Somlor Jaray-ung K'nao

Battambang province, Cambodia - July 5, 2015 - There are many foods and ingredients never used in Western societies in this part of the world that are... for want of a less cliched term... nutritious and delicious. I'll just pretend I never said that. But the facts are that stuff you might think is gross, or discard in the bin as "inedible" is in fact - THE BOMB. This is a less common, homemade Cambodian dish called somlor jaray-ung k'nao, translating to jackfruit rag soup. Bittergourd, morning glory, fresh chili, garlic, and dried fish is simmered with the "rag" of the jackfruit - the part that surrounds the fleshy, readily edible pods within the jackfruit's rugged shell. The two main bowls are same soup, and you can see on the right-hand side that it is served with the incredible ombul bok (see my post on what ombul bok is and how to make it here).

Gauntlet - Episode 6: Mandalay

Mandalay city, Myanmar - July 12-13, 2014 - A one night stop in Mandalay would take us back to Bangkok. The city had an atmosphere that was reminiscent of Phnom Penh five years ago, and a noticeably problematic political situation. I felt my time there to be too short.

At the time we visited there had been rioting, and the city was on a 9pm curfew. Here were the streets of Mandalay at 9pm, ruled only by dogs and military police.

The same intersection at 9am the following morning.

Mandalay has a haunted feel.

Betel nut spit.

The betel nuts themselves, soaked in coffee. Tasty, tangy.

Burmese cinema.

Our hotel. HAUNT-ED.

See the rest of the our Cambodia/Thailand/Burma/Laos trip:
Episode 1: Pailin, Cambodia
Episode 2: Bangkok, Thailand
Episode 3: Mae Sot, Thailand
Episode 4: Yangon, Myanmar
Episode 5: Bagan, Myanmar
Episode 7: Vientiane and Vang Vieng, Laos
Coda: Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Gauntlet - Episode 1: Pailin

Cambodia, Pailin province - Jun 24-26, 2014 - And so, we embarked on our first travelling trip together. It was to be an emancipatory journey of mutual discovery. However, I have now dubbed it "Gauntlet" because of poorly-planned, nerve-wracking hassle it sometimes ended up being. Luckily, I will endeavour to present the more interesting things I managed to capture on our three week gauntlet through Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos, instead of boring you with any less-than-humorous details of logistical fuckups and whatnot elses. Pailin is a very small province located on the Cambodian-Thai border, wedged in between the Cardomom Mountains in the South and the rice fields of Battambang to the North. Once one of Pol Pot's most infamous strongholds, it's now mainly farmland, as well as an attraction for scientists who are researching a medicine-resistant strain of malaria that has cropped up round there. It is very peaceful and calm in the hills.

Matt's selected readings (Brunner, Lewis, Hesse, Lao-English/English-Lao Dictionary).

Neng's selected readings (Shakespeare, Rousseau, world history, important names of science).

Memoria Palace is a beautiful, quaint little place nestled at the foot of the mountains. At $35 per night in low season, I'd highly recommend it.

There are plenty of geese running around.

And other things.

There is not a whole lot to do in Pailin, but go to fruit farms. These are saomao (rambutan) trees.

Turain (durian).

Delicious lychee-like fruit called ________________ in Khmer. English name unknown.

One of the main crops of Pailin is doh-loang (cassava).

A spot of earth where they dig gems out of. Unfortunately, the machine was not present that rainy day.

See the rest of the our Cambodia/Thailand/Burma/Laos trip:
Episode 2: Bangkok, Thailand
Episode 3: Mae Sot, Thailand
Episode 4: Yangon, Myanmar
Episode 5: Bagan, Myanmar
Episode 6: Mandalay, Myanmar
Episode 7: Vientiane and Vang Vieng, Laos
Coda: Sihanoukville, Cambodia

A Far Too Short Trip to the Big Mango

Bangkok city, Thailand - November 2-5, 2013 - Exams in Bangkok, one of my favourite cities, also means a holiday, and here is the slice of frenetics I managed to photograph.

The first thing any person in their right mind does upon arrival in Bangkok is eat street food.

This is the sourest fruit I've ever eaten, and thus one of my favourites. It's called madan in Thai.

Goong dten. These living shrimps are served in a salad and eaten still jumping around.

Goong dten on the right, and noodle soup on the left. The extreme chili had already killed the shrimps off by now.

At the Rod Fai market, many things are for sale, such as this drugged kitten that couldn't open its eyes.

But it is otherwise an absolute treasure trove.

Old torture devices?

Old Thai school notebook purchased at Rod Fai.

It is a popular place for Thai people to go and is set in an old train station.

Out.

Political rally I encountered in Silom on the Wednesday. These are yellow shirt supporters protesting against the amnesty bill proposed by Yingluck Shinawatra's current government. The bill will allow Thaksin to return to Thailand, as well as exonerate all those guilty of political crimes between 2004 and 2010. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/378452/protesters-warn-fight-against-blanket-amnesty-not-yet-over

If you want to get an idea of the politics happening in Thailand right now, this is a great article: http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21589436-governments-latest-attempt-get-thaksin-shinawatra-back-has-united-almost-everyone-against

Notice how the date on this receipt is 6/1/56. That's because in Thailand's Buddhist calendar the year is actually 2556.

The infamous Soi Cowboy in the rain.

Bakkard, the border town with Cambodia on the way back.

The trip ended disturbingly with a conversation in Khmer with a small beggar girl on the street. I tried speaking the language to her and she responded that she was Cambodian. It was then that I realised this girl used to beg regularly in one of the open street bars in Phnom Penh about a year ago. She had somehow been trafficked into Bangkok, aged not more than five years. Quizzing her yielded no information about how exactly she had got there, or who her bosses were.