Oudong

Stopped in a small town in ខេត្តកំពង់ឆ្នាំង Kampong Chhnang Province. The provincial slogan is sweet pomelos, delicious rice, beautiful young ladies. While looking for some breakfast, a small man came up to me and started speaking colloquial American English. He recommended a place: “Ovah deh. Ovah deh. I eat deh every day.” I did not expect to hear a Boston accent in such a place. We had a chat with him and I filmed a short interview. He was the most dynamic character that I have met on this trip.

We stopped at a roadside stand for some coconut juice where an elderly Muslim woman hacked open coconuts with a machete. She was also baking something like cupcakes using a clay pot with charcoal burning above and below, but could not get the right temperature on both sides. She ended up burning the batch a couple times.

It was Chinese New Year, and we ended up with front row seats at a gas station. A touring dragon dance group was performing for the owner. She put red envelopes in the dragons’ mouths.

Today’s goal was ឧដុង្គ Oudong, the old capital of Cambodia from 1618–1866, about 35km northwest of the modern national capital of Phnom Penh. According to Wikipedia, the city’s name is derived from the Sanskrit word “uttuṅga” (Sanskrit: उत्तुङ्ग), meaning tall, which probably refers to the mountain.

The manager at the guesthouse leaned English at a pagoda from a monk. He showed us our rooms. They said “VIP” next to the room number above the doors and on the keys. The rooms cost $15.

At the top of ភ្នំឧដុង្គ (Phnom Oudong) Oudong Mountain, the whole surrounding plain was visible. The Buddha here mysteriously faces north rather than east. Some think it is an homage to the older capital at Angkor, looking back toward the ancient capital across the Tonlé Sap.

At the summit, I met a man from Chongqing who invited me for a Chinese New Year celebration, but I had to decline as I had 140km to ride on February 9th.