Day 3 - Kampong Chhnang via the Oodong Temple

At dinner last night, we decided to go overnight to somewhere Brian and Hengh had never been… and that was to be Kampong Chhnang! Only 80 kilometres from Phnom Penh, it is a centre for pottery.  After seeing how little on the net there was in terms of accommodation and restaurants, we decided it must be a very small, quiet place. We booked in to the Garden Guest House @ US$20/ night including breakfast. I saw the word “margarine” and decided to run with it anyway. So grown up of me!

Good morning, my wordle buddies

We set off the next morning (Friday 19 April) with Mr Dila at the wheel.  We drove firstly to climb to the majestic Oudong Temple. “More than 500 steps” would be hard yakka anyway but in the pounding heat, it was more than that.  

Extracts from angkor-travels.com: 

Oudong (also transcribed Udong or Odong or Udon) in Kampong Speu Province is a small town 40 km northwest of Phnom Penh. Oudong had been the capital of Cambodia before King Norodom shifted it to Phnom Penh. It is located at the basis of the twin-hill Phnom Oudong, which is crowned by historical Buddhist stupas, being the main attraction of this World Heritage Site aspirant.

At the upper end of the stairway is a modern temple containing a relic of the Buddha, the eyebrow hair was a gift relocated from a Stupa in front of Phnom Penh railway station in 2002. 

Did you see that??? Buddha’s eyebrow hair!!! But you can’t get in to see it. On the topic of relics - Brian tells me that he has seen a single hair from the beard of Mohammed and elsewhere, his footprint. I mentioned that we saw a cartilage from St Anthony’s larynx in Padua back in 2007. Feel free to add your relics seen in the comments below! 

Descending from the beautiful temple was easier but the steep slopes of gravel were still treacherous for me. But not so for the mountain goats Brian and Hengh. Hengh lent me her shoulder for much of the descent. For her generosity ,I left a dirty brown hand mark on the shoulder of her white top… sorry about that Hengh!

The heat nearly did me in. 

This picture was taken at the top of the mountain. By the time I descended via steep steps and gravelly slopes, my face colour was a deeper shade. I felt quite unwell. 

We were surprised to find that Kampong Chhnang is quite a large city, buzzing with activity, riddled with accommodation and restaurants!!

We checked in to our delightful rooms at the Garden Guest House. Set in an old higgledepiggley complex of gardens and huts with little wisdom sayings everywhere.  Heaps of locals working there -  sweeping the pathways, tending the sprawling, wayward garden and ready to assist. 

The word hidden behind the leaf is present

Oooh… 

 sniff deeply …you won’t be sorry

I was amazed to find the shower just perched on the wall in the small bathroom.  It worked a treat. Impressive. 

We drove through the centre of town and along the waterfront - the Tonlé Sap river.  

At a roundabout were two large sculptures representing this province - one of Neang Rom Say Sok using her hair to drain the water to stop the crocodile from attacking the ship.  The ship here holds a clay pot for which this part of Cambodia is famed. 

At some point the road petered out and then we saw the restaurant. It is called Chamkaleap - big, spacious, undercover, set up for a hundred … and completely empty.  

We settled in, met the chef and ordered. What came was one of the best meals I’ve ever had. Just so delicious: beef fried rice, hot spicy fried chicken, incredible beef kebabs and a salad of cucumber, green papaya carrot sprouts ginger lemongrass curry leaf and sugar …

Cheap

While I rested, Brian, Hengh and Dila crossed the river and returned wide eyed talking about the 6th century Hindu temple ruins they had seen - built about 200 years earlier than Angkor Wat.  Next time!

We wanted a night out with music and nice food… We were advised by a tuk tuk driver to go to a bar called Chhit  House (true…). The walk there was good. The bar was open air and spacious with a small stage and many clusters of tables. For quite a while we were the only people there but as the night deepened, the place filled up. The wait staff were lovely of course, because we are in Cambodia and that is just the norm. The night was just great! 

Wait… there was one amusing problem. When we arrived, there were Cambodian songs playing. It was a part of the attraction! Within about 10 minutes however, we were listening to Taylor Swift, Justin Beber etc etc etc.  Brian tells me that happens all the time when a westerner goes into a uncrowded bar in Cambodia. Hengh had a word with them and the Khmer songs returned.  

A trio played on stage a mix of Khmer, Thai and western music.  Embarrassingly, my dancing was wildly appreciated by the masses.

A walk home in the heat of the night, a cold shower in that little bathroom and straight to bed. Wondering what tomorrow will bring …(pssst… oooooh…it was a hoot!)