A sneaky private viewing of Ta Prohm

We heard the news that some of the trees were being removed or cut back at the famous 'Tomb Raider' Temple - Ta Prhom. Read more here. As I hadn't seen it before we decided to rush up there one evening.

"You cannot create experience. You must undergo it." - Albert Camus

Almost as soon as you turn out of our office area the tree lined street gives way to jungle and countryside. The air is cleaner and you know you are out of the city.

"I love the feeling of the fresh air on my face and the wind blowing through my hair." - Evel Knievel

We drove for around half an hour to get to the temple we wanted to see. After 5.30pm you can get in for free, but we were scared we were a bit too late. Luckily after some convincing the guard agreed we could take a photo with the most famous tree and in we went.

"The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see nature all ridicule and deformity... and some scarce see nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself." - William Blake

We took our pictures of 'the tree'... 

"Consider a tree for a moment. As beautiful as trees are to look at, we don't see what goes on underground - as they grow roots. Trees must develop deep roots in order to grow strong and produce their beauty. But we don't see the roots. We just see and enjoy the beauty. In much the same way, what goes on inside of us is like the roots of a tree." - Joyce Meyer

...but then decided to have a bit more of a look around and went all over... 

...even the restricted bits due to them working on the trees....

We had the place pretty much to ourselves and only briefly saw two other people. It was so quiet and relaxing and nice to be in nature.

As we had to visit quickly and leave soon we ran around taking pictures really quickly!

I love the doorways and corridors in these temples...

...the carvings...

...and the trees growing out of everything...

Simply a stunning place!

Couldn't resist just a few more of this tree!

And then it was time to leave...

...these amazing carvings were in the stone walls outside the temples. It really is a stunning archaeological feat!

We passed a few more temples and giant archways with stone faces. 

We also drove past the guard and his family, who clearly didn't mind that we had been in there ages.

We also passed Bayon temple, which I look forward to returning to. And a small temple where a monk was lighting candles, so beautiful and peacful in the dark in the middle of nowhere.

"It is nice finding that place where you can just go and relax." - Moises Arias

It was very dark as we drove back and my hungry friend wanted some chicken, so we stopped and had chicken and rice.

The BBQ chicken comes with tamarind, chili sauce, lime salt and pepper mix and we eat it all with our fingers.

We laughed and relaxed the whole trip and enjoyed sneaking about round the temples. Just what we needed on a Tuesday evening!

Here is my friends account  http://kimsrudailylife.weebly.com/

"We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open." - Jawaharlal Nehru

Some conversations should give you indigestion!

The food in Cambodia is tasty and largely cheap with many cuisines available. Apart from Khmer (Cambodian) food there are also many influences from immigrants and nearby countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, China and France. In addition as Siem Reap is very touristy is so easy to get Italian, Mexican, Japanese, Sushi, steak or 'western food' [whatever that's defined as].

I like the Khmer food, it can be mildly spiced, but not too bad, and has some great subtle flavours (lemongrass, coconut milk, hot basil, tamarind). There are many things which will be familiar to you like fried rice or noodles, green or red curries, spring rolls (fresh and fried) BBQ chicken and rice. There will also be things that you have never heard of like amok - a mildly spicy, almost soufflé of fish / chicken coconut creamy curry and beef lok lak - sliced / cubed beef served in a sort of gravy with cucumber and tomato slices and often a fried egg on top. Breakfast is often fried noodles or rice and if a meal doesn't contain rice the Khmer people don't feel like they have eaten, Instead of saying 'lets go eat lunch' they will often say ' lets go eat rice' ['Nham baai']. Sometimes I go to the market for my breakfast and have Locha and Nom Ca Chaai (udon noodles, beansprout, cabbage, and a fried egg with a rice flour patty with spring onion in the centre) - I admit I haven't sold it well, but its delicious (although that could be the MSG ;0). There is lots of Chinese influence - chicken and cashew, sweet and sour, dim sums and also Vietnamese influence with things like pho and Banh hoi (rice noodles, meat, herbs and spring rolls).

"I have an enormous fondness for delicious food. It's very comforting." - Teri Garr

Before I came to Cambodia I joined the Siem Reap F&B (Food and Beverage) group in the hope of eating in some nice places, drinking some cocktails and meeting some interesting people, and I have certainly done all three. I have already told you about at least one of our events, so here are a few more..

"Food is our common ground, a universal experience." - James Beard

"Wine is bottled poetry." - Robert Louis Stevenson

We work it so that between eight of us say five starters and five mains and some deserts are ordered and we share everything - we always have fun and delicious food, but sometimes the dishes divide better than others!

The next dinner was at L'Annexe French Restaurant, where we shared pizza style breads, lamb, duck, chicken and deserts. The food was really lovely, as was the service and I will definitely return!

A couple of weeks later our Food and Bev group organiser - who is also a baker and lives with a German chef - had a house-warming party at their house. This was great fun and like trying several restaurants / bars at once as we had the bakers bread, the German chefs roast chicken and pork (which he delivers on a Sunday all round Siem reap), some infused sombai from a local seller and delicious eclairs from a local hotel where one of the guests works, all in one spot - great fun. We have recently found out that our lovely hosts from that evening will open a restaurant at their house soon - very exciting!

"If you really want to make a friend, go to someone's house and eat with him... the people who give you their food give you their heart." - Cesar Chavez

The next Food and Bev night out was at a  Rumah Mas (Indonesian set menu). 

Here we ordered three sets of food between six of us and definitely did not receive enough, the portions were also really hard to split as some came in banana leaf parcels, and others were things like chicken wings. 

[Fish parcels in banana leaf - hard to divide into two!]

We  did get a soup each, with a quails egg in it, the size of which caused much hilarity and disconcerted- ness and we concluded it looked like an egg, smelled like and egg and tasted like an egg, only very small!

"It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad." - C. S. Lewis

 More noteable than the food was definitely the company and the stories told. I had been inappropriately propositioned by a stranger on the riverside earlier in the day, which promoted a lot of girly gossipy stories (5 girls and 1 guy out for dinner what was to be expected) the hilarity only got more interesting when the chap in question walked into the restaurant to have dinner with his mate! Creepy!

Mid September was a sad time as one of my good friends, colleagues and also a Food and Bev member left Siem Reap. In order to drown our sorrows we headed to Raffles for delicious cocktails on one of her last nights here. I have to say, they know how to make a caipirinha at Raffles!

The latest outing was to a place called Mahob (Khmer food). The food here was really excellent, this is the fancy end of Khmer food - try the beef lok lak, its truly great!

Beef Lok Lak

Curry in a coconut

Again, more notable than the food was the entertainment, with inappropriate conversation dominating - you probably had to be there to appreciate the amount of times a certain someone inserted the words 'boom boom' into a sentence - I wonder if he had heard of basil brush?

"Laughter is brighter where food is best" - Irish Proverb

I have to say, I love the Food and Bev group - I joined at the start of my time here, when it was in its phoenix resurrection stage after a quiet period and have now made some great friends and met some truly interesting characters through the experience. We have also eaten in some great places, but this in some ways has now almost become secondary for me as the company is so much fun! 

[Hoping I don't get kicked out for saying that ;0)]

"So long as you have food in your mouth, you have solved all questions for the time being." - Franz Kafka

A final note - most of these pics are from our Food and Bev group host who religiously keeps us organised, meeting up and photographs our food [and antics] and writes up the experiences in comic detail, so I hope he doesn't mind me borrowing these photos. In addition he is a great baker and organises lovely catering with his business partner all around town and their info can be found here: Siem Reap Bakerei and Cambodia Catering Comapny. For those of you who live in Siem Reap they sell food at the Shinta Marni Markets at the weekend - Yum!

"When I eat with my friends, it is a moment of real pleasure, when I really enjoy my life." - Monica Bellucci