Some beautiful D.R. events hosted by mother nature

My day usually gets extra special when I am welcomed by nice shows display in the sky. Sometimes it is also very comforting to see them after a rather tough day running errands and doing tasks that seems to never can finish. Many a time, I grant a gift to just sit by the windows in my bedroom with my little ones while waiting for my 'little' big one to come home and looking at the sun goes down in the Occident or to be at the balcony to scan through the sky finding different cloud figures. Some day, on extraordinary day we would just lay low and being greeted by the rainbows which occur quite often here. If I have to go out, as a person that never underestimate the nature, to be certain I wouldn't miss the unexpected views and to have them saved not only in my memory department but my SD cards too, I always make sure I have my camera with me or the smartphone at very least. The nature's theatre unfolds its spectacular innocent shows for us at no costs all we need to do is taking the time to go or simply roll up the window blinds and see them. 

Below are some of my favourite views. They have not been heavily enhanced - I only blackened out what appeared slightly dark and lowered the white/hightlights levels.
 
ATTENTION: Slideshow contains audio. Check your device volume before starting.
Click letter "i" on the slide for photos' infos. :-)    

Why Cambodia simply ROCKS!

I am in fact having a hard time writing this. I am doing it with a great pain in my chest and it has nothing to do with indigestion.

Cambodia, a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia is especially known for its fabulous and one-of-a-kind ancient temple Angkor Wat and many other historic ruins that attract thousands of tourists each year. Cambodia also boasts the beautiful culture, tradition as well as nice countrysides, landscapes and beaches. There is no deny that they are parts of the Khmer pride. But let's spare a thought for now! 

Being away from my homeland for such a long period of time, each time I realise it is not the temples or the Khmer traditional dance or Karaoke that I truly miss. When it comes down to Cambodia, beside families and friends AND cheap good beers, the first thing on my mind is Sach Ko Ang Yeay Saksor (an eatery known especially for savoury marinated grilled skewered beef) located in the capital Phnom Penh - therefore food. Before coming here, I hung out a lot there and it seems the memory and taste buds know where it should belong. That place.

If you are going to risk asking me a question what is so special about Cambodia? My first answer will definitely have something to do with what are mouthwatering. Second answer will be another things - the history, the culture, the people, the developement, the nature, things like that. By mouthwatering, I am not talking about those creepy stomach-churning tarantula spiders being laid side by side on a tray what you'd find in Cambodia or some S.E Asian countries. 

Below are some of my prefered dishes/platters that I miss, meaning impossible to cook/have it here. They aren't shown in any particular order or alphabet just as when you would put them in front of me, I won't eat in order too.

WARNING FOR KHMER FOLKS: CONTENTS MAY MAKE YOU HUNGRY
WARNING FOR NON-KHMER: CONTENTS MAY MAKE YOU SHY AWAY

Field snails. 
Photo source: www.cambo-zone.org

Field snails are often found in paddy rice fields or ponds. Snails collecting was one of the activities in my childhood that I enjoyed so much. After having your bucket or half of your bucket full of them, they are then put to submerge in water and bring to boil with some leaves from guava plants (my father said it is to prevent any diarrhea) and/or lemongrass stalks, kaffir lime leaves and whole chilli, for some extra aroma. Very often you will be given toothpicks (clean ones of course) to pick and pull out the flesh of the snail and dip with traditional sauce which consists with chilli, crushed garlic, fish sauce, luke-warm water and sugar. You can use this snail in other Cambodian recipes like soup, porridge, stir-fry etc.

Mam Lahong. 
Photo source: www.sroksrear.com

They aren't the super young green papaya (Lahong). The best is when it is almost close to being riped. Still firm and crispy. Mam (type of fermented fish), ground roasted rice, galangal slices, salt and sugar are mixed and poured on the papaya pieces. Mix everything together and store in a clay jar for some days/weeks. This goes best as side dish with steamy hot Khmer soup, steamed rice. Boy let me tell you, I could eat this for a month. LOL

Baby duck eggs. 
Photo source: Khiri.com Khiri Travel

It is nearly 5p.m. what snack should we get before dinner? Baby duck eggs sound like a great idea. Hey hey hold on, it is not as ghastly as it sounds if you know what you want. Some people prefer the eggs that have bigger baby duck inside already (yuk!) For me I prefer those that haven't shown any trace of the baby developement yet or very tiny that I can simply pick it aside. The rest is good. Ground salt lemon pepper and rau ram herbs or Vietnamese coriander and sliced garlic chilli sauce are the main condiments.

Charcoal grilled skewered beef. 
Photo source: www.chanbokeo.com

If your neighbour grills this, you can smell it already from distance away. It is good with the Kroeung (different roots, leaves, stalks, spices combined together) used to marinate the beef. It is usually eaten with pickled shredded papaya with a drip of chilli sauce on it. You can also find it being placed in a baguette with cilantro etc. (I am not sure what to think now - I am hungry!)

Sun dried fresh water shells. 
Photo source: Sabay

This is perhaps the dirtiest snack imaginable. The shells are pre-cooked and marinated with salt, crushed garlic, sometimes with chilli and then bring to dry under the sun. Cambodia is very dusty. So I left the imagination to you. But the taste, I can't deny that it is good. And frankly, the most yummy part is the outside where the spices (and some dirts) are. Don't run away now, you would still find places where they cover the shells with cheese cloth for hygienic reason. I mean it.

Pickled field crabs.
Photo source: Rak Smey San Google+

What do you say when these crabs are being pickled in salted water and mixed with holy basil leaves and chilli with some lemon juices? I would say, GIVE ME A BOWL RICE!!! One pot of rice can easily be emptied with just a leg or two from this crab. *Don't turn away, it is made with care and clean. Shhhh the "Eek" and the "Aehh" and the "Eww". It is yummy! :-D

Agony of choice. Variety of sour treats. 
Photo source: www.cambo-zone.org

Green mango, guava, young jujuba, wood apple (Limonia acidissima), Ambarella (Spondias dulce), gooseberry (Phyllanthus acidus), anything sour, we eat. With salt and chilli dip of course. Some prefer with caramelised shrimp paste but c'est pas moi. So toothsome. I am writing meanwhile holding a bowl under my mouth and you know why. Joking! 

There are a few more I would like to put on the list but it is hard to find the photos. Once I am in Cambodia I will go on photo hunting and add more. Meanwhile I go daydreaming about my delicious Khmer treats. And may I as well include a sentence from John Lennon's Imagine song? 

"You may say, I'm a dreamer. But I'm not the only one!" :-D I know some of you guys out there are doing the same thing.

I shouldn't have the idea to blog about this. Now I am craving. Goddamn it!!!


Smile Eat while you still have teeth, love!

Third Land: សាធារណៈរដ្ឋដូមីនិក, Dominican Republic, Dominikanische Republik, Republica Dominicana

Dom. Rep. or D.R. are the common abbreviations for Dominican Republic. The D.R. is located on Hispaniola, an island belonging to the Greater Antilles, in the Caribbean. It shares the island with Haiti. D.R. is, after Cuba, the second largest nation in the Caribbean. It’s size of about 48.000 km² is a bit less than that of Costa Rica, and a bit more than that of Denmark. Population is more than 10 million, thus slightly more than Sweden or Hungary.

With Pico Duarte, D.R. has the highest point of the Caribbean, reaching an altitude of ~3170m, and with Lago Enriquillo as well the deepest point of the Caribbean at ~40m below sea level.

The D.R. has a huge range of ecosystems, and thus a huge biodiversity, including the highest percentage of endemic plant and animal species in the region. One of those, a strange looking mammal about the size of a cat, is the Solenodon, which has been on earth already in the era of the dinosaurs.

Agriculture produces all, from products known more likely as from northern countries, to typical tropical ones, from potato to cocoa, all within this small country. D.R. has valuable timber species as well, like the real mahogany, or green ebony. Hurricanes pass around occasionally, so do earthquakes.

Hispaniola was the first stronghold of the Spaniards in the New World, and for long time the main hub for silver and gold shipped from the Americas to Europe. It’s said that in the waters around the island are about 400 ship wrecks from that time are buried. In its capital, Santo Domingo, the D.R. has the oldest cathedral of the New World, the oldest fortress of the New World, and the oldest university of the New World, among others.

A unique gem of the country is the blue amber (bluish under UV-light) which is not found anywhere else in the world, while Larimar, with its also unique blue color, is considered as being the “national” stone. Other specialties, albeit not here exclusively are known as well to be typical for D.R., such as cigars, cocoa, coffee and rum.

According to some travel guides, there might be various places found in the D.R. which are known from TV, such as the “Bacardi Island”, or a waterfall seen in “Jurassic Park”. Strangely enough, such things are “known” from being in other countries too, so it might be doubted. However, besides Caribbean and Atlantic beaches, there are many attractions and activities be found in D.R., such as whale watching, rafting, canyoning, paragliding, mountaineering, and horseback riding, among others.

An idea to where D.R. is (not in Africa or Europe ;-) )

Blue Amber

Jens with Cambodian flag on Pico Duarte, the highest point of the Caribbean

Hispaniolan Solenodon (Solenodon paradoxus) © Eladio Fernandez

Salto de Jimenoa, Jarabacoa

Love,

Why Caribbean? Why Dominican Republic?

She had been the one that caught my attention a little more than the others. With her red lips, she was flashing a broad smile and shiny bunch of teeth, almost as tall as giraffe, standing elegantly with one hand resting on her hip in a dramatic evening gown – laced and all glitzed up, alongside with many other women in similar gowns, her sash read “Dominican Rep.” She was later announced the winner of Miss Universe 2003. That was the first time ever that I heard about this country or to know that it does actually exist. The history class that offered during our years in high school, the most we learned about were the different expeditions and what they discovered. The ones from two of the most famous Italian figures of all time - famed Christopher Columbus and Marco Polo were the most known. But that was all, endless reasons to why we had such limitation in our knowledge in that field. What had happened during those historic voyages and later are pretty much what left for me to keep guessing and find out in the next episode of my life.

  

In April 2008, five years after learning about that country, it was another particular moment that I got to hear about it again and it has changed my life forever. My boyfriend, Jens, just finished his six years working contract in Cambodia and was on job hunting. What he found – which was interesting for him is in the Dominican Republic. Resting my head on his left shoulder, he pulled out the world atlas and started to guide me as much as he could with an atlas and some other books. Not that he never guided me before. Getting into a piece of our story, he had been an advisor/professor at my faculty at the university and was my crush, my good friend, my mentor, my teacher, my he’s-the-one-I-think-of-when-the-love-songs-come-up-on-the-radio, my helper, you name it. We began dating at the end of his work year​, after he had been checking me out for some times (naughty!). All was irresistible but we walked by the rules or should I say the norm :-). Loyal people still exist, eh?! :-) O.K. enough of that. 

Jens nailed the interview and got the job. He came to D.R. first in September 2008 while I had to finish my study at the Uni in Phnom Penh. In late 2009, he went back to Cambodia to ask my parents for my hand. I eventually had my thesis done and ready to make a defence presentation to claim my BSc in Forestry Science. I passed. My plane will be leaving in a month. I was going to move and be with him. He was making his main dreams come true, having a good job, getting married and having kids - building family. I was going to take part to make it happen together. Everything went smoothly for me to enter Dominican Republic. It has been five long years since, and I still discover myself discovering what Columbus discovered right at the place he discovered. My Khmer people reacted to my current location variously. Some think it is in Africa, some think it is somewhere in Europe while others think it is in paradise - this last one is the closest guess to reality so far. But never mind, some Dominican people also don't know where Cambodia is, so, no hard feelings! I do understand why within both cases. The photos below are from 2009, as a new comer, I tend to be in every capture, promise when I get some new photos taken I'll make sure I  won't be on them, save your eyes! :-D

Land Ahoy!!! Arrived in the D.R (10/2009)

Alcázar de Colón or Columbus Alcazar, Colonial City, Santo Domingo

In the background is First Cathedral of America, Santa Maria la Menor 
and Columbus statue

Have a fantastic day!

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