There is always something for everyone in the Riverside.
The place where everyone
and everything gets united as one, life under the Sun and life under the Stars;
Khmers and the rest of the world; lifestyles, professions, beautiful colours, all
stages of the Human species and Life itself, proud cultures, food of all sorts
of syllables I cannot even pronounce but for all sorts of taste buds, the Phnom Penh
Riverside welcomes all.
The Wayfarers I got on,
if you noticed, it actually reflects the Riverside, a place where there is
always something for everyone. And, so I would also say, there is always one
for everyone, LIFE, it's an AMAZEBALL.
“That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.”
(Courtesy. a German philosopher)
***
“That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.”
(Courtesy. a German philosopher)
There
are many and I came across this girl of must be 7 or 8 with her brother of must
be 2 or 3 by the roadside. I was on the other side of the road and I sat down
on the ground and took their picture and so, I asked myself if I would be able
to see this life through their eyes and feel this life through their skin and
express this place.
It
is a Playground? Home? Bed? Dining Table?
School?
Friends
pass by dropping off some changes somehow, otherwise, to many, she represents
the status of my Kingdom. How would it be like to be surrounded by people and
places who and which represent fun and happiness and party and money and all
the good times and yet, they all are just to be watched from the outside and
she and her brother have learned it long time ago to just keep the smile on for
almost everybody. It's either accepting it and surviving this cold war or giving
up and dying from hunger and sickness. Their everything starts here, their nightmares
and daydreams.
In
some weird ways, they are somehow lucky to be able to at least see and experience
this kind of life, 24/7, 365 days, riverside is LIFE, it's a part of them
growing up, and if this life doesn't kill them until then, then it will anyways make them stronger.
Perhaps, a part time job when she is ready and hopefully attend a school and a college,
they've worked very hard to wake up every day and live until they fall asleep
every night. For all the things they don’t have and things they will never have
and the very very few things they have, I wish them the best wishes I can wish and the very best of regards.
***
Somehow, I believe everything ends here with a toast to nothing else but the place itself which holds everything and everyone.Every Flag posted here has its hoisters here. This is us, Cambodia, with the will to welcome and greet and meet and share and learn, how we open our beautiful hearts to the world; there's something so special about this place, there is something so special about this life.
Every
Flag posted here has its hoisters here.
Time differentiates everything.
The first half of the day, everything shines, the liveliest
of all, locals offer prayers for good luck for their businesses, happiness and
a healthy life. Early birdies, mostly the elders, jogging, chatting with friends
while the cool refreshing breeze blows, dancing to the music along with the
instructor wearing sweatpants.
And there is our The Royal Palace, poised at the center of
The Riverside, it could not have been just a coincidence to have the Palace and
the Present Riverside to have come into play at the same latitude and
longitude. Both showcase all the amazing attractions and stories and history and tradition and everything else that one could wish to see here in this Kingdom.
With all the best intentions, we have two-faced restaurants here
at the Riverside; crazy amazing food of all kinds are served to crazy amazing
people of all kinds during the day. And, the stars come out at night with
parties and live music and dance and what not.
Somehow, I believe everything ends here with a toast to nothing else but the place itself which holds everything and everyone.Every Flag posted here has its hoisters here. This is us, Cambodia, with the will to welcome and greet and meet and share and learn, how we open our beautiful hearts to the world; there's something so special about this place, there is something so special about this life.
***
Nobody knows everybody and everybody knows that.
It might be that he has given up, it might be that he feels hopeless or it might be that his life is irremediable. This Guy with old torn pants, with his face covered by an old hat, and taking
a nap by the bench is the perfect case that represents the Riverside, Mysterious.
(The following nouns are pimped.)Divorcees and divorceds, widowers and widoweds, retireds and
the fireds, the peer pressureds and discriminateds, hopelesses and hopefulls,
sads and unluckies, losts and looking-fors, starting-overs and left-overs;
Riverside has them all and so, no one is to be judged by the look. At the
Riverside, nobody knows everybody and everybody knows that.The spirit of the Riverside is in all of us, the "Thumbs-Up" spirit.
***
"What goes around comes back around."
Courtesy. Justin Timberlake
Just behind the main street, the Kondal Market, best of my
childhood memories, grocery shopping with my grandma, I still did recognize the
vendors, but they barely do, tons of changes have been made since my last visit
and that was when my grandma was younger and I was child-er.
The Riverside, if you're wondering about the sources of the
food you are served, folks, for most of it, the Kondal Market it is, fruits and veggies,
all the meats, the still-alive-fishes, etc.
At one of the four-lanes at the Kondal Market is my
childhood-superhit-to die for spot, the 'Chives-Cake' Shop; another piece of memory
popping out as I sat down there for yet another shot at the classic. Its smell
casted over and time-machined my mind back to previous Chinese School-Days when
I was really into basketball and every day, my dad would buy me one or two
after school. Every time I take a bite of it, I would tell myself that this is
it; and after a while, I would realize that it’s all gone, heheheh, yeah! I ate
them all.
***
***
OMFG, I mean "Oh My Food God".
Hot smoky corns with its sweet taste, every time I have a
shot at it, them rather; my mouth would fill up just like a crop harvester, and
the farm would get emptied in one traffic light.
Expats be like, Ewww, Wats dat! but I be like, YUM YUM,
The cotton candy, again reminded me of when I was about eight
or nine, I would run as fast as our Usian Bolt and snatch the cotton candies
wrapped in plastic bags, open it with whatsoever techniques, and start licking
it gently. The sugar would start melting, I would lick it in different
directions, a Pyramid-like cotton candy it is, the power of saliva; mom would
always pick up some medicines just in case I get fever afterwards, in anyways
whatsoever, it was better than Nutella or Kitkat. It's the sweets of my
childhood days, as simple and priceless as it should be.
Food,
food, food, you ain't going anywhere, your place is here in my fat timmy tummy,
the spring rolls, meatballs, and the INCREDIBLY AMAZEBALL 'Fried Ice cream',
they accomplished the 'Make-Hongyy-say-he's-super-full' mission; well done
lads, I was like, OMFG, I mean "Oh My Food God".
On the way home was a
smooth full-of-traffic ride on the tuk-tuk, I spotted an old lady wrapping and
prepping lotus seeds, gotta tell you folks, I had no choice but to immediately
call for a stop and jump right out of the tuk-tuk and get my after-dessert.
Time has it all for all.
A few more years plus me and I will be there, my parties, my playlists, my soccer-game-weekend-nights; I'll be eagerly waiting. Cheers to the food, high-five to the people, lighters-up to the nightlife, and lastly, a shout-out to the freedom. My share of riverside-happiness will be given when time comes, I will celebrate my dreams become real one after another. Of course, a nice family dinner, some long talks with gramps, test-drinking, etc. are undeniable, too.
We all have a riverside in our lives. This is mine.
***
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