Marilyn's Odyssey: Koh Chen and Oudong

Tying up to a rickety little wharf along the shore we went a wonderful walking tour of the village of Koh Chen. The residents here specialize in working with silver and copper to make the jewelry and other items that are sold throughout the country. We stopped at one family home to observe some of them at work. As we walked through the village one could hear the pounding sound of the engraving coming from many of the homes along the way. We were privileged to be invited into one of the stilt homes. The floor was plywood and the furniture very sparse but everything was clean. In contrast there was an IPhone charging on an old table. The kitchen was tiny and held just a heating element. Most people in Cambodia do not have refrigeration. We also stopped at a school where we got to go into the classroom and interact with hh he children. They were eager to speak what English they knew and loved seeing their pictures on our cameras. They sang a lovely song for us and we in return sang If You are Happy to them complete with actions. A very special visit.

In Oudong we went to the biggest Buddhist monastery in the country where sitting cross legged on the floor we received a blessing from the monks. During the tour of the grounds we were witness to the nuns and priests serving out food to the monks who then chanted their thanks. In Cambodia people often move to the monastery for a finite length of time and in fact the elderly sometimes move to the monastery for the end of their life so they will in their belief go to Nirvana for eternity. As he average lifespan for a male is 63 and a female 65 these so called elderly are young in our standards.

We then went by bus through the countryside. To Kampong Tralach where we went on an oxcart ride through the village. These are still the most widely used means of transportation in the countryside and are used to harvest crops and carry hay, animals and family members.

We carried on down the river to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. We went on a Tuk Tuk tour of the city. With cars, motorbikes,bicycles and Tuk Tuks sharing the road driving would be a harrowing experience. Many were even going the wrong way. A city of two million people it is spread over a fairly large area and the different levels of economics are all represented.