After a hot morning we had a rest and in the afternoon headed out to enjoy Bon Om Touk. This is the Cambodian Water festival held at the start of November. Its origins are concerned with the reversing of the tide in the Tonle Sap lake and water flowing up stream rather than into the lake itself. It is also the end of rainy season.
"Water is the driving force of all nature." - Leonardo da Vinci
Everyone gets about a week off and the town comes alive with races on the river, stalls on the river side, offerings at the pagoda and on the river and general merriment.
Here are some of the boat races taking place.
We had to laugh - as the whole rest of the year there had been no practising at all until the last two days before the race itself - good luck boys! Not quite the same level as the Oxford / Cambridge boat race.
"Only the guy who isn't rowing has time to rock the boat" - Satre
The streets, riverside and bridges were lined with people. A couple of years ago one of the bridges in Phnom Penh collapsed under the weight of all the people and Bon Om Touk celebrations have been cancelled for safety reasons for the past couple of years - so this celebration was quite a big one.
The crowds were pretty vast and the music everywhere was so loud, Khmer people love loud music, the louder the better!
"Where our music is welcomed we play it loud, where our music is challenged we play it louder" - anon
"I like my music turned up at ignorant levels" - anon
One evening we were sat on the river in a cafe with the cafe music on, and two stages of music on the other side of the river blaring out, plus one family on our side of the river with their own sound system. Completely impossible to think!
The races go on all day and some of the boats seem lucky not to sink with all the men in them and the water they pick up on the way.
"Should you find yourself in a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is likely to be more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks." - Warren Buffett
It was all great fun, but I'd be lying if I said I knew what was going on most of the time.
At one point there was a parade with small floats, marching and riders on horse back.
Still clueless about the origin or meaning of this parade!
The there were some pretty spectacular fireworks on most of the days - not so easy to photograph!
That evening we headed to Phare - the Cambodian Acrobatic Circus (like Cirque du Soliel). I have seen the show they had on (Eclipse) before, but it is totally amazing, lots of acrobatics, mid air somersaults and playing with fire - so much fun!
The photos are a little blurry as we were in the dark and not allowed to use flash for the safety of the performers, but you will get a good idea of their antics!
Fire poi.
Acrobatics on bamboo.
Handstands on sticks.
Tricky handstands on sticks.
"I'm an idiot walking a tightrope of fortune and fame. I am an acrobat swinging trapezes through circles of flame." - Counting Crows
Human towers.
Fire jumping rope.
You could actually feel the heat of this from the back row of the audience!
"Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life." - Terry Pratchett
Strong man on the rings!
After the circus we headed home to drop off the moto before heading out.
Downstairs the landlady had prepared an offering for the water festival, lit up the house temple and left out some fruit and candles.
On the river everyone was leaving offerings, like this one.
The whole river was alive with tiny pretty little lights.
People were also swimming out into the river to place their offerings in a good spot.
All day and night the streets were packed for three days!
We had one last visit to the temples, to take in Ta Prohm at sunrise and a few more small ones before we headed out to Laos.
"A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find that after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us." - John Steinbeck
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