Cambodia 2013: Phnom Penh Tour

Today Neth and I took a tour of Phnom Penh with the Hard Places Community Punlok Thmey tour company. “Punlok Thmey” translates as “new growth” and is so named because of the transformational changes that Hard Places Community helps to facilitate in the lives of the young men who come to HPC from a life of living on the streets with no family. When these young men come to HPC they are received with unconditional love and are treated with dignity and respect, not judgment and condemnation. These young men are given free language instruction English and then are given the opportunity to use this newly acquired language skill to have a job working as a guide for the tour company. As our guide, Rotha, told us today – he now has a family; he is in God’s family. The tour is not a typical tourist’s tour of Phnom Penh, but this tour shows people places that locals go to and the guide gives a personal perspective on what it is like for Cambodians living in Phnom Penh. One thing that I learned today: the word “Phnom” translates “mountain” or “hill”. “Penh” is the name of a woman who, as legend has it, found a hollow log floating near her home during a flood and in the log she found 4 Buddha statues. She saw this as a sign that she was to build a new temple, which she did and she carved the piece that is behind this Buddha in the Wat Phnom temple from the wood of the log. One way that symbolizes the respect to Buddha is to place money, flowers, incense, and food at the temple. In the market today we saw that you can buy fake money to do this – some resembling USD and there are also other kinds of fake money that has gold foil on it. In the temple, there is not a square inch that isn’t painted (including the ceiling). It is quite remarkable to see. There are lotus flowers in vases all over the place and also a large bowl of water with lotus petals floating in it that visitors use to wash their faces. On the hillside leading up the temple there is a large clock built into the ground and surrounded by a huge serpent that I think is made out of bamboo. There is a sign by the clock that reads “Keep off the watch”. One of the benefits that Employment Services Cambodia (Neth’s and my new business) will offer clients is to have access to HPC Punlok Thmey tours at a discounted price. We see this as a win-win-win as it will help clients get to know Phnom Penh better, it will support the HPCPT guides, and will support HPC to be able to reach and support more young men and women.