Cambodia - Muslim Family Restaurant / Siem Reap Night Market

Assalamualaikum. Chomreabsuor!

Previous post (here).

Petang tu, lepas settled segala urusan kami pun keluar. Janji sama Zack jam 7pm. Sekalinya, dia memang tengah tunggu kami di luar pagar hostel masa kami keluar tu. Bagus! Janji ditepati. Senyum lebar masing² sebab ndak payah tunggu lama. 

Before any kegiatan beli-terbelah; haruslah perlu jamu perut. Kita makan dulu! Lapar! Last kami jamah makanan pagi tadi. And it was breakfast. Lunch kami skipped sebab kunun confident masih kenyang lepas breakfast al-heavy. 

Dinner di Muslim Family Restaurant; located just behind Siem Reap mosque. Nasib juga masa sampai di restoran, jemaah baru habis solat Maghrib di masjid. Kalau sampai ngam² waktu solat, habislah malu sebab ketara perangai haru.

Once Zack parked his tuk tuk; terus para piranha serbu masuk restoran. Zass! And the owner greeted us as we walked to our table. Eh, sudah siap setting. Wah ini sudah bagus. Masa tengah fikir apa mau dibaham for dinner, barulah si Zack buka mulut. Rupanya dia sudah siap² order menu dinner kami. Hmm macam tau jaklah kan kami memang kebulur. No wonder siap setting meja bagai. Ndak kisah pun apa dia order for our dinner. Belasah jaklah, janji sedap & kenyang. Paling penting menu utama; daging lembu naik bukit tu ada. Of courselah dia ndak lupa, menu 'wajib' katanya.

28 January 2015
Muslim Family Restaurant, Siem Reap

# Apart from Khmer foods, Muslim Family Restaurant also serves Thai & Malay foods. Tapi sudah datang jauh², haruslah Khmer food yang diutamakan.

# Pantang nampak signal wifi! 

Sambil tunggu order sampai, haruslah layan telefon. Semua pakat jadi anti-social. Dasar! One thing about Cambodia that we love. Teruslah love kan?! Every restaurant provide free wifi. Super fast speed pula tu. Ndak kedekut password of course. Unlike di KK ni, bila minta password memanjang alasan manager in charge cuti. Wifi signal corrupted lah. Yadda yadda. Dasar kemut!

# Proses masak daging lembu naik bukit or volcano meat barbecue. Ada staff restaurant yang tolong masak. Kami tinggal makan jak. Gigihlah staff tu masak untuk kami yang kelaparan, siap habis gas bagai. 

# Yums! Zack also ordered tom yum, kangkong belacan & omelette for us. Selain main dish tu. 

And masa makan tu memang semua suddenly diam. Sebab? Semua bersungguh menikmati hidangan konsepnya. Perut kan lapar gila. Kalau sibuk bercakap nanti orang lain kebas lauk. Gitu kan perangai kedekut. I forgot the total amount for the dinner but if I'm not mistaken each of us pay less than USD 10. Murah & sedap; harus semua puas hati. Bila perut sudah kenyang barulah ada mood untuk meredah night market. Tomorrow night kami bakal berangkat pi Phnom Penh so we only have that night to explore the infamous night market. Sebenarnya cuma alasan sebab bas tu bertolak tengah malam pun just that risau if kami terlebih exhausted lepas explore Angkor Wat complex; nanti tiada mood untuk bernight-market. Hakikatnya? Kita tengok jaklah what happened hari esoknya.

Our supir service ended after dinner; around 8pm. So kami minta jasa baik Zack & his friend to dropped us at the night market. Walkertapaki lah balik hostel, macam ndak biasa kan. Peta night market & direction balik hostel memang aku sudah save dalam fon prior the trip. Preparation kataku! Elak panic attack in case ndak jumpa jalan pulang. 

# Where Zack dropped us. Depan new night market katanya.

# Bought few of these for Bunda. Beli jiwa adalah penting especially bila beliau ditinggalkan di rumah & hanya mampu cuci mata tengok gambar aku through facebook.

Di sini juga aku beli postcards & fyi, ada few gerai yang jual stamps. Aku ndak ingat which gerai but it is somewhere at the new night market. Just ask the vendors. 

# Katanya penguat tenaga batin untuk sang lelaki. Uhuh! Siapa sanggup minum? 

# The new night market area.

Aku berjaya rembat 7 helai pants di sini. That kinda pants yang aku suka pakai bila travel pi negara beriklim panas *puke*. The price is super cheap compared to the ones in KK so haruslah aku memborong. Actually mau tambah lagi hasil belian tapi nasib baik Ms C ketuk kepala bagi sedar diri. Ngek! Bukan selalu aku lupa diri kan. Normally lupa diri beli bread & cakes but this time mata bersinar kilauan bintang. Favourita!

Moving from the new area to the old area, we bumped into this stall. Semua excited gila sebab nampak fresh juice harga USD 1 only! Even mixed fruits juice pun harga tetap sama. Maka berhentilah kami depan gerai ni, semua pun mau merasa jus di bumi Kampuchea walaupun baru lepas dinner meriah. Dessert lah kira ni sebab aku ndak jumpa coffee shop so plan mengeteh adalah cancelled. 

# Muka happy sebelum kejadian epik jadi. 

Gigihkan sabar menanti order masing². Si Err tu belum tau lagi apa menanti dia lepas minum jus tu.

# Mine! Banana + Papaya. Sedap melantun! Simply delicious yet 'very lethal' to my system! Sedih ok sedih.

Lepas habis aku hirup semua jus tu, suddenly rasa ting tong. Jalan pun macam terumbang-ambing. Terus rasa mau membeli pun terbelah. Window shopping pun lagilah ndak selera. The rest still cergas singgah tiap gerai, siap survey harga jed ok. Aku pula dalam proses kaunseling diri sendiri. Kena maintain waras sebab kesian lah kalau aku bawa balik hostel seawal tu. Diorang pun belum puas berjalan cuci mata. So, aku gagahkan diri berjalan. Kaki rasa berat gila; as if both my ankles were chained! I toured around the night market area with all the strength I had left. Gitu kan ayat. 

Worst part was I feel asleep while standing up. Terlelap for few good minutes oii! I wondered what the lady put in my juice sampai aku rasa ngantuk tahap dewa! Ndak pernah kejadian aku rasa ngantuk macam tu sekali. Like, seriously. Itu adalah kronik sebab aku bukan jenis yang kalah sama rasa mengantuk.  

# Yes u read that right. USD 1 for 45 minutes of foot reflexology. Sambil kena massage, boleh online sebab wifi kan free. Tetttt.

# Signboard direction to Old Night Market.

# Dalam half 'mamai', masih alert sama nama sendiri. 

Thankfully the rest decided to go back after nearly two hours at the night market. Time to recharged ourselves for we have a super duper early schedule tomorrow. Paling happy saat ini adalah si Err! Finally! Balik hostel! Jumpa katil! Ouh chimdae, bogoshipo! 

# Alley leading to the Pub Street

Initial plan was to explore the Pub Street; mau tengok Aksaray Dance show for free. Yet considering keadaan diri yang super unstable...baiklah forego plan tu. Risaulah kan aku buat scene ndak pasal² ada yang jadi headline paper esok pagi. 

# Pulang marilah pulang.

Sebelum sampai hostel, sempat singgah convenient store beli shampoo & wet tissue. And mineral water. Takut ada kehausan di tengah malam. 

Sampai hostel, lampu semua sudah tutup. Owner hostel sempat tanya kami mau keluar lagi ka ndak. Sebab kalau mau keluar, dia akan bagi kami lock key untuk pintu depan. Ouh memang tidak akan keluar! Mata aku sudah macam kena stapler. Jiwa pun sudah rasa di awang²an. Maybe macam ni perasaan orang tengah high, kan. Gitu ayat macam pernah khayal. But seriously, I'm not kidding. Memang time tu rasa badan ringan gila untuk melayang tapi mata super berat untuk dibuka.

And malam tu aku tidur dengan paling lena. All I could remember was, once kami masuk bilik...aku bersihkan diri. Then I straightaway jumped on the bed. Next thing I knew, Ms H woke me up for Subuh prayer. Penangan banana+papaya juice USD 1! Paling ndak boleh blah statement Ms H.

"Selama jalan sama si Err, jarang aku nampak dia tidur. Sebab malam bila aku mau tidur, dia masih sibuk berlaundry or main fon. Pagi aku bangun, dia sudah siap mandi & breakfast. Tapi trip ni kali...memang dalam sejarah!"

Aku 'mabuk' jus pujaan hati kamurang lah wei! Pelik juga semua maintain waras lepas minum jus tu, aku sorang jak yang lari dari landasan. Truth is, malam tu belum tau punca aku ngantuk-tiada-terbendung. It's only after the helicopter incident the next day that we concluded the affect the juice did to my body system. Simply unbelievable tapi itulah kenyataan. Sobs.

Haru betul kejadian first day di sana. Yet again, that's what make this trip memorable. At least, ada something out of the ordinary happened. Balik Malaysia, boleh kasi ketawa diri sendiri.

eryantierdabdulkarim

Cambodia - Killing Field Memorial, Siem Reap / Cambodia Cultural Village

Assalamualaikum. Chomreabsuor!

Agak al-lembab lah mau buka blog sekarang ni. Tiap jam mata macam mau terkatup jak. Ntah apa yang aku buat sampai 24jam rasa ngantuk jak. Ndak kan jet lag lagi kan. P to the Yo sangat kalau betul.

Ok sambungan dari previous post (here).

Lepas lebih kurang 20 minit Zack 'drive' atas jalan berdebu; we arrived at this place. Dalam perjalanan tu sempatlah lagi kan aku tertidur. Quality nap kataku! Sebelum pi killing field yang lagi besar di Phnom Penh, kami jejak di sini dulu.

Masa Zack masuk pi tempat ni, aku still blur sebab memang aku ndak tanya mana lagi dia mau bawa kami lepas dari Senteur workshop tu. So bila turun dari tuk tuk, aku nampak banyak pura di sebelah kanan. And Buddha's statues on my left side. It was when Zack mentioned Killing Field Memorial then I eventually awoke from my daydream. Teruk betul kan perangai kau Bie.

Tempat ni tidak 'seglamour' compared to the one in Phnom Penh. Masa tu pun cuma ada few tourist. And memang aku tiada list down pun dalam itinerary kami. Considering we have plenty of free time before we enter the Cultural Village; so why not melawat this place kan. Not to play tourist tapi sekadar mau tau details about Cambodia's tragic past.

The bones including the clothes found in the field were gathered & placed in the stupa near the Buddhist monastery. There's a donation box near the stupa. And a notice board that stated;

"These collected bones are from the innocent people who were brutally killed by the Pol Pot Regime in 1975-1979. We do not have enough money to build a proper memorial for these innocent people. The world once stood by & let the demented dictator murdered 100,000 in four years. Now we can help provide comfort to these dear departed soul with your donation."

28 January 2015

Wat Thyme (Killing Field Memorial)

# This Killing Field Memorial is also known as Wat Thmey by the local.

# Pura or graves just after entering the field.

# Cruel yet true. The evil Khmer Rouge not only toiled the Cambodian people to work but they killed 25% of the population. Some died from starvation, forced labor or worst; massacred! 

# List of donors outside the stupa.

# Skulls & bones of the victims of the Killing Field were laid to rest in the stupa. On top of one another. 

# Inside the Cambodian Historical Photo Museum
Collection of drawings as narrated by one of the survivor. 

# A tragic remainder of Pol Pot regime madness indeed.

# Houses built on the killing field. Something I cannot imagine IF I were asked to live here. Even near the vicinity pun harus aku reject serta merta.

Sebenarnya ada more than 90 killing field sites di Cambodia ni. Gila kan. In just 4 years, regime bijak ni berjaya membunuh almost 3 million lives. Murders happened everywhere in the country during their reign. Tapi yang paling banyak adalah di detention centers & Wat Thmey was one of it.  This memorial area is worth a visit although ndak lah luas & besar mana. In my opinion, to appreciate this country's beauty; its tragic past shall not be disregarded. Pasal tu aku ndak regret pun datang tempat ni. Bersyukur Malaysian ndak pernah berdepan situasi kejam begitu; walaupun kita pernah dijajah.

After touring the area in which ndaklah sampai sejam pun kami di sana; we made our move to the next destination. Yang ditunggu untuk terjah since morning. Banyak buat aktiviti kill-time semata mau masuk tempat tu on time. Ntah lah kenapa si Zack cakap boleh masuk 2pm onwards walhal aku tengok di website; CCV ni buka jam 9am. 

Cambodian Cultural Village

# Entrance to Cambodian Cultural Village, Siem Reap.
Entrance Fee: USD 15 per adult

# Refer to this board for list of show program; as per Zack. 

Sebab kami sampai tu pun sudah jam 2pm (++) so ndak lah sempat posing banyak di luar village. Lepas beli tiket, ambil group photo depan map CCV...terus kami masuk dalam. Kunun ndak mau terlepas the 230pm show. 

# CCV ni boleh tahan luas. Dengan bahang matahari lagi, memang sempat mandi peluh on the way to the New Theater. 

Sebenarnya ada taman sepanjang jalan pi teater tu. And kalau aku ndak main terjah & jalan ikut lorong² kecil dalam taman ni, memang aku ndak kan tau ada mini replicas of Cambodia's landmark buildings. Hampas betul. Yang recreated homes tu memanglah nampak dari jauh sebab gedabak pun. Yang mini replica tu? Luckily gatal kaki mau explore.

# Recreated home of the Khmer people. 

# Central Market in Phnon Penh

# Ancient street lights.

# Masuk dalam ni adalah nikmat! Sebab sejuk & redup.
The first show we watched was the Mixed Khmer Traditional show.

Pastu sempat terlentok while layan the show dalam teater ni! Faktor usia mempengaruhi. Segagah mana pun semangat untuk explore Siem Reap, tetaplah ndak mampu lawan kemampuan diri yang makin 'mereput'. Tabahlah! 

The show lasted for 40 minutes; if I'm not mistaken. Next, Charming of Phahum at the mini-theater. Located few hundred meters from the new theater. Pastu baru perasan, as the crowds moved to the next location...penari tu semua pun gerak bersama. Rupanya group yang sama akan entertain kami. Cuma costumes diorang jaklah bertukar². 

# Group photo! One for the album gitu.

To be honest, semua ni sudah worn out tahap maksima. But as I always say, time is golden when we travel. Penat boleh layan malam nanti. Pulun lah tidur sampai Subuh tiada siapa melarang.

# Same dancers; different costume & choreography. Layan!

Habis second show tu, semua pun gerak pi Millionaire House. Untuk Khmer Wedding Ceremony show pula. 

# Lalu jambatan atas man-made lake ni to get to the next show venue.

# Before the show started. Ms G macam galah bolehlah menyelit tengok the ceremony. Cis!

Sebab keadaan dalam rumah tu a bit crowded, pastu ketinggian aku pula boleh tahan rendang...haruslah aku gave up awal. Terus turun dari rumah tu & explore kawasan sekitar. Ndak boleh jalan jauh sebab Ms G was still in the house. Yang lain? Pun putus asa macam aku. Sambil tu carilah surau untuk solat jama'. Before masuk tu aku tanya Zack ada tempat solat kah dalam CCV ni. Dengan muka penuh confident dia bagitau, surau dalam tu lagi besar. Siap ada toilet & telekung bagai. Ok, lega!

Bila nampak building yang serupa masjid dekat Millionaire House, haruslah aku happy. Ndak payah susah payah tanya orang mana surau. Ada depan mata. Tapi! Hampa seribu kali hampa as we got nearer to the so-called surau. Turned out it was actually one of those model house (Cham Village). Ingatkan lah boleh solat sebab ada paip tepi building ni. Sekali tengok lantai yang berhabuk tebal 1000 inches; & telekung pun nan hado; terus cancelled niat. Sobs. 

# Model house of the Cham Village

After the wedding ceremony, the crowd then moved to the Chinese Village for the Mixed Traditional Chinese show. 

# People getting ready at the Chinese Village.

Masa ni kami ndak join duduk sudah. And we also skipped 3 other shows. We decided to roam freely. Ikut jaklah map di board that can be found easily in this village.

# Mula mau masuk sini tapi bila tau kena bayar different fee, semua laju jak menggeleng. Dasar cheapskate kan!

We managed to explored few places before we headed to the Wax Museum. Sebenarnya wax museum ni is the first place right after entering CCV; but we purposely skipped the museum & decided to enter before we exited the village. Kiranya, ni last place dalam CCV yang kami masuk. 

The dioramas in the museum gave us some sense of Cambodia history. Its exhibition comprises well known personalities of Cambodia including the King & Queen, monks & tv celebrities. Sayang jugalah sebab aku tengok wax museum ni macam a bit dated. 

# The King Norodom & Queen Sisowat. Gigih baca plaque kan.

# Famous classical singer in 1865. Fuh ini memang legend!

# Setup of an ideal & wealthy Khmer family. Kategori orang ado²lah dulu ni.

# One of Cambodian famous actress in the 90's. Don't ask me her name. Ngeks.

Ada banyak lagi wax statues dalam ni. Ada jak aku ambil gambar semua tapi macam kureng sesuailah untuk publish sini. Suddenly mode ustajah kan. Kategori 18SX sangat gitu. Yang tu mostly tunjuk lifestyles orang dulu kala; zaman Angkorian as the plaque said. Zaman yang masih pakai cawat dari kulit kayu & all. Jadi biarlah simpan dalam album sendiri. Tayang sikit sudahlah kan.

# Apsara Sampeah
Khmer style to bid farewell & thanks guest who watched the shows. 

With that last wax statue, maka kami pun angkat kaki keluar dari village ni. Supposedly semua habis by 6pm tapi sebab banyak shows kami skipped so memang awal kami keluar. Supir Ms C & Ms P sedia menanti...tapi si Zack hilang dari pandangan. Pandai kan dia balik rumah, rest & mandi manda dulu katanya. Kami yang berbedak debu ni? Nasiblah ndak lama pun tunggu dia; in less than 10 minutes he came. Ramos tetap maintain gitu.

Aku terus suruh dia hantar kami balik hostel dulu. Sebab aku sudah start rimas dengan diri sendiri. Ketibas to the max! Lagipun belum solat. Betterlah selesaikan yang wajib dulu baru fikir next activity. On the way tu sempat layan matahari mau terbenam. Memang lawa betul bentuk matahari di bumi Cambodia ni. Bulat; perfect. Tapi as usual, aku memang failed total bab ambil gambar matahari bulat ni. Mesti warna lari! Ndak apalah, simpan dalam kepala sendiri jak imej nan perfect tu.

# My first sunset in the Kingdom of Cambodia.

Alhamdulillah sempat sampai hostel before Maghrib. Lega oii lepas bersiram. Barulah otak boleh berfikir dengan jelas & waras. So what is next? Dinner lah kan. Kehendak perut harus dilayan! Bab night market boleh put on hold sebab mood pasti ke laut kalau perut meragam. 

Terus imagine rupa lembu naik bukit! Selama ni baca di blog orang jak; kali ni giliran lidah sendiri merasa. For that, kita sambung next entry. Tabahlah kan, baru Day 1 pun sudah 2 entries. Ntah bila lah habis cerita Cambodia ni. 

eryantierdabdulkarim