Saturday, May 14, 2011

Wat Ounalom Monastery,Phnom Penh

Wat Ounalom Buddhist Monastery is 10 minutes walk from my guesthouse at Street 110 after walking past Sisowath Quay area where there were many bars,restaurants and hotels.

Along the way the splendid view of the Tonle Sap River is very eye catching coupled with the evening sunset.
The temple(wat) is very large and a must see attraction while in Phnom Penh.

 During the tenure of the Khmer Rouge,the whole temple was nearly destroyed but now it has a newly refurbished facelift.



Before 1974,the Pagoda Monastery has nearly 500 Buddhist monks and the Buddhist Institute with a collection of nearly 30,000 titles but all has been destroyed by rouge people.

 Sisowath Quay Road ends at a junction where it continues along the riverside as Preah Sisowath Boulevard while another road inward is Somdech Sothearos Boulevard where Wat Ounalom Monastery is located.




 Somdech Sothearos is a very renowned Cambodian monk.He died in year 2007 and he's referred to as "the Gandhi of Cambodia" and also one of the four living Buddhas of the world.

Crowds of people sometimes burst into tears of emotion at the sight of him.
People would often spontaneously rise to their feet, or fall to their knees, when he appeared in public.
All other activities would come to a standstill, and all eyes would be riveted on him.






Cambodian Buddhist also celebrated the Buddhist New Year on this 14th April, wheres the Thais celebrated the Songkran Festival.

Chol Chnam Thmey or Cambodian New Year is one of the most celebrated of all festivities.
The New Year symbolizes a new start for the people by renewing their lives and leaving back the bad habits from the past year.

The people hope for a better year and ask for blessings and prosperity to God Buddha.
The Cambodian New Year lasts for three days and each day has a significant tradition that the people religiously follow.

The first day is known as the Maha Songkran. People welcome the first day of the year by buying new clothes and dressing up with using the finest and colorful linen.

The second day after the New Year is the Wanabat. This day is centered to the spirit of charity and gift giving.

The third day, which is the last day of the Cambodian New Year, is the Tngay Leang Saka which involves the cleansing and decorating of their religious figures by washing them with scented water and flower petals.






This Chariot of the God is beside the main entrance.A pair of horse but one with a broken front leg.









The Temple Mountain,an architectural representation of  Mount Meru, the home of the gods in Hindu mythology.

The style was influenced by Indian temple architecture.
Enclosures represented the mountain chains surrounding Mount Meru, while a moat represented the ocean.

The temple itself took shape as a pyramid of several levels, and the home of the gods was represented by the elevated sanctuary at the center of the temple.

The first great Temple Mountain was the Bakong, a five-level pyramid of sandstone constructed by rulers of the Khmer empire at Angkor near modern Siem Reap.







Inside the main hall there were a display of various olden days classic Khmer musical instruments including this gong.









From the main temple's hall,visitors can have a good view of the Tonle Sap Lake.

Wat Ounalom was built in 1443 to house a hair of the Buddha.

 It is the headquarters of Buddhism in Cambodia.

 Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh is located at what the French called Les Quatre Bras (the Four Arms), where two arms of the Mekong meet the Bassac and Tonle Sap tributaries.
The city’s original name, Chaktomuk, means Four Rivers. After Angkor fell to the Siamese in the 15th century, Cambodian King Ponhea Yat founded a new capital at Chaktomuk.

This city was soon abandoned as well, and from the mid –17th to mid-19th centuries the Cambodian capital shited to Phnom Penh in 1866.

The city is largely a French colonial era, and Phnom Penh quickly became an important commercial centre. The city was and still  the only major port on the Mekong above the delta; it is navigable by ships of 7,000 tons.From Phnom Penh, smaller vessels can navigate upriver to Siem Reap or Kratie.




The temple's compound contains two residences and a three-floor building which functions as a temple.
On the ground floor is a marble Buddha from Burma-smashed by the Khmer Rouge,but pieced together again in 1979.

 On the second floor is a brass statue of the patriarch of Cambodian Buddhism,Somdech Huot Tat,who was murdered by the Khmer Rouge.
The statue made in 1971 was flung into the river but retrieved in 1979.
On the third floor the walls depict scenes from Jataka (Thai: ชาดก chadok) Tales,that is literature native to India concerning the previous births (jati) of the Buddha.








A Hindu God figurine near the apex of temple's roof.Flying god I presume since she has wings.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Buses Ho CHi Minh to Phnom Penh.

The Sorya Express Bus departing for Phnom Penh at 08:00hrs.Bus fare:USD10.00.
It is advisable to book one day earlier as seats were quickly being snapped up.
There's toilet inside the bus and passengers will be given a small bottle of drinking water.Journey takes about 7 hours.
It was the same bus conductor whom I met from Phnom Penh earlier and he seemed to have a very tight schedule.



 
Phnom Penh to Siem Reap by Sorya bus cost USD15.00(6 hours)
The Open Bus Tour returning to her base at Sinhcafe Travel.
Open Tour is one of the best option for travellers to see a wider section of scenic Vietnam as it is very cheap and economical.
Services to all major town throughout Vietnam runs daily and the itinerary suits everyone timetable.
The best part is that the travel agency has its branches in the following towns:Hanoi- Ninh binh - Vinh - Quang binh - Hue - Danang - Hoi an -Nhatrang - & Dalat for your onward local connections.




In front of Sinhcafe Travel,tourists were seen alighting the buses to their respective tour destinations.
This is the most busiest street in the early morning.
DESTINATIONS LIST & FARES.
*HA NOI – HUE – HOI AN – NHA TRANG – DA LAT – SAI GON: USD 47
*HUE – HOI AN ( 140 km, 04 hours)
 Departure: 8:00AM – Arr: 12:00PM
Departure: 2:00 PM – Arr: 5:00 PM (direct bus) - Lang Co beach - Da Nang - Marble mountain 9 USD
*NHA TRANG – SAI GON
Departure: 7:30 AM – Arr: 5:30PM Departure: 8:30 PM - Arr: 6:00 AM - Ca Na beach - Phan Thiet town - Mui Ne beach 12 USD ( Seating bus )14 USD ( Sleeping bus )
*SAI GON – MOC BAI – PHNOM PENH (direct bus) Departure: 6:45 AM – Arr: 1:30 PM 14 USD
*SAI GON – MOC BAI – PHNOMPENH – SIEMREAP ( change bus in Phnom penh) Departure: 6:45 AM – Arr: 7:00 PM 29 USD



The Mailinh Express Group  also owns the Saigontaxi.
Their local buses covers more of Central and Highland region in Vietnam.
Address:400A Le Hong Phong St., Ward 1, Dist. 10, Ho Chi Minh City 10, Ho Chi Minh City tel: 84 838323888 tel: 84 838323888
Mailinh Open Tour Phnom Penh Office: #391, Sihanouk Blvd., Phnom Penh Phnom Penh Station (Departure/arrival):
Olympic Stadium Tel: +(855) (0)23-211666 Siem Reap Office: Wat Bo area Tel: +(855) (0)63-762888







Saigon Passenger Transportation Company (Sapaco)
Sapaco Tourist Bus Operating Station at 325 Pham Ngu Lao, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
Tel: +84 8 39203 623
To Phnom Penh departure
time:6:00AM ,7:00AM,8:00AM,9:00AM,10:00AM,11:30AM,13:00PM,14:00PM
Bus Fare:USD11.00

PHNOM PENH:
309 Preah Sihanouk Blvd, Sangkat Veal Vong, Khan 7 Makara, Phnom Penh
Tel: 023 210 300 - 023 210 324

No 155Be/o, St 182 Sangkat Veal Vong, Khan 7 Makara Phnom Penh Tel: 023 880 978
SIEM REAP: 159 st 7 Svay DangKom, Siem Reap Tel: 012 42 66 88 - 097 97 97 97 456






Sapaco Express Bus No:703 route:-BEN THANH –TAN BINH – MOC BAI
Monday-Friday 36 trips per day from 06:00 - 16:30 hrs.
Saturday & Sunday 44 trips per day from 08:30 -19:30 hrs.
Fare:- 30,000 VND.
Journey time:2hrs 30 minutes.
Well if you plan to visit those casinos near the border this is the ideal bus.
This bus also have services to Siem Reap via a shortcut route. The route crosses the border at Xa Mat in the southern province of Tay Ninh and Trapeang Phlong in Cambodia’s Kampong Cham Province thereby shortening by 50 km.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Around Ben Thanh market

Ben Thanh bus terminal is just across Ben Thanh market,situated at the intersection of Le Loi Avenue, Ham Nghi Avenue, Tran Hung Dao Avenue and Le Lai Street.

 It takes about 10 minutes to walk from Pham Ngu Lao Street. The buses here connects to Cho Lon Station: Bus 1 &56 (if you plan to visit Chinatown) Mien Dong Station: Bus 26 (for travel to Northern parts of Vietnam) and Mien Tay Station: Bus 2 (mostly to the delta region like Chau Doc ferry terminal to Cambodia)





Not far from the bus terminal is the 124th tallest building in the world,with 68 floors above ground and three basements, the building has a height of 262.5 metres (861 ft)--- Bitexco Financial Tower.

 There's a helipad on the 50th floor.(Tháp Tài Chính-- Financial Tower)

An observation deck is also located on the 47th floor, below the helipad. At this height, visitors can see 360° view of the city. Visitors have to buy tickets before they enter this floor.

Each ticket costs 200,000 VND (about 10 USD).

 

Tran Hung Dao Road ends near this small little Central Park which is the city's main intersection with the Tan Hai Long Hotel 1 nearby on Le Lai Street.
 Room rates starts fro USD56.










Ben Thanh market is most noticeable by the clock tower landmark.

Ben means the landing stage while Thanh refers to the old city.
 Hence the name Ben Thanh is being derived.

Hardly can you see any street hawkers  outside the market.
 Ben Thanh is the city's main market. Near the main entrance aisle will be the clothes,fabric and shoes dominating the eye view.
In the middle section is the Vietcoffee, and Vinacafe (Vietnam National Coffee Corporation)stalls displaying their various variety of Robusta and Arabica coffee grown and produced in Vietnam.
 On the eastern side is the food court area while the western corner has the vegetable greens and marine products.
There are security guards at all the entrance.





  Phan Chu Trinh Street is on the right section of the market and most of the city taxis will be around here.










The main entrance faces the Quach Thi Trang Square Roundabout of Le Loi and Tran Hung Dao.











The back portion of the market has many flower shops and the road here is called Le Thanh Ton Street.
 There were many goldsmith shop and restaurants around here.








A shop selling buddhist praying items.










  The cyclo riders. will normally hang around near the wet market areas.













  Durian season in Vietnam.
They call it Sau Rieng (one's own sorrows).
Durian has a very strong and tempting smell to the nostrils.
To some people it smells horrible.But mind you the fruit is very expensive.







  Statue of General Tran Nguyen Han riding a horse just at the roundabout across Ben Thanh market.
A 15th-century warrior served under King Le Loi.









  Benthanh Group(Tong Cong Ty Ben Thanh) established on December 26th 1997.
TRAN HONG TAM -Chairman of Management Board.
 A very diversified conglomerate in the field of trading services,banking financials,Tourism,Postal - Telecommunication,Real-estate and Industrial manufacturing.
The group latest partnership was with Accor,a global hotel management group.




  The Fine Art Museum is just less than a kilometre from General Tran Nguyen Han roundabout,the Saigon Hospital and Samsung Plaza.Ho Chi Minh Museum ,Blue Ginger Restaurant, Miss Saigon Seafood, Saigon Lemongrass Restaurant , Ciao Cafe, Vietnam House Restaurant, Q Bar, Long Phi Bar, Quan Vuon Pho, are also within a kilometre walking radius.