Community Tour of Baray Reach Dak

Last week, I decided it was time to take the Eco Tour of Baray Reach Dak which was organised by the community from which my students are drawn. This enterprise is a partnership between the National Cultural Authority of Cambodia, the Australian Government and the local villages. The Baray, an artificial lake, was built by the king in the 12th century to provide access for him by water to his temple of Neak Poan. The Baray had been dry for more than five hundred years and the people of Pluong and Leang Dai had grown rice here, however in 2007, the Baray was reflooded to create a beautiful lake, teeming with wildlife and vegetation. The tours were then set up to provide for some
local employment and also for the preservation of a unique natural and cultural heritage.

We were conducted on the tour by one of the students, Prom, who spoke about what he had learned of the forest from his grandfather. He showed us this tree with the burrs or cankers, was not quite sure,
and he said that traditionally in times of was, the men would cut off chunks and carve small Buddhas
which they would have blessed by a monk and would wear as a protection against danger. Just as I carry my St. Benedict's medal here, thanks to a kind friend!

Prom went on to show us another tree whose leaves provide relief from toothache and for some 

reason are also loved by the cattle that roam everywhere!

The greatest natural marvel for me, however was this bees' nest, you can see the perfect small 

cylindrical hole / pipe entrance through which these small black bees, which don't sting, thankfully, bring in their honey. Local people simply dig int the ground, carry off a chunk of the hive and the 

bees build a new entry point and work away!

You have to look really closely to see the tiny white pipe sticking up out of the ground.

We then visited a typical forest house, this is inhabited by a local family and the grandfather works in the nursery developed nearby to preserve and renew the unique local trees and shrubs. You can see 

the kitchen fire, and I was fascinated to see a cooking pot shaped like an old Irish 'Corcan' up on the 

kitchen table alongside the vegetables. You can also see the central place in every Cambodian household, rather like our hearth, the people all sit together on a platform, eat, chat, entertain visitors, always leaving their shoes behind. In some cases they are made of rough planks and in others form 

the mist beautiful and valuable hardwoods. My students thought that my description of people sitting around a fireside on sofas and armchairs hilarious!

Part of the tour is a boat trip on the beautiful calm Baray, where we saw these lovely water lilies, which Prom told us made delicious soup, we saw kites and enormous heron like birds stretching their wings full span at the tops of trees, unfortunately my skills  as a photographer were not adequate to 

capture them. We passed fishermen with small nets wading up to their chests in the water, fish are one of the main sources of protein here, and floated peacefully along far from the noisy crowds of tourists at some of the other temple sites.

The finale of the tour was to arrive at the beautiful tiny temple of Neak Poan, a place of veneration for 9 centuries where the people have come to seek cures for sickness in the holy waters and in times of drought special ceremonies are conducted by monks to pray for rain, so many echoes of our own traditions! The heritage of Cambodia is truly awesome just as the problems are of finding a way to preserve that unique heritage while feeding and educating all the people. The resilience and pride of the people, as exemplified by my delightful students in our 'little school in the fields' and their hunger for learning and knowledge as well as their unfailing courtesy and cheer make being here such an extraordinary privilege.