More Catching Up

   In the previous post (which actually will probably be the next post in the blog), I spent some time describing some of the ugly part of the history of Cambodia, the dark days of the reign of the Khmer Rouge. The rest of today’s catchup will be devoted only to the beauty of Cambodia, its people, and its culture. This account will be chronological, although truth be told, the days do run into each other a bit. On the day we departed Siem Reap and bussed to where our boat was we visited a school supported by Viking. The mission of the school is to teach English and computer skills to students. The age of the students ranged from elementary to secondary. The students gave us a warm welcome and sang “If You’re Happy And You Know It” for us and it was delightful. Then the students were released and ran to us and paired up with us for a tour of the school. I was chosen by a very sweet 14 year old girl whose name I can’t remember for the life of me. She showed me the English room and the computer room. We ended at the library where she chose a book and read it to me. I helped her with a couple of pronunciations with which she struggled. In one of the rooms she pointed to the number 14 to show her age. When I asked her to point to my age, she looked at me, thought about it for awhile, and pointed to 48. She is obviously wise beyond her years and honest to a fault. Her  English teacher told me she has progressed well in English. She attends regular school from 1-5 and then the English and computer school from 6-7 pm. It was a wonderful visit. Patti had two girls who led her around and I lost track of her until we got to the library. She loved her visit too. After our school visit we were bussed to Kampong Cham Cambodia where we boarded our boat, the Viking Tonle. The ship is beautiful and very comfortable. The maximum number of passengers is 80, which is probably higher than the average age of the passengers on board, but not that much higher. 

  The next day we had a tour of Kampong Cham. Our Cambodian guide was very entertaining. The passengers were assigned to A, B, or C group and Sangven(sp?) was assigned to group B, the group Patti and I are assigned to. He is very knowledgeable. His English is very good, especially considering the fact that he is self taught through TV, movies, and newspapers. He is married and has two children in their teens. His wife is a professor of law at the university in Phnom Penh. 

  Our tour started at a Buddhist monastery at Kampong Siem. We have learned much about Buddhism on this trip. I had always assumed Buddhism is a religion. It is actually a philosophy and approach to life based on principles and teachings of the Buddha, who predates Christ by more than 500 years. The temple and garden surrounding the monastery and temple were beautiful and very peaceful, a very tranquil place. We also visited a village that by our standards would be considered third world but is probably normal by Cambodian standards. Again we had school children for guides. Our guide was a very cute girl, perhaps 7 or 8 years old. She was very shy and so she just led Patti around by hand. I asked her name which she gave to me, but I needed to bend down to hear and she was very soft spoken, so I don’t know her name. 

  In the afternoon we went to a silk cooperative that was very interesting. We learned the life cycle of a silk worm which is 47 days start to finish. When a cocoon is just about ready it is removed from its branch and left out in the sun to dry out and then it is processed to go from yellow silk thread to a beautiful scarf or blouse or handbag. Those cocoons that are not dried go full cycle and emerge as moths at the end of their 47 day life cycle as silk worms. We got to see the silk being spun into thread and then got to see the looms at work producing merchandise. Everything is done by hand and is very labor intensive. There is a store where beautiful handmade silk merchandise is on display and is reasonably priced. Patti got a gorgeous scarf there. It was a very informative afternoon.

  We arrived in Phnom Penh that night and the next morning we had a cyclo tour to the Royal Palace. Gold is very significant in Buddhism. The Royal palace is gold paint on steroids. The current king of Cambodia is the son of the late king Sihanouk. He is in his 70s and never married so has no heir to the throne. When he passes, a council will choose his successor by unanimous vote. The Cambodian monarchy is like the British model in that he is the head of state but has no power to pass laws or undo laws. We caught a break weatherwise because there was a bit of liquid sunshine falling that lowered the temperature. The grounds of the royal palace are quite spectacular and are worth a visit. There are gardens and beautiful structures, including a temple. On our way back to the shop we all opted for a cyclo tour of Phnom Penh’s streets that are inaccessible by bus rather than a tour of the National Museum. We loved it. 

  Saturday morning we went to Udong where we watched the process used for creating silver, brass, and copper jewelry as well as dishes, plates, elephants, and other artwork. Again, all work is done by hand. There was much beauty on display as well as (surprise)  shops where we could buy some goods. After the silver area we were taken to a Buddhist monastery where we had a tour as well as a blessing by two Buddhist monks. Instead of being sprinkled with water we were showered with flower petals. It was a very serene experience. In the afternoon we went to the central market place by tuk tuk, a very convenient way to get around Phnom Penh. Patti was on a mission mission to pick up a few items and she succeeded. The central market is very big and since we were on the clock so to speak, we did not get the chance to really explore. Our afternoon ended with a mocktail at the Elephant Bar at Raffles Hotel followed by a tour of the ground floor of the hotel. Raffles is 5 star all the way. Jackie Kennedy visited in 1967. The glass with her lipstick on it is on display as is the table in the VIP restaurant where she dined with King Sihanouk. In the evening after dinner we were entertained on board by more classical Cambodian dancers from an orphanage where they not only learn to dance but are educated and hopefully rescued from a life of poverty and potential abuse. 

  Yesterday was a relaxing day of cruising as we crossed from Cambodia back into Vietnam. It was a very welcome down day. We dropped anchor at Tan Cháu where we spent the night. This morning we toured a farming island and were hosted by a woman in her very simple home. Life in the countryside in Vietnam is different from city life. Hanoi was loud and bustling while the rural life is much simpler and subsistence level. It was apparent the woman did not have a lot, but she was very gracious and welcoming to us. We reboarded our Sampan and went to a church in Tan Cháu that is part of a religion called Caodaism that is unique to Vietnam in that it combines the elements of four religions, Buddhism, Catholicism, Confucianism, and Taoism. From the outside the building looks like a church; but the interior looks more like a Buddhist shrine with elements of all four faiths evident. The inside is very bright and colorful. I think we could all learn something from this approach to religion. The faith is 100 years old. We ended our touring with a trip by rickshaw through Tan Cháu followed by a visit to a floating fish farm. We are currently underway to the Mekong Delta. We have a disembarkation meeting tonight as we will disembark on the 18th for a two day and two night stay in Ho Chi Minh City. The Viking portion ends on the 20th, and Patti and I will fly to Chu Lai where the private tour of the area where I was stationed will begin. We will fly home on the 24th. 

  The people on our cruise are all very nice. It amazes me how quickly a group of strangers can bond so quickly.  There are at least three Pattis with an “i” on board. I have not yet met another Art on the ship which probably signifies absolutely nothing. 

  On to the Mekong Delta. 

PS, I am having issues sending photos so will try a photo dump later.