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We did one of the must sees today. We visited the compound of the Royal Palace. There are numerous structures with on the grounds, for specific deities, or gods to worship... and of course government buildings, and the Kings residence. We took a lazy approach, we roamed around and looked at what we liked.... and decided to find their names if it became important to us later on. The grounds were completely surrounded by walls, and as we have come to expect water sellers. They are VERY persistent. One woman walked with us for a few blocks. When it finally became clear we would not buy water from her, she shook our hands and said maybe later (sounded safe) so jk said yes, maybe later.... and do you know, that over three hours later she found jk and said .... You buy water now... you told me later!
And so he did.

The palace was meticulously maintained. It appeared to be trimmed, mowed and freshly painted only moments ago. We stumbled upon a ceremony of some type (see the picture to the left) Much ado! Much to do! There were guards, fancy dressed solders drawing swords, and shouting... a brightly colored carpet ran the length of the quite steep and lengthy staircase from the street to the final landing at the front door. The guards kept the crowd of about 15 tourists a safe distance, everyone snapped pictures of themselves at this special occasion... and tried to sneak past the boundaries the guards had set.
But the only thing that ever happened is that His Majesty’s royal sweeper swept the entire staircase. After that things just sorta ended.

So here is my math: If cleanliness is next to godliness, and a king is kind of close to god, then it follows logically that the cleaning of the steeps would become ceremonial. Boy, I sure am glad I was there to get those pictures.

We saw a amazing collection of frescos on a wall surrounding a grouping of temples and wats. It told the history of the Kingdom of Cambodia. Invasions, warriors, gods, battles, consorts, and more... done in deep rich earthy colors with generous use of gold to compliment the importance. From there we checked out a hall of a billion Buddha’s... I was amazed to see so many crammed into one display hall ... but, no pictures please. We did, however, get a mini-version of the Buddha hall, you can check that picture. I also entered a smaller temple that was worshiping a cow icon... which divinity I do not know... maybe you can tell me when you see the pic.

The Silver Pagoda had a group of musicians playing traditional Khmer music with (of course) traditional instruments. Their music permeated a vast portion of the palace area. As we viewed sculptures, architecture, and frescos their music allowed us to feel that we were part of this ancient culture, participants not merely observers. It greatly enhanced the experience. We took pictures of both the musicians and the structures. I have also posted a short video.

On the way out we opted to use the facilities.... bad choice... it seems that one of the smaller shrines had offerings (every shrine has offerings... we have seen shrines outside of many homes and businesses, in stores, restaurants, they are commonplace.) These offerings to the gods just happened to be a favorite tasty treat for a group of monkeys that lived in a nearby tree. Now to get to the bathrooms.... guess who ya had to get by!

Those monkeys scared more tourists...you should have seen us run in the opposite direction. The sympathetic nervous system, with some help from the adrenal, sure did alleviate our need to pee.

We had lunch in a restaurant called Friends; it is one of many attempts by the people of Cambodia to protect their children from abuse and poverty. I had read about it online prior to the trip. The program selects children to be trained in all aspects of food prep and service. They are taught “hands on” skills for three years before graduating. At that time they may be asked to become teachers for the program or go off with the ability to live independently. PS Cambodia has no social service program of any type. Yearly incomes can be 2000 $, and poverty is rampant. The streets are filled with kids orphaned from parents of HIV, landmines and, political unrest. Many children turn to crime, drugs, and prostitution to live. Eradication of sex tourism is high on the list of the Cambodian government (and many other Southeast Asian countries). This program literally saves the lives of many children. We loved the concept, the staff, and the food! Needless to say we left a HUGE tip.

As we leave Street 13, the French organized the street names during their tenure in Cambodia; we stumble upon the National museum (according to everything we have read it is suppose to close for lunch like most things… but of course it is open) Personally we find the real strength of this museum to be its architecture. The exhibits, unfortunately, are forgettable. The most memorable (almost surreal) aspect of the museum is that there are numerous crates scatted haphazardly throughout the halls. Apparently a new exhibition is in the process of being installed. We see pieces of statuary in various stages of the unpacking process, in crates, labeled, partially assembled awaiting a team of specialist (perhaps us) to complete the process. I feel like I am an anthropologist in a real life “Raiders of the Lost,” roaming through the shards of an ancient culture, searching for a clue that will ensure the salvation of humankind.
Additionally, it is here I first spy Ganesha the Hindu god of wisdom, knowledge, and the destructor of obstacles. He is an elephant with a Buddha belly, that you rub for luck… he becomes one of my favorite deities.
We had a great Khmer meal tonight at the Khmer Borane Restaurant . Al fresco dining, Cambodian style. It came with a excellent review from Lonely Planet. We had twah ko, traditional grilled sausages; a spicy beef and basil salad with fish sauce, and great ginger pork stir fry! Wow... I want to come back to this place. During the meal I also acquired a series of almost 50 bites… flea? …mosquito? …mystery arthropod!