… fumbling about and around the Kingdom. Never felt so happy and so lost at the same time.
Sunsets like this make it really hard to leave the beach. Just look at those colours at Occheuteal Beach – with the golden rays from the setting sun that are starting to spread across the sky. I took this photo with a couple of photo-bombers who seem to be enjoying the view as much as I am. Sunsets in Sihanoukville never disappoint!
More fantastic photos of the sky at Skywatch Friday.
Before the Khmer New Year this year, my boss (who is based in Battambang province) swung by the Phnom Penh Programme Office for his regular check in. On his last night in Phnom Penh, we had a staff dinner and, unlike other well-funded NGOs, ours was a split-the-bill-evenly kind of situation. But hey, our budget woes didn’t stop the good times!
Southeast Asia has a fantastic tradition when it comes to beer: it’s all about camaraderies and laughter. Picture this: a bunch of people around a table laden with food, karaoke, mugs or cans of beer in hand, ready to clink glasses and celebrate. As an expat in Cambodia, one thing that really caught my eye (and my funny bone a few times) was how they toast here. It’s a whole different ball game to what I’m used to back home (and probably everywhere else!).
In Cambodia, for starters, beer comes with an endless supply of ice (genius in the heat!) and often a straw for, I don’t know, maybe some added fun experience. When it’s time to toast, or chol muoy (one sip), as they call it locally, forget the usual clink-sip routine. It’s a ritual that’s about more than just a drink.
Here’s the fun (and sometimes slightly overwhelming) part: cheering is a huge part of the beer-drinking experience. In Cambodia, saying chol moy with every sip is pretty much the norm. So, you take a swig, everyone else follows suit (and vice versa). But the twist? Every time someone raises their mug for a toast, you have to do the same – and it happens a LOT, which can be quite amusing (or slightly annoying) for a newbie in Cambodia. Imagine you just finished raising your mug and half-way through taking a sip when another one decides to chol muoy again, and so on – hah, you get the picture! And forget about a simple raise of your glass – those mugs and cans got to clink for a proper cheer!
Each clink is like an invitation to share stories, have a laugh, and build memories together. It’s a beautiful way of celebrating the sense of community that is at the heart of Cambodian beer-drinking culture. And, as I looked around the table that night, I saw this incredible mix of people and thought about how similar and yet different we are at the same time, united by the universal language of cheers.
So, as we sat down with our boss that night, we raised our mugs to the moments that bring us together, to the challenges that push us to do our best work, to the traditions that make us smile, and to the quirky customs that remind us – especially expats like me – that sometimes it’s the little things that make life in a foreign country truly delightful. Chol muoy!
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This is my first post to the weekly My Corner of the World link up.
Years ago, I wrote about a few trips to Kampot province but never made it to Phnom Bokor (Bokor Mountain) and to Wat Sampov Pram (Sampov Pram Temple, or the Five Boats Temple). I somehow missed this beauty until recently – I finally checked it off my list, and let me tell you, it was incredible!
The first thing that struck me was the temple itself. Built by King Monivong, it’s an ancient beauty showcasing Buddhist architecture built with gorgeous red-bricks (and now lichen-covered) that stand out against the lush green surroundings. The location is in the most stunning background you can imagine – right on the edge of a cliff that used to be part of a fancy French colonial resort area called Bokor Hill Station back in the 1920s.
The best part, though, was definitely the view from the top. It was a clear day when I (and my work colleagues) visited, and I couldn’t believe my eyes. The contrast between the vibrant green jungle, the shimmering blue Gulf of Thailand, and even a glimpse of Vietnam’s Pu Quoc Island from the distance was unreal! Click the photo to enlarge. The beauty of this place deserves to be captured with a higher quality camera. On the way up, we even spotted some wild monkeys chilling in the trees – not sure they were too happy about us tourists, though!
Bokor Hill Station itself has a fascinating history. It used to be a glamorous escape for the elite Khmers and French back in the 1920s, complete with a fancy hotel, casino (I’ll save this story for another post!), and even a Catholic church. Unfortunately, things took a turn during the civil war, and the whole place got abandoned in disrepair.
These days, it is in a bit of a mixed-bag. In 2015(ish), constructions started to transform it into a modern resort. What I saw that day of my visit was – let’s say – a work in progress. There were tons of unfinished buildings and villas that give it a more of a ghost-town vibe than a luxurious retreat. But even with the development chaos, Wat Sampov Pram stands strong as a beautiful piece of history and a must-see when visiting Kampot. Plus, the cooler mountain air is a welcome change from the Cambodian heat below.
Visit other Skywatchers this week and see other incredible sky photos.