Angkor Lion Hotel is a 3 star hotel that just changed management and thus, underwent some upgrading. The hotel is not too bad for a 3 star hotel! In fact, I think it's better than the 4 star hotel we stayed at in Phnom Penh. The difference between a 3 star hotel and a 4 star hotel is their amenities eg swimming pool. However, to my family, a swimming pool is no big deal. So, we would rather stay in a 3 star than a 4 star. The room in Angkor Lion is clean, looks new and not leaking here and there. And there was an electric kettle! Hot water anytime! The blankets were warm and nice too! Alright, I have lots of conditions when I look for a good hotel. Well, what's a good night's sleep after a long tiring day?

We settled in and took a rest before we met Thona at the lobby to set off to see more places.
First stop: Angkor D' Artisan Handicraft Centre.

The guide showing us the process of making a final wood carving product.
The final product which would take at least 1 month to complete.

This is a worker doing the finishing touches to a wood carving. He is using his palm and rub onto the wood to create the shiny brown colour. Only his palm is used as the palm has some oil that will create that look. So much for "palm oil"!

Tracing- The beginning of a painting.

In this room where paintings are done, the girls are deaf and mute.

Sandstones!!



The above pics show sandstone carvings. The larger carvings are done by connecting more than one block of sandstone. This is said to be more durable as the sand stones would not break off easily. And it's difficult to get one very large block of sandstone. These craftsmen are given free training for 8 months. After that, they would be provided with the materials to make their own carvings and Artisan D'Angkor will sell it for them at their giftshops there and in airports. Only when the carvings are sold then would they get their money. If not, no certain salary is given to them. And, even if they have no talent in carving or painting, they would have to master it. Moreover, when one carving is done, it is sent to their Teacher to check. If a flaw is made, they would have to correct it. If not, discard it totally. And to make one carving can take 1hour for a small item to at least 1 month for a big item! Well, it is for their livelihood. So, if they do not master it, they would have no other job. It's better to have a job than loitering on the streets...

Next stop: The National Museum.


In here, we saw many of the weapons and utensils they used throughout the centuries and got to know more about Cambodia's history. Many wars were fought and kings changed...It's not something a tourist can understand.

We went to watch a cultural show after the tour. It was about how a traditional Cambodian girl would get married.

The man in red at the bottom right hand corner is actually an audience. He was "chosen" by the girl to be her groom. Other men were vying for her hand in marriage (right pic).

The whole show was very comical because of the men who were vying for the girl's hand. The men upon seeing the girl will try to do some funny things to attract attention. In this case, they were trying to help the girl to do her chores. However, the girl wasn't interested in any of them. When it came to the time for her to choose a husband, she would then go into a separate house to stay for the night. The men would then enter the house. They get beaten up if they were not the chosen one. The next day, they would still try their luck. However, the girl didn't like any of them, instead, she "liked" the guy in the audience. The other men pulled the guy out and gave him a set of traditional costume to change into. After which, the wedding procession took place. The "chosen" guy was very sporting and danced along when they had the dance of celebration. The show ended with them entering the house. (In real life, the separate house would be demolished to state that the daughter of that family has been married already and no more men would go there to ask for the girl's hand in marriage.)

After that, we went to another cultural show where they showed the harvesting of crops and rearing of animals. It was a little boring as we didn't know what was going on. And they got 2 guy audience to participate in their celebration of getting a good harvest.

Waterfall!

A miniature version of the royal palace in Phnom Penh.
We went for dinner at the Tonle Mekong where we had a very, very, very nice and heavy dinner! It was a buffet dinner and this place was where many tourists from all over the country would gather to watch the cultural show that was later in the night. So, we had Japanese, Korean, Western, Cambodian, Thai and Chinese dishes! We were there at 630pm. But the cultural show didnt start till 830pm. You can just imagine the amount of food we ate!

The cultural shows were about the stories of their gods and beliefs. We missed the story on the beautiful goddess - Apsara. And that was suppose to be the best. Well, keep the best for the last!

We were really tired that day after all that travelling and sight seeing! And eating too! 9pm, we were back in the hotel, much as I wanted to sleep, I was still in my Singapore timing (10pm). It was a bit early, so I surfed the TV. There were 80 over channels!! Many repeated but still! I just sat there and pressed the up button. There was MTV China, Hollywood chn, Star Plus, Star world, AXN, National Geographic, Cambodian channels that were showing Lu Guang Sen Lin in Cambodian!! And Channel 8 shows that showed our local actors like Chen Han Wei speaking Cambodian! So you see, in such a country, they have so many SCV channels!

People there do have TVs. Some with black and white, and some with coloured. And many have internet! They are developing, so watch out!

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~Rach~