A Trip to Cambodia

A Trip to Cambodia

Before you read this blog… (look below)

(Please take your shoes off)

Cambodia, home to fourteen million people. With a diverse culture, I was very lucky to be able to visit the country. The airplane we flew on started from Phuket, stopped in Bangkok, and ended in Siem Reap. Siem Reap in Khmer, the Cambodian language, means Thai defeat. There are about three hundred and ninety nine temples in Siem Reap, and one million people.

We are staying in Borei Angkor, a four star hotel. The Hotel has several restaurants, one pool, and a spa. The room I am in has three beds, one bathroom and a TV. It has been so long since I could watch Cartoon Network in English.

The next day after we arrived, we decided to take a tour, and see some of the temples here in Cambodia. After a a short drive with our guide, Piture, we arrived at the point where you get your tickets for admission to the temples. After we bought four tickets (James didn't need one), we headed to the first temple. On the way we talked to our guide, and learned that Cambodia's government is a multiparty democracy under a constitutional monarchy.

Bayon Temple

Naga

Singah

Dvelepoula (left), Absara (right)

The first temple that we visited was named Bayon. Bayon was built as a Buddhist temple, but was changed to a Hindu temple when the king at that time tried to change the country's religion to Hinduism. Now the temple serves as a Hindu and Buddhist temple, and a historical landmark. The temple had many singhas and nagas (lions and snakes) guarding it. There was also many dvelapoulas, to guard the doors, and Apsaras (celestial dancers) to keep the dvelapoulas company. In and on the temple, there were carvings. Carvings of the battles between the Khmer and the Chan, carvings of the way of life in Cambodia, carvings of hunting, fishing, eating, royalty and poor, the carvings were everywhere. Also in the temple were the faces of Buddha. Back when the temple was built, eight hundred years ago, there was more then two hundred of them, but now there is only about one hundred and forty eight.

Ta Phrom

After visiting Bayon we headed to the next temple, Ta Phrom. Ta Phrom, a Hindu temple, was built as a Buddhist temple by Jayafarman the seventh for his family. Since then, the temple has been overgrown by many plants and trees. The temple is famous for its showing in the film Tomb Raider. The temple is full of jungle sounds and has a greenish color from all of the moss and lichen growing on it. There are many tree roots growing around the temple and they sometimes made funny shapes or interesting designs around the temple. One of my favorite places in the temple is a room where you could beat your chest and it would echo around the room. The funny thing is that no other sound would echo in the room.

We were all getting a bit tired after visiting the two temples so we decided to eat some food or, as the Khmer say it, ngam bpai. Khmer food is not spicy, but is still tasty. After a lunch of Rice and curry we headed to the next temple.

Angkor Watt

Raining Outside

Angkor Watt, or City Temple, was built nine hundred years ago as a Hindu temple by King Suryavarman II. Later it was changed to a Buddhist temple. Angkor Watt is surrounded by a man made moat and a large naga. There is also over two thousand apsaras in Angkor watt. There are lot of carvings inside Angkor Watt, but most of them were about religious beliefs. There is scenes of heaven and hell, the churning of the sea, and more. Also in Angkor Watt, there
are many pools for people (from the past) to
swim into in the morning and pray to the sun god. One of the really cool things I got to do in Angkor Watt was to climb to the highest point on the temple and see the beautiful view.

The reclining Buddha

The next day of our adventure was very fun. We had decided to go to the mountains and see the reclining Buddha and the waterfall near it. After a hour and a half, we arrived at our destination, the reclining Buddha. This reclining Buddha was built over five hundred years ago. To make it easier for people to get to it, workers made a stairway up to the Buddha. Also, beneath the Buddha, is the the Buddha's footprint. People believed that if they put money on the Buddha's footprint they could make a wish.

The next thing that we visited was the waterfall. The waterfall was huge and was the most powerful waterfall I've ever visited. Fortunately we had brought our swimsuits so we were able to swim. The waterfall was so powerful, so that when you went really close to it, it would push you back. It was very hard to get under the waterfall and when you did, the waterfall would blind you with its spray, and crush you with its water. It was great!!!

Another thing we did that day was visit the land mine museum. I learned a lot about the problem of land mines in Cambodia, and in 53 other countries.

On the third day of our trip we had a break from all the traveling, so we only did one thing: a helicopter ride over Seam Reap. The helicopter we rode in had a capacity of six people and was red. Our helicopter also had several windows. The flight was amazing. It felt smooth, not anything like a plane. We were able to see several temples from up in the air, and they all looked like miniature models. Angkor watt from above was amazing. I was able to see where I had been on it. We also got to see the floating village from above.

Floating village

Mangrove Forest

The last day of our adventure was on a Sunday. We were able to go see the floating village on boat. We took a small boat on the way there and through the main part of the village. I could almost imagine living there, fishing all day, to come back and swim, eating fish and rice. The people of the village would fish, using nets or fish traps with two entrances, designed to let fish in, but not out. After fishing, the people would bring back their catch, and make it into fish paste to eat. While I was there, I was toured around the village in a local paddle boat. We went through the mangrove forests, and through the center of the village.

Thanks for Reading, Jacob

These are the carvings in Bayon Temple.
Playing Chess (top left)
Chan fighting Khmer (top middle)
Underwater (top right)
Training (left)
Building Bayon Temple (right)

Learning to Dive

At first I didn’t want to dive. But after a few days thinking, I decided to try it out. I started the Padi open water diver course by reading the book that Padi provided me with. After I read it, I finished the test with a 98% score.

The day after I finished the test, I did the confined dive in my pool. In the dive I practiced many skills with my instructor, Nina.

Lunch time

Doing Some Skills

The next day, I went to do open water dive one. I woke up very early in the morning so I would not miss my arrival at Chalong. I was diving off of a live dive boat. The dive boat had two levels. On the bottom was the dry room, and on the top there was a sitting area. The dive boat set off at 8:30 and to Rachayi for two 50-minute dives. On the first dive, I did a few skills for ten minutes, and then dove for fun. On the dive, I saw a peacock shrimp, a lot of puffer fish and moreish idols. A bearded scorpion fish made a short visit too. The visibility was great, 20 m, so I really enjoyed the dive. When I surfaced and came back in the dive boat I got out of my gear and hurried to get lunch.

Fish

Beautiful, clear, water

Starfish

More Fish

Josh and I on the dive boat

After I was full, I got ready to dive and jumped into the bay a bit further away from the bay before. We were on the same island as the first dive. On the dive, I saw a few batfish under a cliff overhanging, and a giant moray eel. The batfish were at a cleaning station and had cleaner wrass feeding away at all the parasites. Another thing I did was a CEASER, all the way up to the surface

A giant clam

Sea Urchin

The next day, Saturday, I got up at the same time and headed to Chalong. This trip the whole family went together. When we arrived, we met my dive instructor and went onto the dive boat we were traveling in. The dive boat was mostly the same as the one we went on the day before, but it was a bit bigger. Today we were going to Phi Phi. Phi Phi is a well known for its diving.

Hawksbill Turtle

The first dive we did at Phi Phi Island was at Turtle rock. Turtle rock is known for its turtles. While we were diving we got to see a one. It was a hawksbill.

The next dive was at Kohdokmai. At Kohdokmai, there are two caves, one was to deep for me to go, but the other one I could. Before I entered it I saw a few shrimp, and other animals using my dive instructor’s flash light. The cave was pretty cool. It had no coral in it and it was dark. Unfortunately, we did not see any cool thing in it.

I am now a certified open water diver, and I can't wait till I can dive in Burma.

Thanks for reading, Jacob







 More Pictures from my adventures underwater:

A sea cucumber

Stone Fish

A school of fish

Crown of thorns

Dive Skills`

Ahoy Captain James!

Moray eel

Can you see the Scorpion fish?

Another Moray eel

Turtle Rock

Clown Fish

Diving with my brother

Mom enjoying the sunny day

My dive instructor, Nina, and I

Kohdokmai

Ending the dive

The Phuket Vegetarian Festival

Here in Phuket, there is a vegetarian festival every year. It is celebrated all over the area and is held for 9 days. The closest area where the festival is held to us, is at the Chinese temple down the street from our house. I shall now explain to you what happened on the first day of the festival.

At the beginning of the festival we saw people pasting gold flakes onto a pole at the center of the temple. After that, other people came out of the temple shaking like crazy with foam coming out of their mouths. They were also whipping themselves, razoring their tongues and more painful stuff. They believed that they were in a trance and that there were spirits inside them shielding them from the pain. After the people walked around the area, the giant pole was risen to call the 9 gods down. There was 9 candles hung on the pole too.

The next day I went to the temple at night and listened to the name calling event. While we were there, we got some Thai food near the temple. Since it was the vegetarian festival, Thai people only sold vegetarian food. It was still very good. When we were full we went to a shop which sold fireworks, and I got to launch fireworks for the first time in my life! The ones I launched were the small bee fireworks, which would jet up in the sky.

On Monday, we went back to the temple at 8:00 to see the fire walking. When we arrived we went past the temple and into the center of the festival. There was a large sand mound there. On the sand mound there was the fiery coals. Every once in awhile people would mix the coals with a long wooden pole. After a while of waiting, the possessed people came out and danced around the area. Then, they came to the area I was at and prayed to the model gods next to me. After all of them did that, they would run through the hot coals.

After watching the fire walking for some time, we went down to our house and launched some fireworks. One of my favorite ones was the Mini Mountain. That one blew a whole bunch sparks out of its roof, like a volcano, up into the sky.

At the last part of the festival I went to go see the releasing of the spirits. There were two places where this part was being held were Sampanhin beach and Nai Yang beach. We decided to go to Nai Yang because it was less crowded. When we arrived we went to The Boss Bar and ordered one huge fish and many large shrimp fresh from the sea. They disappeared very quickly. After that, my brothers and I launched a few fireworks. We thought that the ceremony would happen at 8:00 but the locals said it would happen at 1:00, way too late. Fortunately they also told us that a  parade would be coming in a little bit. While we were waiting, we launched off a lot of our fireworks. I even got to launch a Roman Candle.

When the parade came, we set off a string of firecrackers. The parade was a little disappointing though, for it was just a few cars.

History of the Vegetarian Festival

The Vegetarian festival started when a group of people came into the town and got sick. To get better, they started a vegetarian diet to honor the two gods Kiew Ong Tai Teh and Yok Ong Sone Teh. Mysteriously, they became well again. The local townsfolk were fascinated by this and asked how it was done. They were told about the festival and started doing it from the first night of the ninth lunar month to the ninth evening. Later, a person familiar with the festival volunteered to return to Kansai, China. There, he invited the sacred Hiao Ho-le or Hiao lan (incense smoke) and Lian Tui (name plaques) to stay in Kathu. He also brought the holy writing used in ceremonies. The afternoon before the festival begins, a great pole at each temple is raised, called the Go Teng pole. This pole is put up so that the gods can descend.

At midnight candles are put on the pole to signalize the opening of the fest. Ma Song, or entranced horses, are devotees whom the gods enter during the fest. They manifest supernatural powers and perform self-tortures in order to shift evil from individuals onto themselves, and to bring the community good luck. Ma Song fall into two categories: those who, having had an intimation of impending doom, want to extend their lives; and people specially chosen by the gods for their moral qualities.*

Throughout the festival fireworks and drums are sounded, especially during ceremonies. It is held that the louder they are the better, because the noise drives away evil spirits.*

A Ma Song running through the fire

A Ma Song coming out of his trance

Dragons

Some Ma Song

A dragon bowl

Family Photo

The Chinese temple

Bee Firework

*Exerts taken from phuketvegetarian.com

Humor and Instructional poem

The Laundry

a poem by Jacob

Doing the laundry is an easy chore

And it is not a terrible bore

For all you really have to do

Is make sure that there is no goo

For if there’s goo then it will not gleam

And that would mean it is not clean

To get rid of the goo

All you have to do

Is spray the blooper

With the stain remover

Then you put the clothes in the washing device

Making sure to not combine the red or white

Only then you may push the start button