Today, with the ship still moored at Phnom Penh, we travelled about 35km by bus to Oudong, site of a former royal capital which was founded by King Srei Soryapor in 1601 after the abandonment of Longvek in 1594. Under the reign of King Ang Duong (1841–1850), canals, terraces, bridges and erected hundreds of pagodas were constructed in this region which lasted until 1866.
Along the way, our guide told us how Cham people from Eastern Cambodia have settled in the just north of Phnom Penh. They are Suni Muslims who were strongly influenced by the Malays and have formed a strong Muslim community. He explained that the style of Buddhism practised in Cambodia was similar to that of Sri Lanka and the west which is different to the style practised in China, Vietnam, Japan, etc in the east. He also explained How Buddhism in Cambodia has been heavily influenced by Hinduism, and that the temples contain a combination of both religions, in both the architecture and practice.
The temple is on a hill and it and its surroundings were most impressive. The blessing ceremony itself was quite interesting, especially when as I sat with my eyes closed listening to the two young monks chanting, I suddenly heard a whistling sound, not unlike a swarm of bees, as the monks through jasmine flowers over us, hitting me in the face.
It was another impressive temple, but at this one we had an individual "blessing experience with monks" if we wanted. The monks providing the blessing were quite young and so it was probably not an activity reserved for the senior monks and was not preformed with a lot of enthusiasm.
The blessing ceremony itself was quite interesting, especially as I sat in contemplation with my eyes closed listening to the two young monks chanting. Suddenly heard a whistling sound, not unlike a swarm of bees - the young monks had thrown jasmine flowers over us, hitting us in the face.
The main temple was filled with beautiful paintings from floor to ceiling. of particular interest was the sloor, which although smooth, seemed to be composed of randomly broken slate-like stone.
Our guide Sey explained that monasaries perform multiple functions with the country still recovering for the Pol Pot years and very few social services available. They provide both education for young people whose families cannot afford to send them to school, and accommodation for elderly people not supported by their families, or have a disability. They can find company and shelter in the temple, if not as monks but as lay people within the complex.
We happened to be present as the young monks in training (in orange robes) were heading out to collect food and later we saw a large number of lay people were being cared for (dressed in white) preparing to enter the hall for a meal.
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| Some of the accommodation |
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| Young monks setting out to collect food |
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| Preparing to enter the dining area |
After lunch we travelled a short distance by bus to visit the island village of Koh Chen to where we taken in a convoy of tuk tuks to see family owned workshops that manufacture silver and copperware goods.
I found other things more interesting: the Cham community. Along the way we noticed quite a few Muslim people and business.
After crossing a bridge to the island in the bus, we were taken in tuk-tuks to various workshops, each with their shops where you could purchase their products. Interesting, but not really my scene.
With the afternoon free, and the ship still moored at Phnom Penh Autonomous Port, we invited Cary to join us for a visit the markets.
We hired a tuk tuk driven by Rocky for a couple of hours to go into Phnom Penh Central market for a look, and possibly some shopping. Rocky was great, he spoke a little English and very friendly, helpful and accommodating.
The market was huge, and had everything from jewelry to a wet market, including a banh mi stall where they were preparing the bread rolls for local customers. Lots of posters for Cambodian "Krud" beer (pronounced "Krood").
On our way back, we stopped to drop Frances off for a massage at “Seeing Hands“ by a blind masseur while Cary and I wandered the streets. It was pleasant to just explore without being part of a large group.
