Constructed during the 7th to 9th centuries, Sambor Prei Kuk once boasted hundreds of Hindu temples built of sandstone brick. Over the thousand plus years, most of the temples have crumbled, been bombed, robbed and/or seemingly swallowed by the surrounding forest. However, several groups of temples have been rediscovered and remain somewhat intact. Only 5000 or so foreign tourists visit this site every year (as opposed to the 2 million that visit Angkor Wat), so that allows for a very intimate viewing experience.
All the temples are known as The Flying Palaces for the relief images of winged horses holding up the gods in their palaces that are etched into the stone. While only a few of the images are still clearly visible, what can be seen are remarkable given the test of time they've withstood.
Walking into the two main temples is a breathtaking experience. Cooler by several degrees once inside, they swallow up any sound, our words floating several stories up towards the pyramid like ceiling. The clever folks who constructed these temples used a mixture of resin and sand to create a natural adhesive — essentially waterproofing the stone.
Trees and vegetation grow under, on, through and over the remaining buildings and ruins. It is as though the earth is purposefully reclaiming its resources.
Our local guide, Tent, taught himself English and, through UNESCO'S archeological support, has been educated by visiting archeologists about the temples' history. Programs such as this, and the homestay initiatives, have helped the local communities appreciate these remarkable treasures and rebound from poverty. This was one of most informative tours we've yet had.
We are excited for the authentic experience of spending the night in a rural Cambodian village and home, although we are a touch unsure what to expect. Tent guides us to our two home stay locations. The families greet us warmly with smiles and respectful greetings, which we return. The houses are traditional Cambodian homes, very basic and built with wood up on stilts to avoid flooding during the rainy season. There are two outhouses with fresh water from the well. It's a bit like camping, except there's cows and pigs for company. As guests, we sleep up on the top level and the family will sleep below, underneath the house.
Tent then walks us through the village to the local market. Again, the locals are friendly and welcoming. We feel a bit like celebrities with everyone staring, waving and children chasing after us, repeating, "Hello, hello!" They are happy to let us take their photos as long as we show them the images afterwards.
This is real life in Cambodia. It's a difficult, hot, not so sanitary existence. Touring the local market and walking about the village brings forth a range of emotions from pure joy at the simplicity of it all to dismay at the poor conditions. It's a wonder how they manage to eke out a living and survive, but somehow, with a smile, they do.
We walk to the nearby rice fields and the lotus flower fields for the sunset.
Returning to town, we stop by another family's house for our dinner. To build and utilize the community's resources (and to "share the wealth"), some families are trained in sanitary food preparation, while other houses are set up for the homestay overnights (simple mattresses on the floor with mosquito nets overtop). Fried local "little fish", banana flower soup, rice and vegetables are on this evenings menu.
Afterwards, we separate into our two home stay locations. Keir and I go over to the house where earlier we'd watched the family make rice noodles by hand. Although we are expecting a rough, overheated, noisy night (the cows, pigs, dogs and roosters that every household seems to own never seem to fully quiet down), we somehow manage to knock off some zzz's in our individual bunks (the comfy memory foam style mattresses help no doubt!).
Before we know, it the sun is coming up and we are waking to a town that is already bustling. Working hours are early in the morning and later on in the afternoon (when the heat is less intense). We are the late risers and it is only 6 am! Down below, the home stay family is hard at work together grinding, pressing, making, boiling, rinsing, cleaning and folding their fresh rice noodles. Today they will make 200kg of rice noodles... all of which have already been ordered for a funeral, a wedding, and a festival. Each neatly folded basket weighs around 6kg and can fetch the family about 12,000 Riel (or $3 US dollars). So with the sale of 200kg's on this day, it is a very good sales day for our family!
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