November is, of course, a very special month in Cambodia.  It is the time of  Bon Om Touk – the Water Festival.   The celebration takes place during the full moon period of the Buddhist month known as Kadeuk.  Traditionally, the festival celebrates and honors the Khmer military – especially the naval forces.  The festival has a long history, dating back hundreds of years to the glory of the Angkorian era.

This year’s festival in Banteay Chhmar was somewhat smaller than previous years.  In part, this was due to the country’s continuing mourning period for the recently deceased King Sihanouk.  Despite the subdued mood, the villagers still enjoyed plenty of music, food, games and one full day of boat racing.

Students enjoying their community library

In September, the CBT community library began the first steps of starting English and Khmer lessons for students in Banteay Chhmar.  Students were informed of the lessons and given an entry test to attain their skill level.  After the official state school year starts (in October), a schedule will be drafted for students in Banteay Chhmar who want to attend additional lessons and do their homework in the CBT library.  We all hope to see a lot of students studying and learning!

If you have not already watched this documentary from Al Jazeera, we highly recommend you take some time to view this important episode.  This documentary reviews the relationship between the UNESCO World Heritage programme and tourism development in Southeast Asia.  This is an important issue facing us here in Banteay Chhmar as the Cambodian government would like to see the Banteay Chhmar temple complex become designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.  Yet, we want to preserve the culture and heritage of the area while improving the livelihoods of the community.  The video contains footage of Banteay Chhmar and interviews with members of Global Heritage Fund and the CBT community.

July was a very dry month here in Cambodia. A lot of farmers are worried about having a good rice harvest this year. As you know, rice is the primary source of food and income for most Cambodians. We all hope the rains pick up soon.

Global Heritage Fund workers recently completed rebuilding this section of the East gallery.

In other news, workers from Global Heritage Fund completed reconstruction of a significant section along the east gallery of the temple. This section was precariously close to collapse. Now, it has been significantly stablilized and displays some more of the remarkbale bas-reliefs of King Jayavarman VII and the Angkorian era. We are all excited to see the conservation project progressing.

The CBT tour guides also continue their studies.  They have been spending quite a lot of time inside the temple examining and learning to understand all the Hindu and Buddhist gods, myths  and stories, along with learning about the architectural construction of the temple. It is a long process to understand all this, but they are all doing well with their studies.

CBT tour guides study inside the temple

Students read story books and play games in their new library

May was a wonderful month here in Banteay Chhmar. We celebrated the opening of our new community library. This is the first library in Banteay Chhmar. We are sure all the students (and adults) will benefit from all the learning materials and stories to read. The library was funded through the generous support of Travelers’ Map of Korea.  Travelers’ Map has been a frequent visitor to Cambodia and has helped support other projects throughout the country. We thank them very very much and look forward to a long friendship.

CBT Tour Guide Training

Also, the CBT tour guides are now well into their Tour Guide Training program.  This program, started in late April, is the final phase of a Heritage Watch supported grant. Through this grant, the tour guides received English language lessons for one year.  Now, they are learning about Cambodian and Angkorian-era history, local culture, heritage protection and how to conduct a temple tour.  In total, 12 students are participating in this 3-month long, 2-day a week training program. The lessons are being conducted by Khieu Thy, an experienced guide trainer from Siem Reap.

Finally, since they rains have recently begun, we are just starting to plant the new rice crop for the year.  We all hope to reap a bountiful crop in a few months. Please ask our tour guides to give you a tour of the rice fields if you are interested in learning about the planting and harvesting cycle and all the hard work involved. Maybe you can lend a hand, too!

Sopheng and Sreymom's Wedding Day

March was a very special month for two of our CBT members.  Khlout Sopheng and Khoeun Sreymom were married in a lovely and fun 2-day wedding ceremony on March 5-6.  We all wish Sopheng and Sreymom a long and happy life together.

March was also a very good month for Sreymom and Sopheng for two more reasons.  First, they will become new homestay owners.  We are sure that our visitors will enjoy staying in their home and enjoy their hospitality.

And, finally, Sreymom will be the librarian for the Banteay Chhmar-CBT Library.  Congratulations!

Getting the new library ready for opening

As we have mentioned previously, thanks to a very generous donation from Travelers’ Map of Korea, Banteay Chhmar will have its first community library.  Please follow our progress here on our website as well as on our Facebook page.