The Phnom Penh Royal Palace

The ride to the palace was a bit awkward, we stopped by a launder, my teacher got to drop his laundry, I can bet anytime that he's the (emphasise the “the” please) lousy guy. I wanted to look Ferang and so... TUK TUK!

The teacher woke up late, came late with his white T-shirt and a pair of shorts worth 5 bucks ( I would bet again) with lots of pockets. Me? Hoody in the Phnom Penh Weather, it even has got a hole in it, my latest Crocs, was feeling quite cool and weird. I wasn’t sure though if we were there to see the King or else.

One of the old players AKA guides, Khmer of course, called out, in very fluent English, informed me where the Entrance was, we were trying to get in through the Exit, classic mix-up! I replied in Khmer, he was shocked and I felt like he said something like “…but you are playing a Ferang today!”.

Through the ticket counter, $0.5 for me, $6.5 for the teacher (he aint Khmer), from the entrance after the entrance was impressive, well, it's The Royal Palace, it's meant to be an amusemento of its kind, I pananorma-ed the entire length of the palace campus right then and there. I appreciate the Apple.

The buildings were old fashioned, crooked in some ways, but without any doubt the most proud possession of my motherland. To those who built it, this shall and indeed is what immortality looks like. The design, a dude made this up? How? Well, Khmers are awesome.

We were asked to move to the other side of the Palace campus, He was on his way out, what a timing, I thought, positively, but I didn't even get a chance to catch up(as if he’s on my fb) hahaha!...must be my crocs and the hoody!

Crowded as it was, all wanderred around like a group of paparazzi, what if the King stopped by and said hello? Unbelievably impossibly crazy! Kings won't do that, would they? I'd just hope it'll happen someday, where we can have tea with him, show our love towards the boss of the Kingdom of Wonder. what if we could chat with him on Facebook or Skype! 

Thinking back of my childhood, well, I'm still in it, comparing it to the King's childhood, I wonder what he was like, of course he's human, he has a life, he probably had less fun than us (a bit of sarcasm here), but I bet his childhood was also awesome in so many other ways,  this is how this farmville AKA life works. Meeting him someday would be like "Woh!" I don't even know how to imagine it, it won't be put as an “honor" but as a gift, it might change life, chatting with him, listening to him, drinking tea with him and understand the way he lives his life, the way he sees us, the way he feels as a human who lives in a palace.

As a younger citizen, I have to suggest some new paintings on some of the buildings, then everything will be MAGNIFICIENTOOOO...

I’m not good at pointing out things but things that affect my heart even as a kid, the education programming, teachers not getting enough salary, floody and crooky environment, they have to be fixed. For the country itself, for our future, for our generation, I know we will someday rise at the top of the leaderboard.

I’m not good at suggestions but a movie-session routine, not just for the young ones, but for everyone involved, showcasing our awesome culture and tradition, amazing history that we must carry on for all the Khmer generations this earth would hold.

Currently at the same spot as the Central Market, this place is no cool for younger citizens of the Kingdom, I have to admit that I do feel the same, but "HOPE"-"FULLY" that it might change, it can change, it should change. 

Let's move to “The Business Today” magazine mode, revenue from the visitors, can't assume how much we get, but still, I don't think it's small. People are suffering from almost everything everywhere, the money might at least be a part of the help, this year Kunthea Bopha Hospital, next year the orphanage, keep the list going, and people might live, not survive.

Let all those international events be as they are, no sweat, they'll keep coming,  but we have to move fast  and think fast and act fast in order to keep our culture posted so high that even someone at the top of the Mt. Everest would wish if he or she could see us, the only Kingdom of Wonder of the World.

To make a royal palace worth fighting for, dying for, living for and celebrating for, anyone that has access to the blueprint must have to figure something out.

With the best of my Khmer Pride, may I ask,

“What should and could we as the citizens of this Kingdom of Wonder do to make this Palace the Palace of the world?”

It was just me and my flying pigs

again. Royal and Palace, these are two super executive words, the Italian marbles (with Simpsons on them…may be), a revolving bed (may be.. full of Plushies), best of the best cars(Transformers…may be), tuxedos( I would wear them with my Chucks…may be) and I think I should stop here. Folks... humour me! I just turned 14.

The Phnom Penh Central Market AKA Psa Thmey

Let us start with Food. She was almost done deep-frying her prawns, we weren't aware until she gave us the “get lost” look. From the distance, I had thought of how generous she could be, did  think of  asking her for permission and then only photo some of her food-art, thank her and leave but gave a red card straight  on my face and got send away.

Reversed my gear and stopped by the lady with the Crab Pickle. She let me photo her Crab Pickle and so I did with a watery mouth. This Food Section of the Central Market has plenty of side-dishes filled with the ones I dig, the ones I would store if I were prepping for the apocalypse, the pickled ones of cucumber, crabs and lotus.

There, you will witness Roasted Gold, my grandpa's favourite fish roasted until it turns golden. Back in the Khmer Rouge, it was really a gold of its kind. The lives back then, they didn't live but survived, comparing it to now, it is hell and heaven.

Grandpa told me stories, the rarest kind, the ones he lived to tell, in which he fought, survived, worked, lived, kept the family harms away and away from Satan.

The grilled squid followed. The smell of the burn of the skin of the chicken(s), the scent of the mint leaves and the heat in the air from the chilli paste, but I just took pictures of them. I didn't have allowance enough for the squids but watered my watery mouth with sugarcane juice.

Another exhibition of God's art, the Seafood, its tastes and textures, making it one of the world’s most fancied food. The widely known Central Market, seafood is one of the reasons, distributes it all around Phnom Penh. There are schools of fish with their heads popped out of the ice valley shouting “who’s gonna save the world!”. The mussels and oysters look very comfortable as if they know they are worth. The crabs and lobsters, as always, along with their sellers, do bargain in their own ways. All of them somehow make my imagination turned into a kite made out of a Seafood restaurant poster and fly high.

Fruits are next, bright yellow jackfruit, Brazil-Soccer-Team-Jersey patterned bananas, baskets full of tennis ball looking oranges, the rose-red apples, watermelons and their authentic stripes, the cactus-like pinky fruit that made me looked stupid when I asked my mom about it, give the stalls an incredibly colourful Rio-Parade look. The stalls with their hangers, always looked to me like a tree of its kind bearing all of the fruits, all the colours, shapes, sizes, values and tastes.

Captain Jack Sparrow probably collected his Ornaments from the heart of this oyster AKA the stalls at the heart of the market. I am a bit romantic and so I have always imagined myself giving Julia a chain of pearls like the one that Rose had in Titanic, affordable though. I opened my wallet, took a peek... Kek kek! *cough* Sorry Bae, next time, I am 14. Bracelets, rings, earrings, made from precious rocks, jade, diamond, gold, silver, bronze, Julia's likes, I bet, in any ways, they would serve just enough for popping the Big Question, “Will you marry me?”.

So much of the Generation Gap, from Cafe ta-kork AKA Khmer Iced Coffee to Chatime and KOI, from Nom Korng AKA Khmer Donut with melted palm tree sugar to Burger King, spots like the Central is never thought of as a place to hangout. Youths are not going to compare it to the Aeon Mall, two different things, to be honest, I, myself, wouldn’t hangout there. The Youth probably envisions a huge signboard at the Central reading "Visitors and Shoppers Only!”.

Thanks to Louis Chauchon, the awesome French architect who designed the initial blueprint of the market but (hehehe) he could have done better.

Despite the fact that a lot of people were there, and I'm just 14, as an excuse, I wanted to but didn't have the guts to lie on the floor and take an incredible panorama view for you folks.

If I were to put my brain into it for a bit, let’s say you imagine me as the Governor, Wow! The Central Market? Got many things to upgrade. 

I would decorate it every time there comes celebrations and occasions and holidays. Parking would be the main project, It’s traffic jam all day long around, probably an underground parking would be awesome, it's not impossible!

I would put on few floors more on top of the centre with an open food court on the rooftop with a garden, a public library cum coffee house on the second floor serving classic Khmer coffee and also showcasing traditional Khmer dances to the visitors…..it would have been magnificanto, wonderfullest, amzingee, etc.

I would install an awesome fountain rite at the center, a small garden cum park around it from where you could sit and enjoy the LIFE, the Central Market holds. And a seating which lets you lie down and take killer pictures of the centre of the market which to me represents the true meaning of the name of the market itself. 

And I just realised that it does look like a Big Headed Spider, like the ones in Harry Potter but with only four legs. I would also call it a mini Ben (Big Ben).