438 replies to this topic

[dixon cox]

very complete photo essay. Did not see the captions often referred to. 

 

Thanks for giving this thread a bump. I had a nice reminisce going through it all again 

 

Sadly the captions you refer to were all lost during the forum transition last year and could not be retrieved.

 

It is a shame as there was an observational comment for almost every image. I was very sad about their loss and if truth be told had I known they wouldn't be transitioned and all be lost I would have painstakingly gone through the whole thread again and backed up each and every comment and posted them beside each image afterwards. They were an integral part of this TR and their absence leaves gaping holes of data, information and my attempts at humour. I was extremely disappointed by that loss.

 

I haven't been back to Cambodia since last February (2014) where I spent several weeks in Phnom Penh, I didn't go anywhere else that time. Main reason being I now have a retirement visa for Thailand so there's no real obligation to visit Cambodia at the moment, plus me and my little ex-Khmer LB sweetheart have since both moved on.

 

I do very much like Cambodia though and guys should give it more of a chance than using it simply for short visa runs from LOS. There's so much to see and do away from Street 136, providing sex tourism isn't your only goal. 

[jaybee111]

Planning a short trip this coming February, to see Angkor Wat if nothing else.

[JustSumGai]

yeah, I did the shortest trip ever in January, after you saw me and Polly in Pattaya. We did a week in Pursat and a few days in PP, then back to Pursat and Patters. I guess what I like most is it's laid back, even in PP as it's not as big as Bkk, etc. It's just real easy to relax and lots of neat stuff to see. Food is mostly crap tho haha. Oh well.

 

Next year I'll hit it for a month at least. Polly is moving back home after 13 yrs in Patters. Udon Thani where I'm only a little better off than BB's wifes home. Least I got hot shower there and western toilet. An Dads has a tuk tuk we get around in sometimes.  100_9839.JPG   78.35KB   11 downloads  100_3968.JPG   361.17KB   4 downloads  100_6925.JPG   235.68KB   3 downloads  100_4516.JPG   718.91KB   4 downloads

[mapes]

I was fortunate enough earlier this year to spend 6 months of it away from my usual mundane existence in the UK, enjoying 2 months in Thailand and 4 months in Cambodia.

As there's already so much written about Thailand in this thread I'll focus only on Cambodia, at the beginning of their new year in April, 2011, the year of the rabbit.

Similar to my "Last Millenium" thread, this will not be a monger's tale, but more of a pictorial with any worthwhile information added as I go along, such as accommodation and transportation etc. and I will be posting things chronologically.

My travels within the country took me to Sihanoukville, Battambang, Siem Reap, and of course, Phnom Penh. So any Cambodian related questions or discussions about these locations or the country in general are more than welcome.

The graffiti looks amazing! I use to do graffitis when I was young and I am still passionate about them.

[Spyder Rocket]

yeah, I did the shortest trip ever in January, after you saw me and Polly in Pattaya. We did a week in Pursat and a few days in PP, then back to Pursat and Patters. I guess what I like most is it's laid back, even in PP as it's not as big as Bkk, etc. It's just real easy to relax and lots of neat stuff to see. Food is mostly crap tho haha. Oh well.
 
Next year I'll hit it for a month at least. Polly is moving back home after 13 yrs in Patters. Udon Thani where I'm only a little better off than BB's wifes home. Least I got hot shower there and western toilet. An Dads has a tuk tuk we get around in sometimes. 100_9839.JPG100_3968.JPG100_6925.JPG100_4516.JPG

That looks like good food to me!

Just not your style or are you always getting sick from it?

[JustSumGai]

well, one bowl of soup is offal. Typical, internal organ crap. Bits n pieces. Ok, but Cambodia does not know about seasoning yet. No basil, other herbs, or even very much garlic. Flavorless to me actually. I TAKE seasonings with me. I found some dim sum buns but tho they were nice in the sausage, hard boiled egg way (50 cents each), they had an unescapable flavor or formaldahyde or SOMETHING unnatural. Baguettes are great, cheap but fresh? forget it, total luck if you get em that way. DO NOT buy em from someone set up on the street with the sun beatin on em. Even at the bakery I did not get really fresh. Found on shop that seemed to get em fresh and mostly went there. This would be a place where you did better cooking at home as opposed to Thailand where it's MUCH better to buy food out. But ok, tho I think I cook better.

[Spyder Rocket]

Ok, I get were you are coming from.

I can eat liver, heart no problem, and intestines if they are chopped up in small pieces.

The eggs tasted like formaldehyde? Where they pickeled eggs, or maybe boiled in papaya leaves or tree bark?

I usually try anything once, but I do understand how it is to be in a new place and not to be clicking with the food.

[JustSumGai]

not eggs...dim sum...steamed buns. Tasted suspicious but cheap and ok, good for a snack. I'd buy a couple or few and some soupy stuff and some rolls. Have the buns as midnight snack or breakie. Never got sick from em. Or anything else but twice I got sick in Pursat, so I think it was the water there. Suspect the ice maybe.

 

kinda overexposed so I had to tweak it. Everything there cost about $3.50 I'd guess. The stuff in the bowl is clearly just some bits of meat and vegatables. No specks of spice. Not even hot peppers, which I never really have seen yet. Then again I eat street food there and don't go to the western places. Cept that top pic, being White Rose in Battambang.  100_8350.JPG   347.86KB   0 downloads  100_8353.JPG   255.4KB   0 downloads

[Spyder Rocket]

Sometimes people say cilantro tastes soapy or has a chemical taste, same thing for coriander. My guess was that your dim sum had something like that in it.

When I read your description it registered with me.

I was in Turkey once and tried some rice cooked with mint leaves, no joke, it reminded me of a cheap aftershave called Skin Bracer.

Part of the adventure of traveling, right?

I do want to explore Cambodia sometime in the next few years, it sounds different enough to be interesting.

[JustSumGai]

don't think it was cilantro, I'm familiar with the mexican parsley. More like an ammonia like smell/taste. Ain't been able to find out where they're actually made. Gal just always has a lot of em, set up every day.

[Spyder Rocket]

Cilantro and many derivatives of the plant are common in asian cooking, here is a NYT article on it.

http://www.nytimes.c...rious.html?_r=0

I've ran across that curious taste before, either way, I understand what you are describing.

It's kind of frustrating when you can't ask about what is in a particular dish due to language barriers.

Have fun in Cambodia!

[wolfetone100]

Great thread with wonderful pics it brought back a lot of great memories thanks Dixon.