Sayonara Siem Reap!!

Friday, March 2nd, I am now back from Poum Steung's 'Dream Project' with bittersweet heartache, finishing up and checking out Siem Reap, my beloved home for the last 2 months. By tomorrow early morning I'll be on a bus to the capital Phnom Penh, then to Kampot for peace of my mind.

Things to do; I have to send a parcel to New York, full of books I brought from there but never read, weights a lot, total weight of parcel is 7kg and I pay $91 for the air mail, which still takes 3 to 4 weeks. Bummer! Another thing to do is to get rid of my moto. I talk to Mark, who originally hooked me up with this motorbike dealer, saying 'You pay $600 to buy it, then when you finished here I can help you selling it back for $500' So Mark and I take the moto to washer, who cleans it like I just bought it. Now it's the time for the deal. The owner of the shop run the engine for less than a minute and notice the sound is different (which is true, after all I went to Battambang with this moto) and he and Mark talk for a little bit, Mark then comes to me and tells that, he can only offer $350!! I show a great deal of my dissatisfaction so Mark quickly talks to the dealer, then in turn tells me that $400 is the best he could do. Now this guy's taking advantage knowing that I'm leaving and there's no other way than to get rid of it anyhow. Is Mark in on it? Probably. He makes $200 a month as a tuk-tuk driver, and he's gotta 6 months old daughter to take care of. Whatever he could get from this funny business of extra $100 all the sudden, should be used for what he needs. I don't feel resentful. And I still think $200 for the cost of having transportational freedom for a month and a half, is cheap. I just wish that Mark would just be straight and say that he's taking commission fee.

Siem Reap is a crazy town. Growing in the speed of madness, all for to cater tourism. You walk the same street everyday for a week and see the whole new story of guest house is constructed. No tourist would even imagine that Siem Reap province is actually 2nd to the poorest province in the country. You can, if you want to, stay only in the city and the Angkor park area and never see the poverty, take that beautificated version as the representation of Cambodia. In the center of town there's another building like this under construction, with real estate's value growing by something like 78% annualy, I can't stop worrying about what might be effect and spiritual cost to the newer, younger generation of this once-severely damaged country.

Kool Siem Reap Kats

As i leave my two month life in Siem Reap behind, here are some of the kool kats i met in town.
(Clockwise spiral from top left to the center) Honey Bee Deborah is the first friend i met on the journey in midnight at Bangkok airport arrival level. Body worker/yoga teacher from SF bay area, from New Jersey, from Hawaii, actually she's not one of Siem Reap Kats, nonetheless i wanted to mention. Alex, manager at Greentown guesthouse hardworking, almost too hardworking dreamless 26 years old. (next two pictures) Mr. Shuown opened the magnificient and beautiful pagoda of Wat Bo every morning for me. Musician Les was the first traveler friend i made in Siem Reap. Strong confidence and always trouble in his way, I wish him the best. Mark, a clever tuk-tuk driver who became my friend through my buying motorbike business. now i do believe he took commition fee but he's a cool kid anyways. A phillipino tour agent KC who introduced me to whole Siem Reap folk music scene. Mr. Jen, a high rank monk from Wat Bo. one day we had a long, deep and philosophical conversation about our lives and religeons. Christian is a drama teacher from East Germany, inspired me of incorporating drama into Poum Steung school. Bunny works data entry at red cross, shy, smily and incredibly intelligent. Khorn and Hoko, Cambodian and Japanese couple with warm hearts, they must be in Japan by now, construsting their new life. Alin, a laid-back tuk-tuk driver from greentown, always wants to learn a new things. Teaching a few guitar chords and next thing you know he went and bought a guitar himself, Good english, good intention, came to Poum Steung school once to help translation. Savai and Bop, sweet sewing girls from Poum Steung. Rachel and Lindi, australian couple who's on their 6 month pre-honeymoon. can't wait to see their organic, ecological life style in Melbourne. Saroun, Patrick's sweetheart, an impossible love, elegant and sophisticated, almost too sophisticated for the society she's in. Mike from Culgary, Canada and I became friends through music and movie. he's a music programmer and a big fan of Half Nelson. Ronald Beck, a retired gentleman from New Zealand travels to Siem Reap every year, gave me some ineteresting insight of the country.

(CW, from Top Left) Emer runs Molly Malone's where i played, and works two NGO job and trying to get the third one, AND she's a mother to Eve, a beautiful 2 year old dreaming to be a singer/dancer. Infamous Singing Tree Orchestra; KC, Jessie(behind KC's peace sign), Brett, Fabien, Seiko and Eric. There's music everywhere they go. Fabien is an excellent guitar player, and good leader to pull the band together as well. Mabel Blue, a hummingbird from UK, teaches English at Landmine Museum to the children who were victimied by landmine accidents. Eric, event manager of Singing Tree. we work to gether to present and host thier first open mic event. Mr. Thai, ever-energetic head master of Poum Steung school. Scott and Chris Coats, together they run Trailblazers Foundation to provide water purifying system as they also work as a hub of many NGO, connecting people in right place. life time volunteer workers. Jon and Jesse, hippied out two british gentleman runs swimming pool Aqua, where travelers and locals both hang out with grateful dead out of the speakers. Basil and Ktomtzo(Garlic) in their perfect yin and yang form. They are my lovely meditation partners. Kyle, lone traveler, soul seacher from Las Vegas, must be somewhere in Vietnam or Laos by now. Ive and Marie traveled from Germany on their 1200cc motorcycles, through Russia, Mongolia, China to Korea then once shipped their bikes and flew to Singapore, then on the road again through Maraysia, Thailand, Laos and came to Siem Reap all covered in dirt. Kia, a vendor at Bayon knows English and few other language very well, loves to hear me playing music and offeres me their pineapples and coconuts for free, but she doesn't know how to read and write Khmer because she's never gone to school. Tom is an British filmmaker/TV director who's on the thrilling field action of Akira, the landmine hunter. Suzanne is on the road for one year traveling five continent. she has the same Buddha necklace as mine from the same shop in Luang Prabang, Laos.

Singing Tree open mic

February 24th, Singing Tree Cafe, a great community hang-out in a quiet part of Siem Reap, holds the first open mic event and i am very honored to be the host for this first time. me and Eric, en event manager of Singing Tree, plan out setting, flyers, and equipment. It falls on Mardigras saturday night where a huge drinking party is at the center of town, we'll see how it goes. Michael, the owner of Singing Tree, his wife and baby, Eric and his girlfriend Seiko get all excited once the rented equipment is delivered.

After the sunset, the open mic started with two dijeredoo units by Eric and Yella.

and this is Mr. Phon, a Vietnamese traveler who sings beautiful vietnamese love songs.

I play a few songs and call for more sign ups, and for the charity that Singing Tree and I are working on. We have altogether of 10-12 sign-ups, variety of acts and nationality. This is my last week in Siem Reap but i hope this event will keep happening.

The infamous Singing Tree Orchestra featuring Jesse-Marie Morcoso.

LIVE in SIEM REAP: highway 6 rebuild tour!

At Molly Malone's Irish Pub (www.mollymalonescambodia.com) I played music every monday and i started calling this 'Highway 6 Rebuilt Tour' in my time of Siem Reap stay there were 5 shows total all full of variety and guests. Thanks to Emer and Thierry, owners of the place who let me have this oppotunity, i was able to correct charity money from audience, soon i will be buying sets of swings for the schoolyard in poum steung.

Feb. 5th, this is Mr. Mann's 'Khmer 5', a group of children i had met and played together in Wat Bo some weeks before.

Mabel Blue, a hummingbird from England (mabel_blue@myspace.com) has a haunting voice and Fabien Leseqc can play guitar to anybody's any tune. Especially his solo on my "Highway 6 Rebuilt" progressively became smoother and more melodic each week, that was the highlight of the show. Here in the picture on the left three of us play Crosby Stills Nash & Young's "Helpless", for no rehearsal i think it went fabulous. On the right I made a harmonica holder out of rubber bands and a wire coat hanger, an inventive 'bodgering' idea given from Jim Catton, a traveling handiman.

The last gig at Molly's (Feb 26th) long and lazy set included my dear infamous singing tree orchestra
(KC on guitar and Eric on Didgeredoo playing slow, beaten up version of Rolling Stones' "Simpathy for the Devil" on the left, Brett and Fabien playing blues on the right.) Cover songs were fun and easy to practice with other musician but i want to keep practicing my singing/songwriting skill. This tour must go on.
Whenever i visit new town i started randomly asking at some bar/restaurants if i can play. very difficult back in New York. so far i played one night in Bangkok, one in SiSaket, 6 shows in Siem Reap, 2 different venue in Koh Chang and this place i'm staying in Koh Samui said i can play this week as well. Hooray for the Highway 6 Rebuilt Tour!!

measels shots

saw UNICEF's sponsored measels vaccination held at outside of Wat Bo.

Landmine Museum

Meet Boreak, 14 year old, very talkative, smart and funny, excellent foodball player. 4th of 10 children in family grown up near Thai border. When he was 6, a landmine accident took his right fingers, then 3 more surgery, trying to correct the last incompetent one, eventually took his whole right arm.

17 year-old Poy almost lost his both eyes when a landmine in his right hand exploded in front of his face. After family cleaned the wounds to save his left eye, he was carried over in make shift hammock for 2 hours to nearby hospital. Without right arm and right eye, his dream is to become a boxer.

Woleak works at the entrance of Landmine museum, all dressed in Khmer Rouge uniform. It was less than 30 years ago when children are forced to shoot guns and build landmines. Today there are 3 to 5 million landmines in the country, each year some 90 people get injured or killed by accident related to them.

Mr. Akira, after his parents were killed by Khmer Rouge he was forced to join the army, being specialized to build landmines at the age of 10. he kept being forced to work for three different armys (Khmer Rouge, Vietnamese, and Cambodian Army) building and burying landmines. Now he goes into the village in mountains, searches for them and diffuses them. With donation he receives he was able to educate Cambodian soldiers today about landmine extraction, to build landmine museim to appeal awareness to international society, and to educate the children who were victimized by landmine and seek for their future oppotunity.
An interesting fact that i learned from my visit to the museum: There are 42 coutries that did NOT sign 1997 Mine Ban Treaty as of Dec. 22, 2004, they are, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bhutan, Burma, China, Cuba, Egypt, Finland, Georgia, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kazakhstan, No. Korea, S. Korea, Kuwait, Kyngystan, Lao PDR, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Micronesia, Mongolia, Morocco, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tonga, Tuvalu, UAE, United States of America, Uzbekistan, Vietnam.
Countries that PRODUCED landmines since 2002: USA (stockpile 10.4 million landmines) Cuba, Egypt, Iraq, Singapore, N+S Korea (2 million) Nepal, Russia (50 mil) China (110 mil) Iran, Vietnam, Pakistan, India (6 mil) Burma
please visit www.cambodialandminemuseum.org for more information, and to support (it costs $2 to clear 3 mines)

Khmer cusine

Comparing to Thai food, Khmer cusine doesn't have that striking spicyness. Yes there's plenty of chili and pepper used in it, but they also use lots of Coconut, and ginger, these two together create a very mild yet soothing taste. And this land's trade mark products, if you like rice and fish you'll find something to make you happy in any restaurant you go to. Here's some recommendation from my daily eating routine in Siem Reap.
Soup Dragon has best breakfast menu. Actually it's Vietnamese, their Pho(o with their vowel sign above pronounces this word "Phar" meaning rice noodle soup) Bo(beef) and Saigon kickstart dripping coffee with condenced milk on the bottom, my way of kickstarting the day. Pho Bo is only 75 cent! and while sipping $1 coffee and planing out the new day they serve me free tea.

Singing Tree Cafe, across the river from Old Market/Touristy district near Wat Bo and Wat Demnak, has a great atmosphere of community and healthy, artistic events. Every day they have music jam session, language class, yoga class and so on. visit www.singingtreecafe.com
And they have a great menu. especially at lunch time they make Papaya salada mixed with glass noodles and shrimp. $2.50!

When you are in Cambodia you have to try theit national dish Amok once. it's like a fish curry but much milder than what you imagine curry from Thai/Indian standard. Picture shows Fish Amok from Red Piano, in the center of the town. Their menu have wide variety of western and south east asian food. and this Amok is only $4, and it is delicious!

i also try to cook as much as i could. especially when i'm with group of friends, cooking for them becomes such a pleasure. Greentwon guest house is kind enough to let me use their kitchen, above is when rachel and lindi stay there me making tofu green curry. sweet girls of guesthouse staff help me with slicing and chopping.

this is a time when i take Hoko and Khorn to Poum Steung school, i wanted to thank them and my team Sophat and Chey by cooking for them, then there are sewing girls at Chey's and Chey's neice Chandrene brings some of her friends. We together work on two stoves one frying pan, two pots to make Curry, Fresh shrimp spring rolls, Pan-fried fish. There end up being 14 people gathering for the big dinner and we have made enough food. I wouldn't say I cooked it, everybody else did. Nonetheless it was the first time i orchestrated this such big feast and it was fun!

Greentown Guest House

For the shoestring budget backpacker($4 for single room) to medium level traveler ($6- for Air Con, TV double room) i would highly recommend Greentown Guest House when you come visit Siem Reap. It's a place where always guests, staff, drivers and their friends hang out casually, share good time. It's across the river from Post office, good 10 minute walk from lousy hustle bustle of the central SR, quiet and peaceful garden surrounds reception area/restaurant.

My room on the day I check out. Bed, table, fan, bathroom with cold water. For long term stay they give me discount, i pay $3/night for this $4 room. not a bad deal.

Alex, the manager of the guest house is very helpful, resourceful guy, and he makes extra effort to accomodate your needs. He works from 6AM to midnight, 7 days a week. I worry for his life. "It's for the experience, and i get to support my family." he grins.

Bayon

take my guitar on my moto to Bayon, a temple in the middle of Angkor Thom, a huge area that used to be ancient monk's residential complex, now covered in jungle. once again, lots of tourists and vendors swarming around them. does not a bit feel like a ancient temple.

in the very top room of center tower, there is an old woman -a nun, offering incents and gesturing you to pray in from of buddha stature, then asking for donation.(reasonably) the only two things she keep saying is "sok sabai dtei" (how are you?) and "ackun chiran" (Thank you very much) very nice woman, it makes me feel bad to see so many tourist ignore her as if she's just another begger or something. i give incents, give donation, and sit and meditate for 10 minutes or so, while the woman's daughter(?) are arguing loudly about something with her. i open my eyes and stare at her with my trained loving kindness until she notices. it's actually the old woman who notices and whispers something to the young one. she stops and says "I'm sorry." i reply "Muyn ei dtei"(that's okay).
as i get up about to leave, she points at my guitar and gesture me to play. i hesitate, for this is such a secret place. yet her big smile finally convince me to pull the guitar out of the sack, i finger-pick something i come up with on the spot with the softest delicate. i could be very likely be the first person ever to have played guitar in top center room of Bayon. no tourist come into the room while i play, just watch from down the corridor curiously. there are only the nun and her daughter and me, in the holy ancient temple. no camera to flash the moment off, (yet i took this picture above with her permission --i'm an incureable photographer...)

find a relatively quieter spot in the temple and sit and start working on a new song, calling it "Bayon" the chorus part goes;
>>Ghost of Bayon's in children's faces as they scrub the floor
>>So I played a tune for them, they gave me a cigarette and asked for more
you never see any tourist stop and be quiet, or writing or watching or drawing or talking to local people or stranger or whatever... they all come in in group, and they all immediately pull out their digital camera, snap, snap, snap, then go. do you really feel like you've been there? it really bothers me and and it always has... i don't know why.

outside the temple where i left my moto, in front of a souvenir and refleshment stand, i had bought a coconut from them before i went in to the temple, so the kids remember me and ask me to play music. the father of them offer me a cigarette, i was gonna buy a few bananas but they give me for free. what can i do? i thank them and play songs, let the kid play, a tuk tuk driver waiting for his client's return from the temple, join in with a drum from the souvenir stand. people here are so kind and fun to be around.

little trivia i remember -not sure if true, is that the first western guy who ever discovered Angkor Thom was a French butterfly researcher (don't remember the name. anybody?) traveling in jungle a few centries ago, wander into the whole site of ruins of buildings with strong Khmer faces curved onto them. apparently he was haunted by his discovery later, caught some mysterious fever and went insane, which eventually took his life. wow!

Sunrise at Angkor Wat

February 2nd, it's the full moon night. Rachel, Lindy and I triplet-piggy-back on my motorbike, decide to visit Angkor Wat before everybody gets there. (well, we weren't the only ones thinking that.)

It is a fascinating site. a huge complex of corridors and rooms, steep steps and five towers from which you can observe a beautiful sunrise. we just sit there watching the sky getting brighter and brighter, as more and more tourist come and snap photos and go.

Headless Buddhas are the reminder of Khmer rouge era.

Do people come here and touch statue's tits? Look how polish their boobs are.

Amazing detail works cover the walls of gigantic temple.

Highway 6 Rebuilt

my first song in Siem Reap is done, and has been played a few time already in public. people like it, especially if you have taken the road between Poiphet and Siem Reap, no explanation is needed.
obvious homage to Bob Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited" if you know what i mean.

HIGHWAY 6 REBUILT (Holes in the Road)
words and music by Toshiro Yamaguchi

Well, this big truck roaring by sprinkling up the dust
And the tourist bus's filled with curiousity and lust
People gather 'round you like the wind that gusts
Look them in the eyes b'fore you decide not to trust
The commition fee is just to keep you away from any mess and bust
'Cos without it, the holes in the road will never be fixed
And you'll keep jumping up and down on Highway six

Five stars hotels and restaurants been built
They keep digging underground for the water they spilt
And in the mornings go to schools for the tour-guiding skills
They never get to visit lakes, temples and hills
But that's alright babe, I'm just trying to get my basic needs fulfilled
Until then the holes in the road will never be fixed
And we'll all keep jumping up and down on Highway six

Airline companies don't wanna lose their fliers
Electric plants don't wanna draw another wire
Plastics, papers, and compost, just set them all on fire
They see themselves as the sellers, as we are the buyers
Cops, they say they never take any bribe, well, they're just a bunch of liers
Money's pouring in but the holes are never fixed
And we all keep jumping up and down on Highway six

People here all believe in Shiva and Buddha
In their hearts we're all the same, there's no Judas
But there's no time to think of what they might have or could have
Or complain about the things with which they always put up
They always think they'll save up, only to find out they've always been chewed up
Carrying pigs and rice and tourists over the holes never fixed
And we're all jumping up and down on Highway six.

*and pictures here still don't show the worst part of Highway 6

Toshiro Live at Siem Reap

So i got to play twice by now at Molly Malone's, a large Irish pub/restaurant/guest house in the center of touristy district, where Sivatha Blvd. meets Bar street. good atmosphere, good drinks, i play in mid day so it's not crowded. they set up the PA system for me, which is just two microphones, mixer and speakers.
First day i play with my new friend KC, a Phillipino tour agent who works for APEX, a big Japanse tourism company. then second time i am by myself. the owner of the place Chile is half French half African, he likes my performance (lots of Dylan, Beatles and some original songs) but he and i agree that i should organize a band to make it sound richer.
Sophat and his wife(coming all the way from Battambang) join Patrick to cheer me on the debut day, then on the second gig the lovely Australian couple Rachel and Lindy (more on them in later post) German theater teacher Christian and Patrick are amongs the fan. on the second gig we were able to collect some contribution for the Poum Steung school!!
New songs are coming together and meeting new musicians as well. this feels awesome. better than the harsh busking scene in New York subways.

Rolus group

Rachel and Lindy, an Australian couple i met at the guesthouse invite me on a trip to Rolus group, a group of temples located on East of Siem Reap.
Rachel (above left) specializes in Horticulture and Lindi is a social worker focusing on alcohol and drug abuse. Together they have 3/4 of an acre and a wooden house right outside of Melbourne. Inevitably they remind me of Wylda, my best friend/sister from Puelto Rico, and her girlfriend Nica.

at Prasat Preah Ko. the sign (can you see?) reads "no smoking/no littering/no eating/and NO SPEAKING" shhhhh!!!!!

Prasat Bakong. All three temples of Rolus group are far away from Angkor Wat, attracting much fewer tourists. Occasionally we see a large bus pull up and a bunch of Korean and Chinese tourists rush in, take photos and rush away. They are probably the most greedy kind of tourists who don't know to take it slow.

On top of Prasat Bakong. Sitting and exchanging our travel stories. Suzzanne, a stunning Swiss beauty joins us. She's been taking a year off traveling five continents, she's wearing the exactly same Buddha necklace as mine which she got in November of 2005 at the exactly same French-owned articrafts store in Luang Prabang, Laos where I got mine in February 2006.

on the way back on Tuk-Tuk. as much as i avoid tourists and being cynical about them, it's nice to be one sometimes.