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.

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.

Stranger in the Kingdom: The White Lady Statue in Kep

Stranger in the Kingdom: The White Lady Statue in Kep: The Sreysor statue or White Lady statue is one of the iconic of Kep province. The nude lady statue constructed in white concrete and rose...

The White Lady Statue in Kep

The Sreysor statue or White Lady statue is one of the iconic of Kep province. The nude lady statue constructed in white concrete and rose to face the island in front of the beach side.

Sitting on a formed rock base with the left leg folded under the strait down right leg. Her left hand placed cross on the straight right leg and her right hand touch her right chin. Her face looks calm and show her passion of waiting, her both eyes deeply viewing the far away sites, as she waited for somebody to shore to the beach. The statue has beautiful look on her face and she kept her hairs naturally and combed by the fresh flow sea breeze. She also applied red lipstick to keep her looks event more beautiful when her man come back to her one day as promissed.

About the image above: visitors are taking photographs with the White Lady

About the image above: White Lady from the entrance

About the image above: White Lady from the beach

About the image above: White Lady from the back

About the image above: White Lady from front side view

The story of this statue was built is a lady waited her man to comeback from the fishing trip. This is a symbol of the passion and faith of unconditional love of every Cambodian women to they family and beloved husband.

Why the statue builds naked? The purpose of the statue built naked probably to attract the visitors or following the path of European technique statue builder, to see the talent and art part of the human body. Now the statue wrapped in various fabrics, but some peoples told me that every time it wrapped; the wrapper will last only for 2-3 days and the fabrics will be disappear. This is probably because of the wind blow continuously and the fabrics does nor tight up properly so that why the fabrics easily blown up by the wind. Or has some believe that the statue do not want to wear any fabric as the original to show the world of her pure heart and love, especially for the visitors to see this site.

The statue is easy to find while you in Kep. Visit Kep and say hello to her!