View from the Wat

On Thursday, June 2, we went to Udoung - about 25 kilometers up the Tonle Sap river from Phnom Penh. Udoung is the original capitol of Cambodia - when it included parts of Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. It is believed to be a resting place of the ashes of Buddha (some of them anyway - a tooth and eyebrow). The temple (called a "Wat") sits atop a hill overlooking a beautiful spread of farmland - mostly rice fields.

To enjoy the view, however, you must first climb 22 flights of stairs. There were little kids everywhere offering to fan you with a palm frond - for a small fee (you decide the fee). One lady in our group gave a little girl $5 (which is a FULL day's wages for an adult) and that girl was glued to the lady's hip for the entire trip. AND, 10 other kids joined the gaggle - hoping for a piece of the action. Three flights from the top, everyone had to remove shoes and hat and leave them on the stairs. Sun, sun, sun, here it comes. It was hot, muggy and sweat glands went to hyper drive.



Still learning how to do selfies

One of two Wats at the top

At the top, a half dozen monks, joined by 15-20 regulars, were chanting prayers. They would chant non-stop for about 5 minutes - take a break - and start in again. After chanting for about 20 minutes or so, they all walked around the temple top a bunch of times. We left right after that, so I'm not sure what was next in the ritual.



Elders Thurston and Curtis

The entry and parking situations were fascinating. Foreigners were charged a $1/person entry fee (no charge to Khmae's). I don't know who gets the money - but I hope it's used to maintain the temple (sometimes fees go straight to a government official's pocket). The parking lot was a paver-covered dirt field with occasional palm trees. You pay an "attendant" who directs you to a tree. I think the "attendant" is whoever gets there first in the morning. When you leave, you pay a different attendant a departure fee. Outhouses were available for a small fee. But you had to bring your own toilet paper (we were warned in advance) and hand sanitizer. We paid 500 riel (about 12.5 cents) to use the facilities. Cambodia uses paper currency only - no coins. The smallest denomination is 100 riel - which amounts to 2.5 cents. 4,000 riel = a dollar.


Outhouse entry fee

No offense to all you Samsung fans, but I have NOT enjoyed my new galaxy class device. It's not exactly intuitive for an old person. I couldn't answer an incoming call :-(. I kept tapping the answer icon and nothing happened. I was SO frustrated. How could I do my assignments if I couldn't even answer the &%# phone (those are missionary swear words). When all else fails, use google. I can now answer my phone - but it's still not intuitive. By the time I return I will be an expert on a sub-par device :-).

We returned home to our final night of luxury - preparing to drive back to Kampong Cham in the morning. My first solo driving experience. Thank goodness for the calm of a cool swimming pool, and the nurturing vittles from Eric Keyser.