Miss Iggy in Siem Reap

Miss ex-Schoolgirl Iggy finally got to explore the Angkor Thom temple complex in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Achievement unlocked! (She was actually ecstatic just to see a real live elephant.)

It was indeed an awesome and spectacular experience--so much dedication, artistry, and craftsmanship!

Miss Iggy plans to come back--there's still so many things she didn't get to do in Cambodia! One's visiting her sister Khmer Iggy, and then there's biking around Siem Reap, trying out the little tea shops, and simply getting lost and meeting new friends in the process. So, this is isn't goodbye but a "See you again soon, Siem Reap!"

Khmer Iggy and Zaida and Isi

Khmer Iggy recently met an amazing and inspiring couple -- Zaida and Isi -- who are both from Barcelona, Spain. They are touring cyclists and are 18months into a world tour. We met them through a website called WarmShowers.org, which my husband joined after finishing his own cycling tour of Western Europe.

Zaida and Isi stayed with us for 5days. As hosts, we provided them a place to sleep, warm meals, and the most elusive luxury, a warm shower! In return, we get to hear of their travels and see photos of them, the places they've been to and people they've met along the way. We ooh-ed and aah-ed at their African adventures, dealing with corrupt policemen and surviving the wide expanse of Namibian desert to cross the border to Zambia. They have a site for their journey called Africa y Asia...en Bicicleta. You can also find the translated page here.

Khmer Iggy and I were awed at the thought of traveling all over the world by bicycle, and meeting face to face this couple who are doing something remarkable is HUGE. When they left, we were all feeling a bit jealous. Someone once said, "its not the things in life you do that you come to regret but the things you don't do". We want to do something like this. We are hoping that an opportunity to see the world by bicycle will come soon.

Miss Iggy and women in media

Suosdei from Phnom Penh!
We have been very busy on this side of the planet, but Miss Iggy would like you to know that she's still fine and kicking. She attended the just-concluded international conference on women in radio and television that I organized. It was a chance not to be missed, to meet and interact with media women from 25 countries.



Miss Igorota listened to women from different countries talk about issues affecting women. Although there are cultural differences in the manifestations, she was surprised to learn that these issues are the same all over the world. For examples, women and child trafficking in India, domestic violence in Nepal and also the US, reproductive and sexual rights and female genital mutilation in Cameroon, women in conflict in the Philippines and Palestine, and so on.

Attending the conference, Khmer Iggy was amazed at the experiences shared by the participants, and made her think about how media is being used to improve the portrayal of women and to put forward women's agenda. Surely, the media women in Cambodia who participated in the conference benefited greatly from the experiences shared by other media women and collected support from them to improve their capacities in reporting and mainstreaming women's agenda through international exchanges.


This is the official photograph of the conference participants. Can you spot where Miss Iggy is? Click here for a larger view.

Here comes... Khmer Iggy and the bride!

Oh, and the sister of the bride, too!


Aren't they all lovely?

The wedding was held on November 1 and 2, also the first two days of the Bon Om Tuok (Water Festival) in Phnom Penh. So while about 2million people (according to the papers here) gathered at the riverside to watch the boat-racing competition, Khmer Iggy, R and I were witnesses to a fairytale-like Khmer wedding.

Traditionally, Khmer weddings last for three days and are done at the bride's home. Nowadays, the ceremony is shortened to only one day. Our landlord's daughter's wedding, however, was held for two days (may kaya sila). Despite the shortened ceremony, it is still rife with elaborate rituals, costume changes (not only of the bride but also of the groom, their attendants, and their parents), and not to forget the food and merry-making!

Here are some of the photos that we took:


These dancers represent the devadas (or deities, similar to apsaras), who performed a dance ritual representing their enchantment with the beauty of the new couple, and to personally cleanse and purify the bride and groom to bring them good fortune, beauty, and grace for the rest of their lives.


Following the dance ritual is ka'ak sak, or the hair-cutting ceremony. Another symbolic ritual representing a fresh start to their new life together as husband and wife. Family and friends take turn to symbolically cut the bride and groom's hair and give them well-wishes.


Bang chhat opok-mdei, honoring of the parents. A traditional song is played as a reminder to the couple, especially the bride, of the hardships of child-raising, and of parental duty that they will be facing in the future.


I forgot what this ritual is called... married relatives and friends of the bride and groom take turn to give advise and blessing to the couple and present them with something.

The two-day ceremony ended with a lavish dinner reception at Mondial Center, a popular wedding reception venue in Phnom Penh. It was fun! The reception area was full of guests, all-smiling and happiness written all over their faces. A 7-course Chinese-Khmer meal was served and it was sumptuous! The drinks were overflowing and Khmer music was blasting. Khmer Iggy wondered though that, despite the yummy-licious food served that night, rice was served last.






Looking at the bride and groom, Khmer Iggy thought that they look too young to be husband and wife that they seemed to be more like the homecoming King and Queen, don't you think so too?

Miss Igorota at Hotel Cambodiana

Khmer Iggy saying soksabay! to the sisterettes from the Hotel Cambodiana.

Located along the banks of the mighty Mekong River, Hotel Cambodiana is the preferred venue of many international organisations in Cambodia for conferences and workshops. Apart from its five-star facilities, Hotel Cambodiana houses the Mekong Garden Restaurant which is known for its buffet lunch -- a mouth-watering selection of international cuisine and of course, Khmer and other Asian delights. Khmer Iggy tagged along with me when I had a business meeting there, and, after the deal had been sealed, we were treated to a sumptuous lunch at the Mekong Garden Restaurant. The buffet lunch is pegged at $18/person, but we're glad that lunch was on the house. Yes, I know, we are cheapskates! *lol* We were seated on a section with a commanding view of the confluence of the Mekong, Tonle Sap and Bassac rivers. Miss Iggy loved the experience and wishes to go back there again.

Suosdei Chhnam Thmey - 2553!

That is how we say Happy New Year and Khmer Iggy would like to say Happy New Year to her Khmer friends and to the Buddhist world.


Here Iggy poses in front of our landlord's offering to the new batch of angels. We didn't prepare any fruit offerings during the international and Chinese new years so this time, we did, thanks to our landlady:



The year here now is 2553 BE (Buddhist Era) -- that is, 2,553 years since Buddha achieved enlightenment and entered the state of nirvana. In Cambodia and other Buddhist countries, the new year is based on astrological calculations. This year the new year started Tuesday, April 14, at 1:36pm and runs until Thursday, April 16. The Cambodians call the first day of the new year maha songkran, and families dressed in their best clothes flock to wats and pay homage to Buddha. According to Buddhist beliefs, a new batch of angels, called apsaras or devatas, descend during maha songkran to replace the old ones watching over the earth. It is like the changing of guards, if you like, and families greeted them by lighting incense and candles.


Traditionally, most Cambodians take a week off and use this opportunity to go back to their hometowns and be with their families, as most of the Cambodians that work in Phnom Penh come from different provinces in Cambodia.


Most of the shops are closed and the streets are virtually empty.


Cambodians prepare food and offerings to the monks and get blessings in return. The atmosphere is electrifying, and Miss Iggy can't help but notice at how infectious the joy and the smiles of her neighbours are. Iggy remembers the same joy we Filipinos feel during the festive Christmas and New Year celebrations back in the Philippines.

Yesterday was vanabat, or the second day of the new year. This is the time when Cambodians give charity, in cash or in kind, to their less fortunate neighbors and relatives. They also go to wats for a special ceremony dedicated to their ancestors.

Today, being the third and last day of the Khmer New Year celebration, is called the leung sakk. It is the time when Cambodians wash all Buddha statues with scented water. Children also pay respect to their elders by washing their feet, and in turn, they are blessed by them. For more Khmer New Year traditions, please read here.

We didn't go out as planned today because there are locals who throw water to unsuspecting passersby and engage in water fights. Although this practice was banned long time ago (water-throwing and water-fights caused a lot of traffic accidents), there are still playful Khmers who like doing this. It would have been fun dodging water bags and running away from water gun-toting locals... but I wouldn't want Miss Iggy to get wet. *lol*

A Khmer Wedding

Oh, my sweet, wonderful, beautiful Miss Igorota sisters! How Khmer Iggy and I have missed all of you! I’ve barely been able to blog at all during the past weeks so I’m excited to jump back in.

The whole neighborhood of Tuol Sangke woke up before sunrise today thanks to the loud music coming from our neighbor. The music, coupled with canned chanting of the monks, signaled that a wedding was to take place in the neighborhood. Reluctantly, I got out of the bed complaining about loss of precious beauty sleep with the music reverberating everywhere at an unholy hour. When I went to the kitchen I found my dear husband already making me my chocolate drink.

I went outside, just before 6.30am, to walk the dog and, lo and behold -- there were already vehicles rolling in our streets and carrying wedding guests. Khmer Iggy volunteered to walk the dog with me, and she confessed, she had never seen so many Land Cruisers and Lexus cars in one place before!

Here's Khmer Iggy standing in front of the lavishly decorated entrance to the tent-covered reception area. The tent covered the entire block where we live. Inside the tent were rows and rows of tables and chairs and powerful loudspeakers broadcasting music and the entire ceremony throughout the neighborhood.

A traditional Khmer wedding starts with a procession led by the groom heading towards the bride's house to present gifts (dowry). The groom and his gift-toting entourage walk in a procession to the bride's house. Elders say that the groom's eagerness to marry is reflected in the distance he is willing to walk. Unlike in Philippine weddings, in a Khmer wedding, guests don’t bring the gifts at all. Even the gifts that they carry during the procession are provided by the groom to represent a part of the dowry. The gifts come in twos (pairs) to represent the couple.

Then the bride and her family meet the groom and his entourage at the especially decorated doorway where the bride offers a lei to the groom, and vice versa. After the obligatory photo-shoot for a few minutes, they then enter the house together for a day-long ceremony with the whole proceedings being broadcast over a loudspeaker and interspersed with traditional Khmer wedding music, a live salapa (sitcom) about married life, and canned chanting. A lavish reception follows with dancing that lasts all night long.

Iggy, the bride and groom and the bride's parents.

Although not invited, Miss Igorota was happy to get a glimpse of a traditional Khmer wedding, and managed to sneak in a few shots paparazzi-style. Khmer Iggy couldn't help but admire the fabulously dressed women all prettily made up at silly-o'clock in the morning.

Miss Iggy thinks that times are hard, but we still see people taking the marriage plunge. This is definitely love, and the power of love is even stronger than the economic crunch! One of my Khmer friends told me that he's getting married later this year, and that's welcome news for us and Miss Iggy, as we'll be able to see a Khmer wedding in its entirety.

Roadtrip with Miss Igorota

Happy new year everyone!
At the outset, I would like to apologise to my sisters here for being quiet for a long time. We were away for Christmas and got really busy thereafter so blogging had to take a backseat for awhile. While the rest of the world were in a frenzy preparing to greet the New Year on December 31, it was a normal day for us here in Cambodia. While there was a NY countdown planned at the Sisowath Quay (across the Royal Palace), it rained heavily that night, much to our disappointment, and so we stayed at home and watched as the rest of the world welcomed 2009 on television.

A week ago, we (R, Max, and I) drove down to Kep, on the southernmost coastline of Cambodia with the globe-trotting Miss Igorota to spend the Christmas holidays there. It was Miss Igorota’s first road trip to the Cambodian countryside, to Kep, specifically, and she was very excited to see what awaited her.

Kep is a coastal municipality about 180 kilometers away from the capital of Phnom Penh. Kep was, in another era, a favorite getaway for French colonial masters and the wealthy from Phnom Penh, who enjoyed its beaches, seafood, and sea breeze. Now, the municipality as a whole is impoverished and relies on inshore-fishing and small-scale agriculture. Up until recently, Kep has always been our favorite weekend getaway due to its “wild” feel and remoteness.

Day 1.
We were planning to leave early at 6 o’clock on the morning of the 23rd, but for some reason we woke up very late. After getting some cash at a bank in Russian Blvd., we were able to get out of Phnom Penh past 12noon, when the sun was already at its hottest.

We drove out of the city on National Road Number 3 passing Pochentong International Airport. The road was mostly good, but the first 50 or so kilometers after the airport was a long stretch of bumpy and dusty road. Trucks, motos and other vehicles compete for the right of way, swerving, overtaking and cutting lanes. Thankfully, Paige, our trusty, old Pajero, didn’t go boinkers as it maneuvered its way round the monstrous potholes :)


After an hour or so, we were already cruising along very good roads – we have JICA and the EU to thank for this. With windows rolled down, we were greeted by the beautiful, flat Cambodian rural landscape.



At this time of the year, the fields have already turned yellow – from a bright yellow to a brownish shade - as the rice has already ripened, and harvesting begun. Cows freely roam in the rice fields, feeding on the rice stalks left from harvesting.



R was driving slowly, at 40kph, and as we passed them, the locals looked our way – and saw we had Max and Miss Igorota in the car! They were amused to see a dog and a doll enjoying a road trip! Along the way, we met schoolkids on their bicycles – going to and coming out of school.



From then on, these are what we saw:



After the junction...



We crossed this bridge, old but not yet rickety...



The bridge led us here...



Thirty minutes after, we’re finally in Kep ...



The sun was beating us down and took its toll on us. After checking in at Vanna’s guesthouse – our favorite guesthouse on the hill – we all crashed into bed and fell asleep. We all woke up at 5.30pm, refreshed ourselves and then headed to Kim Ly’s restaurant for the much-anticipated foooooood!



We were all so tired, I guess because of the heat, but Miss Iggy enjoyed the long drive. We decided to retire early for another big day was in the offing, but not before soaking in the beautiful sunset of Kep.



- to be continued.

season's greetings

miss iggy and the ladies behind her globe-trotting adventures (namely fortuitous faery/conniechiwa, gingmaganda, princess ody and zj/sreisaat) would like to greet you all a happy christmas...or to be more politically correct, happy holidays!

miss iggy is wishing you a merry christmas in filipino, although she is also tempted to say "happy hanukwanzaamas."

the native christmas lantern called "parol" above was recently acquired from quiapo's souvenir shops in manila to bring comfort and joy in miss iggy's jersey home.

may your holidays be filled with warmth, laughter, and love wherever you may be and no matter how you celebrate!

Suosdei from Phnom Penh!

Ladies (and gentlemen), I am happy to say that Ms. Igorota, or Ms. Iggy, finally made it to Cambodia! Her arrival in Phnom Penh was delayed because of the recent stand-off at the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, and I was glad it didn't take too long for the stand-off to be over and for the flights to resume. Now that she's here, I hope she won't mind (and that she'll get used to, in no time, to) the heat, humidity, and the gazillion of bugs she will encounter here after being in the US state of New Jersey for quite a while.



Above is the General Post Office in Phnom Penh where we picked up Ms. Iggy. Standing proudly in what was once Phnom Penh's French Quarter, the Post Office is one of the few preserved colonial French buildings in the capital and a reminder of what the French has left in the country. There were several other French-style buildings all over Phnom Penh but most were destroyed by the Khmer Rouge, or torn down to make way for new apartment buildings, or worse, left to rot. Taking a stroll with Ms. Iggy in the French Quarter in the coming days will definitely be in our itinerary.