Sunday, November 28, 2010

Truth No. 9

I know of a former housemate whose mother has been faithfully joining raffles and game shows since the mother was jobless and its a way to spend idle times at home when chores are already done. It paid off one day when she won a car in a liquor cap raffle promo. However theres also this lady that has been religiously buying a sweepstakes ticket but hadnt won a single chance.

With the lotto craze on air in the Philippines nowadays, with whooping 500M Ph Peso as prize (about 11M USD), queues are nonstop on all lotto outlets in the whole nation as everyone try their luck out. Though Im currently here in Indonesia, and too bad I cant place my bet, Ive been telling family members and friends to bet on to their lucky 6 digits. Yeah I know the probability is just one in a 28 million luck youll more likely to get stricken by a lightning in your lifetime than winning the pot, but who knows where lady luck could be standing next.

But that wont stop me, a truth about me I stated in my previous entry - on being a gambler. I always find ways, this one trait I couldn’t give up yet. Some might find this quite disturbing to know, but I’m trying to learn to control my shopping urges once in a while. I know its not always I have a contract work but I learned from past experiences to do a little finance management. Proof is my baggage still below the allowed limit for the class of the airline return ticket to the Philippines. Yehey =)

I’m joining this raffle for a chance to win a car. Something I could even buy on my own savings but isn’t it just living on a quote that the best things in life are free? Hehe. Pagbigyan nyo na lang, wala na ko magawa dito e. It's just my weekly grocery receipts for the bet.





























Friday, November 26, 2010

Off to Cambodia - Siem Reap Day 1

What could be more of luck for an unexpected trip abroad than getting another trip right away? With 3 more days before leaving Vietnam, E asked me to join her on another trip. Yes, on to where Tomb Raiders location was shoot Cambodia. Im quite skeptical on to how well be able to get there, since a friend of her informed that a bus ride to Cambodia will only take 6 hours travelOnly to know later that its actually 12 hours to reach Siem Reap and a plane ride on a less time but much pricier though. Time is running out or else well spend the rest of our stay in Saigon, we decided right away to purchased plane tickets for the first flight and found ourselves in Siem Reap in an hour.

Cambodian style airport welcoming passengers. Weather is quite hot that time.








We took a cab from the airport to the hotel we just looked in the internet forum, stayed in Thonburey hotel for a 12 USD per night double room. Its a new hotel, the room we had in spacious, clean toilet and bath, and friendly staff. We asked on an itinerary for a two day stay in Siem Reap, and they recommend this fishing village Ton Le Sap. Most of the dwellers in the lake are Vietnamese refugees during the war, but chose to stay even when the war was over and started building their own community in the lake. Basically shows how war affects people up until this day as poverty is still prevalent


With their houses literally just floating on the water, you can just imagine how they get to go through their everyday lives living in the lake. At the back of their house where their toilets are, to the front of the house to where they wash their dishes, getting their laundry done and even bathing in. But on the image on the left, villagers get access to cleaner drinking water by USAID.

A local floating church.










A local merchant selling her items on boat.










A shop that repair motor boats.











We stopped for awhile to this restaurant/souvenir shop in the some part middle of the lake.

A girl in the boat greeted us with her pet that I fear most. Shes asking for a dollar, and after I gave her some money, pleaded to move away as I really hate snakes!





Inside the souver shop that sell items made by the villagers.









Villagers also had a crocodile farms that after some time, kill the poor creatures and hang the skin to dry. They sell wallets, bags and even a coat made of their skin.















A local Cambodian beer and sorry to say Im' not a fan of beer so I didn't gave it a try.The boatman asks us to spare some money to donate to the village but were thinking they already overcharged us double for the trip. Tsk, tsk.











After the trip, we had our dinner on hawker stands outside the hotel. The night market had stalls that send everything from clothes to local souvenirs.