June 8, 2026
If you read my first post about Coron you might remember I mentioned a Funeral or Wake I noticed roadside, coming back from an excursion. Well I mentioned it to other residents, to see if anyone else had seen, gotten a photo or had insights, and what I learned was fascinating - so I wanted to share here!
AI or Chat GPT, created this for me based on all the info I recalled. Below, is an image Scott actually took as he went by another time.
The tradition of Wakes started as a need to be sure the person is truly dead, before burying them in the ground. Apparently, some activities where you may breath certain chemical reactions ( i.e. a liquor producing copper still), can put you in a death like stillness and people were known to wake up from these days later - hence the name Wake. Also the phrase dead ringer also comes from tieing a string on the dead's finger, attached to a bell that remains outside the coffin, when they are placed in the ground, to avoid burying anyone mistakenly alive!
WOW!! I can't believe it has been two years of sailing around the World already for me and my fellow shipmates on the Villa Vie Odyssey! We left Belfast, Ireland back on September 30, 2024 and it has been such a great adventure to date! We have been to 201 different ports, some more than once, during those two years, with much more to come!
Before coming to Cambodia , I sadly have to admit I was unaware of the landmine problems they face. On our first night in Siem Reap, where we hiked up the hill to try and see the sunset views, there was a small band of men playing instruments and our tuk tuk driver explained to me they were victims of landmine explosions who had lost limbs or their sight and were trying to make money via donations to support their families.
I rallied for our last temple of the morning, because I heard this one was unique and I think it was my favorite. Ta Prohm was built starting in 1186 by King Jayavarman VII as a Buddhist monastery and university dedicated to the king's mother. It was left mostly un-restored so that huge banyan and silk cotton trees grow directly over and through the walls. In 2001, the Lara Croft: Tomb Raider movie was filmed here.