Getting to Know You: Wat Phnom

    Here are a few pictures of Wat Phnom.  A wat is a pagoda or temple.  There is a little hill in a relatively flat city, so there is a story about why the temple was built there. It is common to see wats around town, and they are common on high places.  As I mentioned in my previous post, I'd like to comment on the spiritual implications of some of these things, but for now you can just have a look-see.

Hindu-ish snake statues are common in temple areas.

A mural on the wall.

I took this picture to show the offerings that people leave on the statues: lotus flowers, money, etc.

To my architectural friends.. Is this what you would call a flying buttress?

Pointy spires reaching to the sky.

 

People were burning incense and praying to these stone lions(?)  I took this picture because they are stationed right next to a sink of dirty dishes and thought that was an interesting dichotomy.

Getting to Know You: The King's Palace

I've had about 2 weeks before school starts.  I've been using this time to get used to getting around town and negotiating for things in the market.  We've (roomies and I) also played the tourist a bit, so I'd like to share some of those pictures with you.  This post contains pictures of the area that encompasses the king's palace.  We didn't pay for a guide so I don't have a lot of specific information to share with you.  Enjoy the pictures!

 

I believe the king was home because the flag was up.

This was one part of a large mural.  I don't know if you can see up close in this picture, but the fellow in the lower right has bodies coming out of his ears and in his mouth.  In the future I will have a comment to say about the spiritual implications of some of these things, but for now it will suffice just to notice and observe.

A model of Angkor Wat

This is one of my roommates, Rebecca, also from the U.S.

 

Home Sweet Home

 

These are my new digs.  I’m on the second floor with the balcony.

 
 
 

Our principal left us a basket with a few items in it to get us started.  Notice there is a roll of toilet paper in there.  Very important, as bathrooms only come with butt sprayers here.  You’ll have to wait for the post on bathrooms to learn more about that one.

View from my balcony.

 

 



The yard to the east of our house, looking down from my balcony. 

 

 

 

The street we live on.

 

 Toul Kork is the name of our neighborhood.  It's one of the nicer neighborhoods just outside the city.  We have a rooster in the neighborhood.  I enjoy him every morning.  He's not to prompt or too overbearing in his crowing.  We've experienced a few rains so far.  It cools everything down a bit.  I'm sure it makes it more humid however every day feels very humid to me so I can't tell much of a difference. Every day is a sweaty day, but it's nothing unmanageable or unexpected so far.  Overall, things are going very well in the house and neighborhood!

 

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

How does one transport 6 people, 11 bags weighing 550 lbs. plus at least 6 more carry-ons 3 hours away to the airport?

First, you start with a great dad.  That dad purchases a special rack that attaches to the tow hitch.  Then dad and brother stack and tie down everything to the rack and roof.  Then dad wakes up in the wee hours of the morning to drive all that business down to L.A.  Then dad drives home alone because both of his children have flown off to the other side of the world.  Love you Pop, you really came through.  You are very special to me. xo