Today, Phnom Penh is busy preparing to celebrate tomorrow's festival, Bon Om Tuk, ow Water Festival. The performers are busy practicing in the different temporary theaters set up in the parks in the city. But the most famous of the performances is the boat race on the Tonle Sap River. Boats from the different provinces come to join the race. Each team goes on its own rythmn with the lead guy in the boat conducting with his hand or with a drum or with his paddle. It is very colorful and offers a great spectacle to both locals and tourists.
This festival is celebrated on the occasion of the Tonle Sap River turning its course. It is also to commemorate the victory of Jayavarman VII over the Chams who invaded the Khmer Kingdom. As well, it is to celebrate the end of the monsoons and the beginning of the fishing season.
The Sisowath Riverside is the best venue to view the race. There are many restaurants with second or third floors to give you a good view. For some of us, the Foreign Correspondents' Club or the FCC as it is known in Phnom Penh is the best place to get a really good view of the celebration.
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