Jake, Ted and I took a quick trip down to Phnom Penh while Adam visited Emma for a bit around Christmas. The city itself still feels like it’s rebuilding after the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge in the 70s, and The Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng Prison are sobering experiences I can only compare to the concentration camp I visited while traveling in Germany.
We spent most of our time absorbed in the bizarre and terrifying history; recalling the incredible feat that Pol Pot and his party members accomplished in completely decimating a generation of Cambodians. Seriously, spend some time educating yourself if you don’t know much about it.
The brutality and astoundingly small-minded approach to the entire affair leaves you speechless when you begin to read about it; but upon visiting the sites, and after our time in the vibrant and booming tourist town that is Siem Reap, the three of us left the city feeling slightly uncomfortable. The terrors that were commited by the Khmer Rouge against it’s own people are really difficult to digest or understand (i.e. babies having their heads dashed systematically against a tree and tossed into a pit, to prevent them from growing up and taking revenge on the party for the death of their family members.)
In the end though, having met some awesome Cambodian friends, and having already learned to love the people and wonders of the country; you’re left with the sensation that Cambodians now live in the shadow of the past, but there’s a predominant cascade of hope that will carry them through into better days.
Joul mouy!
Greg.
Ancient Angkor is the centre of the Cambodian psyche. It represents a feeling of pride and glory in a nation rebuilding after the atrocities of the Khmer Rogue decades before. It is hard to go a few steps without seeing some sort of depiction of Angkor Wat — for it appears on their national beer, cigarettes, travel agencies, and basically any product of service you can imagine (did I mention it’s on the flag too?). Just as the Ancient Khmer were able to create such a marvelous civilization, so too can the Cambodians rebuild a marvelous nation.
Siem Reap is the town immediately outside Angkor where we stayed. It’s an up-and-coming town with many ritzy hotels under construction, all capitalizing on the surge of tourists passing through. When we arrived we immediately befriended some tuk-tuk drivers who took us around the temples. One was named Barang a.k.a. “Lady Killer” — a regular party animal who acted as our guide around Angkor during the day, and as our guide around the bars of Siem Reap at night. Funny enough, he is also well-educated, and has ambitions of becoming a lawyer. He also speaks five languages (including a bit of Gaelic too!).
So we went around the temples, and we were just blown away! We were awed by the immense size of Angkor Wat and it’s beautiful bas-relief depictions of Hindu myth. We clambered through the many face-towers of Bayon, climbed the pyramid-like temples of East Mebon, and enjoyed watching giant strangler figs and silk trees grow out of the ruin of Ta Prohm and Preah Khan. In all, it took us about four and a half days to see dozens of temples (with thousands of photos taken too!), but there are still many temples we could have seen.
It’s too hard to summarize everything in words, so I hope you enjoy the pictures below!
Ted
Sorry for the long delay! Vietnam has restrictions on their internet, but mainly I’ve had difficulty getting through the HUGE amount of photos I took in Siem Reap and Angkor Wat. The temple complex is truly the soul of the country (it’s on the Cambodian flag), and the city and tourism constructed around it create an interesting and dynamic atmosphere. We were lucky enough to befriend the people working at our guesthouse and spent as much time hanging out with tuk-tuk drivers and their friends as we did wandering the ancient structures left behind by the Khmer Empire.
Our time in Siem Reap was inspiring, and the Angkor complex itself was unique in comparison to the many other amazing ancient religious structures I’ve been lucky enough to visit in my life. But best of all, we came away with not just memories and photographs, but friendships and an appreciation for the wonderful people of Cambodia.
Greg.
We’re just heading out of Cambodia now, on our way into Vietnam – but continuing with my photo updates, here’s some shots of our time spent on the island of Koh Samet; a nice little spot just a few hours away from Bangkok. Beautiful beaches, nice little places to chill, and moped rentals; who could ask for more!?
Greg.
