Got up at 6.30am for the start of another action-packed day. One thing I will say for these escorted tour holidays is that they do ensure that you see as much as possible in each place visited, so every day is full and varied. On the other hand, there is hardly any time for relaxation; sitting by the pool and chilling (as best you can in the 35°C heat).
We got washed and dressed and prepared with what we’d need to take with us today. As part of the day involved a boat trip, I decided to take my trainers with me; I could change into them as needed on the coach.
We breakfasted with the others as usual in the large dining room, everyone regaling everyone else with what they’d been up to last night. Afterwards, it was just a case of assembling in reception and waiting for Moonie, who greeted everyone with his usual wide smile before we all boarded the bus and set off at the start of today’s adventure. 🙂
Our first visit this morning was to a place where kralan, or bamboo sticky rice, is prepared. It’s a mixture of glutinous rice, black beans, coconut milk, and palm sugar, stuffed into bamboo tubes and roasted over a fire. The bamboo imparts a smoky, sweet, and creamy flavor to the rice, which becomes a popular and traditional snack or dessert, especially during festivals and celebrations like Khmer New Year.
We all alighted from the coach and walked to where the rice was being cooked. A lady showed us how the initital mixture was made before being poured into the bamboo tubes which were then stoppered with grass wrapped in banana leaf. Once she’d demonstrated it to us, she invited anyone who wanted to have a go up to the table to make their own. Several people did so.
The prepared bamboo tubes were then taken over to the open fire and placed on their ends so they leaned into the flames. It apparently takes over an hour for the rice to be cooked fully (you can tell when they’re ready when the outside of the bamboo is black). There were some tubes that were already cooked, so the lady demonstrated how the tubes were sliced open, layer by layer, until the rice was exposed inside. A couple of tubes were then passed around for each of us to take a lump of the cooked rice and taste it.
After an hour back on the coach, we then reached our next stop. We were having a boat trip on TonlĂ© Sap, Asia’s largest freshwater lake, to see how the people lived through fishing and selling fresh produce from their boats. Just about everyone had a boat; it was as much a necessity as a car is to a city-dweller.
Just before we got there I changed into my trainers, and soon we arrived at the embarkation point, and boarded the large wooden boat. Each of the seats contained a bright orange life jacket, which it was compulsory to wear. As it was a case of “one size fits all”, the life jackets were HUGE and quite cumbersome, as well as being warm to wear in the sultry heat.
Our skipper was a lady and we were interested to see that the boat’s rudder was operated by ropes going down each side of the boat, held in place by eyelets screwed into the wood. You had to make sure you didn’t sit too close to the edge and impede the movements of the ropes.
Tonlé Sap is situated in the northwest of Cambodia and is easy to spot on a map of the country. Belonging to the Mekong River system, Tonlé Sap is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia and one of the most diverse and productive ecosystems in the world. Because of this, it was designated as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1997.
There are about 1.2 million people who live on and around the lake, in dwellings on stilts, who make a living from fishing. In fact, about 400,000 tons of freshwater fish are caught each year, which equates to about 60% of the population’s protein intake. Wow! Since Buddhism is against killing, fishermen tend to limit their catch to what they can feed their families. They do not kill the fish with their own hands but wait for the fish to die naturally after they leave the water.
We were fascinated by all the stilted buildings; not only private dwellings but even shops and a temple with a large Buddha statue! The lake was very busy, with traders in their boats going to and fro with their wares and fresh produce, and other passengers boats such as the one we were on.
We enjoyed the ride immensely. The oppressive heat of the day was alleviated by the gentle breeze generated by the movement of our boat. Some people bought canned drinks, sweets or coconut ice cream from the vendors in their boats who came up alongside ours. It was a lovely, relaxing trip.
Eventually it was time to make the return journey, which allowed us to view the scenery which had originally been on the opposite side of the boat, so nobody missed out.
Back on the coach again, we had about an hour or so before our scheduled lunch stop and visit to a local farm. Travelling in this way meant that we never really spent more than a couple of hours on the coach. It also meant that, apart from the planned itinerary, Moonie was very good at letting us stop to view everyday life in Cambodia, or anywhere there were little interesting quirks.
Presently, we arrived a lovely open-air restaurant next to a lake. We walked a short way to use the restrooms and washed and sanitised our hands before taking our seats at the long table for lunch, which consisted once again of rice and a selection of local dishes and fresh vegetables. As always, it was delicious, and we washed it down with a freezing cold can of Cambodia beer. 🙂
Once we were all fed and watered, we followed Moonie along a dirt track to have a look at examples of sustainable farming. The road was muddy in several places as there had been a heavy shower of rain. We came to a chicken farm; several of the cages held newly-hatched fluffy little chicks, and others held the in-lay hens. Somewhere nearby we could hear a couple of cockerels crowing lustily.
A bit further along we came across a pig farm, and it was explained to us that as well as breeding animals, the farms are educational centres, where would-be farmers are taught about agriculture and animal husbandry to allow them to be self-sufficient. It was all very interesting (if a little muddy!).
Soon we were all back on the coach again for the next part of our amazing adventures, a visit to a Buddhist temple at Wat Luang Proleung, where we would have the immense privilege of meeting and being blessed by some actual Buddhist monks. While we were on the bus, Moonie explained the correct etiquette that we would need to know. As well as being appropriately dressed (shoulders and knees covered for men, and shoulders and ankles covered for ladies) we had to leave our shoes outside the temple and ensure that at no time did we point our feet towards the monks. Feet are considered the lowest and dirtiest parts of the body, so pointing them towards someone, e.g. showing the soles of your feet, was considered very disrespectful.
In addition, you had to be sure that your own head was not above that of the seated monks, so that meant you had to kneel and bow your head. When bowing, you had to place your hands together with your thumbs at forehead level.
When we arrived at the temple and alighted from the coach, we were greeted by an exuberant band of musicians and dancers, some of whom wore masks.
It was then time to enter the pagoda, and we took our lead from Moonie. Trevor didn’t want to go inside, so he said he’d just wait.
We took off our shoes and entered the temple, then knelt down on the hard, tiled floor. In front of us was a large effigy of Buddha, and below that sat two Buddhist monks in their distinctive orange robes. Moonie spoke to them and bowed low, his forehead almost touching the floor. One of the monks got up and started moving amongst us all, chanting something as he sprinkled us all with holy water. Next, we had to shuffle up two at a time (one of us in front of each monk) to have piece of red cord, called a sai sin, tied around our wrist; the right wrist for a man and the left for a woman (I don’t know what the significance was). When it was my turn, I placed my hands together and bowed low before extending my left wrist.
The monk tied the cord in place, and I bowed once again, shuffled backwards (so as not to turn my back on him), then stood and made my way out of the temple. The sai sin was a symbol of good luck, harmony and spiritual protection, and we were supposed to wear them for three days. I decided I wouldn’t take mine off until we got safely home. 🙂
What an interesting day we had had so far! And we still had plenty more to come. 🙂
It was about 4.30pm when we arrived back at the fabulous Aviary Hotel. Moonie told us we were booked in at the Amazon Angkor Restaurant for dinner and a folkloric show, and the coach would be ready to leave at 6.30pm, so we had a couple of hours to relax and make the most of the pool and/or happy hour. 🙂
After dumping our bags in our room, Trevor and I hotfooted it up to the pool and ecstatically slid into the cool water. We swam around for a short time, enough to cool off, before climbing out, procuring a sunlounger each under a parasol, and ordering a cocktail each. This was certainly the life! 🙂
After one more drink, we made our way back to our room to get showered and changed and ready to go out to the restaurant. It didn’t take me long to get ready, because I’d given up blow-drying my hair for now and I just let it dry naturally into whatever shape it fell into. I wore a tropical print, maxi yellow dress with a little yellow bolero, along with my flip-flops. Around 6.25pm, we made our way back down to the hotel foyer and back onto the coach.
The restaurant, when we arrived, was very impressive indeed. It was a large room, with long tables and a stage at one end. We would be enjoying a substantial buffet meal tonight, and once we were all seated and had ordered our drinks, the staff came around at intervals and invited us to the buffet. The fact that it was at intervals meant there was no queuing.
Clare wanted white wine, but they only sold it by the bottle rather than the glass, so I said I’d happily share with her. 🙂
The food was fantastic, and there was such a massive choice. It was difficult not to pile your plate too high! I picked a small selection of what I thought looked the most delicious, and brought them back to the table, where they proved to be as tasty as they looked. It was all washed down with cold water and the crisp white wine.
Once we’d eaten and drank our fill, some musicians came out onto the stage and the show began. It was fantastic! Beautiful Cambodian female and male dancers, in stunning costumes. The ladies all had dainty hands with elegant long fingers, and it was amazing just how dextrous their hands were, as they made them look almost double-jointed. My photos and video below, give a much better description than I can.
What a fantastic, colourful show. We really enjoyed it a lot. As each of the dancers took their final bow, they received a huge cheer as well as enthusiastic applause.
Afterwards, some dancers remained on the stage and invited everyone to join them on the stage for a photograph. I stated behind so I could be the one taking the photos, but Trevor and several others went on stage. You can see Trevor at the back, third from the left. 🙂
It was around 9.15pm when we left the restaurant, so about quarter to ten when we arrived back at the hotel; the night was yet young. We had been telling Brian and Clare all about our visit to the Western Tribes Bar and Pub Street last night, so we asked if they wanted to join us. They readily agreed. 🙂
We took the short walk around to the bar where the evening was in full swing. Once again, we procured a table for four which allowed maximum vantage point for people-watching, and we enjoyed our beers while looking around with interest. The neon lights flashed, the music blared and ‘business’ was conducted on the pavement outside the bar. 🙂
After a couple of drinks here, we decided to go elsewhere, and we went into Pub Street and found a quieter bar. Clare and I each opted for a refreshing mojito while Brian and Trevor stuck to beer. A pretty little girl, aged about seven or eight, came around with a wicker basket from which she was selling fridge magnets and other holiday ‘tat’. “Only one dollar” she said to us, her large, dark eyes looking earnestly into ours. What was a little girl of that age doing outside at this time of night, especially in a bar?
We felt sorry for the bairn, so I bought an ‘Angkor Wat’ fridge magnet from her, which I will give to my aunt.
We stayed in the pub for one more drink, then decided we had better made a move, as we had another early start tomorrow. We were immediately accosted by a tuk tuk driver as we left the bar, and Brian and Clare decided to go with it, but we said we’d enjoy the walk back; it wasn’t far, and it would give me some much needed exercise.
It was just before 12.00 midnight when we arrived back. By the time we had got undressed, washed and ready for bed, it was nearer half-past, and we had to be up at 6.15am tomorrow.
We wanted to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed tomorrow, because we would experience the apogée of any visit to Cambodia: a visit to Anglor Wat.
We slept very well indeed.