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I do not own this picture. This is used for educational purpose only. I took it from :https://www.google.com/search?q=coconut+school+kirirom+hd&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwie6qq-ytruAhUhAnIKHd1IApkQ_AUoAXoECA8QAw&biw=1920&bih=855#imgrc=8LEZrxwGqmJeeM
One of our last articles was talking about places to visit on Kirirom mountain and we also know a place called Coconut school which was founded by Mr Ouk Vannday. We did not write much about it in detail, so we are going to see and know every little detail about Coconut school. It is about 2 to 3 kilometers from vKirirom Pine Resort. To get there you have to go straight from white shop and continue along the dirt road until you see a 4 roads intersection then take a left turn and go along the road about 1 50 to 200 meters and then you will reach Coconut school. One particular thing that caught the tourist attention especially Khmer people. There is a phrase on the label right in front of the school which said “ទេសចរណ៍ស្លរឈាម” which can hardly translated to English since this phrase might not mean as it is written. It roughly translates as “Blood boiling tourism” or “Blood boiling trip” or it may also mean that “the road you have been taking on your journey on this mountain is very hard but it is worth it” metaphorically in my opinion. You will be fascinated with the creative decoration of the place. The floor is made out of wood with caps embedded on them as different shapes. There are 2 elephants made out of cut car tires in the entrance. The fence is attached with glass bottles so when the sun shines on them they would emit the bright greenish color which is pretty cool. There are small towers which are connected to each other like a spider nest and obviously there is a spider made out of car tires hanging up there. There is a small soccer field where both goal posts are decorated with bottles hanging instead of nets. Once, you go inside there is a small coffee stance. They sell coffee, latte, cappuccino, etc … both hot and iced. Of course as you already know you have to have your own cup or bottle otherwise you have to buy one in order to get the drinks. They also sell uniquely decorated bottle which cover with bamboo and embedded a Khmer phrase saying “កាហ្វេសម្រាម” or “Trash Coffee”. It does not mean the coffee tastes like trash though. It means coffee at a plastic recycle place. There are some policies of buying coffee there. If you have your own bottle for the coffee or you donate books, you will get a discount. The school does not allow any use of plastic cups and other plastic material or waste alike in the area. The place is called Coconut school for a reason. It is because its vision is to teach young children and teenagers to read and write both Khmer and English. They also teach some computer skills there. The teachers are usually volunteers, including KITians. About teaching computer skills there I think KIT students volunteer to teach there since our school is specialized in that field. It is just my opinion so do not take it seriously. Beside all of that, you can enjoy doing different activities such as reading books, playing soccer with the locals and kids, renting a motorcycle or bicycle to go on a long trip on the mountain. In conclusion, I recommend you to visit this place because it is the place where innovation and creativity are driven. You may get your mind clear by coming here.
