Stone Face

Stone Face Tower of Ta Nei

Tuesday, 4 November, our first full day touring the ruins of Siem Reap started  early and was a very busy day for us.

Our first stop was to witness sunrise at Angkor Wat.  We witnessed sunrise with many other tourists - including the dreaded bus tours from China, Russia, and South Korea.  I had read a great deal about the crowds at the ruins for sunrise.  I did not necessarily have a desire to photograph the sunrise and more importantly for me, deal with hordes of people all jostling to photograph the same pictures.  Our guide recommended that we go.

We arrived 5:30 A.M. at the reflecting pool to the left of the ruins as you face the ruins - the prime location for sunrise and sunsets.  Despite the time, there were a couple of hundred photographers already there.  All the spots at the edge of pond were already occupied. The vast majority of the people were either using cell phones or tablets to capture the event.  Fortunately there is a slight upwards slope from the pond.  I had brought my tripod so taking advantage of the tripod and moving away from the pond's edge I was able to shoot over the heads of the other people.  All in all the experience was not nearly as stressful or unpleasant as I had anticipated.  I would not discourage anyone from trying to shoot an Angkor Wat sunrise based upon our experience.  My advise would be to arrive there early with lowered expectations, with no desire to be at the water's edge.  I also recommend that you arrive with a couple friends to block off the areas around - especially directly in front of your camera setup.

After the sunrise, while the bus loads of people, returned to their hotels or went to restaurants for breakfast, we drove over to a very popular temple ruin, Ta Prohm, the "Tree Temple" of the film "Laura Croft, Tomb Raider" fame.  Arriving at the vacant temple at 6:40 A.M., we spent one hour touring the ruins at our leisure, one hour enjoying the only sounds of birds, monkeys, and insects waking up along with the click of our cameras as the early morning sunlight filtered down through the forest canopy chasing away the shadows.

After completing our tour of Ta Prohm, we experienced a very special treat.  Lead by our guide, we walked roughly 15 minutes through the "jungle" to another temple - "Ta Nei".  Many resources refer to the terrain between the ruins as the jungle.  In all my travels I have yet to find the jungle, or at least my vision of the jungle from all those Tarzan movies of my boyhood.  I have been in many rain forests since my days as a youth.  I would categorize the terrain more as a forest - dense new growth perhaps 25 to 30 years old with very well defined sandy trails.

The first major artifact that we encountered at Ta Nei was a face tower - stone block tower with caeved blocks forming large faces at each of the cardinal compass points.  Face towers are a common sight in the Siem Reap area.

Who is the stone face?  A mythological animal?  Some long ago King? Perhaps some Animist deity?  Hindu deity?  A Buddhist deity?  One thing for certain the face is neither Christian or European.

Another obvious truth about the stone face is that it is of some one or something that is very revered attributable to the size and numbers of the faces.  Another indication to the extent of the face's importance and perhaps its power is its orientation at N, S, E, and W points of the compass.

Many sources state that the face is of the king.  Other sources state that the face is a representation of Lokesvara, the Bodhisatava of infinite compassion.  Some sources state that the faces are guardians of the Khmer Empires cardinal compass points.

Representation of Lokesvara the Bodhisatava of infinite compassion?  What is that and what is that all about?  First of all, a Bodhisatava is anyone who is motivated by compassion to attain liberation (enlightenment) for benefit of all others.  Buddha prior to becoming enlightened is referred to as a Bodhisatava in his previous lives.  Bodhisatavas are on the path to liberation and considered further along the path to enlightenment than others in that their goal is to become fully enlightened.

In Buddhism doctrine, Lokesvara (Avalokitsvara) was a Bodhisatava that made a vow to help people during times of difficulty (Aren't all times, times of difficulty?) as well as to delay his achieving of enlightenment until after assisting every person to attain their enlightenment. He is the representation of the compassion of all the Buddhas.

As for the King ... Ta Nei was constructed as a Buddhist temple in the late 12th century by King Jayavarman VII who reigned from around 1181 to 1218. Jayavarman VII was a great king in all senses of the term.  He lead an army that ousted Cham invaders that had killed the previous Khmer King, pillaged the capital, and perhaps worst of all made off with the Apsara dancers. Besides ridding the kingdom of the Cham invaders, he extended Khmer control up the Mekong River Valley up to current day Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic.

During his thirty year reign, King Jayavarman VII was responsible for a monumental construction program.  Projects for the public good included hospitals (102 of them!), reservoirs, and rest homes along the highways for travelers.  He also had Buddhist temples such as Ta Prohm, and Preah Khan built.  He commenced construction of the magnificent state temple, The Bayon.

King Jayavarman VII was also responsible developing the city of Angkor Thom - a metropolis of perhaps over 100,000 people in the late 12th and early 13th century.

It is inscribed on a monument that "He suffered from the illnesses of his subjects more than from his own ..." His stated goal was to alleviate the suffering of his people. He lived to be 85 to 90 years old - astounding for someone in the 13th century.

There are some statues existing today that are supposed to be of King Jayavarman VII and ... his face closely resembles the stone faces of structures built during his reign.

Who is the face?  I believe that if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it is a duck. For me the stone face is that of King Jayavarman VII as the representation and embodiment of Lokesvara, the Bodhisatva of infinite compassion.  The orientation of his face on each tower(s) signifies the extent of his power and glory across his land.

Ta Nei is a small temple ruin but a special ruin.  There is no vehicle access to the site.  The lack of a road prevents tour buses with their hordes of tourists from accessing the ruins and drastically limits the number of visitors to the temple site. This provides a tranquil place to explore, experience, and appreciate the ruins in a relaxed atmosphere at your own individual pace. We ended up spending a thoroughly enjoyable 45 minutes at Ta Nei.

As I wandered about exploring and photographing the ruins with our guide, Duang took advantage of the Buddhist temple to do some praying.  Often during our tour of the ruins, she would pray and worship - connecting with places where people were worshipping one thousand years ago.

Stone Carving Over Doorway

Our guide once again had taken us to special place without hordes of visitors destroying the atmosphere of a special place linking today to a long ago time.  Our visit to Ta Nei was a special memory that we cherish.

Khao Poon, Khao Pun - Where Does It Come From?

Worker Gathers Fresh Khao Poon to Place In A Tray for Market

Visitors to wet  markets in Southeast Asia can be assured of finding rice noodles artistically placed like skeins of yarn atop a layer of banana leaves in a woven bamboo tray.  My wife, an ethnic Lao from Thailand, calls the rice noodles "Khao Poon" ("Khao Pun"?).

Khao Poon resembles cooked pure white vermicelli much like No. 7 Spaghetti except for color.  The pure white of Khao Poon is due to it having rice rather than wheat and no eggs as ingredients.  Khao Poon is used in various soups and salads in Asian cuisine.

I have seen tons of Khao Poon for sale over six years in Thailand, Lao, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia.  I had never thought of where all those trays of soft wet noodles came from.  I guess that I had assumed that they came from the Khao Poon factory - some large industrial building where raw ingredients arrived at one end of the building by rail car, 18 wheel tractor trailer rig, or lorry.  Finished product would exit at the other end of the building by large trucks to distribution outlets and eventual to the local outlets. Undoubtedly my assumptions were based upon my experience and perspective as a long time resident of the United States.

When I was a young boy in the United States, I enjoyed a television program entitled "Industry On Parade".  The fifteen minute program ran from 1950 to 1960.  In addition to being on television, films of the programs were distributed to schools. Episodes showed how various products such as hot dogs, cars, steel, light bulbs were produced in America.  I honestly do not remember if there was an episode regarding rice noodles let alone Khao Poon.

I have maintained an interest in how things are made and done over the years - just ask the dentist doing my current root canal.

For our recent trip to Cambodia, one of my objectives was to take photographs of people; more specifically documenting the daily life of the people.  I had conveyed that objective and sent samples of the type of people photographs that I prefer to take to the tour company that I had selected for us.

On the third day of our stay in Siem Reap, we got up early to catch the sunrise at Pre Rup.  From Pre Rup we drove and toured Banteay Srei before heading to Banteay Samre.  We travelled along a country road bounded by rice fields, grazing lands, and small villages.  The rural scenery was dotted with many houses elevated on stilts with children as well as domesticated animals wandering about - great photo opportunities.  I mentioned to our guide that I would like to stop up somewhere up ahead to photograph some typical Cambodian homesteads.  He acknowledged my request and we continued on our way passing many locations.  We passed so many locations that I was considering reminding the guide of my wishes.  I held off, trusting not only that he was not only a man of his word but also was much more knowledgeable than me. After a while, the car slowed down and pulled off to the side of the road and stopped.

A Homestead Along the Road to Banteay Samre

We had stopped at one the typical homes along that country road. The home was a small structure raised above the ground with a corrugated metal roof.  The exterior walls were rough cut lumber and woven bamboo panels.  There was quite a bit of activity around the home - in the open air space next to the structure and underneath a roofed area in front of the home.

Disembarking from our vehicle, I immediately realized that my trust and patience with our guide had been vindicated.  The people were all busy making something.  This was  just what I was hoping for in my goal.  Duang realized immediately what was going on - the people were making Khao Poon, rice noodles.  We ending up spending one hour at the location.

Neighborhood Children Checking Things Out

With our arrival, more people, local children, arrived to investigate what was going on.  My wife and I do not object and are not embarrassed to be objects of curiosity by the local people of areas that we visit.  We consider it to be great opportunities to share, share bilaterally, with the people we encounter.  As much as there is to learn about others and their life, there is a great deal of ourselves and our life that we can share with them.

At this stop we were learn where Khao Poon comes from and how it is made. Here in Cambodia the rice noodles were not produced in some large industrial complex with heavy machinery.  The product was manufactured or rather crafted as part of a cottage industry.  The rice noodles were crafted by family members at their home.

Grinding Rice to Create A Slurry - the First Step

The first step in making Khao Poon is to produce a rice slurry.  The production of the rice slurry took place off to the side of the house.  No electricity was required in the production of the slurry required for this cottage industry in Cambodia. Rice kernels were fed by large spoon into a small grinder that was powered by hand utilizing a trapeze mechanism.

While seated on top of a low rustic platform, one woman fed rice into the mill along with the necessary amount of water, as another woman pushed a horizontal wood beam forward and backward.  The beam was suspended by two cords from a wood overhead frame.  At one end of the horizontal beam additional pieces of wood with a swivel joint at the end connected swing device to the mill.  The horizontal rocking motion of the second woman was mechanically translated into rotational movement of the top milestone of the rice grinder.  After 44 years, I was looking at the practical and ancient application of those mechanisms that we studied back in Machine Design class in college.  It was fascinating to see the mechanisms in action and appreciating them for what they could do rather than looking at colored diagrams on a sheet of paper.

A milky mixture of rice flour and water flowed by gravity from the rice mill into a recycled plastic bucket placed on the ground next to the low platform.  A piece of fine mesh plastic net, the type used to cover the ground when threshing rice, covered the top of the bucket to strain the slurry draining from the rice mill.

Buckets of the milky mixture are covered and set aside for one week to work.

The second step of the process that we witnessed involved "kneading" the thick and heavy balls of dough created from the one week of the milky mixture working.  Once again heavy electrical equipment was not utilized or necessary to further process the dough.  Heavy equipment, albeit basic mechanical mechanisms were necessary and utilized.

Kneading the Dough

At the edge of the property closest to the road, the dough was kneaded using a lever mechanism.  The dough was placed into a heavy stone mortar located on the ground underneath a heavy pestle created from a heavy log.  A woman in coordinated conjunction with the up and down motion of the log pestle kneaded and worked the dough.  To get the mixture to the required consistency, she would add water.  The up and down motion of the pestle was created by children and for a very short time a foreign tourist stepping down and off on the end of a heavy lever that the pestle was attached too.

Driving Mechanism for Kneading the Dough

After the dough was properly kneaded and at the required consistency, the large balls were relocated to a bench next to the covered work station.

Loading Up the Noodle Die

At the work table, the die for a primitive but very effective extrusion machine is loaded with dough.  The rice noodles are formed by an extrusion process - the same as spaghetti produced in large industrialized factories. However at this cottage industry, no electricity or hydraulic power was required to make the product.  In Cambodia, the power and wonder of the lever was once again employed.

The extrusion machine, a simple mechanical press, in Cambodia was basically like a huge wood nut cracker.  At the small end of the nut cracker there was a metal cylinder that was filled with the dough.  One end of the cylinder had a die - a metal disk with holes in it.  Dough forced through the cylinder and across the disk came out in long individual strings.  The dough was forced through the cylinder, and extruded from the die by a ram, solid tube only slightly smaller in diameter than the dough container.  The ram was forced (pressed) through the open end of the cylinder holding the dough by forcing down the long lever at the large end of the nut cracker. The combination of the cylinder and ram acted as the fulcrum for the lever.

People Operating the Primitive Press to Extrude Rice Noodles

All that was required to operate the press (extrusion machine) were people to sit on the end of the lever.  The weight of the people applied at the end of the long lever created sufficient force to drive the dough through the die and into the vat of boiling water beneath the press.

Rice Noodles Extruded Into Vat of Boiling Water

After cooking in boiling water over a wood fire, the rice noodles were removed and placed into a tub of water to stop the cooking process as well as to cool off for handling.

Finished Khao Poon Being Packaged

The tub of cooled noodles were then carried back to another low raised platform to be packaged.  Packaging consisted of removing the noodles from the tub, twisting them into skeins and placing them on top of banana leaves in a woven bamboo tray.

The people did not even need electricity for water.  In the front yard, there was a small diameter PVC pipe that came out of the ground. That pipe entered into more pipes that were at an angle to the ground.  A long sliding piece of PVC pipe was located inside of sloped pipe.  One of the men stroked the sliding pipe back and forth to pump underground water to the surface - water without electricity

We had spent an hour at the home and we wanted to show some appreciation to the people for allowing us to experience some of their life and for being so kind as well as patient with us.  Duang and I decided to buy some rice noodles that we would give to our guide and driver to take back to their homes.  We spoke with our guide to make it happen.  He determined that we could not buy any noodles.  It turned out that the family had contracts to middle men who sell to the vendors at the wet markets for a certain amount of noodles each day.  They did not have extra product to sell.  I ended up paying the woman a little bit of money for the children and to demonstrate our appreciation.

As we were leaving, one of the men ran up to our vehicle.  He had two cold coconuts from an ice chest next to the house.  He thanked us and apologized for only having two coconuts for us to drink.  We headed down the road for the next location of our itinerary - Duang and I enjoying one coconut, our driver and guide enjoying the other.

Our stop at this location had been extremely entertaining, instructive, and memorable.

We had learned something of rural life in Cambodia. I had a better understanding and appreciation for the mechanical principles, that have existed for thousands of years - principles that I was taught back in college. The same principles exist today and allow people to live off of the grid. I also once again was impressed at man's ability to survive and often thrive with few of the amenities of the world that I am so comfortable with.

The ability of the rural peoples of Southeast Asia to adapt and survive with so much less than I am accustomed to gives me comfort and inspires me.  They are proof that I can do with less.  They demonstrate how life can go on and go on happily in the world and not just in "Allen's World".

Our guide once again had done a great job - something that he did for entire trip.

Going Back In Time

Ta Phrohm - August 10, 2007

Ta Prohm - November 4, 2014

The decisively characteristic thing about this world is its transience. In this sense, centuries have no advantage over the present moment. Thus the continuity of transience cannot give any consolation; the fact that life blossoms among ruins proves not so much the tenacity of life as that of death.

— Franz Kafka
 

Ta Prohm - November 4, 2014

My wife and I recently returned to Siem Reap, Cambodia to once again tour the Khmer ruins and experience Tonle Sap once again.

We had  visited the area in August 2007, spending four exciting days at the ruins of Angkor Wat, other temple complexes and a short tour of Southeast Asia's largest fresh water lake, Tonle Sap.

Shortly after that trip, I watched a television documentary regarding the fishing culture on Tonle Sap and how it is reliant upon the annual flow of water into the lake from the Mekong River as well as the reverse flow of water from the lake into the Mekong each year at the end of the year.  I was very impressed with the documentary and realized that at some point I would like to return to document the fishing activities of the local people.

Over the ensuing years, I was able to watch and enjoy the video on the Internet.  However, I am no longer able to find the documentary on the Internet.  They say that once something is posted on the Internet, it is there forever.  If that is indeed true, I would have to add that although it is still there it may be extremely difficult to retrieve.  I am certain that part of the problem is due to my acquiring and retiring several computers over the approximate seven years, the impermanence of various websites, and a much more sensitivity to posting of copyrighted videos on the Internet.

Despite the inability to view the video over the entire past seven years, I maintained my interest and desire to return to Siem Reap, and more specifically Tonle Sap Lake.

During the past seven years I have acquired a new camera and developed better photographic skills.

I sincerely believe that many special places in this world require more than a single visit to better comprehend, better appreciate, and more fully experience them. I have practiced what I preach many times ... return trip(s) to Grand Canyon, Le Louvre, Paris, London, Foz do Iguacu, Machu Picchu. Yellowstone, Olympic National Park, Amsterdam, Grand Palace in Bangkok to name a few of my favorites.

When I was once asked why I was at Machu Picchu for a second time, I replied "I have a new camera and there are some specific photos that I missed the first time."

There is always a reason to be found to return to some places.

Our visit to Siem Reap was also an opportunity to witness and experience the area with a more educated and experienced perspective.  Having been there seven years earlier, we had a relatively recent baseline to evaluate the changes to the ruins.

The ruins are roughly one thousand years old - one thousand years of rains, winds, the constant force of gravity, the relentless drive of vegetation to establish itself over the land and perhaps most pernicious of all - one thousand years of human interaction.

Buddhism now once again reigns over the structures that originally were constructed to commemorate Hindu beliefs.  A majority of the temples were Hindu and modified to be Buddhist to then become Hindu and once again to be Buddhist.  Many of the ruins today reflect the awkward transitions between the religions.

The ruins also bear the scars of several wars - invasions as well as civil wars. The ruins were also neglected and "forgotten" or "lost" for many years.  During those years the ravages on the temples were from nature and gravity.  Today the ravages include a much greater participation by man.

The ruins are being loved to death.

Ta Prohm - August 2007

Ta Prohm - November 2014

Tourism to the Angkor Wat region has dramatically increased from 2006 when approximately 900,000 tourists visited. In 2013 the number of tourists was 2,063,000.  Tourism to the region increases approximately 18% each year and naturally they all typically end up touring the ruins.

The ruins are mainly constructed from sandstone.  Millions of footsteps each year on and across the sandstone blocks cause both erosion and stress on the blocks. The material eventually breaks down sooner than if just to natural forces. Just as wind and water can wear down rock, so can pedestrian traffic.

Millions of footsteps on the ground surrounding the ruins damages the roots of the trees.  Damaged roots lead to diseased trees which collapse and damage structures.  Compacted soil around the ruins affects the drainage of the area which affects the stability of the ground beneath the structures.

The international community for various reasons and motivations has sponsored and supervised the restoration of many of the temples.

Buddhism teaches that all things that are dependent upon something else or affected by something else is in flux, changing and not permanent but is impermanent.  The temples of Siem Reap are roughly a thousand years old - a very long time in human terms and perspective but they are far from permanent.

Many of the temples have strangler fig trees, sprung trees, and silk-cotton trees growing in them.  The roots of the trees grow over the tops of the structures, first starting in small crevices between the building blocks and as the roots increase in size - growing deeper and larger separating the building blocks and eventually contributing to the collapse of the structure - a process that ran pretty much from the fall of the Khmer Empire in the 15th century to the 20th century intervention by the Europeans.

The 21st century has ushered in accelerated efforts by nations such as The People's Republic of China, Republic of Korea, and India to "restore" and "save" the wonders of the region.

India sponsored and supervised the "restoration" of the famous "tree" temple, Ta Prohm.  Ta Prohm besides being known a s the Khmer temple ruin with the trees growing on top of it and was also the location for several scenes of the Angeline Jolie film "Laura Croft, Tomb Raider".

The recently completed restoration project lasted from 2003 to 2014.  The restoration and conservation effort involved installation of boardwalks an railing system to control access by visitors as well as to minimize the impact of visitors on the site.  Conservation efforts also included efforts to repair and protect the trees from the stresses induced by visitors, fungal attacks, instability due to pour drainage at the site.  It was determined necessary to ensure the health of the existing trees in and on the structures to safeguard the structures.  For many of the structures the flora and the ruins had become inextricably one - literally and figuratively.  The tree root systems in many area support the structure and what would Ta Prohm, "The Tree Temple", be without the trees?

"A man sees what he wants to see, and disregards the rest"  paraphrasing Paul Simon.

So it is with the ruins of Siem Reap area and I am fairly confident of any other 1,000 year old ornate structure built by man.

At first glance and typically during the first visit, the majesty and complexity of the structures are over whelming.  The grandeur of man's works is astonishing.  However a more relaxing pace or second visit reveals that all is not what it originally appears to be.  There is often a hodgepodge of discontinuous carvings, shapes, ill matched textures, ill fitting block work, filled in window openings as well as filled in doorways. This reality was missed by our mind's desire to fill in the blanks when first viewing the massive ruins.  We want the ruins to be what we want them to be and our minds suppress processing the realities that do not fit into our desired interpretation of what we see.

Upon seeing these discontinuities, you are able to be aware that the ruins for a large part have been reconstructed by man.  The ravages and onslaught of time and nature have been mitigated by men far removed from the original builders.  Newer blocks and bricks along with recreations of portions of carved murals have been included into the modern ruins.

Part of the Indian restoration of Ta Prohm involved reconstructing a gallery that had collapsed.  For other structures, the reconstruction involved dismantling the structure and reassembling it in a more stable configuration.  Structures that were heavily braced by large timbers in 2007 are now free standing in 2014.

One of my favorite photos of this visit is of a gallery at Ta Prohm that I did not remember from our earlier visit in 2007 ... a collapsed gallery in 2007 that is now rebuilt as part of the 21st century restoration.

The ruins of Cambodia are changing, constantly changing from the forces of nature, time, gravity and man - well intentioned or not.  The ruins of Cambodia are impermanent just as all other things that are affected or  dependent upon something are impermanent.

Our trip back to Siem Reap was not going back in time because changes have made that impossible.  The ruins are no where near what they were 1,000 years ago.  The ruins are not what they were just seven years ago.  They are not what they were nor are they what they will be.

However, my wife and I were able to experience and to enjoy the ruins with a different perspective.  We were able to embrace and accept the ruins as they were ... November 2014.

Our experiences of this trip has left me wondering though.  I wonder about the futility and cost of restoration programs.  The intervention of man against nature and time will not stop changes.  At best the intervention will delay the manifestation of major change but never prevent it.  At worst, man's intervention to stop change will create unnatural change or worst of all obliterate the spirit of the original object.  At what point is the original object destroyed leaving only the restorer's vision or interpretation to remain?

We were able to thoroughly enjoy our trip because we were able to appreciate and experience the changes ... to experience the ruins as they are.

Thomas Wolfe wrote "You Can't Go Home, Again"

Quoting from the novel ""You can't go back home to your family, back home to your childhood ... back home to a young man's dreams of glory and of fame ... back home to places in the country, back home to the old forms and systems of things which once seemed everlasting but which are changing all the time – back home to the escapes of Time and Memory"

We were not able to go back in time but it was a pleasant as well as rewarding journey to Siem Reap.

We will most likely return next year to experience some ruins and portions of ruins that we did not on our previous trips.  I am already making mental notes for the goals of our next trip ... more emphasis on gallery carvings, soybean or rice harvesting, palm sugar production, more fishing on Tonle Sap, and to be available for what ever awaits us.

Additional Photos Added to "Runny Noses and Dirty Faces - Children" Gallery

Samanen, Novice Monk, of Tahsang Village

Now that the holiday season has passed, I have some time to update my photo website with some additional photos to existing galleries as well as some new galleries.

Going over the photos of last year, brought  back many pleasant memories, memories of people, places, and things that we experienced over the past year.

Today, I added 38 new photographs (pages 17 and 18) to, by far and away, my most popular gallery, "Runny Noses and Dirty Faces - Children" - a collection and a tribute to the children of today as well as a reminder to the children of the past.


http://www.hale-worldphotography.com/Children/Runny-Noses-and-Dirty-Faces

Tonle Sap Lake Gallery Available

Finally after almost two months, I have completed editing and post processing all the photographs from our early November trip to Cambodia.

The first of the photography galleries related to the trip is now available for viewing:

http://www.hale-worldphotography.com/2014-Tonle-Sap-Cambodia

The gallery contains 28 selected photos of many more available documenting life on Southeast Asia's largest freshwater lake, Tonle Sap.

At this time of year the water flow reverses and the lake feeds the mighty Mekong River.  Along with water entering into the Mekong, Tonle Sap also releases the bounty of fish that it had nourished and supported during the rainy season.  At this time, many of the homes in villages such as Kampong Khleang are surrounded by the waters that have increased the average depth of the lake from 6 feet to 30 feet deep.

Life in the villages is based upon the annual rise and fall of the lake levels.

Car Blessing

Luang Por Pohm Likit Blessing Duang's Car

Recently we purchased a Ford Fiesta from our friends.  Transferring registration into Duang's name involved the fairly typical tasks of the previous owner paying off the outstanding loan balance, getting Duang's name on the car registration book, and getting Duang's name on the current insurance policy.  Last week we went to the Land Transportation Office outside of town and signed some papers as well as paid some nominal fees to register the car in our province.  We were told to return tomorrow, Tuesday, to complete the process - inspection and getting new plates .... and pay some additional fee.

There was also another process involved in obtaining the vehicle.  We had to get the car properly blessed.  The blessing was to be performed before mealtime by Luang Por Pohm Likit out at his temple.

Duang had me drive the car to just outside of Luang Por Pohm Likit's hut.  I had to open all the doors as well as the trunk and leave the engine running for the ritual.

Our friend, the Monk, came out of his hut and took a statue of Buddha and a large round glass ball from an ornate metal bowl that he had previously placed on the remnant of a plastic chair.  The metal statue of Buddha was an obvious object for a Buddhist ritual blessing but the glass ball has other implications.  The ball was like a super sized marble that we used to play "marbles" with, in the time long before smart phones and tablets.  Those marbles were highly prized and referred to as "purees".  This would have been a very highly prized a long time ago in a far away land.

Many of the believes and rituals here in Isaan are not pure Buddhism but a vestiges of former practices of Animism, Brahminism (precursor to Hinduism), and Hinduism.  The glass ball, lukel, is associated with the Naga (serpent ruler of the water underworld).  Apparently the glass orb symbolizes the eye of the Naga.  Belief in the Naga is very strong today in Lao People's Democratic Republic, Northeast Thailand, and Cambodia.

Monk Runs Lukel Over Car as He Chants

The Monk walked around the car in sort of an inspection.  He then rubbed the lukel over the car with his right hand while holding the metal Buddha statue in his other hand.  Several times he stopped in a location and appeared to be chanting as well as meditating.  After he had completed his circumambulations and contemplations, Luang Por Pohm Likit entered the car.

Once inside of the car, he checked out all the instruments.  He raced the engine several times and wrapped additional sei sin (cotton string) around the steering column.  He also hung from the rear view mirror the pumalei (floral garlands) that we had purchased along the route to the wat.  He then dipped his fingers into a small "lip balm" type metal container and placed the paste like contents using his finger tips on the headliner over the driver's seat.

Water Blessing of the Car

The monk exited the car and fetched a Monk's food bowl which contained water along with a stiff reed brush.  Luang Por Pohm Likit then walked around the car chanting and sprinkling water over it with the stiff brush.  Duang and I were also sprinkled with the water as part of the ritual.

After Duang and I had received the water blessing, the car blessing ritual was completed. I then shut off the engine and closed all the doors.

Thailand is the second most dangerous country for driving.  I have seen many bad accidents and uncountable number of near accidents in the time that I have stayed here.  It is very dangerous and like the wild west out on the roads.  Motor vehicles and motorbikes are blessed - I am not sure if the blessings provide any protection, however with as dangerous as the roads are around here it is wise and prudent to take any and all precautions to be safe.

Prasat Hin Muang Tam

Entrances of the Sanctuary

In the beginning of last month. my wife and I traveled to Cambodia to tour the Khmer ruins in the Siem Reap area - Angkor Wat.  It was a wonderful trip with many interesting photography and learning experiences - so many photography opportunities that over a month later I am still editing and post-processing the photos.

After spending 6 days at our home upon returning to Thailand, we drove southeast to attend the annual Elephant Round-Up in Surin.

As part of our stay in the Surin area, we ended going to the nearby province of Buriram. Our friends, who were familiar with the area, drove us to Prasat Hin Muang Tam.  Prasat Hin Muang Tam is located in the small village of Khok Meaung, at the base of an extinct volcano upon which a rather  famous Khmer temple has been restored by the Thai government.

Prasat Hin Muang Tam is a restored Khmer temple complex.  It is 1,000 years old and was built during the reign of the Khmer Empire in the late 10th and early 11th century.  The temple was built along an ancient road that ran from Angkor Thom (Siem Reap) Cambodia and Phimai, Thailand.

Today, there is ample parking a very short walk from the temple complex.  Our walk to the complex was through a grove of large trees - a sort of horticultural garden.  There were paved sidewalks through the garden and the grounds were very well maintained.

I especially liked that the various trees and plants had name plates which gave the name of them in Thai, English, as well as the Latin scientific names.

The temple is surrounded by a wall constructed of blocks of laterite - a weathered product of basalt, a clay that when exposed to air and sun hardens (to me it resembles iron slag).  The laterite here is reddish due to the being rich in iron from Hematite and Goethite. The Khmer people used laterite blocks for many of the structural elements of their temples.

Once you enter into the complex by passing through one of the gates that are located in the center of each wall enclosing the rectangular complex, you encounter four ponds at each corner of the inner sanctuary.  This is a common feature of Khmer temples in that the water features represent the primordial ocean surrounding a central tower which represents Mount Meru, the home where the gods reside in Hindu mythology.  The four other towers of the temples represent the mountains that surround Mount Meru.

Most people have seen photographs of Angkor Wat or other Khmer temples with reflections of the temple in some body of water.  The water, sometimes a sort of large puddle and other times a more clearly defined man made enclosure are remnants of the time when the temples were surrounded by moats - symbolizing and representing the ocean which surrounds Mount Meru.  The ponds at Prasat Hin Muang Tam are unique because they are "L" shaped in addition to having laterite steps to the bottom of the ponds.  Nagas, five headed serpents, line the edges of each pond.  Where the heads of the Nagas come together at the head of the pond, the heads rise up to form a gateway leading to the formal stairways to the bottom of the pond.

Another feature that I enjoyed at this restored temple complex was the use of bilingual signs in Thai and English to point out and explain some of the features of the temple - a feature that is absent in Cambodian sites.

When I visited the temple there were only five other people inside of the complex, Duang and our friends had decided to stay outside and enjoy the shade of the large trees.  It was enjoyable to wander around the rounds and take photographs without other people in them with relative ease - not always the case or so easily in Siem Reap.  It was especially nice to not have bus loads of tour groups trampling around destroying the tranquility of a sacred site.

Prasat Hin Muang Tam also has some very nice and interesting sandstone carvings.

I was surprised to encounter such a fine example of Khmer temples here in Thailand.  There are other ruins in the area also - 146 of them.   In Siem Reap it is easy to become overwhelmed by all the ruins - typically around the second day, all the temples seem to look alike and one forgets which one was visited and what was unique about it, especially for first time visitors.  Not so in Buriram and Surin Provinces in Thailand.  You can get a taste of Khmer architecture without becoming overwhelmed by the amount of ruins or fellow tourists.

Our trip to Prasat Hin Muang Tam was a surprise - a very pleasant surprise.  I believe that we will return in the near future - return to Buriram and Surin as well as once again to Siem Reap!