Today, June 28, I went to one last temple ruin outside of
Phnom Penh. TaPruhm is a 12th
century temple and it is located by Tonle Batay which is a popular weekend
getaway for city dwellers. Since it was
a Thursday, I was lucky to have the entire riverside to myself.
Unfortunately, I also had the temple to myself which meant
the children pestering for money descended on me and would not leave. If you don’t know, it is recommended that
tourists to do not give money to the children as it discourages them from going
to school. I past a few schools full of
children, so I do not doubt this. I gave
the usual offerings to Buddha and also gave to several elderly locals, but the
two girls didn’t stop bugging me the entire temple tour. I got some good pictures, paid my respects to
the temple and was out in about 15 minutes.
I spent about an hour sitting peacefully in the hut on the
river. My tuktuk driver sat with me and
we talked as best we could. His English is
not great but it is much better than my Khmer.
I made sure to compliment him for knowing what English he does.
I head home in three more days, ready or not. I will likely post some more of my Cambodia
adventures over the next month or so, to share and just to reminisce.
A Travelling Accountant 