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| In the rice paddies, farmers transplant the young rice seedlings |
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| Wait! Are we in Nicaragua or Cambodia? |
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| Classic thatch wall, house on stilts. This is Cambodia, but it could be rural Nicaragua (Rosita)… “same same”, but different. |
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| Note the huge haystack to the left. These weathered mounds of hay litter the landscape. |
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| Small pagoda along the road. Some friendly kids join us for a while. |
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| Rural pagoda, murals use bright colors to illustrate the life of buddha. |
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| Handsome young monk “in the making” |
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| These young monks welcome an opportunity to interact. |
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| The cluster of bright orange robes is a brightening sight. |
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| Regional delicacy on the side of the road… Sticky rice with beans, smoked inside bamboo. Cost: 25c |
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| At least twenty vendors one after the other, on the side of the road, all selling Cambodian “gallo pinto’ inside smoked bamboo. |
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| The vendor pulls back the bamboo so we can eat the smoked sticky rice inside. |
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| Litttle girls enjoying the camera’s attention |
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| Baby water buffalo up close, cooling himself off in the flooded rice paddy. |
Yes, it’s reminiscent of Nicaragua, right up until the WATER BUFFALO….
Cambodia felt so much like Nicaragua, in so many ways… Of course the land mine situation is tragic and very specific to Cambodia. After we walked into the rice paddy to visit the Water Buffalos, we realized that we had made a bad decision as it is recommended to stick to the roads. Even then, when it rains, landmines are still killing and maiming people every single day in Cambodia. Very scary and very sad.
Young monks!
So beautiful and so friendly. We really enjoy the presence and interaction which we had with several monks during our Cambodian visit. We look forward to many more “monk chats” in Laos in the future…
Monk education and lifestyle starts at a very young age. During the years of the Khmer Rouge, the monks were almost obliterated, due to their being educated and deemed dangerous by the Khmer Rouge. It is extraordinary that the few remaining monks were able to orchestrate a rejuvenation of their ranks and to re-ignite Buddhist traditions.