Before I speak of the fun times with Ang and co, I must quickly tell you about the Khmer BBQ street food that we had. Just like the temple hawkers, each owner of the many street restaurants is DESPERATE for your attention, thrusting menus in your face as you walk past, some even grabbing you and seating you at a table. We were accosted by one such owner, but half willingly; we were curious about this ‘Khmer BBQ’ we’d seen offered around town. I’m so glad we tried it: for $3, you get your own silver conical BBQ: pointed in the middle with a moat around the outside. She places a pork-fat chunk on the top, butter on the pointed part, and water around the outside. Noodles and veggies are plopped into the boiling water, beef strips and prawns are placed onto the buttered-pointed part, and away you go! I couldn’t believe how delicious it was; I don’t think Patrick and I left any part untouched!
OK, now for the REALLY fun part! After visiting some grossly overpriced floating markets (a lot of money for so little), we thought that we’d be saying goodbye to Ang. However, he invited us for lunch at his house; of course we excitedly accepted. Rolling a mat under his stilted hut, he gave us some delicious chicken soup, as well as a fair few beers. We were lucky enough to meet his family: his 18-year old wife (by arranged marriage), his one-and-a-half year old son, John (an unusual name for a Cambodian child), his brother Sidou (the most smiley person, with the most perfect smile, I’ve ever seen) and his mother-in-law (who lived in a room below the house). And then we were joined by his fun-loving friends, Aree (which apparently means ‘fly’ in Cambodian; he’s a real party-animal), an English teacher who was allergic to beer, and another young guy who I can’t remember the name of, but who was topless and wearing a farmer-style straw hat. For hours, we chatted about their lives, our lives, occasionally clinking our glasses together and shouting ‘CHOW MOI!’ (cheers, or literally, ‘one glass bang’). As I danced with Aree to ‘Boom Boom Pow’, Ang suddenly said ‘I’m sorry (he starts every sentence with that- very sweet)…you want to come to hip-hop club with us?’ Of course, we cried! We’ve experienced the Thailand clubbing scene…now let’s see how Cambodians party!
 |
| Sidou and Patrick |
 |
| Straw-Hat-Topless Guy and Aree |
 |
| Ang's wife with John |
|
 |
| Ang with John |
When Ang picked us up later that evening, we were thrilled to see that the whole crew had come along: Aree, Sidou, Straw-Hat-Topless guy (what was his bloody name??). The club wasn’t exactly banging for the first hour; apart from a few guys lurking in the shadows, we were the only ones in there. The music didn’t help- as much as I love Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Because of You’ and S Club 7’s ‘Never Had A Dream Come True’, they didn’t really add to the party atmosphere. For a while, we were just swaying and shouting ‘chow moi!’ whenever anybody placed a drink to their lips. Then, with the power of 50 Cent, the mood went from polite drinking to crazy dancing in a split second. Aree showed us he was the dancing king by teaching me a plethora of dance moves, ranging from Pulp Fiction inspired ones (think V-sign dragged across the face, Uma-style), to Bollywood inspired ones (lots of twisty hands and turning- I got dizzy at one point!). When we were tired, we’d sit, order another Anchor beer jug, and shout ‘Chow Moi!’ Being the life-and-soul of the club, we soon accumulated a few more friends to ‘chow-moi’ with. I honestly don’t think I’ve said ‘cheers’ so much in one evening…By the end of the night, I was truly partied out- trying to keep up with Aree’s dance moves was exhausting!- but I was a very happy bunny. What a great night- clubbing Cambodian style is a lot of fun! The only thing missing was Ang's wife...she was meant to come with us, but couldn't make it. I felt sorry for her stuck at home with the baby...
Such a long entry, and I haven’t even told you what I think of Siem Reap itself, yet! The main street, the aptly named ‘Pub Street’, was the cleaner sister of Kho San Road: restaurants, pubs, street food, neon, fa-rang everywhere…and more tuk-tuk drivers than you could shake a tail feather at! It had its fair share of classy joints, and even a portable bar, driving through the streets! A very suave place indeed… I knew the beautiful Temples of Angkor were going to be something special…but as beautiful as they were, I will remember Siem Reap because of Ang and his gang. As Gary, our Canadian friend from Phayao, put it: ‘It’s great to visit beautiful places, but it’s always the people you remember in years to come’.
No comments:
Post a Comment