Thailand has tons of islands and I couldn’t help myself, so I took a rickety boat, which took me to a four x four ride like on National Geographic, which took me to a bungalow on a beach on a tiny island. This is my vacation. No food pictures, just salt water and sand.
Boat Ride
Beach
To reinforce my “babies are better” theory, here is exhibit B. Suckling Pig. Honestly, this is probably my favorite meal thus far. It’s a whole suckling pig they bring out to you where you eat the skin first, then they take the pig back, bring back parts of its’ face for you to taste, then the whole little guy is fried again and if you’re not envious after seeing these pictures, there is something wrong with you.
PIG!
They give you some wraps, molasses and garlic scapes and you make a mini pig skin wrap with it!
Then they bring out the ears, snout, tail and tongue… Oh pig tongue!
And they fry up the rest, I gotta say this picture isn’t the prettiest but it’s so unbelievably delicious, I can’t help but drool.
Thank you Baby Pig, you are the best thing in the world!
I heart congee. For those of you who don’t know what congee is, it’s basically rice porridge. Sticky rice cooked with way too much water then you add really awesome things to it, like shredded pork, thousand year old egg, ginger, vinegar, etc. But here in Bangkok, they’ve got these awesome pork meatballs and they toss in a raw egg, there’s fresh ginger and they have chili vinegar for you to toss in. On top of that, the congee lady is super cool!
Mmm congee
You can’t dine in a place that’s a restaurant, it’s gotta be some hole in the wall, literally.
And totally super awesome congee lady
I really thought this place would be more magical. Everyone was all about Bangkok but maybe since I came at a time when they’re more prosperous it seems way too civilized. Strange. It’s like a mix of New York and LA put together. Filled with people but still sprawled out. Big City this is. Tuk tuks are pretty lame here, it’s cheaper to travel by cab and food wise… well, that’s a whole other story.
Tuk tuks are way smaller, the canopies block your view and they are awful to bargain with.
But it’s pretty.
You know, pretty.
Siem Reap is such a nicer town than Phnom Penh. And I guess I’m bound to do something touristy like see Ankor Wat so here’s that.
But first, this is probably one of the “insert adjective here” I’ve seen.
And they’re mobile too.
Ankor Wat
Tuk tuks are the way to go in Cambodia. They’re cheap and fun to bargain with. Noreen and Jasmine saw this one tuk tuk driver named, Piet and since he has a nice face, they asked him to join them for beers and ever since then he’s been our official driver. He took me around town one day, which is how I got most of those market shots.
Piet in his tuk tuk
Piet!
Then there’s my dearest friend RACHEL!!! She’s part of this awesome program called Skateistan where they teach kids how to skate, make art and just be creative little dudes. These street kids need all the love they can get and they’re doing an amazing job.
Here’s her in action!
And her wee ones skating like pros.
They really need all the help they can get, here’s a shot of one of their schools.
But at least their PSA’s are heading in the right direction. I think this one says, “Don’t be a drunk dad”
I don’t think I’ve ever not been hungry as I am here. I mean, I eat every two-three hours and it’s exhausting! Don’t get me wrong, I am NOT complaining, just saying, it’s awesome.
There’s banana flower! Totally awesome, crispy, vegetable-fruitiness. Curry here is amazing, you know why? So many fresh coconuts, which by the way make awesome mid-day drinks, forget that coconut water you’ve got right now and get a real one. There are these mini eggplants that I thought were green peas but they’re so tiny and unique in flavor. Hot pot! Hot pot in hot weather is kind of amazing. I am a serious fan of Chinese hot pot but this broth they’ve got going is really tasty, it’s super flavorful, you can really taste the meat and the veggies they use, which they love to use garlic scape and scallions. And their salads, seafood, meat, whatever, in this awesome mixture of carrots, daikon, peppers, bean sprouts, fish sauce, sugar, chilies, garlic, rice vinegar… Mmm
So there’s Central Market, Kandal Market, Russian Market, Orussei Market, the Old Market and I’m sure there are more that I didn’t go to but they are beyond awesome… you’ll find some tasty bugs, curry, grilled squid, all sorts of eggs, ladies making dessert, donuts, you know, the usual!
Seriously, Asian markets make our farmers markets, look like amateur hour. These things are jammed packed with everything! From meats, seafood, veggies to towels, flip flops, t-shirts, sunglasses, jewelry, watches, bags, silverware, pots, pans… But before a day at all these markets you have to have a big bowl of beef noodles for breakfast and some seriously strong Cambodian coffee. I don’t even drink coffee but you know what, when in Rome. By the way, Asians love SUGAR. I tried the coffee the way they traditionally serve it, which is with condensed milk and sugar; it was like eating candy. Sent it back and got it black.
Coffee
Breakfast Stall
Big Pot of handmade Beef Balls and broth
Noodles
Then there are these push carts filled with mini clams of sorts. They flavor them differently and give you a cup full. Yum!
So we show up in Phnom Penh and are greeted by dear Noreen. One of Jan’s many sisters and she’s totally brilliant cause the first thing that we do other than drop off luggage is make sure everyone knows where to go for happy hour and this is probably the best happy hour ever. 70 cent beers. That’s 70 cents as in seventy pennies or two quarters and two dimes or seven dimes or as in the change you find in your couch! Needless to say the first night was amazing. Followed by huge boiling pots of pig parts, multiple pots! One had pig legs and feet another had pig insides and another had other things that looked like insides but who knows. The meal had brains, stomach, intestines, feet, and congee. Oh why are pigs so damn delicious!
Happy Hour with Uncle Alex!
Pig Stew with insides…
Pig leg stew!
Pig Brains, makes you smarter, I think
Pig Tummies make my tummy happy.
Asians love jello/jelly and this was a complimentary dessert, coconut jello, they also happen to love this crinkle cut, weird. Also not very tasty.
Beer!
Connie Sun 