Out into the country side

My bum is pretty sore. I spent all day on the back of Bunna's motorcycle. We drove far, far away from Siem Reap to visit a big waterfall at Phnom Kulen - Mountain of the Lychees.

When we got to the national park and started climbing into the mountains the road tuned into dirt and bumpy stones. Bunna is good driver, we didn't go over many pot holes, the ditches were the hardest.

Along the way I saw many small stilt houses and ramshakle shops on the road-side. I wonder how they secure the stuff at night? Maybe they pack everything up.

There were many flooded fields. It is the rainy season, though the weather has been amazing while I've been here. The sun just came up and is shining on my face as I sit on my porch up amongst the tree tops with the sounds of birds and the hum of insects.

One afternoon the heavens suddenly opened up while I was inside having a massage. When I came out all the streets were flooding. It has tropical heat that makes sweat run in rivulets down my back and soak my clothes. The dye in the blue pants I bought came off and turned my skin blue.

Last night I went to buy more pants to wear today. I can't believe how dumb I am. When I got back, I had bought the same colour! I must have that colour on my brain. I'd been wearing them for two days. I had to get a tuk tuk back to change them over. I have a purple pair to wear today now.

In the flooded fields, sometimes there were buffalos and grey Brahman bulls & cows, sometimes grazing, sometimes working. People were hoeing and fishing wearing coolie hats to shade thier face. In the jungle people were hacking down small trees near the road and building picnic structures from the saplings.

As we climbed the steep mountain road, the view opened up to see the long valley far below, cleared of jungle with magnificent rocks left strewn about. While above us was huge sun halo. It stayed with us forever.

The first we went to was a special magical place, the birth of the Kymer Kingdom, it's first city with a reclining Buddha carved into the top of an extrodinary rock.

We climbed up a long, stone staircase flanked by statues of two golden tigers, beggars, some chickens , medicinal plant sellers, and other statues. There may still be tigers hiding in the jungle on the mountain above the temple.

There is an orange shrine with much incense burning, musicians playing under an over hanging rock, like an open cave. There is a shrine with Buddha's deep foot print carved into the rock. He has a giant foot. I let a money bill float down into the soul as an offering. There is a bright orange statue of Ganesh to match the Ganesh t-shirt I was wearing and a statue of Hanuman for me to do leaping monkey pose with (& no officious guide).

There is also magic water to wash your hands. I couldn't understand what Bunna was telling me till later when we went to a stream and where they have 1000 squares with circles inside representing male and female fertility, called the Thousand Lingas at Kbal Spean. I don't want any more fertility, but maybe the magic water will help with my love life.

To reach the reclining Buddha we climbed up a steap stone staircase. A wooden shrine is built around him as he lies with sleepy eyes, stretched out along the top of the mountain. There is a teeny tiny bone fragment from his finger encased in a glass case. Just like the tiny piece of Mary's bone I saw once under a St Mary Magiore Basilica in Rome.

I am truely blessed and humbled by all the Gods to be constantly in their presence in sacred places. It is an amazing life's journey. l could compare this place with Uluru, with the incredible sacred rock rising up out of the ground. The heart of Australia and the heart of the Kymer Kingdom.

From the Preah Ang Thom Pagoda we went on to the waterfall. I wouldn't like it in peak season, nor visiting the temples. Crowds would spoil these places.

I swam around for a while, the water is not clear and crisp. There is a lot of it though, falling from high up and very broad.

I accidentally swallowed a little but I had two slightly cooked cloves of garlic with my delicious roast beef dinner. I'm hoping that will counteract a germ.

I was a bit hungry by now. Bunna took me to a restaurant. I had fish & vegetables. It was soooooo good! Later Bunna told me it is a very fanous restaurant. I should be! the food was awesome. Though I tried 3 tables before I found one I liked. The first had a little trail of ants marching across the tablecloth from a spot of food left behind by a previous dinner. Lucky ants who live here. I ended up sitting by a pond with big gold fish looking through the tropical garden.

Then I went to Banteay Srei, an 11th century Hindu temple, also known as the Lady Temple. There was a policeman/guard sitting at the entrance. He asked if I would like a guide. I wasn't going to but reconsidered when I heard him say "You don't want to know the history?"

He looked quite startled when I turned around and said "OK". I had to convince him to come with me.

He was awesone. The temple has perfectly preserved carvings deep into the stone plinths depicting so many stories of the  Hindu Gods. He told me so many things. And he took some lovely yoga photos for me. He knew all the best spots. I had a wonderful time. And learnt so much.

I am very curious to find out who brought the Hindu and Buddhist religion to Cambodia.