Way back home

Finaly, time is over, It's like I just stepped outside. High and dry :)



Thank you vietnam, thank you pho, thank you cambodia, thank you buddha, thank you papa, thank you clicky, thank you cloudy...

Not enough time to collect all my tought, it's still continued... @ APRIL in INDIA

MUSULMANE Mosque SAIGON

Islam VS Comunist : Two different side , mutually contradictory and hostile everywhere :) , but not in SAIGON islam and communists , like a coin two different side but attached to the same side



Yes, i see a big mosque that hide among the tall buildings, MUSULMANE Mosque. This mosque buil by india muslim that come to saigon @1935. I try to knock the door, come inside and talk with the imam. He is very friendly since he know i come from indonesia, the biggest muslim country after pakistan.



The building is very simple, not have special shape inside. But i'ts be my special experience, meet the muslim and pray inside the comunist country. If you wanna visit this place and come inside, just one, wear closed and respecful cloth :). This mosque door will say welcome for you.

Mariamman Hindu Temple SAIGON

It's interesting, found a hindu place devote , inside the indochine area VIETNAM :). Yes, Mariamman Hindu Temple. This place is build for Hindu Goddess Mariamman. Hindu follower believe that Mariamman has miraculous powers.

Originally constructed by the Tamils hailing from Pondicherry with a raja goopuram, the Mariamman Hindu Temple is regarded as a sacred site by many Vietnamese and Chinese non-Hindus residing in Saigon.




Numerous multicolored ‘vahanas’ for ‘utsava murthis’ adorn the interior of the temple. However it can’t be definitely said if these colorful ‘vahanas’ were created in Vietnam by the Indian artisans or brought in from India. Camera not allow here so i do it in secret.

The address of this temple is mentioned below:
45 Ð Truong Dinh, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and open for the visitors from 7:00 am to 7 pm daily.

Saigon Destination - Cao Dai Temple

This place is available in my first list when i make , vietnam - cambodia journey plan. Yes the sacred place that have unique story. Cao Dai temple establised in south of saigon city and need 3 hour more to reached there, so i use travel and pay US 9 for two destination.



Cao means "high" and Đài means "dais, as in a platform raised above the surrounding level to give prominence to the person on it." Figuratively, it means that highest spiritual place where God reigns.God is symbolized by the Divine Eye, specifically the left eye because Yang is the left side and God is the master of Yang.



The interesting one is all follower must practices a prayer, veneration of ancestors, nonviolence, and vegetarianism with the minimum goal of rejoining God the Father in Heaven and the ultimate goal of freedom from the cycle of birth and death.



This place made me silent and stunned, how the symbol of buddha, christian, hindusm, tao, muslim ....can can coexist peacefully inside the temple. No conflict, blood , egoism. Just the harmony side by prayer.



If there is a chance, i wanna join and feel their religiousness. With white color they wear, convey the messsge. We Pure, We sincere and We peacefuly.



Not much story to be had here, because when you enter inside just two the rule : listen and silence !. Its philosophical words, in the real life listen and silence is very hard to do, because human always have big circumgyrate desire that attack around.



Ahh , if the world happen like inside the cao dai temple. I believe everything will be fine, walk in harmony.

The Saigon destination - Vietnam's Coffee !!

Dont miss it !, vietnam's coffee , with good taste and good price ... Its a lot of coffee store around down town area, that open till late :)



For me a cup of coffee with good quality talk with friends, make my day ruin perfect..Because No one can understand the truth until they drinks of coffee’s frothy goodness !

The Saigon destination - Notre Dame Basilica

Lets start from down town, first Notre Dame Basilica, just 30 minute walk from my hotel in pham ngu lao area, its the old cathedral that build by French colonists. The cathedral was constructed between 1863 and 1880. It has two bell towers, reaching a height of 58 meters.



If you want to pray inside the cathedral, they open just in 3 - 4 pm. Im not lucky because i come too early, so i just take a picture and sit the front of Regina Pacis statue.



I like to see the building, Roman style mixed with Gothic elements.Perfect style place for prayer. Religious aura and old. Especialy when you see the stone up of sky, with the black bird around.



I spend , more time, take a regina pacis face,even jut stone, she look pure and amazing.

Good morning Vietnam !

Communist strong aroma wafted here, Red colour-yellow star and hammer-sickle symbol everywhere. Yes its vietnam, the countries that have dark story with the US agent orange.



I have 3 days more, to explore this city. What i want to know just,how a communist country run a religious life?, are God still available here?

Goes to school

Visit the local monks school in cambodia is the great experience for me. Im curious, how the spiritual priest school look?, are they have boring time like in public school? homework? A+ B+ C- grade in exam ?



Its look like normaly, book,class schedule ... but...where is the teacher? hmmm are both is the student and also the teacher?

Beer...

Anonymous says : Beer !!!, because one doesn't solve the world's problems over white wine, ha ha ha... are you sure anonymous?

PS : The picture is "kind" of cambodian beer,Angkor ...beer that have fully of religious name tought...

Picture Miss?

Its almost 11 am when I reached banteay srei temple. Banteay srei ia 10th century Cambodian temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Banteay Srei mean citadel of beauty the originaly name of this temple is Tribhuvanamahesvara.



There are interesting in this place, Buddhist monks that walk around do activity. With oranges cloth and baldy head. I was very impressed, average age was younger, how they give youth time to walk in spirituality side.

Its compulsion or or they do so voluntarily ?



I know to become a buddhis monks there are a lot of limitation. Talk about “limitation” I remember some wise words from swami samarpan the spirituality guru from ramakhrisna Vivekananda, that “with various restriction someone will be more appreciative with life”.



Ya, I think its true, because from the monks face that I meet there, I do not see the sadness. Maybe I have a lot to learn from them.



One funny incident occurred, when I met a group of monks student behind the temple. They smiled and whispered. I just thought maybe something funny in my face or they never see a women like me? .



I was surprised , when one of them asked, Picture miss?. Ahh..they want me to take their photo, so I grab my camera and start take a picture, than one says nooooooo, ah I just stare, what they want?



Then one monks show the pocket camera, ah I know they want me to take their pic, so I start click, than one monks with shame says, miss pic pic pic with you? Ahhh damn, they wanna take a pic with me ha ha ha ha ha, stupid me :)



They usually have been the object of tourist that visit this temple , but not today, so I stand beside of monks group and cheeerrssss, but one words that I can hear from the old monks for the young, don’t touch, dont’ touch.



When I left them, i can still see the smile that radiated, very sincere

Let knock the doors..

Angkor wat, i get the dream visit this place long long time a go, and today finaly im stand here. Its still 3.30 am when i leave my hotel and catch the tuk tuk , sleepy and cold because last night it rained hard in siem reap.



With 20$in hand, im ready knock the angkor wat door and meet the suryavarman II king, the person that build of angkor.



Just one that i can say, its amazing, big stone , crave with perfect hands, and keep the value of a high civilization.



Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple mountain and the later galleried temple, based on early South Indian Hindu architecture, with key features such as the Jagati. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology.

Donation please

Be carefuly if you walk around angkor wat complex, they are a lot of stone that will steal your money. Do not touch, even just a pray front of, cause i lost 15 U$.

The Blessing of Pindapata

Everymorning,
Passes onward with the bowl and yellow robe,
By mild speech paying all those gifts of hearts,
Wending his way back to the solitudes,
To sit upon his hill with holy men,
Hear and ask of wisdom and its roads,
Please Bless me....

Guess ..what the inside my shooping bag?

The picture is taken @ night market siem reap, the place is very closed with my hotel, everynight i go there, even the price is more expensive than old market, but they sale a lot of traditional stuff, like khmer silk, cambodian coffee, ganesha t-shirt etc

Night life in Siem Reap

hmmm night life for me ...go to night market and start shooping ;)

The Stone

PARVATI The ganesha mom



BUDDHA ? in the unique posh



MY IDOL GANESHA (cambodia verse)

PS : The picture is taken @GOLDEN TEMPLE VILLA HOTEL, the best nice place to stay in siem reap CAMBODIA, homy with great khmer design, friendly staff, and the food taste is amazing. Recomended !!!