Kampong Thom to Siam Reap

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Kampong Thom to Seam Reap
Sunday morning and we can have a lie in? No the funeral started again this morning at 5.30 and we can hear the lamenting voice of a woman singing out loud and clear, it makes you realise you are in a foreign country. After this came the gutterall tones of a man, it seemed like we were in Morocco and were being called to prayer. The religion here however is Buddhism and the funeral continues. Next we hear the cockerels and then the ducks and birds and figure we might as well join in. Quite surreal, singing on a Sunday morning with the light shining through pinpoint holes in the roof so that it looks like stars however we soon gave up as we didn't know the words.Breakfast overlooking the pool was good and soon our taxi arrived to take us to Seam Reap. A new driver who looked very young and a new guide Ron well its Arun but Ron is what he is called. We took off at speed and were soon visiting the pre-Angkorian ancient temples of Sambour Pre Kuk. They are from the 7th century and amazingly preserved. We were surrounded by children trying to sell their wares and it was so difficult to ignore them as they were so persistent just a $ 1 was all they wanted for some home made goodies. Apart from the children it was a very quiet and peaceful place, you could see that at times it had been a place where bombs and bullets flew, there was evidence in the walls but right now it was very calm, we gave in and bought some goodies.We then took off to a restaurant for coffee and then on to the river, or rather the canal that is part of the Tonle Sap lake. Here there were people living on the edge in more sense than one. The earth around is red and everything is covered with a red dust. The lake is affected by the Mekong and the weather in the rainy season and so flooding often occurs. Some folk live on houses on stilts and some float on the water. We took a boat in need of renovation, out in to this brown excuse for fresh water. Here everything goes on, fishing, washing, cleaning, playing, it's a home, a source of income, a playground and a toilet. They have toilets but the wet stuff goes in to the canal and that goes to the lake, not sure about those who live on the houseboats.We saw children swimming and playing in the muddy brown water, they had fish farms, prawns and snakehead fish to think we had that last night And today we have seen where these fish grew, not sure i would have eaten them if I had known where they came from. Some drain the canal and use the water to help the crops like bean shoots grow. We saw a 4 year old actually rowing a boat, well he might have been five they are all so small. You wave to them and they always wave back unless they are neck deep in water. One little girl blew a kiss, and the adults encourage their children to wave, they don't seem to mind where they live I suppose they must like it. They have TV's and Ariels but they have no electricity it all runs on batteries.From here we drove to Seam Reap and our hotel. It was good to know we would be settled for 3 days and first port of call was the laundry, then the chemist Steve has a bad back now. We decided to chill out in the hotel and eat, I didn't fancy much so just had soup , early start tomorrow.

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Photos

Pre Angkorian Temple
Nah it's Steve

How many people can you get in a van
One driver two more in front, three on the first seat three on the next, two on motorbikes and one in the back

? Nagar?
It's a cobra head and mythical serpent pronounced Nagar but not sure of the spelling. It's about protection