Day 6:
- Kampot (Bokor Hill)....One of my favourite places in the world.
Gan was still ill but she felt good enough to make the trip up. We had breakfast at the guesthouse. I asked for omelette I think but a plate of fried noodles was delivered to me. Cambodian food is greasy. I didn't finish it.
They came and we left to do marketing.
The market was not very different from the wet markets here in Singapore except that they are dirtier. Vegetables would just be laid out on wet and dirty floors. I guess that is ok for marketers because they will wash their stuff before they cook it anyway.
There were live chickens and ducks all trussed up. Live fishes and a lot of other animals for culinary purposes. We just paid the money while V.Dad negotiated the purchasing. There was also one occasion where I saw a block of pig's blood. We don't have that in Singapore anymore. The last time I ate pig's blood in porridge was when I was in primary school.
I also saw a dog who had such a wide and deep gash on one of its teats that part of it was just hanging off and I saw the flesh it exposed beneath the fur gleaming like the meat that was hung up for sale. The dog probably had just been in a fight but strangely enough there was no blood and it seemed to be walking normally albeit slowly as though it had just finished a run.
Strange bustling noises and bright puddles of sunlight alternating with corners of wet dirt floor, meat strung up for sale, water dripping off corners, eyes that appear to not blink (probably because my mind captures them like a Polaroid camera and that dog was what I remembered most from the market trip.
They fit everything into the space under the seat, we stop again to buy packed lunch and water and then sped off for the hills.
It was hot. Scorching hot. I had a big cap and the breeze from being on the bike was deceiving because I could still tan horribly.
We stopped at the entrance to Bokor where Gan paid for the admission and I took the opportunity to hide from the sun while viewing the noticeboard on the conservation efforts in the park.
It was a rocky trip up. Scary on occasions. I keep envisioning the wheel slipping on a loose rock or stone which it did at times but we didn't fall because V.Dad's legs were super long and he landed on his feet before I could fall off. And so all I have to do is to make sure I sit tight on the bike and grab hold of him so I would never fall off.
We made a few stops because it was so hot. There was a look-out point after travelling up a little where settlements can be seen. And then.... V.Dad had a punctured tyre....
We had to get out and walk while Gan and his friend went to the ranger station and come back with equipments to 'rescue' us. And so he pushed his bike while I plodded along with him until we were too tired to venture anymore. There would be cars coming down and he would asked them if they had saw his friend. The answer was always affirmative but I have no idea why his friend took so long to arrive.
We ate a few fruits on occasion. There was this weird looking fruit that he called, "milk". It looked like a Pong Pong fruit and had wet white flesh with dark black seeds much like a soursop. It was sweet and its juice was white and sticky. I didn't feel like having food and so all I had was a little bit to try.
Because we were bored, he also tried juggling with two stones with one hand and twirling a stick to and fro with only the back of his thumb. Speaking of which, I think his thumb curves backward so he could take advantage of the momentum because I have no idea how he did that. I tried juggling with two stones like what he did and my stones became a weapon. Not suprisingly, I got laughed at.
His friend finally arrived with crude materials. Rubber patches and superglue along with wrenches and screwdrivers. They tried to patch it thrice. And then I was thinking about the $2 tyre patches in Daiso with dismay. I think it would be a good idea to pack it along with travel essentials next time along with my Swiss Army knife. A lighter would be a good idea too because if they only had a lighter to melt the rubber patches so it would stick firmly to the tyre, perhaps we wouldn't have taken such a long time. I think we were held back by at least 2 hours.
By the time we reached the ranger station, it was about 3 plus. Gan was napping in the bed. After confirming Gan's presence in the ranger station, I allowed myself to take in the scenery. It was incredible. There was hardly anybody there. It was quiet. Even though the sun was shining brightly, it was cool.
We had lunch, rested for a while before we took off to trek to the buildings. They look really far from the guesthouse but we reached there faster than expected.
We reached the abandoned French casino in no time. V.Dad was telling us about some grisly story on how people would jump to their death at the cliff behind the casino after they had lost a lot of money. I forgot why he told us that but to me, his tale actually added character and life to the structure.
All photos are not photo-shopped. In fact with blogging and searching though thousands of pictures for uploading, blogging about the trip has been very slow indeed. However look at the next picture of the French casino, I mean it sounds silly but I think it really calls out to me. Tell me if it does the same for you, that is if the patterns on the wall connects like those abstract art pieces...
I like this picture of Gan. As most of you can probably tell by now, I like to take pictures with backlight especially if they have rays of sun strutting across them. Not exactly shadows but enough texture and minimal colours to retain the mysterious elements without appearing too flat.
Oh and V.Dad cracked some joke about me being stupid. The moment he said that, Gan and I turned to stare at him in disbelief. Then we stared at each other in disbelief. "That sounds freaking familiar..." I said. Gan went..."YAH !!! How come every guy says that to you?!!"
Ok it's not every guy but Gan has witnessed me being verbally jabbed at before. Both of us were equally incredulous that across countries, across borders, V.Dad could say something similar to what someone around me would say....
That's V.Dad and his friend. I realise that the picture is not very flattering. I think I laid on the grass and was just trigger happy when I snapped this one. I would have deleted it except that it was one of the few pictures I have of them. I forgot to even take a picture with him... and I think I only snap him twice..both which aren't good pictures... Hah !
Ok.. I think it's just me lah.. huh.. Gan....that makes guys feel that they have to say something degrading to me.
Gan took this picture of me hugging my knees and staring off into what is supposed to be the sea but its not possible to tell because of the light. I was pretty much this way in Cambodia. If I have a chance I would just hug my knees and stare at stuff. 
And of course Gan didn't want to step foot into that place. I have no idea why. I mean I am not trying to jibe at her but seriously I cannot understand because that place just looked like a place out of a movie set to me, it wasn't scary at all. I mean look at the window, I guess some people would find it eerie. All I wondered was who broke it and when, under what circumstances?
Was it because of a storm? Fighting? Did the window finally shatter as lead character in a cast of silence at the top of the hill where no one heard it go?
I didn't take much pictures in the house. I wonder if V.Dad was nervous to be in the house too. I was ushered up to the roof where I could take in the scenery and so I realised that I hardly explored the house at all. I did not explore the house at leisure and that explained the few pictures I have from within the house.
There were cracked mosiac tiles and remmants of what should have been a finely decorated establishment. The place has obviously been left on its own for a long long time. There was nobody in the place except for a Caucasian couple reading on the roof.
The red stuff that either looked like paint if you are practical or blood if you are grisly were actually red-coloured lichens. I touched them and they were soft and dry, much like a furry coating on the house. They came off fairly easily too.
This is the view from the roof. I actually captured angel rays and once again the pictures did not do the place justice because the angel rays were clearer and the colours more vibrant.... looking at that was like looking at bliss itself.
V.Dad mentioned that the basement used to be a prison during the Khmer Rouge period. I wanted to have a look. He said that there was nothing there. We went after I suggested again.
It was darker than above. I didn't dare venture in too far into the rooms. I couldn't take any pictures either as I knew that they wouldn't turn out well. In some areas, the windows were boarded up, possibly to cut off the access of sunlight for the prisoners. There didn't seem to be anything that hinted of its last use as a prison. There was an opening near the ceiling and I wondered who had made that hole. Was it made during that time?
And so... the French casino again....sitting at the edge of the cliff where one can see the drop down until the land flattens out to the ocean...
Because the sun was setting, we left it behind...
That's us... =)
We passed by an interestingly-shaped tree...
We were originally supposed to go to the temple but we didn't have enough time and so we chose the sunset. We had to pass by a church which I would have love to explore too but there simply wasn't enough time. And I realise that this picture sucks.
Sunset was incredible. We sat right at the edge of the cliff with the wind blowing. We could see an island in the distance. Supposedly it was part of Cambodia but Vietnam claimed it for their own. At least that was what V.Dad purported. I mean looking at the map it seems logical that the island should be part of Cambodia. V.Dad informs that it is only 30 mins to the island but they cannot step foot on it and have to go through Vietnam when one cannot even see the island from Vietnam.
I guess it is just a case of stronger country versus weaker country. V.Dad also says that Cambodia is too weak and so Vietnam and Thailand takes their land. I have no idea how true that is and would probably have to read up more on that area before I can comment.
V.Dad also asked if we don't get to see sunsets in Singapore. Gan and I looked at each other and then turned to him and shook our heads. It was only then I realise that sunrise and sunsets in Cambodia was a big thing for us. We hardly get to see sunsets in Singapore because of all the buildings. Another reason was because we are so busy over here. I hardly notice it. People say that they do..*shrugs.. probably.. when they are heading in the correct direction at the correct time and notices for once or twice in the entire year how beautiful the world is and gets lost in the moment. Yeah...I experienced that.
I was transfixed every moment over there. Sunrise and sunsets were precious to me. I did not merely notice the sky lightening or darkening...I was acutely aware of the passing of time and the massive significance in the start and ending of a beautiful day.
JY was saying that I could go to the beach or somewhere to watch the sunrises and sunsets but...that makes everything too deliberate. Not to mention I probably have to do a lot of planning and pencil in to my schedule, which seems funny when you consider how small Singapore is. Of course going to Cambodia to watch them is too deliberate also. However I didn't planned to go there and watch them. It just happened that I enjoyed many beautiful sunrises and sunsets over there and that's it I guess.
Why do we have to go to such trouble to enjoy the magnificence and beauty of nature? The effort put in to enjoy sunrise and sunsets in Singapore is more than what should be required. Most of the time, I am thinking or working or catching up on rest to just bask in beauty, which says a lot about life here and over there. Over there.....hardly anything distracts you..no movies, no theatres...no internet connection....no bustle.
The French must have had a wonderful time there. It was cool like springtime in France with glorious sunsets, a great view of the ocean and beautiful haunting mists...
We left before it got too dark and it was dinner with the guys cooking and we chopping a bit but we basically watched. It was awfully cold. It was weird that we had a cooked meal while the rest of the Caucasians had instant noodles and bread.
After dinner, I felt that I had to see more of Bokor hill and so V.Dad brought me near to the cliff again so I could see the lights from the Vietnamese island. It was quite an experience, navigating the rocky roads in the dark, in slippers. However we had a torchlight with us and being quite a sam-seng girl running around the neighbourhood when I was young as well as walking the past few days in rough terrains in slippers, walking on them in the dark wasn't that tough.
We came back and lights were out at 9.30 p.m. Everbody was in bed by then. I think there was only 12 people in the ranger station out of which our group made up 4 people.
It was so quiet that music crackled from my ear phones despite that my Mp3 was at 'volume 1'. And so I gave it up.
With thoughts on how much I loved the place.... I went to sleep.
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