Cruising Cambodia Countryside down the Mekong River

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Actually the AmaWaterways cruise started in Kampong Cham which was a 5 hour drive south from Siem Reap. We met the tour group at the gorgeous Sofitel hotel in Siem Reap. I loved Viroth's Villa (in Siem Reap) but this was an increased level of opulence! Along the way we stopped a couple of times to use the "Happy Room" as we now refer our bathroom breaks to. One of the stops featured this incredible dragon sculpture made up entirely of bicycle tires. There was a giraffe as well which makes so much sense in Cambodia - go figure!



The cruise really captured life in the countryside of Cambodia. We stopped and toured a local village that was attached to a buddhist monastery. Children starting at the age of 6 can attend as buddhist monks but they don't complete their vows and become full fledged buddhist monks until age 20. We walked through the village of stilted houses where day time was spent underneath the home where it was cooler and the bank (cows) were kept under with them or in a separate area if you were wealthy enough. A Cambodian Farmer called the cows banks, as he sold one each time a child of his went to post secondary training! I will elaborate on the banks (cows) in my next blog. We visited with 3 generations of a family. The grandma was caring for the young grand daughter while her mother was working and the Aunt was preparing the meal.



We went upstair to see their home. It was one open room where the floors were slatted bamboo to allow cool air to come through as the extended family slept on mats on the floor. Most Cambodian homes had an alter to honour their ancestors complete with photos and offerings as well as alters for the various nature gods to keep their home safe and healthy. They offered fruits and teas and after a week or so they usually ate what the spirits didn't finish! Although most Cambodian's are Buddhist, many also practise Animism (Animistic). Animism is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Animism perceives all things - animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, human handiwork, and in some cases words - as animated and alive.



Traveling through the village we saw TukTuks loaded with baskets (a travelling store) and one family who had a machine that removed the chaff from the rice grains! This was considered a lower to middle class farming community. Their wealth was determined by how many cows they had (and if the cows lived under their homes or in a separate building/area or not). Most families grew rice but in the village we visited (it was on an island north of Phnom Penh), they grew corn and a variety of vegetables and fruits.



Another stop was at a school where we spoke English to the students and they repeated the words. The kids were so adorable we had to leave candies that we brought from Canada for each and every one (including the teacher). After that, we went to a silk factory and witnessed the silk making process from farming the larvae, feeding them, growing them into cocoons then harvesting the silk thread. Beautiful designs were woven into hand crafted material from which they created garments.



We also stopped at a newer Monastery that was built around 1993 after the head Buddhist monk raised several million dollars to build it. Sadly, he was assassinated in 1993. His photograph is displayed outside the beautiful temple that we went into to receive a blessing from the monks. It was enlightening to tour the monastery to learn of life as a buddhist monk (always dressed in orange) and the lay people (dressed in white) who dedicate their lives to assist the monks in their prayer and study.



We learned about the snake God Nāga and his legend in ancient culture. You see him as a 5 or 7 headed snake adorning the stairs of most temples and his body becomes the railings. We also learned the myth of the beautiful goddess who rose from the water to tame the crocodile god. There were images and statues of her throughout the Monastery.



Another stop was to experience an Ox cart ride. Along the path that we rode, we saw a Cambodian Beauty Salon/Barber Shop and saw a tractor loaded with hay that had an extended body and was driven by a one cylinder engine. The same engine that drives many of their boats with a long impeller that they can extend and move around!

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Comments

[Rolex]

.......keep the post coming. Enjoying them