June
15, Friday
Today we take the “Mekong Express Limousine Bus” service from Phnom Penh toward Siem Reap.
Bus station at Phnom Penh. That's their garage !
Quite comfortable in the bus
Good bye Mekong River
In addition to the cars on the road, I see a lot of other modes of transportation: carts pulled by oxen,
and by horses. This cart looks like it was used over 100 years ago, apart from the rubber tires.
Bringing a load of fire wood to market.
The area is full of agricultural fields, and still some forests exist.
Many of the properties have dug holes like these along the road side, to collect water when it rains.
Scott also explained what these contraptions were for: Catching flying bugs at night.
They have built a plastic contained at the bottom and run poles to hold plastic sheets and fluorescent bulbs
At night, the lights are lit to attract bugs, they hit the verticle sheet of plastic, held up in the middle of the plastic tub at the bottom, and fall into the water below. DONE DEAL. In the morning the people collect the bugs, roast them, and sell them or eat them. Another source of revenue which does not cost them much.
The roads are quite nice.
We see a variety of different homes along the way. Today we stop in a small village, for an overnight called a “homestay”. A few of us, me included, are a bit worried about what type of conditions we will find.
Definitely will be a house on stilts. Some are tiny, painted and have curtains.
Typical houses we see along the way.
Movin’ on up! This is the exception, not the norm.
We are actually staying with a family who are equipped to accommodate a small group of people. The community has about 6 of these houses (if my memory serves me well), as do other villages in the area. It is considered to be part of the cultural experience while visiting Cambodia and is organized Isanborei (tourist service providers in this area of Cambodia). We are extremely lucky to be received by a couple (both are teachers at the local school) and their little girl. Unfortunately their English is very limited and so is our conversations with them. AND… their house is brand new! I am SO relieved. I had been dreading what we would find as living conditions while driving through the area, and Scott had been very evasive in his answers.
The house where we stayed. WHAT A RELIEF.
It even has cement stairs, but leave your shoes at the bottom please.
The verandah at the top of the stairs
It has a bathroom with running water ! The owner is demonstrating how to use the hand pump.
Before the mosquito netting was raised around each mattress in a very ingenious way.
The view from the top verandah
Scott later told us that he never knows in which house we will find ourselves in, nor the quality of the food we would be provided, so he has to wait until we arrive to find out for himself.
After dropping off the belongings we needed for the night on our mattresses, we got to go visit a nearby archeological site of a temple called “Sambor Prei Kuk” which is a World Heritage Site.
First thing we spot.... a cow of course. Don't think they are considered sacred here however. The farmers just let them roam on the grounds since it is free feed.
One of the buildings on the site
The first temple we come to. Although some of the stones are damaged, the structure is sound.
From within the temple, looking up to the opening at the top
It is much bigger than it appears from the outside
and the temple is decorated since it is still being used to make prayer offerings.
“The structures of the overall archaeological area were constructed at variable times: the southern and north groups (7th century) by Isanavarman I, and the central group at a later date. The buildings of Sambor Prei Kuk are characteristic of the Pre-Angkorean period with a simple external plan. The principal material is brick, but sandstone is also used for certain structures.”
Some small wild flowers growing on the grounds
Another temple
Some of the details have been restored
Buddhist monks still come to pray and meditate
We continue on through the grounds along some nice woodland paths
Details on yet another temple are still visible, though deterioration is evident
A tree has fallen, a HUGE tree. You can see the stump in the ground on the left.
Another temple has been completely covered over by the roots of a tree.
View of the same temple from the other side. Michael is in this picture, to give you some perspective on how big this is.
I purchased a hand woven scarf from one of the local children hounding us to purchase their wares.
After our visit, we return to the village and go for a walk-about through its few streets.
Very modest houses, most with animals grazing nearby
One gentleman has a thriving business making railings for houses. I've seen a lot of these since we crossed into Cambodia. Not sure what type of metal they are made of.
The general store
Young girls returning home from school
A man coming back from his fields with the cows .... all yoked up!
We left the road and cut across the fields at the back of the village
Passed a growing family, while a young boy works in the fields
There was a woman and her little boy gathering tiny fish from the rice ponds. They will add to the meal for her family.
A view of the community school across the way.
The fields are rich with the growing rice crop
We find a wagon out in the fields and Mike and I "hook-up" to it. He was willing to try to pull it, but I wasn't.
Back on to the main road we walked on to the house where we were staying
By the time we return to the house where we are staying, the meal is almost ready. The little girl, (maybe 3 years old) who was as quiet as a mouse, was nowhere in sight. She had been sent to her grandmother’s house we were told. The family uses the ground level for its living space and only use the house itself to sleep in, as do most people who live in this type of house. The area underneath the house usually serves as outdoor kitchen, storage area, animal shelter, and anything else they don’t want to do in the actual house up on stilts. The ground floor area in this home has been cemented and is kept very clean, no animals other than the dog and chickens, on the premises. The lady of the house has prepared a feast for us of at least 6 different dishes if my memory serves me well. Although there is light and electricity, after the meal it is dark and I decide to turn in early and take advantage of the washroom upstairs before the others come up. The gentleman of the house is busy setting up the netting around each of the beds, and I regret to say that I did not take any pictures after it was all set up. Hopefully one of my fellow passengers will be kind enough to send me one. While he set up the nets, I tried tucking them in under the mattresses near my own. Although there are many windows upstairs to provide ventilation, as well as ceiling fans, there are no screens on the windows. Luckily I only see a few tiny scurrying bugs and geckos and I ensure that none are under my netting before I settle down for the night.
I don’t think I even read 2 pages of my book before falling asleep. I didn’t even wake when the guyes came up to bed later that evening. Although we had a thin mat underneath us, I did find the floor very hard but slept well none-the-less.
Today we take the “Mekong Express Limousine Bus” service from Phnom Penh toward Siem Reap.
Quite comfortable in the bus
Good bye Mekong River
In addition to the cars on the road, I see a lot of other modes of transportation: carts pulled by oxen,
and by horses. This cart looks like it was used over 100 years ago, apart from the rubber tires.
Bringing a load of fire wood to market.
The area is full of agricultural fields, and still some forests exist.
Many of the properties have dug holes like these along the road side, to collect water when it rains.
Scott also explained what these contraptions were for: Catching flying bugs at night.
They have built a plastic contained at the bottom and run poles to hold plastic sheets and fluorescent bulbs
At night, the lights are lit to attract bugs, they hit the verticle sheet of plastic, held up in the middle of the plastic tub at the bottom, and fall into the water below. DONE DEAL. In the morning the people collect the bugs, roast them, and sell them or eat them. Another source of revenue which does not cost them much.
The roads are quite nice.
We see a variety of different homes along the way. Today we stop in a small village, for an overnight called a “homestay”. A few of us, me included, are a bit worried about what type of conditions we will find.
Definitely will be a house on stilts. Some are tiny, painted and have curtains.
Typical houses we see along the way.
Movin’ on up! This is the exception, not the norm.
We are actually staying with a family who are equipped to accommodate a small group of people. The community has about 6 of these houses (if my memory serves me well), as do other villages in the area. It is considered to be part of the cultural experience while visiting Cambodia and is organized Isanborei (tourist service providers in this area of Cambodia). We are extremely lucky to be received by a couple (both are teachers at the local school) and their little girl. Unfortunately their English is very limited and so is our conversations with them. AND… their house is brand new! I am SO relieved. I had been dreading what we would find as living conditions while driving through the area, and Scott had been very evasive in his answers.
The house where we stayed. WHAT A RELIEF.
It even has cement stairs, but leave your shoes at the bottom please.
The verandah at the top of the stairs
It has a bathroom with running water ! The owner is demonstrating how to use the hand pump.
Before the mosquito netting was raised around each mattress in a very ingenious way.
The view from the top verandah
Scott later told us that he never knows in which house we will find ourselves in, nor the quality of the food we would be provided, so he has to wait until we arrive to find out for himself.
After dropping off the belongings we needed for the night on our mattresses, we got to go visit a nearby archeological site of a temple called “Sambor Prei Kuk” which is a World Heritage Site.
First thing we spot.... a cow of course. Don't think they are considered sacred here however. The farmers just let them roam on the grounds since it is free feed.
One of the buildings on the site
The first temple we come to. Although some of the stones are damaged, the structure is sound.
From within the temple, looking up to the opening at the top
It is much bigger than it appears from the outside
and the temple is decorated since it is still being used to make prayer offerings.
“The structures of the overall archaeological area were constructed at variable times: the southern and north groups (7th century) by Isanavarman I, and the central group at a later date. The buildings of Sambor Prei Kuk are characteristic of the Pre-Angkorean period with a simple external plan. The principal material is brick, but sandstone is also used for certain structures.”
Some small wild flowers growing on the grounds
Another temple
Some of the details have been restored
Buddhist monks still come to pray and meditate
We continue on through the grounds along some nice woodland paths
Details on yet another temple are still visible, though deterioration is evident
A tree has fallen, a HUGE tree. You can see the stump in the ground on the left.
Another temple has been completely covered over by the roots of a tree.
View of the same temple from the other side. Michael is in this picture, to give you some perspective on how big this is.
I purchased a hand woven scarf from one of the local children hounding us to purchase their wares.
Very modest houses, most with animals grazing nearby
One gentleman has a thriving business making railings for houses. I've seen a lot of these since we crossed into Cambodia. Not sure what type of metal they are made of.
The general store
Young girls returning home from school
A man coming back from his fields with the cows .... all yoked up!
We left the road and cut across the fields at the back of the village
Passed a growing family, while a young boy works in the fields
There was a woman and her little boy gathering tiny fish from the rice ponds. They will add to the meal for her family.
A view of the community school across the way.
The fields are rich with the growing rice crop
We find a wagon out in the fields and Mike and I "hook-up" to it. He was willing to try to pull it, but I wasn't.
Back on to the main road we walked on to the house where we were staying
By the time we return to the house where we are staying, the meal is almost ready. The little girl, (maybe 3 years old) who was as quiet as a mouse, was nowhere in sight. She had been sent to her grandmother’s house we were told. The family uses the ground level for its living space and only use the house itself to sleep in, as do most people who live in this type of house. The area underneath the house usually serves as outdoor kitchen, storage area, animal shelter, and anything else they don’t want to do in the actual house up on stilts. The ground floor area in this home has been cemented and is kept very clean, no animals other than the dog and chickens, on the premises. The lady of the house has prepared a feast for us of at least 6 different dishes if my memory serves me well. Although there is light and electricity, after the meal it is dark and I decide to turn in early and take advantage of the washroom upstairs before the others come up. The gentleman of the house is busy setting up the netting around each of the beds, and I regret to say that I did not take any pictures after it was all set up. Hopefully one of my fellow passengers will be kind enough to send me one. While he set up the nets, I tried tucking them in under the mattresses near my own. Although there are many windows upstairs to provide ventilation, as well as ceiling fans, there are no screens on the windows. Luckily I only see a few tiny scurrying bugs and geckos and I ensure that none are under my netting before I settle down for the night.
I don’t think I even read 2 pages of my book before falling asleep. I didn’t even wake when the guyes came up to bed later that evening. Although we had a thin mat underneath us, I did find the floor very hard but slept well none-the-less.
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