coconuts.

these coconuts were a gift from the head monk at the pagoda we were invited to celebrate pchum benh with last week.

it was a theraveda buddhist pagoda, the most common form of buddhism in cambodia, one that seems to be a utilitarian mix of buddhist, hindu and local beliefs and traditions. there are many large 'wats' [as they're called in khmer] in phnom penh but the ones in the countryside seem to be far more significant [as phnom penh literally empties every major holiday as people return to their home villages to be with family]. so left the city and drove out to oudong, about 2hours north east of phnom penh, to the home village and pagoda of one of our khmer friends who also works for bridges. he had actually spent a number of years studying as a monk there after the death of his parents and wanted to show us where he came from.

it was definately one of the stranger days we've had. the pagoda we went to had obviously been of some stature pre-wartime. now it was a faded, dusty, sadly beautiful shell of what it used to be, with bullet holes and mortar shell marks poc-marking most of the statues and mausoleums. the ceremony itself was interesting though, the villagers were happy to include us in their rituals, eagerly taking us to the front of the line when it came to making the offerings, laughing at our confusion when it became plain obvious that we had no idea what to do. the festival of pchum benh is a two week period in which family members visit the pagoda as many days as they can spare, bringing food and lighting incense in exchange for the monks helping them pray for the souls of those family members caught on earth as spirits [and not reincarnated as is the buddhist belief]. it was a little overwhelming praying for the dead in a country who knows so many ghosts.

so thats my coconut story. i came home after work today to crashing and loud laughter/shouting as mike and savette busted the lot open. and it reminded me. so there you go.