bright full moon on christmas eve...

the full moon was hanging in the sky last nite...caught it coincidentally while i was at the floating pontoon...had gone to the floating pontoon of Tonle Sap just before sunset yesterdae....it was christmas eve...and i would like some quiet time alone...

the tourist boat from siem reap to phnom penh...crowded!!!

on 23 dec...i took a boat from siem reap to phnom penh...the boat ride along tonle sap took 5 hrs...and we were baked under the sun from 7.30 am to 12.30pm...most of the tourists sat on the roof or front of the boat....as the inside of the boat was too caustrophobic for some....the window panes were tinted w yellow cellophane paper....so the whole boat looked orange!!! hahhaha.....i was at the front when the boat departed....after an hour on the front...when much of the scenery is gone....though on the river...it seems that the boat is out in the ocean....there is nothing except the horizon...i went inside to sleep for one hour....when some vegatation appeared...i went to the bow of the boat again....a group of farangs were sitting on the front of the boat smoking n drinking...it was so windy as the boat was travelling at some speed...but the group of farangs never give up in lighting up their cigarettes....they used watever means to ignite their cigarettes....i m not impressed by their effort....they brought a whole box of angkor beer onboard to drink too....wat a sight....i was on the front of the boat until the boat reached phnom penh....believe me...it was hot!!! i was burnt!!! but i dun wan to go inside as i dun wan to miss out on any beautiful scenery....hahhaa......

cruise along tonle sap...from siem reap to phnom penh...

scenery during the 5hr boat ride along tonle sap...

the boat arrived at phnom penh at 12.30pm...we were greeted by a sea of tuk tuk drivers asking if we needed tuk tuk....it was chaotic...imagine we were still on the boat but the tuk tuk drivers are trying to get u to board their tuks tuks...they were aggressive!!! hahaha......luckily we had arranged for a tuk tuk driver when we were in siem reap....it was easily to spot our tuk tuk driver....as he had a paper w my friend's name.....the place where we disembarked is right next to the floating pontoon where the tragic dragonboat accident happened one month ago...i could recognise that....the water looks calm.....

arriving at phnom penh tourist boat pier...

the tuk tuk drivers going all out to get tourists on their tuk tuks...

yesterdae...it was christmas eve... i visited the central market....bought 5 stalks of white crysanthemum and walked to the tonle sap....followed the river and found the floating pontoon just before sunset....walked down to the floating pontoon....the water looks calm....but the water was moving quite fast....i could tell when i saw branches with leaves moving very fast towards the pontoon.....one by one....i threw the flowers into the pontoon.......no matter how far i threw....the flowers got swept to under the pontoon within seconds.....

the moon was much bigger than wat u see on the picture...that is the biggest zoom my camera can do...

the sky was dark by then.....i walked back....n caught this big round orange eye yolk hanging low in the sky incidentally....i thot it was the sun setting as it was hanging so low n so orange....i went to the titanic restaurant which was just next to the pier and floating pontoon....wanted to find some place to sit down n write some postcards.....i checked the menu...n decided to have some finger food...though there is a special christmas buffet for USD19...i did not go for it...as i already had noodles at the central market....so i ordered fried spring rolls and chocolate ice cream shake...4 fried spring rolls for USD2...and the ice cream shake for USD2....n i sat there admiring the moon!!!yes..it was a moon n not sun....the moon was rising higher and higher into the sky....casting reflection on the river....nice!!! but then the mosquitoes were attacking my legs....i thot i could not tahan for long....but i wanna sit there longer....so i applied my axe oil from singapore.....it works!!! hahhaha....i could sit there long enough to write my postcards without feeling itchy n need to scratch....hhhaaa......titanic restaurant is actually a restaurant....but then i went there in slippers n singlet n bermudas....hahhaa.....after i had written enough postcards....i made my exit quietly....n took a motobike back to the lakeside where i stayed....so i had a really good x'mas eve with the mosquitoes and the full moon....hehhee.....

the moon moved higher n higher while i was sitting in front of it...

my meal at titanic restaurant...i was feeding myself for the mosquitoes to feed me...

this morning...i saw on CNN that the moon is actually nearest to earth since 23 dec...no wonder it looked so big....the next time this would happen again would be 9 years later....wow...so lucky that i caught it!!!! and so that was my nice, peaceful, quiet christmas eve....

merry christmas...

of siem reap n angkor wat...

along savitha road...where i am at now...at the internet cafe...

children going home on their bicycles...

sunset at siem reap...during first day in siem reap...

morning at angkor thom

faces of bayon

at poipet border...very very dusty...

still very fascinated by wat i have seen at the cambodian border before the customs office...i made my way to the customs office...there are no children or beggars approaching me....instead...this guy came to ask if we needed a taxi to go to siem reap....he quoted us USD 30 for the 3hrs ride to siem reap...my korean friend has told me that private taxi would cost USD 35...best if can get 4 persons into a taxi so that can share cost....the guy kept following us...though we did not make any commitment.....we wanted to cross the border first....the cambodian border is on the right side of the road.....it is a small building....like an entry to an underpass only....very low key.....there are 3 man working behind the glass panes at the border...but only one queue.....luckily...it was not crowded....and there are only tourists at the border....not chaotic at all....and i feel is actually quite safe....but i m still very careful w my valuables after that horrible theft at laos border...the border crossing was quite smooth except that the immigrattion officer is unable to scan the bar code of my passport after trying many many times....he had to key the numbers in manually....crossed the border successfully!!! and walked out to look for private taxi to siem reap....i must say the area after the cambodian border is very very dusty....the roads are dirt roads....n when heavy vehicles or push carts crossed...the cloud of dust lingers in the air.......

border crossing from thailand to cambodia...

arrived in cambodia on 18 dec 2007 at 11.30 a.m...

had crossed the border from thailand...actually departed from bangkok...my thai friend...tum had sent me to the mochit northern bus station in bangkok early in the morning at 6am on 18 dec...had bought the 7am bus ticket to the thai border town of aranya prathet the day before...the bus from bangkok travelled for 4 hours before i reached the thai border town of aranya prathet...the bus stopped a few times to pick up and alight passengers...i was sleeping on n off throughout the bus ride and wake up once the bus stopped....at aranya prathet...once we alighted at 11am....there are many tuk tuks waiting to bring people to the thai border which is 6km away...each tuk tuk costs 80 baht according to my korean friend....i also asked a tuk tuk driver to confirm...and it is indeed 80 baht.....when the tuk tuk reached the border...it actually stopped at 100 m away from the border...the tuk tuk driver called out to a guy to inform about his "prey"....the guy ran up to ask if we needed visa to cambodia....we told no need....he asked where are we from...we told that we are from singapore....then he asked us if we want to fill up some forms over at his tent...we told "no"....we would cross the border on our own....he said....u sure u want to cross by yourselves???....we said ..yes....if we go to his tent....means he would get $$$$ from us later.....my korean friend has warned me against this scam already.....and it is happening exactly how my korean friend describe to me......when we leave...we saw some farangs filling up the visa forms at his sheltered tent....wonder how much more the farangs are gg to pay for their visa.....the tuk tuk driver actually wanted to charged me 100 baht...but i said the previous tuk tuk driver at the same place which we came from already told me is 80 baht....i said it should be 80 baht...and passed him my money which i have already prepared exactly.....he had nothing to say....and so we make our way to the border...the border is on the left side of the path...surprisingly there r not much tourists at the thai border at that time...may be many are still on their way...the clearance was quite fast...

once we are crossed the thai border....the kingdom of cambodia greeted us...immediately...u can see street children...a lot of huge push carts...children...adults...are busy pushing the push carts....the children are in dirty clothes...some are not in any clothes...the cambodian people are busy at the border!!!on the other hand....new modern buildings...which are actually hotels and casinos formed the backdrop....wat an irony and mismatch!!!!!cambodia is a whole new whole!!!!

internet cafe along savitha street...

sunrise at angkor wat..

am in a internet cafe in siem reap...waiting for my fotos to be downloaded so that i can burn them in CDs..memory card is full after 3 days of angkor wat temples visit...there is only one shop which i can burn CDs in siem reap...that is opposite Neak Pean Hotel along Savitha road...went to ask how much it would cost to burn a CD...the lady said USD 3...i said i have 1 CD of my own and how much would it cost...she did not reply me...my memory card is 2G...n i need at least 3 CDs...which would be USD9....the shop dun sell DVDs....in the end....i decided not to burn at that shop...walked further down...n found a supermarket...there are blank CDs selling at USD0.65 at the supermarket...so i bought 2....in fact the last 2 CDs on display....in case i reallie to back up my fotos at phnom penh where i would be going tmlo....then i walked further...n found this huge internet cafe...on the door...it says...call..scan...fax...burn CDs...i went to ask how much it costs to burn CDs...and told i have my own CDs...the guy at work asked if i m burning myself...i said yes...then he said then i have to use the internet for rate of USD0.75 per hour...i am thinking...why not???....so here i m...using the internet to burn CDs...at the same time...i can update my long lost blog....