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Published: March 30th 2009
Well, the quick shopping trip in Battambang turned into an hour and a half ordeal, but we got makeup galore for the girls and toy trucks for the boys. Rey explained that these were things that their parents would not be able to afford to buy then, so these items would be greatly appreciated.
Church supposedly starts at 10:00 and runs until noon. We arrived at about 10:30 and there was no one around. We came in and miraculously, people started streaming in. Within 10 minutes the place was full and the singing started. There are probably about 30 people in the congregation, which is pretty large considering the size of the village and the fact the 95% of Cambodians are Buddhist.
The service was spirited, the singing was great and the sermon was mercifully short. The children sang a song or two and the girls presented traditional Cambodian dance. At the conclusion of the service, Cheryl and I were asked to share a few words with the congregation.
In the afternoon, we took a trip to “Small Mountain” with most of the children in attendance. We rented an open truck with boards across the bed for people
to sit. It was loaded to the gills with what looked to be about 25 kids and a handful of adults.
Small Mountain is only a few kilometers from Boung Priene and is what I describe as a combination amusement park and Buddhist monastery. There are play fields, statues for the kids to climb on and gardens to walk in. There’s even a cave with a dragon’s head and mouth molded for the entrance. There are lots of statues of animals like elephants, tigers, dragons and what not for the kids to climb on. Tastes are pretty simple here in rural Cambodia. I think US kids would be very bored with the lack of mechanized rides and video games. These kids love it.
Early afternoon we started back as Som & family still had to make it back to Phnom Penh. It was early afternoon when they dropped us back at our hotel in Battambang and we dropped exhausted for the rest of the day and evening. Those two active youngsters sure take a lot out of a couple of old fogies like us. Furthermore, we have to get ready for our trip to Siem Reap and the
temples of Angkor tomorrow morning.
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