Sunday, November 6, 2016

The Ya Tep Shrine in Siem Reap

When you travel to Siem Reap you may interested on seeing a beautiful Angkor and their amazing complex. This is the first priority for every travellers and tourist visited Siem Reap.

Perhaps some of the tourist also wishes to go around Siem Reap to see the nightlife, market, daily activities and others.  Many sites may attract you like, the royal palace, royal garden, flying foxes in front of the Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor, the shrine of Preah Ang Cheek Preah Ang Chhom, Angkor museum, riverside, etc.

About the image above: An elder woman offers flowers before Ya Tep statue
There is one small shrine near the royal palace or between royal palace and the temple of preah ang cheek preah ang chhom; the shrine most of the Siem Reapers come to visit is the shrine of Ye Tep. Located in the middle of the road under trees and the shrine it is also under the banyan tree, on the National Road number 6. People of Siem Reap believe that the shrine or the spirit of the shrine (Ye Tep) will brings protection, gives prosperity for the believers.

The belief of the spirit that came long back from the era of animism that also practices by most of the Cambodian people until today.

About the image above: mostly women pray in front of Ya Tep shrine
About the image above: a man prepares lotus flowers for offering
The story of Ye Tep has been told from generation to generation as:

There was a lady name Lork Ye Tep who lives with her family in the Kingdom to set up their own business of engaging in sexual performing acts in exchange for money. Ye Tep were so beautiful girl and everybody like her. She works for that place somewhere in (now so called) Siem Reap.

When she was young, everybody want to sleep with her and after she grow older and the she decide herself to do and manage her own business as an owner of the same style of business. From that time she getting more to the red light and seems everybody in that town recognize her.

One day there was important guest for her to serve and Excellency from the Kingdom. This important person would love to spend a night with her in his very private chamber. Meanwhile, after the beautiful night passed the wife of the Excellency in the Kingdom come to know that her husband has been sleeping with Ye Tep. The wife of the Excellency then instructed her bodyguards to look for the girl name Ye Tep and kill her.

Long story short; Ye Tep come to know that the Excellency wife would like to kill her and she immediately run to hide in the forest to avoid this execution. She built her house in the middle of the forest and she started getting some spirit power from the forest nature. She still looks very pretty. She again started her own business in the forest. That peoples surround the forest believed Ye Tep has magic power. Whoever slept with her will face big problem and die.

One day the king came to the forest for hunt, the king spent many nights in the forest. He getting bored because has nothing and also the seasonal animals were not appearing on that few nights. The King heard about the beautiful women in the forest named Ye Tep. He asked the guards to look for Ye Tep and the King would like to spend his few nights in the forest with her. Many of his guards advised the king that he should not meet Ye Tep, but the king was so persistent and in the end he spent his few nights with the powerful Ye Tep. On the last night, the king enjoy so much and was there under the royal tend until really morning sun arising. Ye Tep was also start liking the king and would love to go to the palace to serve the king for the rest of her life.

But the story telling differently:  In the morning, when Lork Ye Tep woke up she saw the King was passed away. The king is dead.

Know that the king is dead, then Ye Tep start crying and took the king’s sword and kill herself to follow the kings as a sweet couple.

Since then the story of powerful Ye Tep make the people believe and respect her until now. Noted that the statue of Ye Tep reside under the tree is just to mark the presence of Ye Tep. There was no statue before in that area, only some wood and artifact. Since the statue placed there many people attracted to pray to Ye Tep. Sometime they come with money that believes for the prediction of the lottery ticket numbers that will appear for the next session. Some peoples come with roasted chicken, roasted duck, suckling pig, rwa chicken skin and feathers, fruits and flowers.

Few peoples come with lipstick to make up Ye Tep. The red color mark on the body, cutting hands, feet and other part of her body are to represent the struggle of Ye Tep when she still alive. Or she may cut her fingers, her feet and other part of her body before she actually kill herself.


If you wish to visit this shrine; the best time is in the morning and in the afternoon. Many worshipers will come and pray in that shrine. Be careful when you take picture because of the shrine is in the middle of the road and maybe the traffic especially motorbike is speeding. Have fun and have great day in Siem reap.


Monday, October 17, 2016

Stranger in the Kingdom: Ktoam Maring Kong Vil – Spirit House for Underworl...

Stranger in the Kingdom: Ktoam Maring Kong Vil – Spirit House for Underworl...: This is a spirit house for young kid or the kids that has no chance to be born to the earth, the spirit of kid that dies young. Those spi...

Ktoam Maring Kong Vil – Spirit House for Underworld Kid's Spirits


This is a spirit house for young kid or the kids that has no chance to be born to the earth, the spirit of kid that dies young. Those spirits will play just like normal kids in real world.

Sometime the kids from the real world will talk alone, but actually he/she talks to spirit of the unseen kids in the underworld. Usually those spirits will play nearby the houses, in the garden; they play with human kids, but the adult cannot see them. Probably only real kids can see the unseen kid spirit, because probably they are at the same age.

Those kids spirit would not harm human being or real kid, as he/she just wants to play with other kids from the real world.

About the image above: ktoam maring kong vil
and the full moon in sihanoukville
In daily life here in the kingdom, Cambodian people understand the existence of this ‘unexplainable’ behavior of the unseen world. People then created a house to respect those young spirits. Sometime peoples try to get advantage out of this secret. Cambodian maintains the house of the kid spirit, decorated with colorful and happy color, everyday place some candy and things that kid are like. People place beautiful dolls, toys, drinks, etc. in this small house, expecting that the spirit will then like the house and the offerings.

People hang the shrine in front of the shop to make sure their business will be succeed and make lots of money, so the purpose of the shrine is a believe that can invite customers to buy their products.

After the spirit house has been made, the owner of the shop, restaurants or other business venue, will call the kid spirit to stay in the new house; the owner pretend to talk to the spirits and ask the spirit to call costumers and protect their business venue. The owner will promise to offer certain things in daily basis for that sort of barter type of agreements.


This is unique ways of doing business in Cambodia.

Sunday, October 16, 2016

Stranger in the Kingdom: The Phnong Tribe

Stranger in the Kingdom: The Phnong Tribe: The highland Phnong people of Cambodia is and aboriginal minority ethnic group populated part of Mondulkiri province. There are many mino...

The Phnong Tribe


The highland Phnong people of Cambodia is and aboriginal minority ethnic group populated part of Mondulkiri province. There are many minority ethnic group settled in this region and surrounds as Mondulkiri highland, Rattanakiri, Stung Treng called Khmer Loeu, many small indigenous group estimated more that 20 minorities to make up the of Khmer Loeu tribal community and the Phnong probably the largest.

The Phnong reside on a fertile beautiful highland since probably backs to 2000 years ago; the group is part of the nomadic community and move from one to another places. They maintain their own tradition; speak their own language, nomad and some of the still practicing shifting cultivation.

The tribe plants coffee (the best coffee in Cambodia), fruit trees, rice, cashew nut trees, sweet potatoes, squash, banana, avocado, herb and spices. Most of the region still covered with rich tropical rain forest where we still find wild boar, deer, wild buffalos, wild cows, Asian elephant, Asian tiger, bear, monkey, beautiful bird and many more. They are simple peoples with less desire live in very low roofed houses. A family will live in one house together. The house consists of storage, kitchen, and bedroom for family. There is no toilet in the house. Every house will have many jars to store wine, large jars to store water collected from the water source or rainwater and also traditional gongs that used during the traditional ceremonies.

About the image above: low house of the Phnong people

About the image above: a lawn of the Phnong house
where their animal kept

About the image above: Phnong family in front of their grass roofed house

About the image above: Phnong highland village

About the image above: young Phnong played in their lawn
About the image above: Phnong girls danced for tourists

About the image above: fermented Phnong wine
kept in ceramic jars made in Vietnam

About the image above: inside of Phnong house
a mother that just delivered baby.
To warm the house, she keep the bonfire nearby the bed

About the image above: kitchen and bedroom
usually to be at the same house at Phnong

About the image above: old basket of Phnong
where the most secret and sacred valuable things are kept

About the image above: posed with Phnong man
Most of the Phnongs are traditionally believed in nature spiritual, animism; they believe in the harmony of the nature that everything has spirit. Before you enter the house you will find red pole decorated with bamboo fibers painted with animal blood. This pole also can be found in the farm field to protect the farm or rice paddy field. The purpose of this pole is to invite the good spirit to come and protect the house, the farm etc.

As they believed in animism; usually they do animal scarification and offer it head to the spirit.


Today, many of the Phnong people start lifting their life to better level. The government is paying attention to educate them the important of the settlement and education. Some of the kids is now can go to school and study for their better future. Hope in the future we will be able to see more and more people from this lovely land get better education and better life.


Stranger in the Kingdom: Two Bulls Statue of Mondulkiri

Stranger in the Kingdom: Two Bulls Statue of Mondulkiri: About the image above: two bull statue at roundabout before entering Sen Monorom in Mondulkiri About the image ...

Two Bulls Statue of Mondulkiri



About the image above: two bull statue at roundabout
before entering Sen Monorom in Mondulkiri

About the image above: romantic and caring
male bull to protect his partner

The statue of the two bulls is ready to welcome every visitor to Mondulkiri. The statue rose up in the roundabout in the capital Sen Monorom town. Beautiful pair of male and female bull represents the origin, nature and wildness of the state as we still can found wild animal in the jungle of this province. The statues also show how romantic and passionate is this beautiful part of Cambodia.