Cambodia (Nov 2007) | Older Travellers - Lonely Planet Forum

ONLINE

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 15:50:28 +0000

long...inside

1

ONLINE

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 15:51:28 +0000

Cambodia has been a part of my consciousness for a long time. During the first week of May, in 1970, there was the Kent State shootings followed by the Cambodian invasion. Demonstrations sprung up on campuses and cities throughout North America including Vancouver. I helped organize one of those and was subsequently arrested during the actual demonstration. In my mind, Cambodia and resisting military force were forever linked. On another level, years later, Randy participated in a major fund raiser for an anti-mine campaign in Cambodia. Again, the country became a part of my every day conversation. When the opportunity came for me to go there, albeit a short visit to a specific part, I was excited.

Coming to Thailand was by itself going to be an adventure. Knowing that Angkor Wat was not too far away, I decided to try to visit this history and myth rich place. Andrea, my friend living in Thailand, needed to do a visa run. I suggested that we go to Siem Reap, the closest city to Angkor Wat and visit the area for a few days. I was somewhat reluctant to do this trip solo (although after the fact, all those fears were really groundless!) She also was excited by the opportunity so a couple of days after arriving in Bangkok, I was off at the airport again flying to Siem Reap.

The flight was short, only 40 minutes. A long low glide over a large lake (Tonle Sap) led to the airport, newly built and reflecting the importance of the tourist industry to this part of Cambodia. Visas were easily obtained upon arrival, and our prearranged guesthouse sent a tuk-tuk (a motorcycle pulling a covered seating wagon..fits 2 tourists and their luggage or 2 Cambodian families with numerous children!) to meet us. It was a very smooth entry.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but what I saw on that first drive into Siem Reap was a bustling, chaotic Asian city scrambling to re-invent itself. Fancy new hotels in various stages of construction or completion line the road leading to and from the airport; traffic weaves in a crazy yet methodical pattern; dogs and children (40% of Cambodians are under 15 years of age) are visible in big numbers along the roadside; piles of garbage lie randomly raked perhaps waiting to be burned. The tuk-tuk driver wore a helmet, indicating a level of responsibility I had not seen in Asia previously. A random thought passed through my mind: those who survived the madness of the past 37 years in Cambodia are valuing their chance for the future at this point in time. After a short drive through the city, we arrived at the Two Dragons, a guesthouse recommended to me by a friend. It too, is a symbol of the new Cambodia: run by an American writer writing about Asia, married to a Thai and catering to a multi-age, multi-national crowd of travellers.

Arranging a guide and driver for the next few days was easy; the tuk-tuk driver would be the same one who picked us up at the airport, The guide was one phone call away. That job done, we went to explore the city. It is teeming with excellent restaurants, lively clubs and bars, street bands made up of land mine victims, craft shops, travellers, tourists, NGO workers, local people...and this is all in about a square kilometer across the street from the old market which is another world of vendors, crafts, dark corners eventually leading to a larger market area of everyday goods. All the prices are in US dollars, although one could get some local currency, called reales, as change. Some places have children hawking handicrafts made from bamboo or reeds; stop still for a minute and these young entrepeneurs will find you! Prices are somewhat high, but this is the main tourist season, and many people will earn the majority of their income during these two months. Silk is the main craft in this region of Cambodia. There are silk purses, silk wallets, silk wall hangings, silk rugs, silk tapestries, silk clothes and silk by the meter. There are also some spa products which seem to be made mostly for the export market, but find their way to some of the specialty shops.

Food is tasty; it lacks the fire power of Thai food, but uses herbs and local ingredients in interesting combinations. Coconut and rice are staples, and some form of these two are usually found in every meal. Fresh fruit is excellent, readily available and used in many ways. The fresh mango shakes will probably stir my taste buds for a long time. There is an local specialty called Amok, a Khymer curry, that I found particularly tasty. It uses a local fresh water fish (from that big lake we saw coming in), coconut, herbs and peanuts. There are a few bakeries; as Cambodia was part of French Indochina for a long time, the French influence is still seen here and there... one of the 'here' are the bakeries. Fresh baguettes, buns, tarts, all sorts of treats. I must admit that while tempted, I did not buy anything. Somehow, it seemed culturally wrong to cater to those taste buds! Should one be hungry, there is always street food to sample. I had a taste here and there, but generally appreciated going to a tea shop or restaurant in order to sit down and rest.

The following morning we were ready to start our sightseeing at Angkor Wat. We decided not to do the sunrise viewing as 5:30 am seemed a bit early, but 8:00 was doable. We piled into our tuk-tuk along with our guide, Kim. His English was quite good, and he was still studying it further at the university during the evenings. It was about a 20 minute drive from our guest house to the entrance of the park where we purchased a pass for 3 days ($40 US per person) Our picture was taken, the pass was quickly laminated and we were good to go. There were signs telling the tourists to hang on to their passes as they will be checked regularly, and they were checked by guards at most of the major sites. From the entrance, we drove several more kilometers, passing a few militias of monkeys slowing traffic down) and at that point we started seeing ruins. We went to a magical site named Ta Prohm first. This place has fig and silk cotton trees growing from the towers and corridors of the temple. It was originally dedicated as a Buddhist monastery, then to the King's mother (for those who need to know, it was King Jayavaran VII). The roots of the huge trees are entangled with the structure itself, and give the site a sense of nature conquering man. I believe that if the trees and roots were removed, the structures would collapse. We then drove (the distances between the temples are significant) to Angkor Wat, the actual temple itself (the site and this temple share the name; the archeological site is spread out over perhaps 40 square kilometers). This temple is massive, breathtaking, and a monument of significant historical and spiritual history. It was dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu in the 12th century, so all the carvings and images (and there are thousands upon thousands of these carvings) reflect hindu beliefs. This temple is also surrounded by a moat; bridges were built to the main entries, but the moats were (during the height of this civilization) filled with crocodiles to discourage unwanted visitors, Now, there are no crocodiles, but there are water lilies, lotus blossoms, birds, and fish in these moat waters. We walked and walked and walked and walked...all the time looking at various carvings, being given a window into a culture long vanished. I had brought my walking poles with me, and today was the perfect day for them; I needed them to help me navigate countless uneven stones, platforms and stairways. Comfortable shoes, a sun hat and water were also essential...oh, yes, and that insect repellent. I am sure that archeologists could spend years on this one temple alone, but after a few hours, we were more than ready for lunch. We ate at a little local cafe located within the archeological park. I ate a yummy chicken curry served inside a coconut. Later, we drove to Angkor Thom, another site. This site is 3 square kilometers, and consists of a walled and moated royal city. Many temples are within this site, but Bayon, with 37 standing towers, enormous carved faces, and outstanding bas-relief carving of ordinary life was the star. By the end of the day, I was tired, but also so satisfied. Each temple, each site gave me at least one place, one view, one portal into a spiritually which defined a way of life. There were moments where I could stop and lose myself in contemplation of the vastness of life within small spaces. Layer this experience with some of the other random vignettes: children selling bracelets, postcards, bamboo creations during their lunch break from school; landmine victims begging; a group of landmine victims organized into a band playing traditional Khymer music and selling their CDs; elephant parking spots, bullet holes in some of the ruins from the fighting during the 80's; an occasional carving missing a head or more due to pillaging in the 70's. And this was only the first full day of our sightseeing!

The next two days were much like the first; I won't bore you with all the details and names of the temples, but one more stands out: Ta Som. It was full of great shadows, nature and ruins battling it out, but within was a very peaceful atmosphere. This (I think) was the temple that Laura Croft, Tomb Raider was filmed. The local people seem to respect what Angelina Jolie and that movie did for the entire community. One of the temples was a perfect stage for Andrea to dance; she danced under a frieze of dancing women. While she danced, the few tourists at that temple along with their guides watched then applauded when she was finished. More random sights: pigs, calves, chickens all going to market by motorcycle; water buffalo wallowing about; lines of elephants taking tourists places; long single file lines of kids in uniform leaving school by bicycle; an elder hostel group in tuk-tuks along a straight stretch of road, being followed by their tour bus...obviously they were having an experience, but not in town!; monkeys along the sides of the road; everywhere, children. By then end of the fourth day there, I was getting the sense of the traffic. While it was chaotic at first appearance, there was a rhyme and reason to it. The merging of traffic at any given intersection was a sight to see; I was initially convinced that an accident was imminent, but they all gave way and they all maintained a steady (but slow) speed...that may be the saving grace!

It was time to leave and return to Bangkok. Following sage advice, we took a taxi to the border (about 4 hours away). Once we were on this road, I understood why this was the preferred way if the budget could allow it. The road is unpaved, bumpy and dusty...fine red dust infilterates everything through the smallest openings in any window. The busses are not air conditioned, and all the windows are open...the people look as if they were dusted with red coloured icing sugar when they come off the bus. We arrived at the border in good condition. We walked through the exit at one border, walked about 500 meters to the Thai immigration office, and passed several casinos in between the two buildings. There was an instant contrast with the wealthy Thais coming to gamble (or whatever), and the poverty of the Cambodians. Across the border, in Thailand, the contrast continued. The roads are paved, there is no garbage along the sides of the roads (at least none in comparison) and the car rather than the bicycle or motorcycle rule the road. We bought our bus tickets, got on the bus and away we went, back to Bangkok.