finished the chapter I was reading and packed my stuff. On the other side of the street I could see the post office and next to it a golden boat with little temples. According to the story, a monk once crossed the river and his boat was bitten apart by sharks (yes, sharks...). It was bitten into two parts, but they were still swimming. The monk was saved and the boat now is a sacred object. The people were still working on a little temple behind it and it was super interesting to watch them carve signs into the stone.
I took a little detour torwards the hostel, and that is where I am now.
I still haven't showered, which was the original plan, but I will do so soon. Then I will get a new breeze of yummy anti mosquito stuff with 25% DEET (the active ingredient). I have it from Kati, as the highest I was able to buy at globetrotter in Germany was 8% I think. 25% is forbidden to be sold in Europe, but hey, it is Malaria Region and rainy weather... so I rather take a big chunk of spray on chemistry than that. Obviously.
Besotes grandes a todos mis amigos que me faltan mucho!
Und einen Kuss an meine Mama und meinen Papa, die sich immer Sorgen. Alles super hier, wie ihr ja lesen koennt!
Mittwoch, 20. August 2008
On the way to Cambodia
At 4:00am I left the house with a cab, to Changi Airport.
I checked in and walked towards my gate. On the way there I found a free internet spot and decided to check my emails. Thats where I read about the terrible Spanair plane crash in Madrid.
I felt wierd to wait for boarding of the Singaporean EasyJet "JetStar" and to read about this at the same time.
I even joked with another German guy about how statistically our plane ride should be safe now.
We left Singapore without problems and as it was super cloudy I spend the flight reading about Cambodia and the crazy last three decades.
When we arrived in Siem Reap it was raining heavily and the landing area was flooded with water. The plane, though maybe another 10m above ground made a scary left turn which I had never experienced before. Seconds later it turned a sharp right and I got scared seeing how close the wing came to the ground, when the pilot turned sharp left again while we were hitting ground. The plane slid and was tilted to the left so much, that in the first seconds the aching of the left wheels sounded as if our wings would scratch on the ground. I wasnt the only one shocked in that moment, I can tell you that.
When I exited the plane, the pilots were taking pictures of the wheels and I saw the flooded areas. The sliding must have been "Aquaplaning" (as we call it in Germany), however, the sharp turns before hitting ground I can only imagine as the pilot not being sure of which puddle was the landing area...
Especially after the Madrid news from this morning, this was a scary ride.
To get from the airport to the city I took a Moto. Thanks to Natalie, who took me on her Moto in Madrid, I am not that scared anymore of these vehicles... It was a smooth ride, though the streets didnt look much different than the airport, maybe a little muddier.
On the streets I see kids, cows and many people eating underneath coloful marketing umbrellas. This is how I imagined Cambodia, and it reminds me of Cuba a little bit, though it looks even poorer and more run down.
I got a room at the same hostel Kati stayed in a while ago. It is cheap and easy, but the people here seem nice.
Tomorrow, the same Moto Driver will pick me up to go to the Temples of Angkor, at 5:00am!!! Sunrise at Ta Phrom is supposed to be so beautiful, and I want to be there before the tourist busses arrive.
I checked in and walked towards my gate. On the way there I found a free internet spot and decided to check my emails. Thats where I read about the terrible Spanair plane crash in Madrid.
I felt wierd to wait for boarding of the Singaporean EasyJet "JetStar" and to read about this at the same time.
I even joked with another German guy about how statistically our plane ride should be safe now.
We left Singapore without problems and as it was super cloudy I spend the flight reading about Cambodia and the crazy last three decades.
When we arrived in Siem Reap it was raining heavily and the landing area was flooded with water. The plane, though maybe another 10m above ground made a scary left turn which I had never experienced before. Seconds later it turned a sharp right and I got scared seeing how close the wing came to the ground, when the pilot turned sharp left again while we were hitting ground. The plane slid and was tilted to the left so much, that in the first seconds the aching of the left wheels sounded as if our wings would scratch on the ground. I wasnt the only one shocked in that moment, I can tell you that.
When I exited the plane, the pilots were taking pictures of the wheels and I saw the flooded areas. The sliding must have been "Aquaplaning" (as we call it in Germany), however, the sharp turns before hitting ground I can only imagine as the pilot not being sure of which puddle was the landing area...
Especially after the Madrid news from this morning, this was a scary ride.
To get from the airport to the city I took a Moto. Thanks to Natalie, who took me on her Moto in Madrid, I am not that scared anymore of these vehicles... It was a smooth ride, though the streets didnt look much different than the airport, maybe a little muddier.
On the streets I see kids, cows and many people eating underneath coloful marketing umbrellas. This is how I imagined Cambodia, and it reminds me of Cuba a little bit, though it looks even poorer and more run down.
I got a room at the same hostel Kati stayed in a while ago. It is cheap and easy, but the people here seem nice.
Tomorrow, the same Moto Driver will pick me up to go to the Temples of Angkor, at 5:00am!!! Sunrise at Ta Phrom is supposed to be so beautiful, and I want to be there before the tourist busses arrive.
Abonnieren
Posts (Atom)
