Let's have some snacks!

We went down for some drinks at a restaurant some hours away from Phnom Penh. I was excited to finally reach Angkor and I was counting the hours away.

A local girl tugged my sleeves and asked me if I want some snacks. I told her that if it is something native, I'll go for it. She held my hand and took to me to THE STALL. "I'll treat you! It's my favorite!" Indeed, it was yummy. The treat is not for the fainthearted but any traveler should have some. It is no blogging material for the gustatorily 'boring' type. But truly! It's yummmm... crack crack...

meeting the ghosts of S-21

S-21 was a school transformed into a torture chamber as a way of purging the 'dissidents' of Pol Pot regime. The eerie atmosphere with the 'live' gadgets that shouts of excruciating pain gave away the place. My only connection with the area was the movie The Killing Fields that I saw years ago.

The authorities didn't do much glossing up about the place which made it more real. Going through the rooms and the different storeys of the building would enrich once imaginations. "NO smiling and laughing" was hung on the walls. It reminded the people to pray for the repose of the souls who died in 1975. Faces of people who suffered were displayed on the walls. The innocence of the kids bearing their names and the resignation of the older ones haunt me till now.

I wouldn't be surprised if people could hear moans and sighs of excruciating pain at S-21. The reminder of the terror that 'was' in the cells and the tools used were still there. I was utterly depressed by it all.

Behind the shutters

Extra sweet luggages come along the way when i travel. One of which is my camera. Although a decade old, it is still a priority when i travel. At times, it has become more of a liability for me to carry such a bulky equipment. Yes,yes, many traded in their SLRs to a handy digital camera wherein one can delete unwanted photos and funny focused shots. i still remained in the old age...

lately, i noticed that i lost the novelty of posing in front of a monument or a statue. Am just contented to take photos of places and unknown faces. In phnom penh and indochina in general, I was just lost in the thousand of subjects that I clicked the shutters away... (ironically, I haven't developed them...)

Now, I am fully rested and is waiting for the time when my negatives will be developed and I will get a self-scolding at the importance or profanity of the subjects I caught...

(pics to follow of course)

Climate Change

I have always been complaining about how warmer the earth has become and how inconvenient it is to stay outdoors. It has become a liability to expose myself to the sun. The skin gets burned and my head comes to a bursting pain.

In Phnom Penh, I am put to shame at how shallow I am when it comes to the issue on global warming. Technically (intellectually perhaps), I could connect the issue to climate change to the warming of the earth. I also put this into action by avoiding the installation of an aircon in my home. However, it is just simply an act of avoidance as I spend most of my warmer times at work and my office enjoys the airconditioning.

I can be alarmed to the point of fear and freeze in mobility or do something drastic and put more passion on this cause. I can also try to change my lifestyle a little bit more. But in truth, as I type on this blog, I put the fan on.

What can we possibly do? Reduce consumption and use, REUSE the things that we used, RECYCLE in order not to burden the earth and, OFFSET what cannot be avoided. We have grown so complicated to the point of sophistication. We are more vain. So, the idea of offset is more plausible.

The What and the Hows of Offsetting

For me to travel to other countries, I have to take the flight. However taking the plane uses up more energy and fuel than any other mode of transport. But this cannot be avoided in my context as I live in an island. So, I have to pay inorder to offset my carbon credits.

In the payment, I have to choose groups that would fully make use of the credits and gave back the most of it to its people. This is ethical living to the maximum level.

There are also groups who looked into some projects that would help reduce the emission carbon dioxide to the air. I think it is worthwhile to do this.