What a full day we've had! After another wonderful breakfast on the scenic 6th floor of the Ohana Hotel (pad thai for breakfast, who can ask for more?!!), we began our day by visiting the The Royal Palace of Cambodia--the Cambodian King's residency. Just try to picture an amazing Buddha made of jade, a pagoda lined with silver-tiled floors, mythic carvings surrounding the grounds and buildings, and maybe, just maybe, you will have a sense of The Royal Palace. The palace barely can be contained within its one city block of area and consists of many buildings, one more impressive and opulent than the next. And the best part is that it is within walking distance of the hotel, so multiple visits are possible, and multiple sightings are a certainty. One interesting fact that we learned was that the current King's older sister passed away at the age of four years of a childhood illness and now the King has instituted an infant vaccination program to help prevent early deaths from illnesses such as meningitis, smallpox, measles, and the like.
We then headed "next door" to the National Museum of Cambodia. The museum is sectioned into four historical time periods and contains artifacts in bronze, silver, stone, and wood. There was room filled with sculptures of Buddha that gave a sense of true sacredness. Visitors could leave an offering of jasmine-strung flowers for personal prayers. The museum was surrounded by lush gardens that contained many spirit houses. Spirit houses reminded me of personal altars that one might create in his or her own home. The museum was a special place that I am looking forward to returning to, both with a guide and by myself.
We drove south to the beach resort area in Shihanoukville ("SEE nick ville"). It was about a four-hour drive on the Ho Chi Minh trail from the capital city, and the drive was lined with scenes of very small towns and acres of rice paddies, often with workers in the fields. The rice crops are planted in two phases, right now they are harvesting the small sprouts to be replanted soon. When we are here next winter, they should be harvesting rice and we should be able to help in the fields! We spotted our first water buffalo today on the drive, and again, we saw many, many Brahman cows walking along and into the roads...yikes! Bicycle, motorcycle, car, and pedestrian traffic is very chaotic in cities, but in the smaller towns, it is the cow traffic that is most prevalent. If you are squeamish about such things, it's best if you close your eyes when traveling! :)
I've said before that I'll post photos, but I PROMISE that tomorrow will be the day that I actually post some!!
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