In And Around The National Museum of Cambodia
Let's explore this museum. It's (of course) the biggest in Cambodia, and more about the country's fascinating (Khmer) culture and arts of the past than present or future.
So 'wag kang umasa na me makikita kang 'rocket science' or 'captured military tanks'! Wala ring 'landmines' or 'genocide' dito. Or at least wala akong ike-kwentong ganyan!
In fact, nabasa ko ang Objectives nila:
The National Museum of Cambodia houses one of the world's greatest collections of Khmer cultural material including sculpture, ceramics and ethnographic objects from the prehistoric, pre-Angkorian, Angkorian and post-Angkorian periods.
The Museum promotes awareness, understanding and appreciation of Cambodia's heritage through the presentation, conservation, safekeeping, interpretation and acquisition of Cambodian cultural material. It aims to educate and inspire its visitors.
Things on display are about their ancient culture and arts until they were colonized by France. Walang patungkol sa mga wakanga o ke ping ping ping o kanilang ka-lahi!
If you know what I mean hehehe! Kung meron man, it was more on trade. Sinasabi ko lang, kasi alams na, mga modern-day mananakop ang mga wakanga na yan! Eh baka sabihin nanaman na 19-kupong-kupong pa nandito na sila, like WPS and EVS!
Anyway, while I can, I should avoid describing minute-details of what I saw inside the museum - eh di hindi na kayo pumunta! Plus, while I have many, I'll show fewer pics.
Dahil.., so many items had clear "no picture-taking" signs and symbols, yet virtually all visitors were taking photos anyway, but were not apprehended, so nakigaya ako!
But to post them here, I think, is not proper. Eh bawal nga, di ba? Mabait kaya ako!
But I can assure you, there are many things to talk about that museum. Example na agad (kahit di pa tayo pumapasok): are you not curious why the Entry Fee is in USD?
Dahil English? Yung nasa gitna says 500 Riel (pera nila yan - KHR Cambodian Riels) eh bakit hindi FRF (French Francs) yung sa kaliwa? Ex-colony pa nga sila ni France!
It is an intereting story, but let's do that in a later post (kasi mahaba). Basta for now, just think of it as "in Cambodia, you can freely use KHR and USD of any denomination"!
Oo wala nang exchange exchange sa mandarayang money-changer sa Ermita!
See?! Unang picture pa lang sa kalsada, I was not even inside their museum yet, me kwento na agad! Hindi lang yan, umatras pa ako on that street for this bigger scene:
Can you still see the signboard? It is at left sa bandang likod at me tuktok ng tuktuk!
That building looks striking, right? Those curved things on the roof is reminiscent of how they move their hands in their many folk dances. I hear them call it a chedi roof.
Yung nakasulat sa arko is "National Museum". Yung nakasulat sa gate (arrow yan to the right) is ticket office. Doon ang visitor entrance sa me kanto, about 50 meters pa.
Let me highlight: that big door in there is the building entrance and exit.
Yung manong naka-white shirt, that's where you return your headset. Yes, naman po isinosoli yun at hindi sina-sharon! Mahiya ka! At aanhin mo naman sa bahay mo yon!
Hey, still on the picture above, the white van at right and the tuktuk at left were both waiting for their passengers (tourists) - who were still exploring inside the museum.
Sarap ng tulog ni manong tuktuk driver! Parang sa atin lang din 'no?!
Okay okay, let's go inside...
Upon entering the gate, you'll see the ticket booth to your right - piniktyuran ko!
That left side panel is the original picture. I attempted some translations, and that is the panel at right. Pwede na di ba? For those who cannot understand the sulat-uod!
So, entrance fee is 15USD. In exact rates today 12/27/2018 that is 791PHP.
That's for us foreigners. Sa kanila, adult lang ang me bayad 500KHR (6.50PHP lang)! As in? Yes, AS IN sais-singkwenta, wala pang kalahati sa minimum fare natin hehe!
Ang mga bata nila up to 17 years old, free, to encourage them to visit and learn their culture. Kasi lahat 'ata ng kabataan sa mundo hindi interested sa mga ganyan diba?
Ikaw nung kapanahunan mo, aligaga ka ba makapunta sa "national museum"? Weh!
After payment at the 'ticket office' pag talikod mo, walk to the entrance na!
Yes the steps where my arrow points. If you go beyond that balik ka lang to manong in white shirt dun sa terrace na yon. That is the only entrance and/or exit for visitors.
Actually kasi, there are things worth looking-at on these grounds (left edge of photo), that is why you see those two people walking out there - at sumunod naman si ako!
Aw ayayay.., yun naman pala yon hahaha!
But seriously, there are some interesting things on these grounds, like these:
O di ba? 2 icons of their historical past: elepanteng naka-squat at dalawang kanyon.
In a cozy, well-maintained garden!
Aw, behind that pader pala, is the street outside where I came from, where I took the first two pictures above! Andun si white van, and you can see a roof of a tourist bus.
Oh, that street has a funny name (at least for some Pinoys) - Preah Ang Eng St.!
Anyway, I have these 3 photos in a collage since they're in portrait orientation:
Left pic is one of the museum's many doors (but a sole visitor entry/exit); the middle picture is a museum directory/layout; at right is "at the entrance lobby" (see below).
This is where visitors start to explore the museum... with a giant Garuda sculpture.
Yes Garuda, and yes we are in Cambodia, not Indonesia that has their airline named also Garuda! Parepareho kasi ang ancient "culture" in these areas -nagmula sa India.
Hindi galing sa mga wakanga, kaya umayos sila!
Garuda is a mythical bird-like creature in Hindu and Buddhist mythology, believed to be a powerful creature, often depicted as the vehicle of the Hindu god Vishnu and a symbol of strength and protection. Ang main kaaway niya, Naga, yun mga ahas. Da!
Kaya kayong mga mala-ahas mapang-ahas dyan... kalaban kayo nyang si Garuda!
Hey I thought that giant sculpture was made of wood. Bato pala. Sandstone daw. It is 7 feet tall and more than 6ft wide. Sa mga mahilig dyan, sige subukan nyo ibulsa!
Oh, note that almost all humans in that photo are wearing headsets. Iyan ang 5USD doon sa entrance fee! All displays have codes, that you can play on that "walkman"!
Walkman daw, meron pa ba nyan? Basta, annotations are recorded in that gadget.
One last thing on that Garuda. I discovered a titillating trivia: its hands are supposed to be waving or directing as to where you should go from that entrance lobby. Aliw!
Doon daw sa kanan nya, hindi sa kaliwa. Sunod ka para 'di na sya sumimangot! See the guy in blue shirt? Look behind him, me nakasulat na ENTRANCE. That's the way!
Hahaha! Di sinadya yan, nagkataon lang. Eh malay ba ng sculptor nyan kung mapa-padpad dito yan. It was made 10th century pa, sa Koh Ker, lampas pa ng Siem Reap!
Okay so you start left in a clockwise direction. Very simple and easy layout.
The galleries are arranged from the pre-Angkorian period to post-Angkorian period.
But as I said above, let us not post the many pictures that I have since I am not sure what can be posted and what can't be. Respect lang as many had "no picture" signs.
But there are many areas where I think it's okay to post pictures of. Like this gallery:
Shot is far, in awkward angle, no sensitive artifact (I think). I was shooting the crowd!
Crowd daw eh aapat lang na tao! Well, sabi nga ng kanta, 3 is a crowd!
Ah this one, I was sure, pwedeng pictyuran! Dapat pang ipasikat. A weaving loom.
There are things like that sa atin, right? Lahat yata ng museum sa atin meron nyan!
But ito ang harapan nyan. They have a Guinness World Record involving that loom.
Yung gitna at kanan lang na picture, I mean hehe! That certificate says The longest hand woven scarf was created by GoGoCambodia in Phnom Penh, on July 1, 2018.
I think that one shown is only a 'sample', because the Guinness world record says: it was 1,149.8 meters (3,772 feet 3 inches) long. Ala eh, that is more than a kilometer!
The record-holder scarf, a traditional Cambodian krama, was made by weavers from 20 communities and thousands of visitors, and was certified on 01 July 2018. Wow!
Looking at that krama (the red-and-white cloth), I easily recalled that we do also have something like that in many parts of our country, also woven using a similar gadget.
Gadget daw o! Well, equipment whatever! Basta I know that "thing" and the "action" - paghahabi. The result: Hinabi (Tagalog), Hinabol (Bisaya), Inabel (Ilokano), T'nalak (T'boli), Tiral/Hablon (Capiz), etc. But their looms and/or weaving styles differ a bit.
I once had a Tubao I bought in Mindanao long ago (I can't remember where). I was told it was hand-woven by indigenous people. But the cloth, even the color was like that - but in a wide hanky style (pwedeng headscarf or bandana) - hindi neck scarf.
Di ba ang galing? Kaka-ikot, kakapasyal, we get to reflect-on, compare, contrast our culture with those of others'! That for me is the best 'return' of traveling - education.
And this was my most-liked space in the museum, the Central Courtyard Garden:
A quiet well-maintained garden, in the very middle of the vast museum building.
Tranquil. A good place to relax, muni-muni, or process the information overload!
Other than the tourists in pictorials here and there, I saw people (students?) reading books at some of the benches. They probably avail of free entrance to this museum!
Well, if you're Cambodian, I guess a 500KHR entrance fee, isn't too much. Forda!
Also a very good vantage for a closer look at the building's intricate Khmer design.
Undeniably a striking because deliberate example of Traditional Khmer Architecture, as reinterpreted through colonial eyes (1917~1920 during the French colonial period).
Why is that? Ah, its design was a conscious effort to revive and honor the country's rich architectural heritage, via enlarging Cambodian temple prototypes, as seen on ancient bas-reliefs, to meet museum-size requirements. By George Groslier, French!
Historically daw kasi, only temples were made of stone and topped with that prang roof (chedi roof in TH). Homes, and even public buildings were generally just wood.
Nagandahan dyan itong si Frenchman George. So, when he designed this museum in 1917, yun na nga, he incorporated the lovely intricate designs to this big building.
And speaking of the French, this museum has these giant bells on display!
My first observation: parang mas magaling ang French when it comes to minute bell details, kesa ke Padre Damaso! Lines are finer in the: ano ba ang tawag dyan, design?
Look at the Mama Mary and the Crucifix, pulido ang pagka-gawa, eh bakal yan!
Second observation: they must have their smaller bells just somewhere in churches or houses, since any bell here is jumbo! The smallest I saw was probably 4 feet tall.
Mapapa-smile ka looking at those cherubim pag naka-side view. Bondying-bondying!
Some of these bells, by the way, are actually just out in the open, as ornaments!
Ah, they were made to be outdoors and under the elements, right? They should last.
Interesting trivia! Aw, here's something I knew even before I came to Cambodia. Did you know that Christians in Cambodia account for only about 2% of the population?
Eto pa.., Catholics are only about 0.15%, Protestants are about 1.5%, and the rest to complete the 2% are other Christian denominations. Islam is 2% but increasing fast.
You might say, eh akala ko ba French Colony sila. Yes they were, from 1863 to 1953, but as colonizers France focused on economic and political control. They did not so aggressively push for mass conversions to Catholicism unlike what Spain did to us.
Like that yun. Wala masyadong Padre Damaso na naghahari-harian!
Ganun pa man, in a single land mass (wala silang isla-isla) about half the size of our inang bayan, there are 1,544 Protestant and only 65 Catholic churches in Cambodia.
Anyare? Aw, so many factors. Una na nga, hindi sya priority ng mga French. Second, religion was violently suppressed during the Khmer Rouge reign from 1975 to 1979.
Lalo syang hindi naging priority. In fact, even today many Catholics in Cambodia are not native Khmer. They're either Vietnamese immigrants or of Vietnamese descent.
Now, if you have heard about the story of Richie Fernando, hindi yun suppression of religion nor persecution. 1996 na yun. It was unintended but very sad just the same.
Okay, speaking of outdoors, let's go out for more in-and-about the national museum.
That's the last gallery and on the way to exit. Ayun si Garuda, left tayo doon palabas.
As I said earlier.., down the stairs, head left. There's the gate where I entered earlier.
There is the "ticket office" beside a little souvenir store. And, we're not going out yet!
Let's head left as there are still other things to see or experience in this compound.
That 'office' beside the ticket office is where you can arrange for human tour guides.
Further left is the venue for their Traditional Dance Show by Cambodian Living Arts.
It happens dyan sa loob, and I would have wanted to watch it. But the showtime did not fit for my schedules in the city this time. Sorry me na lang. Balikan nalang natin.
Then there was this dainty little museum shop. I just took this pic, but did not enter.
Why naman didn't I at least peek man lang? Eh sarado eh! 12:34PM na, lunch break!
Lunch break pala ha? Further inwards, just beside it, is the Museum Cafe. Lezzit!
Take note: this is really a coffee shop. Kapehan talaga! But they do also have 'food'. I mean you can have your breakfast, lunch or dinner here whether indoor or outdoor.
I ordered Beef Steak with Kampot Pepper Sauce - all because it sounded delicious!
"Well-Done" enough as I wanted it even if the cut was thick (parang 2 inches yata eh)!
At hindi sya sunog; everything inside is cooked (walang dugo-dugo); yet still tender!
"Chhnganh" as in ឆ្áž„ាញ់ as in masarap! Ay, akala ko konti, nakakabusog naman pala!
The sauce was good. Yun yata ang nag-dala ng sarap. That's the Kampot Pepper.
In case you don't know yet, Kampot is a coastal Cambodian Province, that is known for that kind of peppercorn, that is exported worldwide. It's even WTO-GI protected!
Kampot-whatever, me mas isasarap pa yan - ang tumambay at magyosi sa labas!
Still a part of The Museum Cafe, this cozy garden setting is a green oasis amidst the Cambodian sosyalin urbanity! This, is beside a university, and across Hyatt Regency.
Oh the university? It is not just any university. It is the Royal University of Fine Arts - the first university in Cambodia that started in 1917 - kasing tanda na yan ng DLSU!
I think most of the students I saw in-and-around the national museum and this café are students of that university, as they're the only nearby higher learning institution.
Alright.., where I sat in that garden to smoke and finish my coke, there was this:
Hindi yung puno, at hindi yung kalsada. Etong nasa kanan, yung ventilador! O di ba?
It's a fine cozy place with attention to detail, comparable to expensive restaurants.
O ayan, comparable nga! Pero sulit ha! The taste pa lang, maraming high-end restos sa Eastwood or BGC ang itataob nyan. Me sosy ambulance pa. Awh, ambiance pala!
Wait, ayan nanaman tayo sa Dollar (USD) and Riel (KHR). Ganyan talaga sila, the two currencies are interchangeable - or whatever the proper term might be. Swappable?
They accept or dispense of cash in any of those currencies even if USD and KHR do not have the same value. Pwede haluhalo at pwede magsabi anong sukli gusto mo.
Yung dalawang currencies lang na yan ha?! Hindi kasali ang iba kahit SGD EUR JPY PHP THB etc., since for any of those, you have to exchange money at a bank muna.
At hindi lang sa high-end restaurants. Kahit saan - sa mall, sa 7-Eleven, sa kalsada!
Look at this, the official receipt after I gave 12 dollars (as in 12 USD):
The last line CASH RETURN means CHANGE as in SUKLI kumbaga sa atin. You will expect to see a US 50 cents as change, right? But look at what they gave me, papel!
50 US cents is equivalent to 2000 riels - di ko alam kung 2000 ba iyang nasa picture or dinagdagan ko na ng 1000 para maging tip. FYI 3,000 is wala pang 10% of the bill - though Cambodians are not very particular about tipping, unlike in other countries.
Interesting! But as I said earlier, we'll have a separate story about USD and KHR.
Time to go! So I walked to, and out of the national museum's main gate.
There's a gate by the café, between the museum and university compounds, across Hyatt Regency, but I preferred this corner of Streets 13 and 178, where I came from.
My strolling plan was along St. 178, turning-right ahead at St. 3 to the Royal Palace.
I would confidently say "I know what you're thinking" hehehe! Parang sa atin din 'no?
O eto i-highlight na natin. The urban reality in our part of the world! Hesumalusep!
I know the sentiment, I know the feeling: wala ba silang bla bla bla? bakit bla bla blah? And so on, and so forth, hanggang lumaki na ang issue and finally me mag-asikaso!
Common naman yan sa maraming bansa, kahit sa mga 'first world' meron din nyan! Pero at 2:15PM a few steps from your national museum's gate, parang hindi kanais-nais 'no? Di ba pwede doon nalang sa kabilang kalsada away from the tourist eyes?
Hoy kayong mga ka-uri kadugo kabayan ko, I'm not saying mas magaling tayo dyan ha?! Marami rin tayong ganyan sa kung saan-saan. Dapat niyan inire-reklamo agad.
Kung walang mag-iingay, hindi a-aksyonan yan. Ever hehehe. Forever!
Ay teka.., ako? Mag-iingay tungkol diyan? Mismong sa bansa nila? Nebir butig! I will not! Baka baligtarin pa ako ng mga yon. Aba 'di yata tulad natin ang democracy nila!
Well, kung sa atin yan, kahit saang barangay pa yan, kaya ko magwala. Sasabihin ko pa, "call your barangay captain, I want to talk to them here, now". Ganun! Pero dito?!
Ayiyiii, all I can do is take photos and write my views on this blog. Baka mapariwara ang aking kamahalan kung doon pa mismo ako sa bansa nila mag-a-aasta hahahai!
Anyway, baka mapunta nanaman tayo sa kung saang usapan.., ang lesson for us all is: ayusin naman natin ang ating kapaligiran, na tugma sa inaasahan ng mga bisita.
Let's continue the "exploration" in my next story!
In fact, nabasa ko ang Objectives nila:
The National Museum of Cambodia houses one of the world's greatest collections of Khmer cultural material including sculpture, ceramics and ethnographic objects from the prehistoric, pre-Angkorian, Angkorian and post-Angkorian periods.
The Museum promotes awareness, understanding and appreciation of Cambodia's heritage through the presentation, conservation, safekeeping, interpretation and acquisition of Cambodian cultural material. It aims to educate and inspire its visitors.
Things on display are about their ancient culture and arts until they were colonized by France. Walang patungkol sa mga wakanga o ke ping ping ping o kanilang ka-lahi!
If you know what I mean hehehe! Kung meron man, it was more on trade. Sinasabi ko lang, kasi alams na, mga modern-day mananakop ang mga wakanga na yan! Eh baka sabihin nanaman na 19-kupong-kupong pa nandito na sila, like WPS and EVS!
Anyway, while I can, I should avoid describing minute-details of what I saw inside the museum - eh di hindi na kayo pumunta! Plus, while I have many, I'll show fewer pics.
Dahil.., so many items had clear "no picture-taking" signs and symbols, yet virtually all visitors were taking photos anyway, but were not apprehended, so nakigaya ako!
But to post them here, I think, is not proper. Eh bawal nga, di ba? Mabait kaya ako!
But I can assure you, there are many things to talk about that museum. Example na agad (kahit di pa tayo pumapasok): are you not curious why the Entry Fee is in USD?
Dahil English? Yung nasa gitna says 500 Riel (pera nila yan - KHR Cambodian Riels) eh bakit hindi FRF (French Francs) yung sa kaliwa? Ex-colony pa nga sila ni France!
It is an intereting story, but let's do that in a later post (kasi mahaba). Basta for now, just think of it as "in Cambodia, you can freely use KHR and USD of any denomination"!
Oo wala nang exchange exchange sa mandarayang money-changer sa Ermita!
See?! Unang picture pa lang sa kalsada, I was not even inside their museum yet, me kwento na agad! Hindi lang yan, umatras pa ako on that street for this bigger scene:
That building looks striking, right? Those curved things on the roof is reminiscent of how they move their hands in their many folk dances. I hear them call it a chedi roof.
Yung nakasulat sa arko is "National Museum". Yung nakasulat sa gate (arrow yan to the right) is ticket office. Doon ang visitor entrance sa me kanto, about 50 meters pa.
Let me highlight: that big door in there is the building entrance and exit.
Yung manong naka-white shirt, that's where you return your headset. Yes, naman po isinosoli yun at hindi sina-sharon! Mahiya ka! At aanhin mo naman sa bahay mo yon!
Hey, still on the picture above, the white van at right and the tuktuk at left were both waiting for their passengers (tourists) - who were still exploring inside the museum.
Sarap ng tulog ni manong tuktuk driver! Parang sa atin lang din 'no?!
Okay okay, let's go inside...
Upon entering the gate, you'll see the ticket booth to your right - piniktyuran ko!
So, entrance fee is 15USD. In exact rates today 12/27/2018 that is 791PHP.
Ang mga bata nila up to 17 years old, free, to encourage them to visit and learn their culture. Kasi lahat 'ata ng kabataan sa mundo hindi interested sa mga ganyan diba?
Ikaw nung kapanahunan mo, aligaga ka ba makapunta sa "national museum"? Weh!
After payment at the 'ticket office' pag talikod mo, walk to the entrance na!
Actually kasi, there are things worth looking-at on these grounds (left edge of photo), that is why you see those two people walking out there - at sumunod naman si ako!
Aw ayayay.., yun naman pala yon hahaha!
But seriously, there are some interesting things on these grounds, like these:
In a cozy, well-maintained garden!
Aw, behind that pader pala, is the street outside where I came from, where I took the first two pictures above! Andun si white van, and you can see a roof of a tourist bus.
Oh, that street has a funny name (at least for some Pinoys) - Preah Ang Eng St.!
Anyway, I have these 3 photos in a collage since they're in portrait orientation:
This is where visitors start to explore the museum... with a giant Garuda sculpture.
Hindi galing sa mga wakanga, kaya umayos sila!
Garuda is a mythical bird-like creature in Hindu and Buddhist mythology, believed to be a powerful creature, often depicted as the vehicle of the Hindu god Vishnu and a symbol of strength and protection. Ang main kaaway niya, Naga, yun mga ahas. Da!
Kaya kayong mga mala-ahas mapang-ahas dyan... kalaban kayo nyang si Garuda!
Hey I thought that giant sculpture was made of wood. Bato pala. Sandstone daw. It is 7 feet tall and more than 6ft wide. Sa mga mahilig dyan, sige subukan nyo ibulsa!
Oh, note that almost all humans in that photo are wearing headsets. Iyan ang 5USD doon sa entrance fee! All displays have codes, that you can play on that "walkman"!
Walkman daw, meron pa ba nyan? Basta, annotations are recorded in that gadget.
One last thing on that Garuda. I discovered a titillating trivia: its hands are supposed to be waving or directing as to where you should go from that entrance lobby. Aliw!
Doon daw sa kanan nya, hindi sa kaliwa. Sunod ka para 'di na sya sumimangot! See the guy in blue shirt? Look behind him, me nakasulat na ENTRANCE. That's the way!
Hahaha! Di sinadya yan, nagkataon lang. Eh malay ba ng sculptor nyan kung mapa-padpad dito yan. It was made 10th century pa, sa Koh Ker, lampas pa ng Siem Reap!
Okay so you start left in a clockwise direction. Very simple and easy layout.
But as I said above, let us not post the many pictures that I have since I am not sure what can be posted and what can't be. Respect lang as many had "no picture" signs.
But there are many areas where I think it's okay to post pictures of. Like this gallery:
Crowd daw eh aapat lang na tao! Well, sabi nga ng kanta, 3 is a crowd!
Ah this one, I was sure, pwedeng pictyuran! Dapat pang ipasikat. A weaving loom.
But ito ang harapan nyan. They have a Guinness World Record involving that loom.
I think that one shown is only a 'sample', because the Guinness world record says: it was 1,149.8 meters (3,772 feet 3 inches) long. Ala eh, that is more than a kilometer!
The record-holder scarf, a traditional Cambodian krama, was made by weavers from 20 communities and thousands of visitors, and was certified on 01 July 2018. Wow!
Looking at that krama (the red-and-white cloth), I easily recalled that we do also have something like that in many parts of our country, also woven using a similar gadget.
Gadget daw o! Well, equipment whatever! Basta I know that "thing" and the "action" - paghahabi. The result: Hinabi (Tagalog), Hinabol (Bisaya), Inabel (Ilokano), T'nalak (T'boli), Tiral/Hablon (Capiz), etc. But their looms and/or weaving styles differ a bit.
I once had a Tubao I bought in Mindanao long ago (I can't remember where). I was told it was hand-woven by indigenous people. But the cloth, even the color was like that - but in a wide hanky style (pwedeng headscarf or bandana) - hindi neck scarf.
Di ba ang galing? Kaka-ikot, kakapasyal, we get to reflect-on, compare, contrast our culture with those of others'! That for me is the best 'return' of traveling - education.
And this was my most-liked space in the museum, the Central Courtyard Garden:
Well, if you're Cambodian, I guess a 500KHR entrance fee, isn't too much. Forda!
Also a very good vantage for a closer look at the building's intricate Khmer design.
Why is that? Ah, its design was a conscious effort to revive and honor the country's rich architectural heritage, via enlarging Cambodian temple prototypes, as seen on ancient bas-reliefs, to meet museum-size requirements. By George Groslier, French!
Historically daw kasi, only temples were made of stone and topped with that prang roof (chedi roof in TH). Homes, and even public buildings were generally just wood.
Nagandahan dyan itong si Frenchman George. So, when he designed this museum in 1917, yun na nga, he incorporated the lovely intricate designs to this big building.
And speaking of the French, this museum has these giant bells on display!
Look at the Mama Mary and the Crucifix, pulido ang pagka-gawa, eh bakal yan!
Second observation: they must have their smaller bells just somewhere in churches or houses, since any bell here is jumbo! The smallest I saw was probably 4 feet tall.
Some of these bells, by the way, are actually just out in the open, as ornaments!
Interesting trivia! Aw, here's something I knew even before I came to Cambodia. Did you know that Christians in Cambodia account for only about 2% of the population?
Eto pa.., Catholics are only about 0.15%, Protestants are about 1.5%, and the rest to complete the 2% are other Christian denominations. Islam is 2% but increasing fast.
You might say, eh akala ko ba French Colony sila. Yes they were, from 1863 to 1953, but as colonizers France focused on economic and political control. They did not so aggressively push for mass conversions to Catholicism unlike what Spain did to us.
Like that yun. Wala masyadong Padre Damaso na naghahari-harian!
Ganun pa man, in a single land mass (wala silang isla-isla) about half the size of our inang bayan, there are 1,544 Protestant and only 65 Catholic churches in Cambodia.
Anyare? Aw, so many factors. Una na nga, hindi sya priority ng mga French. Second, religion was violently suppressed during the Khmer Rouge reign from 1975 to 1979.
Lalo syang hindi naging priority. In fact, even today many Catholics in Cambodia are not native Khmer. They're either Vietnamese immigrants or of Vietnamese descent.
Now, if you have heard about the story of Richie Fernando, hindi yun suppression of religion nor persecution. 1996 na yun. It was unintended but very sad just the same.
Okay, speaking of outdoors, let's go out for more in-and-about the national museum.
As I said earlier.., down the stairs, head left. There's the gate where I entered earlier.
Let's head left as there are still other things to see or experience in this compound.
Further left is the venue for their Traditional Dance Show by Cambodian Living Arts.
Then there was this dainty little museum shop. I just took this pic, but did not enter.
Lunch break pala ha? Further inwards, just beside it, is the Museum Cafe. Lezzit!
I ordered Beef Steak with Kampot Pepper Sauce - all because it sounded delicious!
At hindi sya sunog; everything inside is cooked (walang dugo-dugo); yet still tender!
The sauce was good. Yun yata ang nag-dala ng sarap. That's the Kampot Pepper.
Kampot-whatever, me mas isasarap pa yan - ang tumambay at magyosi sa labas!
Oh the university? It is not just any university. It is the Royal University of Fine Arts - the first university in Cambodia that started in 1917 - kasing tanda na yan ng DLSU!
I think most of the students I saw in-and-around the national museum and this café are students of that university, as they're the only nearby higher learning institution.
Alright.., where I sat in that garden to smoke and finish my coke, there was this:
It's a fine cozy place with attention to detail, comparable to expensive restaurants.
Wait, ayan nanaman tayo sa Dollar (USD) and Riel (KHR). Ganyan talaga sila, the two currencies are interchangeable - or whatever the proper term might be. Swappable?
They accept or dispense of cash in any of those currencies even if USD and KHR do not have the same value. Pwede haluhalo at pwede magsabi anong sukli gusto mo.
Yung dalawang currencies lang na yan ha?! Hindi kasali ang iba kahit SGD EUR JPY PHP THB etc., since for any of those, you have to exchange money at a bank muna.
At hindi lang sa high-end restaurants. Kahit saan - sa mall, sa 7-Eleven, sa kalsada!
Look at this, the official receipt after I gave 12 dollars (as in 12 USD):
50 US cents is equivalent to 2000 riels - di ko alam kung 2000 ba iyang nasa picture or dinagdagan ko na ng 1000 para maging tip. FYI 3,000 is wala pang 10% of the bill - though Cambodians are not very particular about tipping, unlike in other countries.
Interesting! But as I said earlier, we'll have a separate story about USD and KHR.
Time to go! So I walked to, and out of the national museum's main gate.
My strolling plan was along St. 178, turning-right ahead at St. 3 to the Royal Palace.
O eto i-highlight na natin. The urban reality in our part of the world! Hesumalusep!
Common naman yan sa maraming bansa, kahit sa mga 'first world' meron din nyan! Pero at 2:15PM a few steps from your national museum's gate, parang hindi kanais-nais 'no? Di ba pwede doon nalang sa kabilang kalsada away from the tourist eyes?
Hoy kayong mga ka-uri kadugo kabayan ko, I'm not saying mas magaling tayo dyan ha?! Marami rin tayong ganyan sa kung saan-saan. Dapat niyan inire-reklamo agad.
Kung walang mag-iingay, hindi a-aksyonan yan. Ever hehehe. Forever!
Ay teka.., ako? Mag-iingay tungkol diyan? Mismong sa bansa nila? Nebir butig! I will not! Baka baligtarin pa ako ng mga yon. Aba 'di yata tulad natin ang democracy nila!
Well, kung sa atin yan, kahit saang barangay pa yan, kaya ko magwala. Sasabihin ko pa, "call your barangay captain, I want to talk to them here, now". Ganun! Pero dito?!
Ayiyiii, all I can do is take photos and write my views on this blog. Baka mapariwara ang aking kamahalan kung doon pa mismo ako sa bansa nila mag-a-aasta hahahai!
Anyway, baka mapunta nanaman tayo sa kung saang usapan.., ang lesson for us all is: ayusin naman natin ang ating kapaligiran, na tugma sa inaasahan ng mga bisita.
Let's continue the "exploration" in my next story!
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