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| Banteay Srei is made of a type of red sandstone. The colours of the stone and the carvings are spectacular. |
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| Dan resting by one of the temple walls. |
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| A carving in one of the entranceways. |
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| Banteay Srei - Citadel of the Women or Citadel of Beauty. |
Friday, July 23, 2010
Banteay Srei
Life in Siem Reap
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| The old markets in Siem Reap. These markets are absolutely huge - you could find anything there including souveneirs, fruit, meat, tea, hairdressers..... |
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| Sewing in the old markets. |
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| At a pub opposite the old markets. |
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| The pub in the photo above had flavoured vodkas. I ordered a shot of mango-infused vodka. It tasted nothing like a mango, but it tasted exactly like my grandfather's gramma pie! I had to order a couple just to be sure.... |
The Unlucky Temple
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| The Unlucky Temple. This temple was abandoned during construction. Lightning hit the temple while it was being built, a fortune teller told the king that it was a bad omen. |
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| Dan climbing down the Unlucky Temple. The steps are all very narrow and very steep! |
Angkor Thom
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The south gate to Angkor Thom, one of the five gateways to the complex. |
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| Buddha's faces (or possibly the king, or possibly a combination of the two) overlooking the entranceway. |
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| Bayon Temple - this temple has over 200 depictions of Buddha's face carved into it. Again, the faces could also be a combination of Buddha and the king (Jayavarman VII). |
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| Construction work on one of the temples. |
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| A construction worker climbing the temple |
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| Terrace of the Elephants. |
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| Terrace of the Leper King |
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| Another entrance to Angkor Thom. Many of the Buddha and demon statues had their heads removed by the French colonialists who took them back to French museums (where many remain to this day). The Khmer Rouge also removed many heads and statues to sell in order to raise money for weapons. |
A Cambodian/Vietnamese Holiday
I’m back! The past 2-3 weeks have been jam-packed. I’ve been shopping in Ho Chi Minh City, exploring ruins in Siem Reap, sight-seeing in Phnom Penh, eating and drinking in Soc Trang and, finally, more shopping in Ho Chi Minh City. For all of these activities I was accompanied by my parents (who decided that me living in Vietnam was a good excuse for a holiday here), their friend Ed and, of course, Dan.
My holiday from Soc Trang life started roughly 3 weeks ago when I decided to go to HCMC on a Thursday morning so I could go birthday-present shopping for my mum. It was a perfect plan, get out of Soc Trang earlier than expected and have a few blissful days of shopping without Dan (who hates shopping with me and who I hate shopping with). Then I met up with my parents and also with Dan and we spent the weekend exploring the city, sampling the local delicacies and sussing out which embroidery stores had the nicest dresses for my little niece. Then onto Cambodia.
Siem Reap
We flew into Siem Reap after Dan vetoed taking a 12hr bus ride there. Siem Reap is a bizarre town, full of lovely old French buildings, an endless variety of restaurants and cafes and plenty of tanks of fish waiting to nibble the dead skin off your feet. It is also the base for exploring Angkor Wat and all the other Angkor temple ruins. This was the aim of our visit.
Our first day in Siem Reap was spent visiting the temples in the Angkor Thom compound, Ta Phrom and Angkor Wat. We capped off the day by climbing a mountain to visit Phnom Bakheng and to admire the view over Angkor Wat, Siem Reap and the countryside stretching out to the mountains. We visited more temples further out of Siem Reap on day three, including Kbal Spean, which involved trekking for 30 minutes up a mountain and through the jungle; Banteay Srei which is said to have been carved by women; and the Rolous Group temples, the oldest surviving temples in the area. All of the temples are unique and they are all absolutely amazing. It is incredible to think that these massive monuments were being built about 1000 years ago. There is so much stone work and detail in all of the carvings; it is hard to believe that it was all done by hand. With the help of a few thousand elephants too.
We also visited a stick village which, for three months a year, gets flooded be the rising waters of the Mekong and the Tonle Sap Lake. In order to cope, villagers have had to build their houses on massive stilts (hence the term ‘stick village’), and need row boats in order to get around. The villagers were all mostly poor families eking out an existence by fishing and growing crops on the dry lake bed.
Phnom Penh
After Siem Reap we bussed down to Phnom Penh. We caught a tuk-tuk out to Choeung Ek – the killing fields. This is where the Khmer Rouge executed thousands of prisoners. A stupa has been built there to house all the excavated bones of the prisoners. It was such a sad, harrowing place to visit. Seeing the skulls of the prisoners in the stupa and seeing fragments of human bones and scraps of prisoners’ clothes partially buried all along the walking track was just devastating.
There is such a stark contrast between Cambodia’s Angkor-era history, it’s relatively recent Khmer Rouge history and it’s present struggle to overcome corruption and poverty. Despite everything they have been through, and all that they are still going through, all the Khmer people we met were so friendly and always had a big, happy smile for us. Cambodia is such an amazing country to visit, do go there if you get the chance!
Soc Trang
To be blunt, Soc Trang is not much of a holiday destination. But my parents wanted to see where Dan and me live and work so they were our guests here for four days. The director of Kiem Lam very kindly allowed us to use Kiem Lam’s car and driver so that we could drive around the countryside, visit some pagodas and visit Au Tho B village – where the mangrove co-management pilot project is being implemented. We also borrowed some bicycles so that we could all cycle around town and see the sights, which was all good until my mother crashed into me. I was fine but mum stubbed her toe, making it bleed, which made her feel faint. So she had to have a sit down under a tree beside the road; I think it was the funniest thing the Soc Trang locals have seen in a long time!
Our time in Soc Trang happened to correspond with my mother’s birthday, so we invited a host of workmates and friends to Restaurant 36 where we had a lot of seafood (mum’s favourite food!), a lot of beer, some Australian white wine (which started off cold but soon got pretty warm) and two bottles of Dalat red wine (drunk with ice). Then we went to another restaurant where we had more beer, a big plate of crabs and some clams cooked in a very tasty sauce (possibly tamarind-based). It was a very decadent birthday celebration!
Can Tho
As both my parents and Ed were flying out of HCMC, we decided to make our way back there via Can Tho so that they could take a boat tour out to the floating markets. Having already done this tour I opted for a sleep-in (I was not up for another 5.30am tour start!) and a trip to the supermarket for supplies (i.e. chocolate). When my parents returned from their tour they decided that they would also like to visit the supermarket/department store. Here they got their first taste of waiting in-line to be served by the cashier - Vietnamese style. There is no such thing as line-etiquette here, if you want to go to the front of the line and be served next, go! If you want to swap lines but not lose your place in the original line, just do it! You have to be very assertive to keep your place in a queue here; your elbows and your shopping basket are both useful weapons against other shoppers.
HCMC
Back to HCMC and time to hit the shops. My parents shopped for clothes for my niece, clothes for themselves, presents for various relatives, Doc Martin shoes for themselves (and for me – thanks parents!), dvds, handbags and souvenirs. You can buy just about anything in HCMC! I also indulged in a bit of shopping, I bought an embroidered book for my niece (there are a lot of really lovely hand-embroidered baby clothes, kids clothes and toys here), a “Vietnamese stone” necklace for my sister, I bargained for a “Zara” shirt in Saigon Square, bought a skirt in the Saigon Tax Centre and had a pair of shoes hand-made for me in the massive Ben Thanh Markets (80,000VND – bargain!). Plus I had to visit the supermarket for more supplies (chocolate, again, but also some peanuts for Dan seeing as he let the mice eat his last lot). I also spent plenty of time in Bobby Brewer’s café; I ended up spending over two hours there waiting til it was time for the bus to take me back to Soc Trang.
Back to Soc Trang
So now I am back in Soc Trang, back at work, back to cold showers and back to local Vietnamese food. I’m working on environmental education material at the moment, which may involve creating a story/colouring-in book. Hmmm… I wonder if the Soc Trangian kiddies would like an environmental book starring the giant gecko monster lizard?
My holiday from Soc Trang life started roughly 3 weeks ago when I decided to go to HCMC on a Thursday morning so I could go birthday-present shopping for my mum. It was a perfect plan, get out of Soc Trang earlier than expected and have a few blissful days of shopping without Dan (who hates shopping with me and who I hate shopping with). Then I met up with my parents and also with Dan and we spent the weekend exploring the city, sampling the local delicacies and sussing out which embroidery stores had the nicest dresses for my little niece. Then onto Cambodia.
Siem Reap
We flew into Siem Reap after Dan vetoed taking a 12hr bus ride there. Siem Reap is a bizarre town, full of lovely old French buildings, an endless variety of restaurants and cafes and plenty of tanks of fish waiting to nibble the dead skin off your feet. It is also the base for exploring Angkor Wat and all the other Angkor temple ruins. This was the aim of our visit.
Our first day in Siem Reap was spent visiting the temples in the Angkor Thom compound, Ta Phrom and Angkor Wat. We capped off the day by climbing a mountain to visit Phnom Bakheng and to admire the view over Angkor Wat, Siem Reap and the countryside stretching out to the mountains. We visited more temples further out of Siem Reap on day three, including Kbal Spean, which involved trekking for 30 minutes up a mountain and through the jungle; Banteay Srei which is said to have been carved by women; and the Rolous Group temples, the oldest surviving temples in the area. All of the temples are unique and they are all absolutely amazing. It is incredible to think that these massive monuments were being built about 1000 years ago. There is so much stone work and detail in all of the carvings; it is hard to believe that it was all done by hand. With the help of a few thousand elephants too.
We also visited a stick village which, for three months a year, gets flooded be the rising waters of the Mekong and the Tonle Sap Lake. In order to cope, villagers have had to build their houses on massive stilts (hence the term ‘stick village’), and need row boats in order to get around. The villagers were all mostly poor families eking out an existence by fishing and growing crops on the dry lake bed.
Phnom Penh
After Siem Reap we bussed down to Phnom Penh. We caught a tuk-tuk out to Choeung Ek – the killing fields. This is where the Khmer Rouge executed thousands of prisoners. A stupa has been built there to house all the excavated bones of the prisoners. It was such a sad, harrowing place to visit. Seeing the skulls of the prisoners in the stupa and seeing fragments of human bones and scraps of prisoners’ clothes partially buried all along the walking track was just devastating.
There is such a stark contrast between Cambodia’s Angkor-era history, it’s relatively recent Khmer Rouge history and it’s present struggle to overcome corruption and poverty. Despite everything they have been through, and all that they are still going through, all the Khmer people we met were so friendly and always had a big, happy smile for us. Cambodia is such an amazing country to visit, do go there if you get the chance!
Soc Trang
To be blunt, Soc Trang is not much of a holiday destination. But my parents wanted to see where Dan and me live and work so they were our guests here for four days. The director of Kiem Lam very kindly allowed us to use Kiem Lam’s car and driver so that we could drive around the countryside, visit some pagodas and visit Au Tho B village – where the mangrove co-management pilot project is being implemented. We also borrowed some bicycles so that we could all cycle around town and see the sights, which was all good until my mother crashed into me. I was fine but mum stubbed her toe, making it bleed, which made her feel faint. So she had to have a sit down under a tree beside the road; I think it was the funniest thing the Soc Trang locals have seen in a long time!
Our time in Soc Trang happened to correspond with my mother’s birthday, so we invited a host of workmates and friends to Restaurant 36 where we had a lot of seafood (mum’s favourite food!), a lot of beer, some Australian white wine (which started off cold but soon got pretty warm) and two bottles of Dalat red wine (drunk with ice). Then we went to another restaurant where we had more beer, a big plate of crabs and some clams cooked in a very tasty sauce (possibly tamarind-based). It was a very decadent birthday celebration!
Can Tho
As both my parents and Ed were flying out of HCMC, we decided to make our way back there via Can Tho so that they could take a boat tour out to the floating markets. Having already done this tour I opted for a sleep-in (I was not up for another 5.30am tour start!) and a trip to the supermarket for supplies (i.e. chocolate). When my parents returned from their tour they decided that they would also like to visit the supermarket/department store. Here they got their first taste of waiting in-line to be served by the cashier - Vietnamese style. There is no such thing as line-etiquette here, if you want to go to the front of the line and be served next, go! If you want to swap lines but not lose your place in the original line, just do it! You have to be very assertive to keep your place in a queue here; your elbows and your shopping basket are both useful weapons against other shoppers.
HCMC
Back to HCMC and time to hit the shops. My parents shopped for clothes for my niece, clothes for themselves, presents for various relatives, Doc Martin shoes for themselves (and for me – thanks parents!), dvds, handbags and souvenirs. You can buy just about anything in HCMC! I also indulged in a bit of shopping, I bought an embroidered book for my niece (there are a lot of really lovely hand-embroidered baby clothes, kids clothes and toys here), a “Vietnamese stone” necklace for my sister, I bargained for a “Zara” shirt in Saigon Square, bought a skirt in the Saigon Tax Centre and had a pair of shoes hand-made for me in the massive Ben Thanh Markets (80,000VND – bargain!). Plus I had to visit the supermarket for more supplies (chocolate, again, but also some peanuts for Dan seeing as he let the mice eat his last lot). I also spent plenty of time in Bobby Brewer’s café; I ended up spending over two hours there waiting til it was time for the bus to take me back to Soc Trang.
Back to Soc Trang
So now I am back in Soc Trang, back at work, back to cold showers and back to local Vietnamese food. I’m working on environmental education material at the moment, which may involve creating a story/colouring-in book. Hmmm… I wonder if the Soc Trangian kiddies would like an environmental book starring the giant gecko monster lizard?
Monday, June 28, 2010
A brief interruption to our regular scheduling
I realise my posts have been a bit domestic lately. In fact, I think my kitchen has been my hottest topic of discussion for a while now. That's a bit sad.
But fear not gentle reader, I am breaking out of the domestic rut and will be heading to Cambodia next week. This time we will be going to Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat and Tonle Sap. We will be travelling with my parents, who we will meet in HCMC this weekend. So that should be exciting. It will however, also mean that I won't be posting for a week or two. My apologies if you start to suffer withdrawal symptoms. A nice cup of tea and a good lie-down should cure it.
You may also notice that I have changed the lay-out of my blog a bit. I'm still learning about this whole blogging business so don't be surprised if I make more changes, I'll alter things as I found out what new and exciting things I can add.
So enjoy the next few weeks whatever you are doing and wherever you may be.
Tam biet!
But fear not gentle reader, I am breaking out of the domestic rut and will be heading to Cambodia next week. This time we will be going to Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat and Tonle Sap. We will be travelling with my parents, who we will meet in HCMC this weekend. So that should be exciting. It will however, also mean that I won't be posting for a week or two. My apologies if you start to suffer withdrawal symptoms. A nice cup of tea and a good lie-down should cure it.
You may also notice that I have changed the lay-out of my blog a bit. I'm still learning about this whole blogging business so don't be surprised if I make more changes, I'll alter things as I found out what new and exciting things I can add.
So enjoy the next few weeks whatever you are doing and wherever you may be.
Tam biet!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
A story (not for bedtime though - it's too scary)
I just remembered a story that I'm sure you will all appreciate.
In order for this story to make sense, I have to explain the layout of our kitchen sink. The sink is suspended above a sunken tiled area. The sink drains into this tiled area. The tiled area has a drain which leads to out the back of our house. The drain cover is plastic and partly broken. At the back of our house is an overgrown vacant lot.
Ok, so now I've set the scene... Yesterday I did the dishes. When I finished them I took the plug out of the sink to let the water drain out into the tiled area (as you would). I looked down to make sure the water was draining properly. There was something covering the drain. The light in the kitchen is pretty bad so I couldn't tell what it was. I bent down to get a closer look. What was that thing? A rock? Why would there be a rock there? Hang on, is that... a... tail....?!?
Gaaaarrrgh! It's a dead rat!!!
While I was busy screeching Dan picked up the rat (with a plastic scoop thing) and threw it outside. It's not the first rat we've had (there was one in our lounge room the other night, eeew!), they live in the overgrown bushes and get into our house through the drains. So now Dan has another home renovation job - fixing the drain covers so they are rat-proof.
The sensible side of my brain is telling me that, the rat I saw was dead, better a dead rat than a live one right? To which the hysterical side of my brain screams back: 'But why was it dead?!? Why did a rat come into our house and die right near the kitchen drain? What killed it?!?!' The night before I am sure I was woken up by a terrible screeching noise, did the rat encounter something far worse than it? What hideous rat-killing creature is living in our kitchen?
Our kitchen scares me. I cannot go in there without making a banging noise beforehand to hopefully scare away the critters within. I definitely cannot go in there at night time unless there are a whole heap of lights on.
Who would have thought that our kitchen would be the scariest thing in Vietnam?
In order for this story to make sense, I have to explain the layout of our kitchen sink. The sink is suspended above a sunken tiled area. The sink drains into this tiled area. The tiled area has a drain which leads to out the back of our house. The drain cover is plastic and partly broken. At the back of our house is an overgrown vacant lot.
Ok, so now I've set the scene... Yesterday I did the dishes. When I finished them I took the plug out of the sink to let the water drain out into the tiled area (as you would). I looked down to make sure the water was draining properly. There was something covering the drain. The light in the kitchen is pretty bad so I couldn't tell what it was. I bent down to get a closer look. What was that thing? A rock? Why would there be a rock there? Hang on, is that... a... tail....?!?
Gaaaarrrgh! It's a dead rat!!!
While I was busy screeching Dan picked up the rat (with a plastic scoop thing) and threw it outside. It's not the first rat we've had (there was one in our lounge room the other night, eeew!), they live in the overgrown bushes and get into our house through the drains. So now Dan has another home renovation job - fixing the drain covers so they are rat-proof.
The sensible side of my brain is telling me that, the rat I saw was dead, better a dead rat than a live one right? To which the hysterical side of my brain screams back: 'But why was it dead?!? Why did a rat come into our house and die right near the kitchen drain? What killed it?!?!' The night before I am sure I was woken up by a terrible screeching noise, did the rat encounter something far worse than it? What hideous rat-killing creature is living in our kitchen?
Our kitchen scares me. I cannot go in there without making a banging noise beforehand to hopefully scare away the critters within. I definitely cannot go in there at night time unless there are a whole heap of lights on.
Who would have thought that our kitchen would be the scariest thing in Vietnam?
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