Our second day in Siem Reap found us sleeping in late. No complaints, we’d had an eventful evening. Jet, Melanie and Idea Czar had mooted a gig to Renaud the night before and he was game – so that afternoon Abacus Cafe texted the known universe that something was on.
Was it ever. We had a PA system, and the performers had to scramble to get lyrics and setlists together. But as twilight fell, things were starting to shape up. Melanie dubbed their impromptu ensemble “The Man From Tripoli”. And the circus folks were still here, so after some discussion (thanks to some translation from Multivore) a game plan was sorted. Paul (Hidden Cambodia) and Diana (Bloom) joined us for dinner, and next thing you know, it was showtime!
Idea Czar started things up, the musicians from the Keita Fodeba troupe seamlessly inserted themselves into his set and things really took off.
After that, Melanie did a solo set (‘The Man From Tripoli’) -
and playing on that note, I introduced the Jet set as ‘The Woman From Tripoli’.
Then it was time for Centre d’Art Acrobatique Keita Fodeba to take the stage with a little backing from Jet and Idea Czar. Their infectious enthusiasm helped make even the simplest tune into something new and fun. Given that they’d come halfway around the world to share their culture, it makes sense they didn’t waste any time getting their groove on.
By this time the dance floor was full, and when time came to wind down, it was pretty late. An incredible impromptu evening.
More: Writeup: http://ideaczar.net
Listen: http://traffic.libsyn.com/slugdog/Oh_Dear.mp3
Look: http://tinyurl.com/6hcpuu
Tags: cambodia,guinea,travel,tourism,circus,rock
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I love this photo. The kids are alarmed at the loud music, and amazed at the antics of the circus.
I’d better backtrack: Idea Czar / Multivore yrs truly wind up at Abacus for some dinner action. And proprietor Renaud had just arrived back in town with a circus in tow.
It seems after an April engagement (Tini Tinou festival) Centre d’Art Acrobatique Keita Fodeba / ‘Tinafan’ are now doing some collaboration with Battambang’s Phare Ponleu Selpak. If you’re going to come all the way out from Guinea, you might as well make the most of it, right?
The performers certainly did. We had a blast watching Phare and ‘Tinafan‘ do their stuff. A squadron of kids was there and were hugely entertained by the whole thing. We also ended up meeting Jet and Melanie (of SQWOUDJI / Betty Ford & GT Falcons fame) and discussed some tentative plans to Rock the ‘Reap the following day.
“That’s how we roll in Siem Reap,” I said as we headed back to our guest house. “And this is just Friday night.”
Tags: cambodia,khmer,travel,tourism,circus
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Man, that was a bumpy bus ride from Battambang to Siem Reap. The road was being dug up for improvements – not one stretch at a time, but all at once.
(Text message from Phnom Penh: it seems guitars are on the way to Siem Reap. Could some live music be in the offing?)
Spotted on the way: ‘Ink Rock Moto’ T-Shirt. (Left)
Idea Czar suggests it as a band or gig name.
Multivore was intrigued by the ‘Alain Delon’ cigarettes on sale here: ‘the taste of France’, but not sold in France!
I dig this sort of thing; cognitive dissonance, Cambodia styley. Heck, I thrive on it.
After the bus disgorges its passengers, we sort ourselves and head out for dinner.
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The descent down Phnom Sampow is very steep, and though I’ve been up it before, the speed at which our guides steered their motos down almost made me we were gonna take to the skies. (Not that I wanted to.) Fortunately this was not the case and we all arrived safely at the base of the mountain, just in time for some other creatures to take wing.
Tens of thousands of bats live in a cavern at the base of the mountain, and stream out at twilight. It’s an astonishing sight, a never ending stream accompanied by high-pitched squeaks.
Want to see more? Click for a very brief cameraphone video.
We were not looking forward to a bumpy ride back into town (in the dark, no less) and were lucky enough to garner a lift with a fellow tourist who had a 4 wheel drive! We gleefully paid off our tuk-tuk and headed back into town for some Khmer food with ginger palm wine as apertif.
Tags: cambodia,khmer,battambang,tourism,bats
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…mainly because we were caught by afternoon rains as we traveled the bumpy unpaved roads by tuk-tuk. We made good use of our time hiring some young locals to moto us up the mountain and serve as impromptu guides.
Phnom Sampow is a bit overwhelming, as you have Neak Ta shrines, ‘killing caves‘, a fully functioning Buddhist temple, gun emplacements, and an awesome view with a mythic background. It truly was a whirlwind – lots of beauty, lots of history, all jumbled together. One moment amusement, another intrigue, and an undercurrent of sadness.
(Left:) Multivore poses as the legendary Neang Rum Say Sok. Her ‘powder room’ is one of the many caves, and a nearby mountain is supposed to be the crocodile Atonn that tries to sink the ‘ship’ of Phnom Sampow.
This spirit house (above) has a squiggle straight out of Krazy Kat‘s Coconino or Charlie Brown’s t-shirt.
One of two emplacements. (Solid Eastern bloc technology, built to last.) With proper grid coordinates, gunners could dominate the surrounding area.
A very small Neak Ta shrine.
The ubiquitous monkeys, chilling out at the Buddhist Wat. Don’t get too close, they’re greedy! Temple pictures from my previous visit can be seen here.
Loo with a view – quite possibly Cambodia’s most picturesque outhouse.
Tags: cambodia,khmer,battambang,tourism
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