Look at this cute boy!! It reminds me about my past life when I saw this cute boy took his Buffalo to the field!! Why?
Well, before I ordained as novice I was taking care of my fours buffalo and I really enjoyed being on the back of buffalo. I gotta write more soon!!
SMILING BOY
Back to temple
On the way back to the temple the monks just the stop and the way and bought some drinks, they really enjoy their since it's the weather was hot. It was nice to have cool drink!! Actually, monks are not allowed to have dinner!!
Traveling to a Cambodian temple by dirt bike
A family travels together in Cambodia. Special to the Daily/Luc PolsAsia
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of travel stories from local resident Luc Pols, who is traveling through Southeast Asia.
There are two choices to go to Preah Vihear, a private car/taxi for $450 for two days, a fortune here or anywhere in Asia for that matter, or by dirt bike for $50 per day.
Never even having been on a dirt bike before, and therefore absolutely not on one with a ’90s vintage suspenion —1890s that is, as I found out later — I still decided to give it a try for the 250 KM one-way ride. Yes, I know, one of these days I will grow up!
My tour guide for the last three times here, Mongkhean, volunteered to drive with me as the passenger and I was quite optimistic. That optimism didn’t last long, however. After about an hour-and-a-half, the bike stopped dead and neither Mongkhean or me, had a clue why. Someone helped us, but an hour later on “highway” 67 the bike did it again and we decided to have an expert look at it. Two-and-a-half hours and a whopping bill of $6.25 later we were off again. Unfortunately highway 67 is little more than a glorified cowpath with potholes the size of Volkswagens. We fell only once and luckily into a huge mud puddle and nobody was hurt, but I feared for my life on a number of occasions.
With all the delays we didn’t arrive at our destination until sunset and we had to postpone visiting until the next day. We stayed at an outrageously expensive (for the quality) guesthouse at $10 per room per night, without breakfast, but with a mosquito net.
I survived the night and early the next morning we drove the last 7 KM up a slope with grades of up to 20 percent and arrived at Preah Vihear in a very heavy fog. We first checked the border, which is now closed, with about a thousand Cambodian troops throughout the jungle and I assume the same number of Thai soldiers across. I could only see a large militairy camp on the other side, but I couldn’t cross. There was barbed wire strung up along the crossing and we all hoped that nobody fired the first shot, because that could start a full scale war here. As a matter of fact, Cambodian soldiers are not allowed to carry their weapons, they are all stored in their tents, for fear of the mixture of alcohol and firearms! I only saw one soldier with a rifle over his shoulder. I talked with some of the soldiers and while the atmosphere seemed to be relatively relaxed, you could feel the tension.
Here is some of the background. That piece of land, including the temple at Ta Moan avbout 134 km from here, has been a bone of contention between Cambodia and Thailand for more than 100 years, but in 1962 the International Court of Justice in the Hague ruled in favor of Cambodia. All was quiet until July 6 of this year, when UNESCO declared the temple here a World Heritage Site. All of a sudden tensions flared again and soldiers from both sides were dispatched to the area. A a matter of fact, there are still about a dozen Thai soldiers camped at the temple monastery there and when I asked why they had not been expelled, people just shrugged. Strange.
But here is a fact and you can decide as to who is right or wrong. In 1935 Thailand put the temple at Ta Moan on its heritage list, renovated it, maintained it and constructed a road there (also to Preah Vihear). While nothing was ever said or done by the Cambodians for more than 70 years, the UNSCO declaration changed all that and now they claim the territory as theirs and want the Thai out. There are no “roads” to the temples from the Cambodian side of the border, while the Thai have constructed beautiful asphalt roads there. So, who is right? You decide.
So, is the sight worth visiting? First of all, it is not Angkor Wat by any stretch of the imagination, but if you have the time and the inclination, the ruins are interesting.
However, do it only from the Thai side, not from Cambodia until they have constructed a road, which might take upwards of 10 years, if then. If you decide to go, check two things — find out which of the two countries the temples are located in when you go, and, if they’re in Cambodia, make sure the border is open.
Due to the fact that the bike broke down, there was no time to visit the temple at Ta Moan and I spent the last day visiting the Angkor National Museum in Siem Reap. Admission was $3 for Cambodians and $12 for everyone else! I am leaving for Malaysia tomorrow and I’ll have more for you next week.
Have a travel essay you’d like to share with Vail Daily readers? E-mail High Life Editor Caramie Schnell at cschnell@vaildaily.com.
One voice against land disputes
Some residents, victim of a land dispute in Rattanak KiriCambodge Soir
09-10-2008
150 communal representatives from 15 different provinces met in Phnom Penh, Thursday 9 October, in order to assess the numerous land disputes which are affecting the Kingdom. Wearing a blue karma, they marched through the streets of the capital to spread their message.
Some of them, coming from eight different provinces, decided to file joint complaints, denouncing the illegal forest cutting and the land theft committed by high ranking personalities or private enterprises.
In front of journalists and different NGO’s, Seng Sok Heng, spokesperson for those communities, explained that it was important to denounce the land conflicts with one voice. “Several complaints were filed with the local officials in the villages, but no resolution has been reached. We thus decided to file a complaint together in order to show our worries to the government.”
Five provinces have already filed a joint complaint in June 2008, but Seng Sok Heng adds that the Ministry of Agriculture has reacted in the case of only one dispute concerning Kampong Cham province, but without sending anybody on the spot in order to find a solution. “The local authorities are threatening us and indicting us. Some protestants were arrested”, reveals the spokesperson. Kek Galabru, President of Licadho, a human rights NGO, also denounced the violence and the threats to which the protestants fall victim during these land disputes.
The representatives of the communes of Rattanak Kiri, Mondol Kiri and the provinces of Kratie and Preah Vihear have highlighted the problem of the deforestation and of the alteration of their environment. According to them, the fault lies in the hands of the developers who are taking advantage of the “ignorance of the residents”. “They encouraged us to sell our land which now belongs to private companies”, points out Romchang Tveng, living in Rattanak Kiri.
Sai Teang, from Kampong Cham, deplores the fact that one day the landless farmers might not be able to make a living off farming any more. In Kampot province, the villagers aren’t allowed any more to fish in an area which belongs to a private company since 2007, says Kem Da. “We were promised some development, but today we can’t do our jobs any more”, she complains.
A representative from Oddar Meanchey, Chhum Keout, tells about the difficulty to obtain information during a dispute, “the local authorities are only concerned about their own personal interest”. He believes that the most remote villages are the most affected and he invited the journalists to travel to those places and witness by themselves.
Ung Chamroeun
09-10-2008
150 communal representatives from 15 different provinces met in Phnom Penh, Thursday 9 October, in order to assess the numerous land disputes which are affecting the Kingdom. Wearing a blue karma, they marched through the streets of the capital to spread their message.
Some of them, coming from eight different provinces, decided to file joint complaints, denouncing the illegal forest cutting and the land theft committed by high ranking personalities or private enterprises.
In front of journalists and different NGO’s, Seng Sok Heng, spokesperson for those communities, explained that it was important to denounce the land conflicts with one voice. “Several complaints were filed with the local officials in the villages, but no resolution has been reached. We thus decided to file a complaint together in order to show our worries to the government.”
Five provinces have already filed a joint complaint in June 2008, but Seng Sok Heng adds that the Ministry of Agriculture has reacted in the case of only one dispute concerning Kampong Cham province, but without sending anybody on the spot in order to find a solution. “The local authorities are threatening us and indicting us. Some protestants were arrested”, reveals the spokesperson. Kek Galabru, President of Licadho, a human rights NGO, also denounced the violence and the threats to which the protestants fall victim during these land disputes.
The representatives of the communes of Rattanak Kiri, Mondol Kiri and the provinces of Kratie and Preah Vihear have highlighted the problem of the deforestation and of the alteration of their environment. According to them, the fault lies in the hands of the developers who are taking advantage of the “ignorance of the residents”. “They encouraged us to sell our land which now belongs to private companies”, points out Romchang Tveng, living in Rattanak Kiri.
Sai Teang, from Kampong Cham, deplores the fact that one day the landless farmers might not be able to make a living off farming any more. In Kampot province, the villagers aren’t allowed any more to fish in an area which belongs to a private company since 2007, says Kem Da. “We were promised some development, but today we can’t do our jobs any more”, she complains.
A representative from Oddar Meanchey, Chhum Keout, tells about the difficulty to obtain information during a dispute, “the local authorities are only concerned about their own personal interest”. He believes that the most remote villages are the most affected and he invited the journalists to travel to those places and witness by themselves.
Ung Chamroeun
