this is the trip we went on before we left.
The legend about the 2 hills is-There were two teams, one of men and one of women. they were competing to build the tallest mountain before sunrise. The competition happened because the custom was that a man needed to go to the woman`s parents to ask permission to get married and the men were challenging this. The women lit a fire at night, which made the men believe the sun was rising. They stopped working and the women won.
So men still need to ask the woman`s parents for permission to get married and Phnom Srei(woman hill) is higher than Phnom Pros(man hill)
part of the temple on Man Hill |
View of woman hill from man hill We didn`t walk up all the steps to this hill. I don`t do steps-especially not 300+ |
We gave some of the monkeys bananas.
Between the 2 hills is a Killing Field and the smooth shiny bit on this statue is where the soldiers used to sharpen their swords before they killed people. There is a small building with a pile of human skulls inside it nearby and people still search through the killing field for valuables!
Buddha teaching his pupils |
One of the highly coloured statues |
Thats all really about our trip. It was very interesting.
Last week I went to Kratie and sorted out a house and met my colleagues and the rest of the volunteers. They are really friendly and I had a really good time. I am none the wiser about the job really but everyone feels like that. I don`t have an office but they have given me a table (with a rather lovely artificial flower decoration!!) in the office of the Deputy director of the Training College. There is a school in the college`s grounds which I was taken to and the children were asked to say something to me in English. Everyone asked me how old I was! They wouldn`t get away with that in England! I found a house which is not perfect but I think it will be fine. It has 2 bedrooms a large living room, a proper toilet and shower-no hot water though! Unfortunately I didn`t take any photos during the week cos I had so much to focus on and I will have enough opportunities when I finally get there. Kratie has a lovely riverside where we had drinks and a lot of restaurants. It has a market where I think I will be able to buy most things I need everything else I will have to buy in Phnom Penh. Now I am back in Kampong Cham for another couple of days language training and a homestay where we go and stay with a family in one of the villages for a `Cambodian Experience` I am not looking forward to it at all but its got to be done!!
Will tell all about I post the next blog.