We recently visited a very interesting Cambodian tourist attraction while staying with in-laws here in Pursat province.
A Nice Daytime Diversion 📸
One of my in-laws invited the family and I to visit Okhna Klaeng Meung Shrine while we were staying in their village on a recent trip from Pramaoy to Kandieng. I wasn't told much about the site before going other than it's kind of like a garden attraction.
Usually places like this are a terrible choice for afternoon visits due to a lack of shade and trees, but I was quite impressed that this place was full of shaded breezy areas.
Randomness 🌀
Although I don't much get into the history of sites like this, I asked a few questions while there to better understand the purpose of this attraction. The statues in the above picture are performing the "Trot" dance, a traditional cultural dance.
Every single statue or monument at this place had some kind of folk tale associated with it, and my wife and in-laws knew quite a few of them. I didn't ask about the above guy riding a horse, but look at those massive balls!
Take Pictures Of Everything 🗿
No cultural site is fit in Cambodian without a representation of Buddha, and this location didn't forget. In the background to the left is a proper indoor place where Buddhists can do the typical candle/incense offering and also donate some money to be used for upkeep and maintenance.
I stumbled upon the bunny statue while simply enjoying practicing photography angles and framing techniques. When I looked down the row I realized I hadn't slipped into the hole and become Alice in Wonderland, but instead this was a walkway for the 12 Chinese Zodiac animals.
I took another shot to try and show you all the Zodiac animals in their reflective glory. This place is truly random, and I love that it's rough around the edges unlike the very ornate and well-maintained temples and religious attractions next door in Thailand.
I'm not really into the Zodiac thing, I only know I'm a pig in the Chinese way of doing things, but the above animal appears to be a bit like an aardvark, but surely the aardvark is not part of traditional Chinese Zodiac animals. I must admit I don't care enough to google it, but feel free to educate me in the comments below.
Who/What Is Okhna Klaeng Meung? 👴
Short answer, a very old and benevolent man that is famous being rich and benevolent. That's about all the details I could pull from my wife, so I guess we can assume this site was made to honor this man who used his massive of amount of money to do various humanitarian and/or religious/cultural projects.
Stay Hydrated 🧋
No proper tourist attraction is complete without obligatory sugarcane juice purchase. I caught @sreypov hide-drating like a professional in the above photo, apparently trying secretly enjoy her sweet drink among the elephants. Elephants are 4-legged mammals that have tusks and are godless killing machines just like bears.
The above godless killing machine is only a statue, so there is no need to fear, but if this was a real life encounter, my fellow vegan would surely stab and stomp me to death.
Let's Touch Tusks ⚔️
After shooting various animal statues from many angles, I began to realize many of the animals were genderless, perhaps a sign of the very androgynous times we are living in. I think Mr. Klaeng Meung must've known the future was going to be ridiculous.
Moving on, let's touch touch tusks bro, see who's alpha, then get out of here and hit the road back to Pramaoy.
Hey Ladies 👄
No matter where I go in Cambodia I am mostly surrounded by ladies. I am the only man in my household, and if I consider all of my various Cambodian in-laws in various places throughout this country, I would say they are 90% female. I noticed the ladies I with while standing next to princessish mermaidy lady.
Toll-Free & Troll-Free Bridge 👹
By this point I have pretty much shared with a good collection of what this site has to offer. Here in Cambodia there is little to do in the form of modern entertainment and attractions, so a place full of concrete statues is very interesting. It's actually a lot like where I'm from in the USA, where roadside attractions are often things like "The World's Largest Ball of Yarn" and "The World's Largest Wooden Squirrel."
Nature Surprise 🚁
I love that that slang for "helicopter" in the Cambodian language is the word "dragonfly," although the French-Cambodian pronunciation of the word helicopter is usually what is used. There aren't as many insect photography opportunities back here in Cambodia as there were in Suriname, I guess mostly due to a lack of wild flora and the amount of dust that always coating everything.
Frame The Shot 🖼️
I had the most fun including attractions from the park and my family in the same images. I'm not a photography nerd or anything, just enjoy playing with my phone when I have a few seconds of free-time.
I also loving taking pictures of people taking pictures, and if I ever find someone that also likes to do this, I might be able to sneak behind them and take a picture of them taking a picture of someone taking a picture.
The above animals are called "King-Kong" in the Khmer language, and they aren't native to Cambodia at all, so I really am not sure how they are worked into traditional folk tales. This king-kong had no info plaque, so perhaps it was just a playful display, but this genderless primate was definitely lacking the gigantic balls I would expect on a massive man-gorilla.
Well, that's all folks, I basically told you nothing about this site, and that's probably why I don't earn the big bucks from my travel posts. One of these days I will start a post off with...
"For the best experience at X place, you should definitely Y at the Z."
How about...... "For the best experience at Okhna Klaeng Meung Shrine, it's best to purchase your sugarcane juice halfway through instead of right off the bat. This will help to provide maximum hydration and minimum ice melt."
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