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Published: March 26th 2014
the wedding
I had to pretend to spray perfume and Anthony had to pretend to cut hair. That was up till he asked me how much should he cut off?? ha ha .. Nooo its only pretend!When I visit any country I have my itinerary mapped out like this; What I must see, What I want to see & what would be nice to see.
I love to seek out the country side and visit villages that aren't geared for tourism that allow you an honest and personal look at life the way the local people live from day to day. I often think that tourism gets confused at times and try to offer you a westernised experience of eastern culture where in reality for me, I want to get as far away from it as possible.
The thing with rural travel or rural homestays is they can be difficult to research prior unless they are well known on the tourism radar. A rural homestay is a must for me and one in which I have to "wing it" and let it find me rather than I find it. (contact details are featured at the bottom of this blog entry)
And it did and I loved it so much that I wanted to share it with you. The honesty and integrity of the young man who ran the homestay was one of my highlights
of my journey through Cambodia and by featuring this on my blog I am not only sharing my own personal experience but helping one young man turn his dream into reality.
His name is Muen (moo-en. spoken quickly) and this is his village.
From the moment Muen collected Anthony & I in a tuk tuk he spoke of his village, Siem Reap and his Country. He speaks clear and fluent English and it was the first time Anthony & I got to really ask questions about what we understood so far regarding Cambodia and its tumultuous past & unforseen future. As we watched the landscape shift from buildings to rice paddies, the ever present dust started to clear from the air and everything became just a little bit slower and quieter.
On arriving within Tavien Village which is approximately half an hour by tuk tuk outside Siem Reap, we passed a house decorated brightly with music playing loudly. It had me curious as it was 7.30am on Monday morning. Muen told us it was a wedding and in Cambodia they are not restricted to a traditional day or time, rather it is determined by what ever day
The wedding
Anthony & I sitting in the Aisle is right for the family. I asked to stop and have look from a distant and this is really where our fun started for the duration of our time at Muen's Village.
The father of the bride noticed Anthony and I peering through the bushes and with one almighty wave of his hand and broad smile he motioned for us to join the party. Which we all did by taking a seat to the furthest distance from the bridal party so as to not intrude. Again the father of the bride with his broad smile and lean arms grabbed Anthony & I up to stand behind the bride and groom for professional photos. I look back at the photos now and laugh out loud as the uncomfortable "we are not supposed to be here" expressions on our faces are so obvious. All in all, I got to attend a Cambodian Wedding in a village.
From here we went to Muen's home, where his entire family lives. We had a look around the houses and how they were built and for what reason(there is always a reason). Muen's uncle owns an ox and cart so with him and the
ox we went for a ride along the red dirt roads of the village. I lasted about 5 minutes in the cart and relied on my own feet for transport. The cart still has timber wheels and whilst Anthony found it wildly entertaining, my butt didn't!
We visited his neighbours who were cutting rice and there really was no way we were going to stand by and watch as we rolled up our sleeves and jumped in to help. I saw an elderly lady later that day who was completely bent over with her aging body and Muen explained that it was common for retired rice field workers. They work 8 hours per day minimum for 7 days per week for three dollars per day. Our hour of cutting proved to be harder than ever imagined as the sun beat down on our heads like heat from a furnace. Respect to them!
We visited the local primary school and the Buddhist Monastery where we spoke about the young monks and the life chosen for them by their families. A bitter sweet story and one I had been curious of for some time. This particular school was funded by
the Korean Government. The Koreans pay for the children's food supply to ensure they are being fed with minimum adequacy. (I did see a similar diet when I visited a school in Vietnam. Clear Soup, sardines and rice.)
Muen himself used to attend this school and his school teacher was still there teaching and we met him that day. I did have thought to myself, given his age that he had seen and experienced a life of hardship and triumph.
Muen's sister had prepared lunch for us and I have to say that it was the BEST Fish Amok we had on entire journey through Cambodia. Fish Amok is a traditional dish in Cambodia and one that is featured on almost every Khmer Menu.
After lunch Muen and his family sat in the kitchen talking and resting whilst Anthony I chose a couple of inviting hammocks to spend our midday siesta on. Full bellies and the heat required immediate horizontal positions.
After I had enough of napping I wandered over to the kitchen and was relieved to find the family all still gathered. "I miss this," I thought at the time. I miss the communal feeling
How do you cut rice in your country
She asked! With a machine we said! Wish we had a machine here, she said. of my family gatherings and I miss having meals with my family.
My hour or so sitting on the floor of the kitchen with Muen, his Ma and sisters was a special time for me and it reconfirms to me that you can visit any country and not truly meet it unless you truly meet and build a repour with people that call it home.
The rest of the afternoon was spent walking about visiting the neighbours, helping with their daily chores like sewing palm blinds and feeding pigs. It really was just a day in a village to them but a life experience for us.
note:Muen's dream is to bring people to his village to share with him what he considers the real Cambodia. Away from the tourist busses & away from Siem Reap Pub Street. Most of all his proceeds that he makes in his homestay is then given to his neighbours to assist them in day to day living.
Muen also guides people on a 27km cycling tour and he has a village homestay for an overnight experience as well as a day trip to his village.
Contact is +85592795585
info@vacation-Cambodia.com www.vacation-Cambodia.com
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Lu Odger
non-member comment
Just love your photos n blog can I come too next time instead of just feeling like I'm with you