Cambodia
Kampong Cham Province

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    • Day 52

      Visit to Buddhist Monastery

      April 8, 2018 in Cambodia ⋅ 🌬 6 °C

      Being on a cruise ship has been a mixed bag for me.

      On the downside: The trip is completely curated, so everything that you see is carefully selected and packaged. The passengers are incredibly homogenous — all white, affluent, and over the age of 50. The staff, which is all Vietnamese or Cambodian, waits on us hand and foot, which I find extraordinarily uncomfortable.

      On the upside: The guides are fantastic, and are incredibly gracious about discussing the good, bad and ugly parts of life in their countries. The candor that we’ve experienced in our discussions with Phiem and Sophea is incredible and has given me a more nuanced and sophisticated understanding of the places that I’ve visited than I could ever have expected. The people with whom we are traveling are extremely nice, very well traveled and quite interesting. And, there are some experiences that we’ve had which we could never have replicated on our own.

      Our visit to Wat Hanchey, a monastery located on the Mekong River, is one of those unique experiences that we never would have experienced if we had been traveling on our own.

      Wat Hanchey was first built in the 7th century, and has been re-built and renovated several times since then. It is an active monastery, housing almost 100 monks, many of whom are young novices (under the age of 18). We docked at the shore, and walked up to the monastery. As it was early in the morning, pilgrims were only just beginning to arrive and the temple complex was very quiet. Our tour had arranged for us to participate in a Buddhist blessing, in which the dharma would be chanted by two monks, after which we could receive individual blessings from the monks if we so choose. We went to the temple, and shed our shoes and hats before entering. Sophea introduced our group to the two monks — one of whom was 13 (which could be 12 or 11 by our system of calculating age) and the other who was 37. We then sat on the mats in front of the monks, and they chanted the dharma. I used all of the meditation skills taught to me by Emily Doskow to clear my mind and be present in the moment. I found the experience to be very moving. Receiving a blessing from one the monks, as he tied a red string around my wrist, left me feeling elated.

      After the chanting, we had an chance to ask questions of the young monk. He told us that he had been at the monastery for 3 years, and joined so that he could get a good eduction. He said that he has secular classes 5 hours a day, and that his favorite subject is math. He told us that it was very hard to follow all of the rules when he first joined, and he didn’t know if he’d stay a monk forever. He was incredibly composed for a young kid. And, while smiling is discouraged by the rules, as he talked to us there was a slight grin at the corners of his mouth.
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    • Day 24

      Temple

      September 13, 2018 in Cambodia ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

      On the way back to the ship we walked through a temple area and chatted to some of the monks.

      It was explained how the young children become monks and the hardships they encounter.

      The family though like that their young boys become monks, where we all found it was sad that these young boys leave home at a very young age (sometimes 6 or 7) to become monks. We I also found it interesting that they do not have to remain monks, they can leave and go back to village life as a regular villager.Read more

    • Day 24

      Angkor Ban

      September 13, 2018 in Cambodia ⋅ 🌧 25 °C

      Angkor Ban is Khumer meaning commune of Sampov loun District in north-western Cambodia.

      Under the rule of Khmer Rouge, Angkor Ban was chosen to be their billet. The buildings in this village were used as housing and storage. While almost infrastructures in Cambodia were destroyed, the wooden houses in this village still exist until today.

      It seems that there’s no other village in Cambodia that remains as a testament to the long history of Cambodia as Angkor Ban.
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    • Day 24

      Monk Blessing

      September 13, 2018 in Cambodia ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

      Back on board and 2 Buddhist Monks performed a blessing ceremony. Not that we could understand the blessing but is quite interesting.

      Once the monks finished the blessing we started cruising further up the Mekong.Read more

    • Day 24

      Wat Nokor

      September 13, 2018 in Cambodia ⋅ 🌧 25 °C

      The monument is built out of sandstone and laterite and dates from the last years of the reign of Jayavarman VII in the 12th Century.

      It is composed of a central tower surrounded by four laterite wall enclosures. The central tower of the temple of Vat Nokor is decorated with motifs characteristic of Bayon with Buddhist scenes on the pediments.

      The temple complex is believed to have been the headquarters of Jayavarman VII for a time from where he extended his influence over nearby principalities.

      It has a number of distinguishing characteristics other than the fact that it is the largest ancient temple complex in Kampong Cham Province. One of these characteristics is the fact that it is built of black sandstone which causes it to stand out from other temples of the period which are often built of brick or reddish sandstone.

      Wat Nokor Bache boasts a 'Chartres' effect in which a more modern temple of a very different style has been built over and around the original Angkorian structure creating a blend of architectural styles.

      This Temple was incredible, we cannot wait to be in Angkor Wat if this is an example of the temples we are going to see.
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    • Day 24

      Holy Twin Mountain

      September 13, 2018 in Cambodia ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

      The Holy Twin Mountain Phnom Kulen has major symbolic importance for Cambodia as the birthplace of the ancient Khmer Empire, for it was at Phnom Kulen that King Jayavarma II proclaimed independence from Java in 804 CE.

      Jayavarman II initiated the Devaraja cult of the king a linga cult (is an abstract or iconic representation of the Hindu deity Shiva, used for worship in temples, smaller shrines, or as self manifested natural objects)

      Phnom Kulen was further developed under the rule of Udayadityavarman II who made it the capital of his empire and constructed many temples and residences as well as the 1000 Lingas at Kbal Spean.

      At its peak the Kulen development was larger than modern day Phnom Penh and one of the largest cities in the 11th-century world. It would later be eclipsed by Angkor, but still served a vital role as its water irrigated the entire region.

      During the Khmer Rouge time the location was a final stronghold as their regime came to an end in 1979.

      The area is quite large with plenty of monkeys. It is run down but still impressive.
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    • Day 24

      Children singing and dance performance

      September 13, 2018 in Cambodia ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

      It was such a delight to have children from a local village called Chiro visit the ship. The school is funded by the Heritage Cruise Line, guests and some local villagers.

      The school provides additional free education for currently 400 children where they are taught, English, Khmer, maths, music and dance. The teachers are volunteers. The school provides a safe learning environment and, eventually, is a good platform for future employment. On the Jahan we have 6 staff who attended the school.Read more

    • Day 25

      Wat Hanchey

      September 14, 2018 in Cambodia ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

      Wat Hanchey is located at the top of a hill 20km north of Kompong Cham.

      Wat Hanchey which is considered as a thriving religious site is a complex of both Hindu and Buddhist temples. The oldest part in this complex dating from 7th or 8th century plays an important role in the worship during the time of Chenla Empire.

      Wat Hanchey was an important place for those who were on the journeys between the pre Angkor cities to take a rest. Under the rule of Khmer Rouge, the buildings in Wat Hanchey complex were damaged and they have been restored.

      The walk up to the site is 302 steps. It was just a little difficult but coming down was much better. John took the easy way and rode in the Tuk Tuk.

      Once up the steps the view was worth the climb. There were so many children running around practicing their English.

      We even had the opportunely to go into the monks homes. The monks lead very simple lives and are so shy, most of them ran and hide in other rooms.
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    • Day 73

      Central Market & 4D Kino Phnom Penh

      November 18, 2018 in Cambodia ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

      Heute sind wir wieder zu viert unterwegs. Sandy und Peter waren vormittags bei den Tempelanlagen unterwegs, während Hannes und ich mal ausgeschlafen haben😉 wir haben ja schon so viele Tempel gesehen, dass wir uns den Eintritt hierfür mal sparen. Wir treffen uns gegen Mittag im Café und machen uns auf zum Central Market. Also wer in Phnom Penh ist, sollte diesen wirklich besuchen.
      Hier gibt's alles über Kleidung, Essen, Früchte, Kleinkramszeug, Accessoires, Schmuck usw.
      Ich liebe ja solche Märkte, vor allem Essensmärkte.
      Nicht darum, weil ich hier so gern esse- nein, weil es einfach dermaßen interessant ist, all dieses Essen, das hier gekauft wird zu sehen. Vor allem in diesem Zustand 😅 denn hier liegt oder hängt das Fleisch einfach auf oder über dem Tresen (wenn man das so nennen kann) ohne Kühlung und Fliegen schwirren drum herum und setzten sich auch gerne darauf🙈 ich muss schnell weiter, weil mir von dem Geruch schlecht wird.
      Dann kommt die Fischabteilung, die sich übrigens neben dem Friseur - und Nagelstudio ( kleiner Stand ) befindet. Die Fische sind teilweise lebendig und schwimmen zusammengequetscht in einer wassergefüllten Schüssel, die gerade mal so hoch ist, dass der Fisch atmen kann. 😔 Dann gibt's noch etliche Schüsseln mit Ale, Frösche, Schildkröten usw.
      Die Krabben sind mit einer Schnur eingewickelt und in einem Korb gesperrt.
      Vor Ort kann man sich dann den Fisch den man kaufen möchte schlachten lassen....
      Hannes kauft sich wie immer Cashews, die hier wirklich mega lecker sind und Peter findet endlich ne Hose, nachdem seine letzten Käufe ins Wasser fielen. Eine ist bereits am ersten Tag gerissen und die andere war zu klein😅

      Danach nehmen wir uns ein Tuk Tuk und fahren zum Einkaufszentrum, das ja total modern und ganz wichtig - klimatisiert ist. Denn gerade am Markt war die Hitze fast unerträglich geworden.
      Wir kommen an und sehen eine Bäckerei. Ich muss gerade so lachen, weil wir uns sofort auf das Gepäck stürzen und es genüsslich verzerren, als hätten wir heut noch nichts zu essen bekommen 🤣🍩🍪🍰

      Aber es ist richtig geil😍 also das Backen könnens.
      Ist ja klar, durch die Französische Kolonialzeit.
      Das Einkaufszentrum ist wirklich mega schön eingerichtet, wir sehen sogar nen Roboter Tanz😁
      Wir sind aber aus einem ganz besonderen Grund hier und zwar gibt's ein 4D Kino im Obersten Stock und da läuft heute der neue Harry Potter Film. Wir holen uns Karten und natürlich Popcorn 😍🍿🎥📼
      Der Film startet und ich bin von Anfang an mega begeistert. Wahnsinn, so ein Filmerlebnis hatte ich noch nie. Echt krass, denn du wirst in den Sitzen herumgerüttelt, fliegst gefühlt über die Räume, riecht auf einmal Schwefelduft, Wind bläst dir ins Gesicht, es wird kalt und an deinen Füssen kitzelt dich etwas ganz schnell, als etwas beim Film verschwindet bzw.sich wegzaubert. Also echt der Hammer. Der Film war so real und magisch!!
      😍
      Abends gehen wir noch gemeinsam Essen, trinken einen Cocktail auf unsere gemeinsame Reise und die schöne Zeit, denn heute ist unser letzter gemeinsamer Abend ❤️😩
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    • Day 125

      Die Insel im Mekong

      January 6, 2019 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

      Es geht raus aus der Stadt aufs Land. Im Bus werden die 87 km bis nach Kampong Cham in nur 3 1/2 Stunden entspannt zurückgelegt. Für eine Provinzhauptstadt geht hier alles einen sehr gemütlichen Gang und die meisten Geschäfte haben geschlossen. Die Menschen sind nett höchstwahrscheinlich da es kaum andere weiße gibt. Übernachtet wird stilecht in der Hängematte und dekadend Pastis getrunken. Man kann direkt im Mekong schwimmen gehen und über die Insel Fahrrad fahren. Hier wird dank des guten Klimas Tabak und Maiß angebaut und die Bauernhäuser sehen reicher aus als in anderen Teilen des Landes. Touristisches Highlight. Bambu Bridge nachdem der Zug schon ausprobiert wurde geht es jetzt über die Brücke. Jeder Schritt federt und es ist schwer vorzustellen, dass, bevor die eigentliche Brücke vor 2 Jahren fertig wurde, die jedes Jahr neu aufgebaute Konstruktion, auch Autos aushielt. Ein sehr schönes Wochenende im nichts!Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Kampong Cham, Kampong Cham Province, Propinsi Kampong Cham, Кампонг Тям, Provincia de Kompung Cham, Kâmpóng Chami provints, استان کامپونگ چام, Province de Kampong Cham, Provinsi Kampong Cham, Provincia di Kampong Cham, コンポンチャム州, ខេត្តកំពង់ចាម, 캄퐁참 주, Kampong Cham Lalawigan, صوبہ کمپونگ چام, Кампонгтям, จังหวัดกำปงจาม, 磅湛省

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