The land they eat everything - Cambodia

Arriving from Malaysia to Cambodia was a relief, in order to escape the modern lifestyle. Phnom Pehn though was not my kind of place either. Packed with youngsters that get totally messed up daily because of cheap alcohol/easily available drugs and with elder men that enjoy, except from the cheap alcohol, the company of young Cambodian women. I believed sex tourism was a Thai thing but Cambodia follows steadily the neighbor country.

Local market near the riverside

The city is overcrowded and messy and i m ok with messiness as India had been quite messy sometimes. One problem in the cities of Cambodia is that some people see the foreigners only as dollars nowadays (People told me it wasn't like this 4-5 years ago when people used to be naive and not profit-oriented) and they literally use dollars except from the cambodian currency. So for foreigners, every price is rounded up in dollars and of course the minimum they will tell you is 1 dollar.

The markets were something very interesting... In the textile/clothes market, the variety of colours and fabrics was similar or even wider than India's market. Just beautiful...
What was even more interesting is the variety of edible things you could find. Fishes, prawns, crabs in many sizes and species, were preserved in many ways or cooked fresh. Noodles made in many ways usually with meat or fish. Huge variety of vegetables and leafy stuff and amazing-cheap tropical fruits. The paradox is that you can't find good food compare to Indian or Thai, at least not in the streets. That's what everybody says and that's what i realized also (Also vegeterian people will suffer in Cambodia). 

I guess everybody is wondering about the insects... Yes, i found worms, crickets, frogs, spiders, grasshoppers and something similar to cockroaches (they told me it is not same) but i didn't try anything. I didn't feel disgused or something... just my sensitivity in taking a life to any animal, fish or insect has changed.

In Orussey market (All the orange stuff are prawns in salt in different sizes)

I think Cambodia can be the heaven for a chef that wants to experiment with different ingredients. 

A tree with a magic flower and a huge fruit. I didnt manage to find if you can eat

Three nights in Phnom Pehn were more than enough and i wanted to go to the nature. The morning i was about to leave, i "succeeded" a big cut on my little toe with much blood pooring out. It didn't stop me for moving away and i stopped the blleding and headed out. 

The bus companies would not give good info and the price for a 1 hour ride to somewhere away from cities was the same as a 6 hour ride to Siem Reap city. So i decided to go by Siem Reap and see the Angkor temples and then escape to the nature.

Take my advice and dont stay more than two days in Phnom Pehn. Of course go visit the small local markets and DEFINITELY the Orussey market (people go there to buy big quantities of goods so it is a place packed with everything you can think of).

The black ones, you can eat

I arrived to Siem Reap at night and it felt much much better already than Phnom Pehn. I found a hostel called urban jungle and i decide to stay 2-3 days relaxing in order to let the open wound on my little toe to heal. That very first night, at the balcony of the dormitory, there was one chinese girl sitting alone. After asking the wifi password, we started speaking and what an interesting girl she was. She told me that i was the first person that really had conversation with during many days ("Why people are so antisocial?" i thought...) and later she told me its was her birthday so i played a song for her.

Jian trying to play some chords

Next day i stayed in the hostel for the toe and Jian was also staying inside so we got to know each other much deeper. She told me where to find cheap fruits and food and life was good. 

My best hena tattoo so far - Carrying a hena pen thanks to dear Anu from Pushkar

Jian left the next morning and i was alone with my wound and the hostel people that were quite honest and funny. That night i decided to go busk at the center and it went quite well. I realized (for one more time :p) that busking is appreciated only by locals... The tourists are usually in their fantasy world and ignore your existence... So the locals really appreciated and payed (after 3 busking nights) all my accommodation in Siem Reap.

The wound finally closed and i bought my ticket to the majestic Angkor temples.

Angkor wat... Check wikipedia about it and you will be surprised with some of the facts

A closer look and my favourite palm tree (Borassus flabellifer)

The temples are majestic indeed but i went there with very high expectations and my expectations were not totally fulfilled. 

Crafting from Bayon temple

Bayon temple

Happy Cambodian, happier tourists, unhappy elephant 

Man building huge temples and crafting nice sculptures (story of human kind). Still, NATURE steals all the glory just by having some huge trees rising within the temples. That's why i worship mother nature.

View from the top of Baphuon temple

East entrance to Angkor Thom

Preah Kahn temple

Ta Som temple

Preah Kahn temple 2

Ta Prohm (Tomb raider)

Ta Prohm 2

Ta Prohm 3

Banyan tree... Just amazing

Can't remember the name

Bamboo motsang seller in the temples - I got two hoping they will survive till i get back home

I finally tried the famous but crazy expensive Durian fruit (King of fruits but smells very bad) and found all the products related to the indigenous palm tree... palm fruit, fresh palm juice and palm sugar.

Duriannnnnn

Eli arrived already in Bangkok and was waiting for me to play some music and hang out so i decided to leave Cambodia without going deep in the nature and meet with locals.

Cambodian people can be very funny, teasing and nice. Life in the cities is changing too much so my advice to whoever is going there is to rent a motorbike and hit the road away from the cities... Learn the basic vocabulary (numbers greetings, important verbs like eat, drink and sleep) and meet locals. Also try as many different foods as possible.

With the arrival to Thailand, i had the wonderful news that my sister gave birth to little Katerina and i booked my flight back before my budget reach bottom.... 13th May i leave Asia and return to Greece.

This seed was the inspiration for the small LED helicopter you can buy by street merchants in all main squares (the ones you throw up in the air and they fall slowly). Beautiful to watch falling from the tree

Most beautiful green in Bayon temple

Cambodia has the most beautiful dragonflies

Random scenery while cycling in the green forests of Angkor

Excuses for the big photo load... :)