Cambodia was a powerful trip. The country is blessed with architectural wonders, as well as haunted by recent and unclear genocide. What really amazed me is the resilience and humor of the people who have faced more tragedy than most of us will ever know.
We started our trip by flying into Bangkok, staying overnight and then taking a bus to Poipet, a border town between Thailand and Cambodia. After clearing Thai immigration, we made our way into The Kingdom of Cambodia.
The morning after we arrived in Siem Reap we woke at 4:30 (although my roommate tried to get me up at 2:30 because his phone was on Japan time - good thing I verified) to get to Angkor Wat in time for the sunrise.
We were led by Mr. Keo, our ever-cheerful tuk-tuk (motorcycle taxi) driver.
Seeing the sunrise over Angkor was magnificent: as the seconds passed by, the ominous, dark structure we had approached earlier was revealed to us bit by bit.
The temples at Angkor are mainly Hindu, but Buddhism later permeated Cambodian culture. The above is a scene from the Churning of the Ocean.
We paid for our passes to the Angkor temples (in USD, since dollars are the de facto currency. This was a welcome change after six months of doing mental currency conversions for every purchase I made. Strangely, no old or torn bills are accepted. I actually had to trick someone into thinking I had no other bills for them to accept my old five dollar bill.) and spent two days driving all over the Angkor temple spread which covers many kilometers. The temples and their stone carvings were simply magnificent - like entering an Indiana Jones movie.
Entrance to Angkor Thom
The Bayon at Angkor Thom - notice the faces of King Jayavarman VII looking in all directions
Notice yours truly standing near the top of this temple. These structures were simply massive. It was wonderful to explore these temples, and you were free to walk anywhere (except on roofs). I think that the philosophy is, "Hey, they've been here nearly 1000 years. You walking all over 'em isn't going to do anything." The freedom was great, but I worry that it will only serve to accelerate the wearing of the temples. The Cambodian people (Khmers) are one of the poorest and least educated in the world. Opening to tourism is one of the only ways in which they can generate an income, but I hope that the tourism sector will not increase too much. I hope that the area retains some sanctity.
These pictures are from Ta Prohm, a temple whose surrounding jungle has been allowed to grow freely. All of the temples of Angkor are subject to this same fate if the jungle around them is not cleared. The trees astoundingly grow in between and on the stones of the temples. As the roots penetrate into the structures, supports change. If a tree dies, the stones that it is holding into place will crumble. It's amazing how nature can so patiently clear what we deem permanent.
Above, left: Gas station. Above, center: Khmer Wedding. Above, right: tuk-tuk driver.
An example of the fine stonework we were fortunate enough to see.
Macho men.
Dragon fruit.The Killing Fields in Phnom Penh was harrowing.
Pol Pot came into power after the Vietnam War ended and ordered all to leave Phnom Penh, the capital city, citing that American bombing may be likely. People thought that they were leaving for a matter of days, but they were forced out of their homes for years. Khmer were scattered all over the countryside harvesting rice, left with no means of communication. Pol Pot was looking to return Cambodia to an agricultural state in which he took a great deal of pride.
Khmer Rouge ('Red Cambodians,' called so for the red scarves that they wore around their faces), led by Pol Pot, went to the countryside to ask for the intellectuals, telling that doctors, teachers, engineers and the like were needed back in Phnom Penh to help the country rebuild. They were taken back to the city and then sent to Tuol Sleng (pictured below), a high school that was converted into a 're-education' center. Nobody knew what 're-education' meant, but it was only a cover for torture and death. The Khmer Rouge photographed all those who entered Tuol Sleng, some even after torture or death. Looking into the eyes of those who had died was eerie, but the number of faces that were set in an expression of fearlessness was inspiring.
In a search to eliminate all the intellectuals, those who had soft hands, wore glasses, spoke a foreign language, etc. were all targeted for 're-education.' Nobody knew where people were being taken - they merely lived in a state of confusion and fear. At Tuol Sleng, the torturers often became the tortured, generation after generation, one proof of the sheer madness of the Khmer Rouge.
After torture at Tuol Sleng, prisoners were sent to the Killing Fields for extermination. Bullets were too expensive, and thus prisoners were forced to their knees so that the 13 to 15 year-olds that comprised most of the Khmer Rouge would be able to easily bludgeon the victims. Some were forced to kill their own family members. Other horrific acts, including torture, infanticide, and rape, occurred here. One of eight Cambodians were killed during the genocide. Estimated number of deaths is around 2 million. Not one person left alive has not lost someone in their family.
The above is the monument at the Killing Fields, and contains the skulls of 9000 victims that have been recovered from the mass graves at the Killing Fields. Only a portion of the graves have been exhumed, as the project is too massive to complete. Those skulls that have been removed have been organized by sex and age, and many of them were found still blindfolded.
Our cab driver told us as we left the Killing Fields that he was a young boy when the Khmer Rouge took over and was put in charge of cattle. His mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, uncle and sister were all unjustly killed by the Khmer Rouge.
All those who were confronted about the crimes committed claimed that they did not know from where the orders to kill came. Even Pol Pot, when he was finally found in his hiding in the jungle, claimed he was not sure who issued the orders. He died before he could reach trial and so most questions have gone unanswered. Many Khmer Rouge still live all over Cambodia, and none will ever be brought to trial. They have re-acclimated into Cambodian society, and most are just as confused about the whole situation as anyone else.
The only consolation that I can take from this depressing situation is that the Cambodian people are so resilient. They have known more tragedy than any of us, yet all around you see smiling faces.
We ended our trip at the Snake House in Sihanoukville (the beach), a place run by a Russian herpetologist who collects venomous Cambodian snakes. They are throughout the hotel, and even in the table, making for an interesting dining experience.
Two of us decided to catch sunrise the next morning and I asked to be woken up. A rapping on the door in the middle of the night caught me off guard and when I went to answer it, I was greeted by my sunrise partner, saying it was 5:30 and time to head to the beach. Learning my lesson from the first night when I was almost tricked into getting up 2 hours before the actual time, I checked my watch, which provides for 2 time zones. Seeing that it said 3:30 I pressed the button to switch, saw 5:30, was satisfied and got ready.
We got down to the beach and had waited an hour, quite puzzled. I was getting ready to explain this phenomenon of the late rising sun in Cambodia to all at home. I playfully posed a question, wondering how long one would wait for the sunrise, which reminded my companion that she had set her watch back to Japan. So there we were, at the beach at 4:30 in the morning, waiting for sunrise. From there, we did the only logical thing and buried me in the sand so I could go back to sleep. When I woke up however, the whole time had definitely been worth it:
One experience really sticks out in my mind: I can't stop thinking about it.
Throughout the temple complexes, there are people selling their souvenirs, and one approached our tuk-tuk after we had just finished a temple complex. She asked me, "Would you like to by a scarf?"
"No, thanks."
"How about for your girlfriend?"
I laughed a little. "I don't have a girlfriend."
"Oh," she smiled. "I want to be your girlfriend!"
My eyes widened and I looked up at her, lost in her beauty. "Really?"
Just then the tuk-tuk sped away, and as we realized that we were parting forever, our eyes met. She only smiled, "Yes."
I hope that true love doesn't come but once...
