February 2020 -

What’s a Wat? A Cambodian Tale

Posted February 26, 2020

The Shampoo Mantra

Steve with all his hair (no cut for six months)

Lather, rinse, repeat. After 35 years of marriage, I just learned that my husband, Steve, actually lathers, rinses, and repeats. I thought everyone knew that those instructions are just to sell more shampoo. Right? Or maybe it’s me and I have bad hygiene. I never “repeat”. Or maybe it depends on how often you shampoo, or how dirty your hair gets?

Yes, traveling long term with very limited supplies you learn some new things, like how much shampoo someone really uses.

Anyway….

The Bathroom Sink

As I hand-washed my shirt, bra, and underwear in the hotel bathroom sink for the sixth day in a row, kneading and swirling to get adequate suds, that phrase, “Lather, Rinse, Repeat”, popped into my head and stuck. It’s so blazing hot and humid in Cambodia that after only an hour (or less) in the great outdoors, it’s necessary to strip down and wash out everything that was touching your body. And I mean everything. It’s the kind of hot and sweaty where you can’t even stand yourself.

Wat Explained

Angkor Wat is the most famous of the ancient Khmer temples in Angkor Archeological Park, and a Unesco World Heritage Site. The word “Wat” is borrowed from Sanskrit meaning ‘enclosure’. The term has varying meanings in different regions, sometimes referring to a specific type of government recognized or large temple, other times referring to any Buddhist or Hindu temple.

“Good” Spirits lining the entrance to Angkor Thom

Over a week’s time we visited eighteen Wats throughout the greater Siem Reap region, some as close as a fifteen minute drive, others as far away as a one and a half hour drive. Every temple had unique and amazing attributes.

“Pleeeease Buy From Me”

The vendors at each Wat are ruthless in their pursuit to get visitors to buy their wares. Numerous vendors, ages five to fifty, swarm us as we disembark from our Tuk-Tuk (a small, open air “chariot” pulled by a motorbike, very common in SE Asia). Walking the miles of red dirt, dusty temple paths, I hear, “Hi Madame, pleeeease buy from me. Two for one dollar, or five for two dollars”.

No thank you.

“Maybeeee later. You think about it. You come back and buy from meeee. Come to my shop. You look”.

No thank you.

“Ok, then, you stop by lateeer. You promise? You come to my shop lateeer.”

No thank you.

They walk along with you, sticking like glue and leaning into your face, often blocking your way, and typically repeating their pleas for twenty or thirty feet before finally giving up.

Melting: A Fashion Statement

Praeh Ko, in front of woman’s temple. A non-sweaty me. Turns out I don’t take pictures when I look like death.

Yesterday it was 99 degrees with 87% humidity. And what’s really bad, as I have mentioned, is that I’m not great in the heat. I show the heat. No poker face for me. After only a few minutes in the strong Cambodian sun, my face is dripping sweat and I look like I’m about to die. There’s no hiding it. I look much worse than I feel. So, one look at my face and the vendors hawking cold drinks come in for the kill. Oh, and the vendors selling fans. I’m a walking, sweating target.

Buyer Beware

I know these vendors are only trying to make a living. And sometimes I do buy a cold drink (but I already bought a fan in Thailand back in October).

We’ve been warned to not buy from children, since it discourages them from attending school if they can make money off the tourists. Probably half the vendors are children.

A Pretty Picture

Now that I’ve painted such an enticing picture of visiting the temples of Angkor Archeological Park, including walking miles of dry, dusty paths, being badgered relentlessly by vendors, and sweating more than you thought possible, I must tell you that it’s all worth it.

Walking through the ruins, many of which are partially or completely restored, with the history, the artistry, the architectural design, and the sheer magnificence is so worth it. Visiting is worth all the sweat one could muster and all the dust one could walk through. No question.

Time to Prep

Prior to our arrival in Cambodia, I’d read some advice suggesting we visit the Angkor National Museum before visiting the Wats, so that’s what we did. We learned a lot about the history of the ancient Khmer sites, as well as architectural elements to look for while touring the Wats.

The temples of the Angkor Wat Archeological Park were built long ago, between 900 and 1200 AD. Many were built as Hindu temples, then changed to a Buddhist temple (and vice versa), depending on who was reigning at the time. Unfortunately some beautiful carvings are scratched out due to these changes over time, but most remain intact.

Many temples were not discovered until the 1970’s or later. These hidden gems hold great pride for Cambodia, and many have been (or are being) carefully restored and preserved.

The Plan

Because of the balmy conditions, our plan of attack was to buy a seven day pass and spread out our visits in small, half-day chunks, rather than going hard all-in for one to three days, like most people do.

So with our pass in hand, we visited eighteen Wats over six days, taking only one day off to give my knees a break.

There’s tons of steep and uneven stairs, lots of ups and downs over large stone building blocks, and plenty of ducking down required due to low door thresholds of the ancient, much smaller people of the time.

Steve banged his forehead on this low doorway moments after reading the warning sign. Bad enough to scab up. I made him pose for this picture, to his horror.

Each day we’d decide on the next day’s itinerary, schedule with Kim, the sweet tuk-tuk driver that practically lives at our small hotel, and off we’d go.

Yeah, sure-sure

Kim, our Tuk-Tuk driver, and his two kids

Kim understood more English than he could speak. It worked out pretty well most of the time. One phrase he used quickly and often was, “Yeah, sure-sure”. It was a way to acknowledge and/or agree, but over time we realized it was almost like an automatic response, and didn’t necessarily equal comprehension. Even so, Kim was a great driver and was able to give us good recommendations, making our trips to the Wats memorable and special.

And we especially appreciated his bright, tropical variety of shirts.

Cambodian Tuk-Tuks

Cambodian Tuk-Tuk’s are unique, unlike any we’d seen in SE Asia. Most Tuk-Tuk’s, including Kim’s, consist of a motorbike pulling a covered trailer with two padded bench seats facing one another. They can turn on a dime, but don’t go particularly fast. They are loud and don’t have shock absorbers, so the ride can be pretty bumpy.

Our “ride” for the week (Cambodian Tuk-Tuk)

Using the Tuk-Tuk as our primary mode of transportation was great fun. The Tuk-Tuk’s open air nature is heavenly (no exaggeration) as we rumbled down the road, the wind cooling our sweaty bodies. I felt more a part of the city and countryside touring around in a Tuk-Tuk, as opposed to an enclosed van or bus.

Lintels, Doors, and More

Lintels

I’m a devoted lintel fan. A lintel is a structural horizontal block that spans the space or opening between two vertical supports, typically over a door or window. We saw stunning examples of lintels at the Wats.

The Trees

Ancient trees wind in, out, and through the ruins of Angkor Wat Archaeological Park.

Doors

So many doors to choose from. Sometimes the Wat architects would create a fake door- that’s how much they liked their doors.

Standing Strong

Over and over we saw examples of door frames still standing intact with the surrounding structure crumbled from centuries of neglect, weather, and disuse.

A Rich Red

One of my favorite temples was Banteay Srei. The temple was created using the local ruddy red dirt, giving the buildings and carvings a beautiful red richness. Simply breathtaking.

Monkey Guards at Banteay Srei , Siem Reap, Cambodia

Reliefs

Angkor Wat is home to massive sandstone relief carvings. The carvings are six feet high and span over 600 yards of wall, comprised of several galleries covering the entire outer walls on all four sides of the temple. The carvings are incredibly detailed, representing eight different Hindu religious and historic epics.

The east gallery is decorated by the most famous of the bas-relief scenes at Angkor Wat, the Churning of the Ocean of Milk, depicting the beginning of time and the creation of the world. This Hindu creation story is revisited over and over throughout the Wats in the park.

Churning of the Ocean Milk (creation story), Angkor Wat

Almost every temple in the Angkor Wat Archeological Park has amazing carved reliefs, including ancient carvings of apsara dancing woman, intricately carved columns, and Sanskrit writings.

Entry Gates

Some of the sites have acres and acres of large and sprawling grounds filled with towering trees of many varieties. Such sites have magnificent entry gates on all sides, miles apart from each other.

Stone statues line the road to the gate.
One side lined with good spirits, the other with evil spirits.

Faces

The Bayon temple is best known for its large number of faces sculpted on its stone towers. While most towers contain four faces, some only have three, and one tower only bears a single face. Amazingly, it’s the same face depicted on every tower.

Originally there were a total of 49 towers, decorated with large carved faces looking four directions. Now 37 towers remain with close to 200 faces. The largest faces are just over 8 feet high. It’s a mystery as to what (or who) the faces of Bayon represent. Bayon was first thought to be a Hindu temple, but was later discovered to be a Buddhist temple, which only complicated the speculation.

Whoever or whatever the face represents, I get a peaceful and serene feeling gazing at it. The repetition of that face, over and over on each tower, looking out in multiple directions to the jungles beyond the temple grounds is unforgettable.

Wins and Losses

Wins

Finding an absolutely lovely hotel, with a pool, complimentary breakfast, and helpful hosts for $22 a night.

Seeing Cambodian life from a Tuk-Tuk. Lots of school kids riding bikes and the occasional cow.

Seeing monkeys in the wild at several temples. Mom & dad, teenager, and baby monkeys playing, grooming, and hanging out.

No mosquitoes to speak of- definitely unexpected. No need for the deet!

Close up encounters with water buffaloes. ❤️

Uncrowded temples due to tourism downturn as a result of Covid-19. Bummer reason, but good for us.

Being back in a country with plenty of monks. I love seeing the monks going about their day.

Losses

Spending more money in Cambodia than we’d budgeted due to Angkor Wat Park fees, daily Tuk tuk tours, and elevated food prices in town. Still cheap overall, just not as cheap as we’d expected.

Pub Street: who could have guessed Cambodia would have a major party street named “Pub Street”? Touristy and party-centric. Not our scene, although we did find some good restaurants.

Having to be more and more cognizant of Covid-19 developments. We’ve talked with several fellow travelers that have had their flights cancelled (connecting through Hong Kong, for instance) or are otherwise making travel adjustments. As noted in my last post, we’ve decided to head to the islands in southern Thailand for two weeks (instead of a month) and added fifteen days in Spain en route to home (rather than visiting Laos, Malaysia, or Bali). We’ll be lighting in Seattle on March 18 and couldn’t be more thankful for the amazing adventures we’ve had so far.

Phu Quoc: The Unexpected

Posted February 12, 2020

Our ten nights in Phu Quoc came with the unexpected, in more ways than one.

The Recommendation

A family of fellow long-term travelers from the U.K. had moved on to Phu Quoc, a small Vietnamese island in the Gulf of Thailand. The dad, Aaron, and I, were keeping in touch to swap travel information. After a few days on the island, Aaron messaged me that Phu Quoc wasn’t worth visiting and he advised us to skip it. That message arrived just after I booked our non refundable ten night stay on the island. Needless to say, our expectations were low. Thankfully we had a much different take on Phu Quoc than our U.K. friends.

Ong Lang Beach

Even though Phu Quoc is a small island, there are several beaches and different regions. Luckily, our hotel sat a four minute walk down a little lane to a pristine beach. The kind of beach you see on postcards. There were other people around, but not too many. It was so lovely.

What A View

We rented two functional, albeit rickety, loungers with a faded lime green umbrella for 100,000 dong a day, the equivalent of about four dollars.

The loungers sat a few feet from the water’s edge.

Like A Swimming Pool

The water was clear as a pool, and so warm that you’d swear you were in a hot tub in some spots. I could walk out for sixty feet and only be up to my thigh. Another thirty feet would take me waist deep, where the water was finally a bit cooler and refreshing.

The Village

Up the meandering lane, a few minutes from our hotel, in the opposite direction from the beach, were ten or so little family run restaurants, a small mini-mart, and bike rental shops. All the restaurants on this warm and sunny island were open-air and casual. Some had retractable tarp-like roofs, others were completely outdoor, with little to no cover.

One of many stray dogs lounging at our hotel

There was hardly any traffic, other than foot traffic from other travelers, little tame and sweet dogs lounging about in the sun, and the occasional cow with her calf eating off-limits, but apparently very yummy, foliage (and getting chased away by restaurant owners).

The Beauty Bar

One of the family owned restaurants up the lane, called The Beauty Bar, stole my heart. Firstly, The Beauty Bar has it all. They provide massages, manicures, and scrumptious Thai food. It’s a unique combination of services, but I guess it works.

Secondly, the sound system at the restaurant churned out rock and roll classics like the Rolling Stones and Queen, which was a welcome taste of home.

Last, but not least, the food was incredible. I’ve missed my spicy Thai food, and here it was, ready and waiting on this tiny island in Vietnam.

But the icing on the cake, and what made The Beauty Bar really stand out, was how genuinely friendly the family who runs it is.

Can I Take Your Order?

On our first visit to The Beauty Bar, a young woman carrying an order pad approached, then took a chair at our table, settling in to her seat. That was a first. She had a welcoming smile and casual vibe. She leaned forward, exuding warmth, as if we were old friends. Then she took our order.

How Spicy Do You Want That?

When ordering in SE Asia, we are often asked how spicy we’d like our food. It’s always a difficult question to answer because I like my spice at about a 5 to 7, whereas Steve likes a 3 to 5 (on my imaginary 10 point spicy scale).

To keep it easy, we typically answer “medium”. The problem is that medium has many interpretations, especially in SE Asia.

Hurts So Good

The Phad Kra Pao (my favorite and go-to dish at The Beauty Bar), left my tongue in a state unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. I thought I’d had some darn spicy meals in my life, but apparently those were child’s-play.

Seriously, my mouth, inside and out, was on fire. My tongue ached with pulsating pain except when I was bathing it in ice water. With each sip I held the cool, soothing water on my tongue as long as possible, finally swallowing after it turned warm and lost its effectiveness. It was a four Kleenex evening (my nose also wouldn’t stop streaming). And I was only sweating a little. But the spiciness seemed to make the dish. I loved it.

A Friendly Lot

Later in our meal, the same woman walked over and, once again took a seat with us on the bright orange-red wooden benches, made comfortable by the generous pads on each seat. She didn’t ask if she could join us, but her warmth shined through and we were happy she sat down.

A Family Struggles

The stranger at our table introduced herself as Ta. Ta is 32 years old and was born in Cambodia to Vietnamese parents. She told us her parents had eight children. She remembers not terribly long ago when they didn’t even have money for rice. They would go hungry. During that time Ta’s sister moved to Thailand to work and sent money home to support the entire family. Ta stayed in Phu Quoc and watched her sister’s two children. Her sister met and eventually married a Swiss man and now lives in Switzerland.

A New Start

The Beauty Bar: Restaurant, Massages & Manicures

Two years ago her sister, along with her new Swiss husband, had the means to purchase The Beauty Bar to provide a living for Ta’s entire extended family. It’s a small place, with only four tables and a small bar.

Ta spoke with such emotion of her sister’s generous heart, moving her hands to her own heart to emphasize the point. The look on her face was one of pure gratitude and love. Ta and her sister Skype daily. They are very close, even though they live on different continents.

One Happy Family

Every time we ate at The Beauty Bar, the whole family remembered us and would wave and greet us, ushering us to our seats.

After our first visit we felt like we were best-friends with Ta. On subsequent visits we also got to know her sister, mother, and nephew, who were always at the restaurant helping or hanging out, chatting or playing the game “Four in a Row” with customers at the bar or at a table.

A Foodies Dream

I loved The Beauty Bar’s red and green curries, but my very favorite, as mentioned above in the paragraph Hurts So Good, was the Phad Kra Pao. Phad Kra Pao is diced meat (your choice), stir-fried in a scrumptious sauce, steamed rice, all with a fried egg on top.

Secret Recipe?

Before leaving that first night, I asked Ta if she would share her recipe for Phad Kra Pao with me, thinking it was unlikely. She sat down close to me on the bench, patting my leg, and said she would love to. She listed off the ingredients, but there were several that I couldn’t understand. With the help of google images, we were finally able to get a list of all the ingredients, except one. And apparently this one item is critical for a good Phad Kra Pao.

The Mystery Herb

Per Ta, the key ingredient is some form of mint. She said it can only be found in Cambodia (where she was born) or Thailand (where she lived briefly and learned how to cook Thai food). Apparently this special mint has quite a kick to it, which is what makes the dish so special.

The Secret Stash

Without hesitation, Ta said to come by on our last day on Phu Quoc and she’d give us some of her seeds to take home. We told her we weren’t sure if we are allowed to bring seeds into our country, but she insisted. She was so excited for us to cultivate the herb, that we couldn’t refuse.

A Family Affair

Our last night on the island came too quickly. We sat at The Beauty Bar after dark, enjoying the lovely 78 degree weather while the Bohemian Rhapsody soundtrack blasted loud and clear.

Ta’s mother smiled and waved to me as she sat relaxing with her feet up on the chair at a table nearby. Ta’s nine year old nephew brought us our drinks. Up at the bar, Ta and her sister were doing a shot with a patron while playing “Four in a Row”. Everyone was having a great time, like it was a casual party of friends.

It Might Not Be Legal

Ta came over holding a baggie of mystery seeds from Cambodia. She sat close to me on my bench with her beautiful, big smile. She was so excited to hand over the seeds – the key to a great Phad Kra Pao.

I thanked Ta profusely for the seeds, but explained again that I wasn’t sure if we were allowed to bring them into our country. She smiled, patted my leg, and told me she was sure it was fine, then shoved the baggie into my purse. And that, was that.

We exchanged WhatsApp numbers and Ta will be awaiting a picture of her plant thriving in the Seattle soil this summer. I hope I can oblige.

Wins and Losses

Wins

Saying hello to all my little gecko friends suctioned to the walls and ceiling of the long, outdoor hallway outside our hotel room every day.

Finding a small Aloe Vera container at the tiny, limited mini-mart. Boy are we scaly.

I’m still able to eat gluten with no issues. Hello crepes and Vietnamese dumplings for breakfast!

Taking a chance on Phu Quoc Island. You win some, you lose some, but this was definitely a win. And, so far, our favorite place for relaxing.

Losses

Coronavirus. What a drag. So sad for everyone affected. Also sad that, to be cautious, we have cut the SE Asia portion of our trip short by a month, but instead will spend 15 nights in Spain on the way home.

TMI warning: I thought I might need medical attention a few hours after our last dinner on the island (at The Beauty Bar). Turns out if you eat super-spicy food, your pee stings – quite a lot. Who knew? But I must say, it was definitely worth it. No regrets.

Probably half the afternoons at the beach the local families would start up an hours long Karaoke session. There’s nothing quite like a tone deaf person singing Vietnamese songs at full blast for hours.

So sad to leave Vietnam after three months. What a diverse, interesting, and amazing country. Hope to be back someday.