Saturday, 20 July 2013

Biking on the island of Kos Pen

            Saturday, we went to one of the coolest places I’ve ever been: the island of Kos Pen.  This island sits in the Mekong River just a wee jaunt from BSDA’s Smile Restaurant.  We rented some bikes and took a ferry to the island, where we ate delicious fried bananas, waved to countless kids shouting “Hello-what’s-your-name!”, and then dined with the chief monk of the island’s temple.  It was an altogether unforgettable experience, especially within a backdrop of red clay roads, fields, forests, and a temple decked in marigold tiles and centuries of overgrowth.

Vandong knows: Safety first.

Island Temple

On the pontoon-boat ferry!

Abandoned temple on Kos Pen.  Fun fact: the figures where the posts meet the roof's overhang are Gerudas, and the pointy serpentine figures on the roof above them are Naga vipers--the two are mythical enemies, but when they're in the same place, they represent peace.