(Part 5) The Heat and Holiness of Cambodia: From Siem Reap to Phnom Penh or....North Korea?!?!

- April 19, 2019, Friday.

- Friday was probably the most relaxing day that I had since I arrived in Cambodia on Palm Sunday. Most of my trips around Siem Reap included the usual temple-hopping, visits to museums, and other memorials (click for Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here). On my last morning in Siem Reap, I suddenly had so much free time since I received an e-mail a week prior from Cambodian Angkor Air that my domestic flight from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh that was supposed to be at 6am was rescheduled to 3pm. This was because their summer schedule changed and I scheduled my flight using their pre-summer schedule (just a warning, the website of Cambodian Angkor Air is a bit confusing in so many ways) and so the 6am flight was not anymore applicable for this time of the year. Thankfully, I had a rather loose schedule and I was quickly able to fix my itinerary for Siem Reap and especially Phnom Penh.

- On my last morning, I had a short visit to the Royal Residence. This is not the main palace of the king of Cambodia, but a place where the king and other members of the royal family stay whenever they visit the ancient Cambodian capital of Siem Reap. The Royal Residence can easily be missed as it is made in a rather modern architectural style, and its size neither screams "palace" nor "royal." The residence is off limits to the public, although the spacious garden/park in front of it welcomes all visitors.

Royal Residence.

I could use a nice house like this haha.

- In the middle of the garden/park across the Royal Residence is a temple called Preah Ang Chek Preah Ang Chorm. Although small and certainly incomparable to the grandeur of the Angkorian temples in the jungles of Siem Reap, this temple is flocked by many local devotees. The statues of the two Buddhas, Preach Ang Chek and Preah Ang Chorm, were found in Angkor Thom in 1950. Since then both statues, which were deemed miraculous, went to the hands of many people such as a superstitious nationalist who kept the statues for himself, and later on generals of the communist regime who wanted to get ride of the statues as religion was against the communist philosophy. After the communist era, or the Khmer Rouge Era, the statues were retrieved and given a proper temple in its current location.   

A monk looking for flowers to give as offerings to the statues.

Preah Ang Chek Preah Ang Chorm.

The two miraculous statues.

A traditional ensemble with a couple doing their pre-nup photoshoot.

Temple guardian.

- With no where else to go, I went back to my hostel and strolled around until it was time to me to have lunch and go to the airport for my afternoon flight to Siem Reap. The trip took around an hour in a small plane, and the plane fare was quite cheap. I think this is a good way to go between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh to save time. Most people go between cities by bus, but the bus trip would take around 5-6 hours.

Goodbye Siem Reap!!

- After arriving at the capital city of Phnom Penh, I booked a pre-paid cab at the stall right outside the airport that would take my to my hostel in downtown Phnom Penh. I immediately noticed how there are a lot more high-rise buildings in urban Phnom Penh as compared to more provincial Siem Reap. As I arrived in the late afternoon, I was caught in the middle of an early rush hour. I arrived at my hostel around 5pm. By the way, I stayed at Mad Monkey Hostel, which is an international hostel chain. I booked a private room just like my hostel in Siem Reap. I chose this hostel not only because of its high ratings and reasonable room price, but also because it is close to many restaurants and convenience stores. It was also located close to most tourist spots (at least by tuktuk.)

- Since I arrived late in the afternoon, I just had some rest inside my room after checking in, before walking to the restaurant for dinner. That evening, I decided to eat at one of the most controversial restaurant chains in the whole world - Pyongyang Restaurant. Pyongyang Restaurant is the name of a chain of restaurants built by North Korea in some countries that have diplomatic relations with North Korea (ex. China, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, etc.) In Phnom Penh alone, there are around three of these restaurants. Since I have no plans of going to North Korea anytime soon (not sure if I'll ever decide to go that is,) going to a Pyongyang Restaurant would be my next best bet apart from visiting the Demilitarized Zone or DMZ between North and South Korea (click here for my trip to the DMZ via South Korea.) I realized that I would forget visiting these Pyongyang Restaurants whenever I'd travel. The closest I had been to one of these was during my trip to Beijing (click here) two years ago, but it was closed when I arrived. Now, I made sure that I wouldn't miss my chance. These restaurants, by the way, are known for their flashy performances every night, and serving rather expensive North-Korean dishes as each penny that goes to these restaurants go to the North Korean regime.

Here we are. A taste of North Korea.

- One of the three branches in Phnom Penh was conveniently located a kilometer away from my hostel, which was convenient enough to reach by walking. I entered the restaurant after seeing its bright sign, and was welcomed by around ten charming North-Korean ladies in their matching hanboks. It was around 6pm, and no one else was around except for this elderly (South?) Korean lady who finished her meal not too long after I arrived. I quickly ordered a bowl of raengmyeon or cold noodles (called "naengmyeon" in South Korea) as it was the specialty of the Pyongyang region. While waiting for my food, I noticed that aesthetics of the place looked rather old (like something from the 70s or 80s, at least based on what I see on TV shows from that time). They also did not allow people to take photos or videos of the place.

- While seated, the charming ladies who served both as waitresses and the performers of the night talked to me. At first I spoke in Korean as they did not speak good English. However, I sensed something suspicious after I noticed they would comment on every answer that I gave. The questions were also innocent at first, but later became more personal. I suddenly remembered many articles I read before that were about how these restaurants doubled as places where espionage was being done by the staff, or worse, where they recruited spies-to-be for North Korea. The waitresses (yes, none were male,) were trained to be charming like the mediaeval-Korea era gisaengs, so they can get the answers the needed.  Being cautious, I lessened my answers and laid low with my Korean and spoke more English instead. Minutes later, more customers arrived, mainly small groups of mainland Chinese people, and I felt safer as the waitresses had to spread out and entertain these customers.

- After paying for my average-quality raengmyeon/naengmyeon, I watched the talked-about performance of these waitresses. They passionately sang nationalistic songs, gracefully danced traditional dances, and enthusiastically played modern songs with their instruments. The whole performance was done in around 30 minutes. (I was able to get some photos as I was the only person seated at the back and the lights were dimmed.) Just before they fully turned on the lights, I literally RAN out of the restaurant as I was a bit freaked out with everything. I didn't want to spend a second more in that restaurant. (Tip: if you want to experience this restaurant, by all means do so, but make sure you're not alone, and you won't speak much Korean in case you do know how.)

Traditional janggu dance.

Playing classical crossover.

Trying their hand on that girl-group trend.

- After arriving at my hostel in record speed, I had to catch my breath, and buy some snacks at the convenience center just around the corner of my hostel. Admittedly I was still a bit hungry as my raengmyeon/naengmyeon from Pyongyang Restaurant had limited portions, and I did not want to order more because of the sketchiness of the restaurant. I was really just glad that I was safe.

- I spent the rest of the night preparing my things and packing my things as I would only stay in Phnom Penh for a night (would've had more time to explore Phnom Penh if it weren't for my sudden airplane schedule change situation.) Despite my (mis)adventures during my first evening in Phnom Penh, I shrugged off those sentiments to give way to my excitement as I'd be spending the following day seeing the must-sees of Phnom Penh!! (Read Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here, and Part 6 here!!)

(Part 4) The Heat and Holiness of Cambodia: From a Dark Past to a Bright Future

- April 18, Thursday.

- When one thinks of Siem Reap, temples are the first thing that come to mind. While Siem Reap really is well-known for its endless temples, there are other places to see and experience in Siem Reap.

- On a happy sunny Thursday morning, I was whisked off by my tuktuk driver to see....the killing fields of Siem Reap, which now is occupied by a temple and memorial called Wat Thmey. Cambodia has more than a hundred killing fields all throughout the country. These existed during the mid-1970s Khmer Rouge Era, when the Cambodian genocide happened. Those who were suspected of defying communist rule, or being in touch with and form of capitalism, were tortured and eventually killed in masses. Today, apart from the temple with the bones of the victims that were found in the location, a photography exhibit on the communist era can be found, as well as an orphanage and school.

Wat Thmey. Look very closely because....

....there are bones inside.

Memorials.

Pol Pot, the man responsible for the genocide.

- From the killing fields, I was driven to the War Museum of Cambodia, which was opened in 1999. Some of the exhibit items were from World War II, but most were things that were used during the Khmer Rouge Era. This museum was also unusual as the exhibit is generally outdoors! Apart from guns, landmines, and other war-related stuff, the biggest items being exhibited were tanks, jeeps, and even a war helicopter!

A helicopter that has built-in guns!! 

War plane.

Guns.

War-era unifroms.

Not sure if this is a real landmine warning sign or part of the exhibit. -____-

Saw this fella hiding behind an ant's nest (or at least I think it's an ant's nest?)

Landmine exhibit.

- To lighten up my mood, I decided to visit the Artisans Angkor silk farm. Artisans Angkor is a social business organization that focuses on producing high-quality Khmer crafts. It has employed many Cambodians, especially those residing in the provinces, giving many Cambodians a source of income while preserving the cultural heritage of this royal country. The silk farm is one of the two main centers open to the public across the country, and is a good way to understand how Cambodia produces world-class silk. Apart from seeing the silkworms and their cocoons, I also appreciated how traditional weaving tools and techniques are being used. For me the most unique kind of silk products that they produce would be the "hol lboeuk"or those that combine the brocade embroidery and ikat (tie-dye) techniques. As two kinds of techniques are needed to finish "hol lboeuk" products, these of course would cost a lot more than usual silk products.

Silkworms.

Cocoons.

Silk-thread makers.

A half-finished ikat silk cloth.

A weaver ties a design using small pieces of rope on the thread that would be tie-dyed and woven later on. This is the ikat technique.

Artisans Angkor - silk farm.

- To end my morning tour, I visited the Cambodian Cultural Village. The village is actually a theme park opened in 2003 to celebrate the cultural diversity and historical legacy of Cambodia. It has a wax museum showing life-like figures of people in Cambodian history, villages representing each ethnic group in Cambodia, and an area with miniature of some significant Cambodian landmarks. Performances are held throughout the day, though I only saw the Khmer wedding ceremony (it's just a demonstration, not an actual wedding.) I do know, however that their most majestic show on King Jayavarman happens every Sunday night; too bad I wasn't able to see that!

Apsara at the wax museum.

Lieou Ye, the probably first ruler of 1st-century Funan-era Cambodia.

King Norodom Suramarit and Queen Sisowat Monivong, one of Cambodia's prominent royal couples in history.

Traditional wedding demonstration.

Scary giant Buddha head.

Freaky Buddha balls on a tree.

There were plenty of peacock statues/sculptures in the park.

Giant reclining Buddha.

Miniature Grand Palace; the original is located in Phnom Penh.

Miniature Independence Monument, the original is also located in Phnom Penh.

Traditional-style huts.

So true.

I wish my mind was at peace just like this frog.

Entrance/exit.

Main gate of the theme park.

- After I was dropped off at my hostel, I big farewell to my friendly tuktuk driver who patiently drove me around Siem Reap in the unforgiving heat, and retreated into my air-conditioned hostel room for a while, until I decided to have lunch and visit the other main center of Artisans Angkor located in downtown Siem Reap. This other public center makes various types of sculptures and paintings. It was interesting to watch the students/employees turn a block of wood or stone into something holy, graceful, or just plain cute. By the way, this workshop does not only make sculptures as souvenirs, but this workshop has done big projects, such as restoring broken statues, doorways, and other carvings of ancient temples all across Siem Reap.

It takes great skill to get the shapes right.

How a block of wood turns into a sculpture.

I was temped to ask the sculptor if I could have this little piggy. HAHA.

Painting on silk.

- I once again hid in my hostel for a good hour or two until I felt the sun was not too harsh for a short walk around the area. I passed by the Made in Cambodia Market, which sells artsy and contemporary Cambodian souvenirs. It is located near the Siem Reap Art Center Market.

Made in Cambodia Market.

- Later on, I found myself at Wat Preah Prohm Rath (sometimes spelled as Wat Preah Prom Rath.) This colorful temple which was built in the 1500s contains the statue of a reclining Buddha, which has been in the temple since the temple was built. Today, this tranquil temple is frequently visited by local devotees, as well as wandering tourists like me who stay near the area.

Buddha's encounters: an old man, a sick man, and a dead man.

I would have wanted to do a photoshoot inside this colorful temple, until I realized that many of the stupas (not in the photo) are memorials.

With plenty of Buddhist flags.

Buddha inside the main hall.

The historic reclining Buddha near the backdoor of the main hall.

- That evening I had nothing much to do and wanted to just absorb much of Siem Reap's vibrant energy. As with previous nights, I did my rounds in the night markets, since it was my final night in Siem Reap, and although I nearly regretted my journey to Siem Reap because I almost died from the heat, I was still able to maximize my time in the ancient capital of Cambodia. Next stop - the modern capital of Phnom Penh!! (Read Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 5 here, and Part 6 here!!)