This is one of my most anticipated part of our Mondulkiri trip. A visit to the Phnong hill tribes in Pu-tang Village. The Phnong Khmer ethnic minorities live on the rolling hills some distance from the city of Monorom. Their main sources of livelihood is agriculture and their ethnic homes, costumes are very interesting to see.

The views going to the village is nothing short of amazing. The photos doesn’t really do it justice. Gentle rolling hills that Mondulkiri is famous for and crisp, cool air will greet you as you drive along.

The Pu-tang Village though is decidedly a lot colder than in any parts of the province, its actually hard to go out without a thin jacket. So most people there weren’t wearing their traditional garb but were swathed in thick clothes.

It’s dry season so everywhere I looked, the hills were covered in dry grass..

The number of traditional Phnong houses were smaller compared to those who have now built ‘modern’ Khmer style houses. But still, the few present in the village are worth having a peek at. The Phnongs are also incredibly warm and welcoming and would even allow you inside their houses if you ask politely.

The kids with us prepared some clothes, books and food donation and also interacted with the villagers and I left them to it while I wandered about taking photos.

The Phnongs are passionate about their rice wine. It keeps them extra warm during really cold nights and they usually store their rice wine in these jars and drink from it using long plastic straws.

And this is the traditional Phnong ethnic house. The owner kindly invited me inside to look around but I didn’t take photos out of respect for his privacy. But let me just describe what’s inside.. It’s dome shaped (kinda reminded me of an igloo), and made of wood and other local materials. On the inner center was a place for fire to keep them warm. On both sides there were raised platforms they use to lounge around and they also have hammocks. One of these platforms were lined with jars filled with rice wine and another section housed a small cotton weave. There was also a hanging storage platform very near the roof with some huge baskets made of native materials stored.

Something I saw at the souvenir shops in Siem Reap. Exotic animals like baby snakes soaked in wine.

Traditional Cambodian puppet shows using light or fire against a white screen and puppets made of leather to tell stories..

Prey Veng is a Cambodian province not usually mentioned in tourist guides, and for some reason places like these appeal more to me. So when my sister-in-law suggested we go there, visit some family friends and also visit Wat Vihear Sour, a well known pagoda, I was all set to tag along. We also heard that in this pagoda, there is one temple that is home to a deity, said to be generous in granting wishes of good luck, wealth and specially fertility. I think this is one of the reasons why my in-laws wanted to make the trip. My younger brother-in-law and his wife have been trying for a baby for some years already and now they wanted to make an offering in that pagoda and ask for help to make their wish come true.

When I heard about this I was mighty curious. I’m not Buddhist but that doesn’t mean I don’t try to learn more or understand more of their beliefs. I always try to keep an open mind about these things and who knows if your wish can be granted. We’ve also been talking about having a second child, with the kiddo very eager to wear her little nurse uniform and be a ‘baby sitter’. Lol. So it wouldn’t hurt if we pray for one while we are there. And besides this reason, drives to Cambodian provinces is always delightful for me. You never know what you’ll see or encounter, aside from the lush, almost undisturbed countryside.

We left about 9 am and the drive was really pleasant. Just under 2 hrs with the roads all new and paved. To say that it was a picturesque drive would be an understatement. Most of  the places around Phnom Penh are vast and unpopulated. Most are farmlands. Which makes me realize that Cambodia really has a smaller population compared to other places or perhaps majority are just concentrated on urban areas.  Anyway, I’ll let the pics tell my story now…

Wat Vihear Sour has this huge ‘lake’..

This pagoda complex is huge and has several temples you can offer prayers and receive blessings. One can offer food, flowers, incense. In this pagoda you can also get some blessed water and wash your face with it for good luck.

I gotta post this before I forget about entirely. Lol. I’m on the hunt for holiday gift ideas so I’ll be preoccupied throughout the weekend.

Love this shot of a lady Nom Ban Chouk vendor. It’s a kind of home made rice noodle dish, drizzled with flaked fish sauce cooked in creamy coconut milk and spices, garnished with mint, banana heart, cucumber, bean sprouts, lotus stem etc. It’s actually delicious and Khmers favor eating it for breakfast as well as afternoon snacks. Check out my previous entry to see how it looks like – Trey Nom Ban Chouk. And they usually buy it from the markets or from roving vendors like the lady in the photo.

Pretty amazing sight, right? And these ladies do have excellent balance. And to think that they walk about and carry even the bowls, noodles and all, See, she even has a small plastic stool to sit on every time she needs to prepare a bowl of noodles for a customer.

I’ve been meaning to post about Cambodian wedding rites, but I just keep putting it off. Mainly because the rites are quite lengthy, so its going to be a very looong post. I have photos of Khmer wedding in detail but procrastination really keeps me from completing the post. I think I’ll make that a must-do this month.

Here’s a sneak peek. Khmer weddings are elaborate and long-winded affairs. But its very colorful and interesting as well. This one on the photo is just one of the numerous rites during the wedding ceremony. I am totally in awe at the bold colors Khmers are so fond of mix and matching. They are not shy about using colors and I love the way they wear it.  Also the flowers, accessories are very interesting.

I have intentionally pixelated the photos. These were taken during my brother-in-law’s wedding, and I am mindful of preserving their privacy although they did consent to me taking photos and using it here.