December 22, 2010
We went to the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, where the King actually lives. You can see where he holds court and his relatively small actual home, compared to the grandeur of the rest of the palace buildings. The king is said to be about 50ish years old, refuses to get married, shaved his head like a monk, and has great compassion for the people. His people are just a bit worried that he won’t have an heir.
It’s said that when the French become colonists of Cambodia that they tried to prop up the Cambodian monarchy. I’m not sure why but they sure did help gild and glorify the Royal Palace, all dolled up like Fountainbleau, as a result. And, it’s a place where you’re reminded of Cambodia’s glory days, when Cambodia actually included most of the land of its neighboring countries, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand.
The queen used to have to wear a different colored dress every day, depending on the day of the week (see above). Traditional cloth weaving and music playing were demonstrated and Griffin joined in with the traditional music band, showing a predilection for both subtly frustrating his band members with his off-key playing and for losing himself in his instrument, in a state of “flow.” Click to see video here.
Note the sign for the song that says “The Khmer race was glorious, try your best again.” The king clearly wants Cambodia to rise again, from the near-dust it’s in now. Ken has used the word "striving" for the Cambodian people and I think that description would satisfy the king.
