Cambodian Independence Day

The next day we have another divine breakfast on the terrace and soon three large buses pull up in front of the hotel. They are loaded with all the children from Lidia's children's home. So many smiling faces greet us as we all board different buses. It is Cambodian Independence day and we are taking the children to Phnom Kulen, a popular place for local people. It's about a two hour ride and we laugh and sing all the way up the steep winding road.




There are many huts available for picnics on the riverside and we have reserved three of them. It is a beautiful and very sacred place for Hindus and Buddhists. In the river there are thousands of small carvings etched into the riverbed including a large one of Lord Vishnu. It is a place that represents fertility and is also the place where the king of Cambodia declared independence from Java in the year 804 - although this independence day is celebrated as the end of the terrible Khmer Rouge regime in which over two million Cambodians died or were murdered by the government. (see the movie The Killing Fields)

There is a very large Buddhist temple on the top of the mountain which was built in the 16th century. It holds an enormous reclining buddha, the largest in the country. The temple is our first stop. There are many stairs leading up to the temple and lots children begging for money, people selling trinkets, food and indigenous healing roots of some kind. Before we go up the steps, we stop at a money changer cart where I give them five US dollars and they give me a thick stack of Cambodian bills which I can hand out and use for offerings at the temple.

The temple is beautiful and I enjoy walking around looking at all the ornate carvings, ponds, small alters and all the nooks and crannies. There are many Cambodian people here receiving blessings from the monks and giving thanks. I walk to a smaller temple at the back and there is a beautiful old monk dressing in flowing orange robes giving blessings. I sit down near him and wait my turn. I sit in front of him and he sprinkles me with holy water, chants and prays for my good health and safe journey and then he ties a red string around my wrist. He is a very special creature and I feel like I'm in a happy trance as I sit in front of him. I place my hands together at my heart and give him my humble thanks and then join the rest of our group.

We walk down to the river and to the picnic area and enjoy a simple meal of rice and chicken that the cook at Lidia's school has prepared for everyone. There is definitely a feeling of celebration in the air. It's nice to see so many local people enjoying the day with their families. After lunch we go for a swim. Everyone is dressed very moderately, some women in long pants and t-shirts. I feel very underdressed in my swim suit top and shorts. But we have a great time in the cold water, everyone laughing and splashing and talking.

I get out of the river and take a walk along the opposite side, where I explore the ruins of a very old temple. It is all fallen down but there is a beautiful spirit as I linger there. I walk further down and come to an amazing water fall. I can see that further down the water is falling again but I don't want to go to close in the shallow river. One of the children invites me to follow her, and we cross the river and go down many steep steel steps. Down down down...suddenly we are in front of the river again and three glorious waterfalls. They must be 50 feet high and fall into a serene pool at the bottom where many people are swimming.  What fun! I love watching Dick with the kids. He's such a big kid himself and they adore him as much as he loves them. After a while in the water, we head back to the picnic area where we enjoy fresh fruit and we all have a rest on cool bamboo mats in the shade of the open air shelter.

Around 4 pm we load the buses and head back to Siem Reap. It is a much quieter ride on the way home. We are all tired and happy.