Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Right now I'm writing from Pehnom Penh as it has been quite hard to get good internet access for about a week. I left Bangkok on Saturday (it's Wednesday now) to Siem Reap. On the bus I met a cool gal from Sweden named Pernilla and a nice guy from Spain (who didn't speak hardly any English). We arrived at the border and got off our nice air conditioned bus and walked into a no mans land of giant casinos and begging naked children. This was the border between Cambodia and Thailand, and it quickly became apparent that Cambodia was not Kansas. Realising that the bus we had booked was going to take close to 6 hours for a three hour journey (lots of rest stops so we can buy souveniers and food from commissioned restaurants), Pernilla and two Norwegians (Hege and Didde) along with the Spainiard (jose) opted for a taxi. This was basically a very beat up unmarked 1985 or so toyota camry with cracks all over the windshield. We crammed 6 people into the car and we left the others behind to weather the bus. The road had pot holes the size of moon craters. The Cambodians lovingly refer to the road between Poipet (the border) and Siem Reap as "The Dancing Road". This reference I believe says a lot about the Cambodian people. We got to our hotel and were greeted by what I can only say are some of the warmest and friendliest people I've ever met in my life.
Considering what the Cambodians have been through (bombing by the US during the Vietnam war, Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge Genocide leaving 3 million people dead (with support from the US), and a landscape ravaged by landmines to this day)it's extraordinary to see such warmth emanating from just about everyone I come across. While in Siem Reap, we went to Tonle Sap Lake to see the floating village of Kampong Chanang, a village on stilts that when the rains come, sits nicely above the rising waters of the vast Tonle Sap lake (the worlds richest lake in Fish species). Every house has children laughing, and running, fishermen getting their nets ready, old women sewing clothes, a young woman tending to a Budda shrine and lighting incense, a boy trying to get his dog out of the boat because it jumped in unexpectedly. It's as alive as anything one could ever see. A village of several hundred people living in grass huts on stilts and living simply together. People here are poor...really poor, and life is extremely hard, but there is a sense of life, of public space, that the home is outside, on the street, in the river, outside of just the house. There is a TV in almost every boat in Kampong Chanang, but there is also a steep interaction with the outside community. All the doors and windows are open to the houses, almost inviting others to come in. It is impossible for it not to be this way I suppose. The village is interconnected by the river. Perhaps it is poverty? Perhaps it is the wonderful Brahma and Buddhist religious traditions? Perhaps it is years of untold hardship that make such and big spirit? I think it is all these things. The children here are amazing. Even when they are hustling for money they do it with a sense of humor and spirit. Where are you from? They ask. And if you say "California" they say "Capitol is Sacramento". If you say "Washington" they will say "Olympia" then they go back to their bargaining "I give you good price". It is there way to connect with rich westerners, knowing all the capitols of every country and every state in the US. Many of the kids speak better English than their parents (learning English during the Khmer Rouge was illegal), so they are working late hours in the restaurants, shops and hotels to get through the tourist season. Where the average Cambodian makes $15 in a month, $1 for a bottle of water can make all the difference. The Reel (cambodian currency) is so devalued that they use dollars here instead. It's a constant dance, making sure you don't get old dollar notes, or ones that aren't torn, as once you have them, you're stuck. But overall, I am amazed at how honest people are here considering how poor.
Pernilla, Hege and Diidde and I hung out the last couple of days in Siem Reap, went to see the spectacular temples of Angkor Wat (www.angkorwat.org) and went to one of the many local schools for the blind where blind students learn massage and are able to use the skill to support themselves financially. It was hands down, the best massage I had in my life.
It was nice to have the company of other travellers who I liked as it can get a bit lonely travelling in such a foreign place on your own. It's also less scary. I think it is actually easier to meet people when you are in a somewhat precarious place like Cambodia, where things seem on the verge of chaos and somewhat dangerous. People gravitate to eachother because they need to. There is safety in numbers. I think the Cambodians realise this. Perhaps this is another reason their villages are so tight. Everywhere I go, I can't help but think about the Khmer Rouge and the immense suffering that these people have endured (if you haven't seen the Killing Fields..go rent it). These people seem firmly in tact (which is more than I can say for the Eastern Block). There seems to be a commitment to end violence here and a great hope. I just arrived in Penhom Penh and the first thing you see when you enter the city is a giant gun (about 2 stories tall) in the middle of a round about. The barrel is tied in a knot, to symbolise the hopeful end of destruction that these people have endured for so long by the French, the US and then the Khmer Rouge.
Tomorrow I'll be going to S21 Museum and the Killing Fields. There's also a water festival which began with a "friendship" thai kick boxing tournament this evening. It was great until the electric generator blew up and left the stadium in the dark. Hege, Dita and I left before the lights came back on, but in true Cambodian fashion, the show went on. How do I know? Because the fight is still playing on all the TV sets in peoples homes and cafes.
For those who are interested, here is a fantastic article about the 30th anniversary of the overthrow of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. It's told by a then child member of the Khmer Rouge. It really gives you a sense of how the country was turned upside down and how children became the main tool in the brutal regime.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1385395,00.html
Considering what the Cambodians have been through (bombing by the US during the Vietnam war, Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge Genocide leaving 3 million people dead (with support from the US), and a landscape ravaged by landmines to this day)it's extraordinary to see such warmth emanating from just about everyone I come across. While in Siem Reap, we went to Tonle Sap Lake to see the floating village of Kampong Chanang, a village on stilts that when the rains come, sits nicely above the rising waters of the vast Tonle Sap lake (the worlds richest lake in Fish species). Every house has children laughing, and running, fishermen getting their nets ready, old women sewing clothes, a young woman tending to a Budda shrine and lighting incense, a boy trying to get his dog out of the boat because it jumped in unexpectedly. It's as alive as anything one could ever see. A village of several hundred people living in grass huts on stilts and living simply together. People here are poor...really poor, and life is extremely hard, but there is a sense of life, of public space, that the home is outside, on the street, in the river, outside of just the house. There is a TV in almost every boat in Kampong Chanang, but there is also a steep interaction with the outside community. All the doors and windows are open to the houses, almost inviting others to come in. It is impossible for it not to be this way I suppose. The village is interconnected by the river. Perhaps it is poverty? Perhaps it is the wonderful Brahma and Buddhist religious traditions? Perhaps it is years of untold hardship that make such and big spirit? I think it is all these things. The children here are amazing. Even when they are hustling for money they do it with a sense of humor and spirit. Where are you from? They ask. And if you say "California" they say "Capitol is Sacramento". If you say "Washington" they will say "Olympia" then they go back to their bargaining "I give you good price". It is there way to connect with rich westerners, knowing all the capitols of every country and every state in the US. Many of the kids speak better English than their parents (learning English during the Khmer Rouge was illegal), so they are working late hours in the restaurants, shops and hotels to get through the tourist season. Where the average Cambodian makes $15 in a month, $1 for a bottle of water can make all the difference. The Reel (cambodian currency) is so devalued that they use dollars here instead. It's a constant dance, making sure you don't get old dollar notes, or ones that aren't torn, as once you have them, you're stuck. But overall, I am amazed at how honest people are here considering how poor.
Pernilla, Hege and Diidde and I hung out the last couple of days in Siem Reap, went to see the spectacular temples of Angkor Wat (www.angkorwat.org) and went to one of the many local schools for the blind where blind students learn massage and are able to use the skill to support themselves financially. It was hands down, the best massage I had in my life.
It was nice to have the company of other travellers who I liked as it can get a bit lonely travelling in such a foreign place on your own. It's also less scary. I think it is actually easier to meet people when you are in a somewhat precarious place like Cambodia, where things seem on the verge of chaos and somewhat dangerous. People gravitate to eachother because they need to. There is safety in numbers. I think the Cambodians realise this. Perhaps this is another reason their villages are so tight. Everywhere I go, I can't help but think about the Khmer Rouge and the immense suffering that these people have endured (if you haven't seen the Killing Fields..go rent it). These people seem firmly in tact (which is more than I can say for the Eastern Block). There seems to be a commitment to end violence here and a great hope. I just arrived in Penhom Penh and the first thing you see when you enter the city is a giant gun (about 2 stories tall) in the middle of a round about. The barrel is tied in a knot, to symbolise the hopeful end of destruction that these people have endured for so long by the French, the US and then the Khmer Rouge.
Tomorrow I'll be going to S21 Museum and the Killing Fields. There's also a water festival which began with a "friendship" thai kick boxing tournament this evening. It was great until the electric generator blew up and left the stadium in the dark. Hege, Dita and I left before the lights came back on, but in true Cambodian fashion, the show went on. How do I know? Because the fight is still playing on all the TV sets in peoples homes and cafes.
For those who are interested, here is a fantastic article about the 30th anniversary of the overthrow of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. It's told by a then child member of the Khmer Rouge. It really gives you a sense of how the country was turned upside down and how children became the main tool in the brutal regime.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1385395,00.html
posted by Mr. Sophie at 5:42 AM
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