Farewell my dear Phnom Penh. I didn’t think I would like Phnom Penh on my first impression. I enjoyed the small town scenery along the roads to Siem Reap and Battambang and didn’t care much for the congested city streets of Cambodia’s capital. But it turns out that I will miss Phnom Penh the most of all the towns I have seen in Cambodia. She was the first to greet me and the last to see me as I departed this beautiful land.
After visiting Wat Ta Prohm with Sam and Cham in the morning, we planned to meet at about 3 pm to see Angkor Wat, the largest temple in the world. This time Vir would be meeting us. So at about 3 pm Vir knocked at my door and to my surprise he didn’t really look that old as everyone had described him. No evident wrinkles upon first impression.
I got a little nervous as we approached Angkor Wat. What was waiting for us there? What had called me to make my pilgrimage to this holy temple in the first place?
I never expected to explore Angkor Wat or any of the temples with such religion and history enthusiasts. Vir walked on my right while Sam on my left. In my right ear, Vir talked about Yama, the god of death. In my left ear, Sam talked about trivial facts such as that this temple showed the only carved Apsara that is smiling. These are just simple examples of the kinds of information they shared with me. There was much more sophisticated info that enlightened and overwhelmed me. Both Vir and Sam had so much information I wanted to absorb so I listened as they talked. There would be no way for me to remember everything but that’s okay. I was in Angkor Wat heaven.
One day is not enough to explore Angkor Wat but that is all I had. We walked down the corridors and studied countless bas-relief carvings, statues (like the one of Vishnu pictured above) and inscriptions along the walls of this inspiring sanctuary.
All-you-can-cook-and-eat savory seafood and meat for about $3.50 USD per person. I had my last supper in Siem Reap near the river road at Queen’s BBQ. Perhaps tonight is THE night my innards will submit to food sickness? I kept thinking this as I stirred my raw shrimp up and down the volcano hill grill. To be safe, I over-cooked my shrimp. Terry had told me of her food experience the last time she visited Cambodia. She said that even the Imodium could not help her. (Actually she got sick from the raw vegetables so make sure your veggies are cooked!) My doc gave me Cipro prescription tablets just in case. I heard that getting sick from the food is inevitable so I kept preparing my mind for it. Thankfully, this never happened. Queen’s BBQ is a great choice for family style cooking and eating! I think Vir called this method of cooking Phnom Pleung…which translates to “climbing the hill” since the little volcano grill resembled a tiny hill. This would represent our planned climbing of Kulen Mountain the following morning.
L-R: Vir, Mal, Sam and Cham
Cham shared an ancient Khmer proverb with us:
Drink. Drink for drunk. Drink not drunk. Drink for what?
Here’s to your health in the new year! Cheers!!
I visited Ta Prohm today with Sam and Cham. This temple is definitely one of my favorites. It was not as crowded as some of the earlier temples we visited such as Bayon. It could have been the time of day. Perhaps everyone went into town for lunch. While the birds sang above, we sat for a while under the shade of the massive trees and their tumor-like roots metastasizing every which way possible throughout this abandoned magical temple.
At Wat Ta Prohm, Cham explained that following King Jayavarman VII’s death in the 13th century, a lot of the temples were made to become Hindu and so a lot of the Buddhist images were destroyed. This temple was dedicated to the king’s mother. Later in the 14th century, Theravada Buddhism was established and remains until today.
Angkor Thom
Sam picked me up at 7:40 am and we proceeded to purchase a three-day laminated photo pass to the temples for $40 at the official ticket office. Sam gets in free of course since he lives here. I brought my own passport photo but it’s really not necessary since they have a quickie camera that takes your photo while you wait. Along the road to Angkor, Sam introduced me to his friend, Cham. Of course I don’t remember how the conversation started but the video was rolling when Cham started to discuss the Apsara Authority’s intention to protect at least 70-80% of Angkor’s landscape. Did you know that Cambodia is for sale?
I had to trim the video since all you could hear me say was “Wow!” or “Oh my God!” as we passed Angkor Wat and approached the gate at Angkor Thom. The video ends at the south entrance to Angkor Thom (Great City) which was constructed in the late 12th to 13th century.
Sitting in the internet shop, I am curious to read about the local bloggers in Cambodia. I see the poverty all around even in the fast-developing tourist town of Siem Reap. Many homes sit on stilts along the provincial roads and I can’t see how electricity can reach these places. Even in the nicer homes, the electricity is still not that strong. For me Cambodian bloggers would represent technology which in turn would represent hope for the future. A future with a stable infrastructure: clean water, powerful electricity, well-developed roads to link Cambodia with Thailand which is a much more sophisticated country. Alright if not to link Cambodia to Thailand then at least more modern roads to maneuver from the major towns to the smaller provinces of Cambodia. Thailand is to its neighbor Cambodia like the U.S. is to Mexico. Side by side, yet worlds apart.
Not sure what I’m looking for but I’ll know it when I see it. Sony’s site draws me in for her photos and friendly style of writing. I love her photos too! She is quite a traveler. She takes the reader through Cambodia, visiting Battambang and Ek Phnom. Below is the link to Sony’s website. I also found bloggers in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, both named Virak.
Which reminds me, I still have not met Puthy and Terry’s friend Vir. I am told he has many wrinkles. Dav, Cham and Sam have all said that whenever anyone has a problem they consult Vir. He has all the answers and therefore also all the wrinkles from thinking too much. I don’t know how these guys can work together because all they do is tell proverbs and jokes all day. My stomach hurts from laughing so much. I can’t wait to meet Vir so I can tell him about all my worries too.
Sam has mentioned that I will finally get to meet him on Thursday when both he and Vir will accompany me to Angkor Wat. Sam and I have passed Angkor Wat twice already and both times I wondered when and what it would be like to visit this holy temple. I truly believe they are saving the best for last.
From the drop down menu, choose topics ranging from greetings, food, health and even souvenirs. I love the phonetic phrases and the pairing of the Khmer symbols next to the English phrases.
Dav and Vir’s mother met me in Phnom Penh. Dav plans to earn his Master’s degree abroad in New Zealand next year before returning to Cambodia to work. At Vir’s home, I was caught off-guard when he offered me fruit to eat and told me they were organic. I didn’t know Cambodians cared for such things. We discussed how teachers both in the U.S. and Cambodia are not compensated but he was right to say that teachers in the U.S. are still better off than their Cambodian counterparts. Teachers in Cambodia earn about $50 U.S. dollars per month. Renting a room is about the same so I’m not sure how they survive on such a low income.
In Phnom Penh, Dav and I walked about Wat Phnom and even took a boat cruise along the peaceful Tonle Sap River. We cruised to the point where the Mekong meets the Tonle Sap.
