Day 1, first stop was Phnom Sombok which Sithy would describe as a mountain and me a mere hillock. In Cambodia if there are two hills together the taller is always female and the smaller male. There is a Cambodian myth that explains why. In days of yore ladies had to do the proposing and they didn't really like that arrangement. A competition was organised to see who could build the biggest hill before the evening star lit the sky. The ladies launched a lantern and those stupid fellas thought it was a star, stopped digging and went to sleep, meaning the birds could carry on and win hands down. Looks like blokes being daft is international lol...
There is a working monastery and temple on top. I particularly liked these pictures of the Buddhist 10 commandments (although there are only 5)
Thou shalt not get really pissed and make a tit of thyself.
Thou shalt not get incensed to the point of homicidal mania.
Thou shalt not tell porkies or thy tongue will suffer severe rippingtons.
Thou shalt not shaggeroo your neighbour's missus (no mentions of misters as birds apparently are libbidoless, and as for being gay?....no mention for or against)
The fifth one was about not thieving but I don't seem to have the picture. I was trying to explain the other 5 of our 10 to Sithy but could only remember the one about not worshipping false gods. Y'know what? He really couldn't get his head around it. The Buddha doesn't care which god you worship as long as you try to lead a good life and they are not commandments just suggestions to help you along the way... Being the sinner that I am, I really like that idea.
View from the top of the mountain/hill.
Next was the Pagoda of one hundred pillars. The original 16th century building was razed by Pol Pot and this new one built in the mid 90s. Story has it the king built the pagoda in memory of his daughter. She was eaten by a scholar turned crocodile as a vengeance killing for the death of his master... Better than EastEnders.
There is a conservation programme for the endangered soft shelled turtle based at the pagoda. I think the monks run it and WWF fund it. The solution is simple but genius; locals who used to poach the turtles are paid 8 dollars per potential hatchling by the programme. This means their expertise is now being used for preservation as opposed to destruction. The locals are also leading 'wild turtle watching' tours; everybody wins.
Day 1 finished with freshwater Irrawaddy dolphin spotting, another endangered species. I shared my boat with a really nice Irish girl called Laura and we both got pissed wet through and freezing cold in frigging SE Asia! No photos taken but have found you a link.
I spent that evening in a home stay, which I was apprehensive about due to possible language barriers. Sithy assured me that their daughter spoke good English and so there would be ample opportunity for cultural exchange.
When I arrived the house was spotless, below are pictures of my room.
Pictures of the family and other areas of the house.
View from the front garden across the Mekong River.
Unfortunately English speaking daughter didn't materialise so I was unable to communicate my desire to muck in and join in with family life. The kids spent the evening watching karaoke DVDs and mum was on her moby all night (could have been in Harpurhey lol). I guess some folk may have been offended and thought the family rude but y'know what? It's called a home stay because I'm staying in their home, so Adi lady says they can do what they want... I dined alone on rice and rubber bands (think it was chicken), was in bed for 8.30, wishing I'd packed floss.
Day 2 started with a look at the only wooden pagoda left in the area, the Khmer Rouge didn't trash it because it had already fallen down, this is the only original part left.
Then a ferry and a long bike ride to the other side of the river, this rural area rarely sees tourists so I was a bit of a celeb. These cheeky monkeys followed us on their moto just to catch a glimpse lol.
This temple is a working monastery and called Theravada Wat. It is where Sithy's grandparents' spirits rest. They assured their place by giving alms to the monks when they were still alive (grandparents not monks lol).
Sithy was explaining to me how Hinduism and Buddhism are inextricably linked. There are 5 buddhas, the first 3 are from yesteryear and nobody really pays them much heed. The fourth is the Buddha who started the religion of Buddhism and he is believed to be an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. They are awaiting the fifth who will come from the North East; why aye man, me thinks it might be Cheryl Cole...
I went to Sithy's home for lunch and it was lovely to meet his family. He told me about the corruption in Cambodia. A Chinese billionaire has made 4 billion USD from Cambodian gold and fuel companies pay no tax but inflate prices all with 'the blessing' of the CPP. Cambodia is no longer black listed by the US but are under the spot light during the run up to the election. The CPP are paying old people in rural areas 5 dollars to assure their vote and fast tracking citizenship for Vietnamese immigrants to allow them to vote CPP. They are also funding bogus opposition parties to make the process seem more 'democratic' to the outside world. Still Sithy is optimistic about the future as the two bono fide opposition parties have formed a coalition and international attention means the CCP are not in the position to make them 'disappear'. The CCP will undoubtedly win on 28th July but Sithy feels by the next election The Cambodian Peoples' Rescue Party should be in a good position to rid the country from the corruption that blights it.
I love this picture, the woman standing is shouting to us, if we make any money from the photos she wants her cut.
After lunch Sithy took be around his parents' land. Now they are self sustainable and grow many different crops. However when he was a small boy there was a huge shortage of food and the family often went hungry. When he was three Sithy got Denge fever; out of 11 children in the village only he and one other survived.
Picture of fruit, I have no idea what it is. Did you know that Cambodian oranges are green?
Final stop was to go and see the rice noodles being made.
I thought they may find my interest strange but Sithy assured me that even the villagers like to see the noodles being made. Apparently I know more about rice than Cambodians from the capital; they can't even cook it, let alone grow it... That made me smile.
So a great time had by Adi lady in Kratie due to an excellent guide. Next installment I'll be back in Phnom Penh. God bless, goodnight and over and out xxx
wwww.cambodianpridetours.com
hengchansithy@gmail.com
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