Like nowhere else..
After nearly a week in Cambodia, I can say that it is dusty, dirty and poor…but I love it! It is difficult to describe this place, as it is so different from anything that I have ever seen before, and is so multi-faceted.
First of all, there is Angkor Wat, the largest, most incredible religious monument ever created and hundreds of surrounding temples from the ancient Khmer empire. It is easily as awe-inspiring as Rome, if not more so, and hard to believe even as you are physically walking through the galleries and climbing up impossibly steep steps to the tops of the temple ruins.
We bought three day passes and rented bicycles for $1/day, which proved to be THE way to do it (most people hire a tuktuk for the day)! We were on the road by 5 a.m. the first two days, pedaling through the cool, tree covered road that leads from Siem Reap to Angkor, and were able to be there in time for the incredible sunrise at Angkor Wat. Both days were long, hot, exhausting and incredibly rewarding! The ruins are spectacular, absolutely mindblowing, and there are an endless number to explore. Between the temples we were able to ride our bikes alongside glittering rice paddies, kids herding water buffalo and many other pieces of Khmer life.
On the third day we hired a driver to take us to an out-of-the-way temple, Banteay Srei, and while the temple was great, the hour drive out there was what made the trip. The road led through several villages full of bamboo huts, the greenest rice paddies imaginable, and Khmers going about their daily life – naked toddlers running around, kids herding cattle, old sarong-clad women preparing food over fires on the ground, men building/fixing/hauling all sorts of things. This isn’t some tourist setup, this is really how these people live. There were thousands of incredible photo opportunities, but you can’t go around pointing cameras at people. It’s an experience that will have to be preserved in our minds…
On the way back we had our driver stop at the Landmine Museum, an extremely soberng experience. It was set up by a guy who became a child soldier for the Khmer Rouge after they murdered his parents at age 5. He spent years laying landmines and has now devoted his life to removing them; the museum is also a residential school for children who have been victims of landmines , ensuring that they have food and an education and aren’t forced to do what most amputees have to do here – begging. The museum was a small, informal setup but made such an impression on me – one in every 200 Cambodians are missing limbs due to landmines, and there are still an estimated 3-6 million that have yet to be discovered and detonated. It’s sad and uncomfortable to realize that a majority of these mines were laid by Americans during the Vietnam War, and that most of the victims have been innocent children (look, a toy!) and farmers. This country has not had an easy past.
Yesterday we just relaxed and hung around Siem Reap, catching up on some reading, writing and rest. This morning we rented bikes once more and headed south, towards the Tonle Sap lake. There is apparently a floating village out there that you can hire boats to, but after having every other tuktuk driver try to convince us to go, we figured that it was a huge tourist trap and decided to just enjoy a bicycle ride. We stopped at a bakery for breakfast (thanks, French colonialism!) and headed out. As soon as we got through the chaotic roads of Siem Reap we found ourselves on a quiet, open road stretching through glowing rice paddies and lined with simple wooden shacks, open-air restaurants and lots of little kids running out, flashing radiant smiles and yelling “hello!” Then there was the old woman, pedaling along in her long colorful sarong, who laughed and challenged us to a race as we came up beside her. A bit later, as I stopped to take a photo, she caught up with Gabe and made certain that he knew to stop and wait for me. I think these are some of the friendliest, most genuine people that I’ve ever encountered.
We got down towards the lake and witnessed more genuine village life. Once we managed to brush off the guys trying to sell us a boat ride, it was an incredibly rewarding ride! It’s impossible to describe the poverty without actually being here – every one of these families live in a small thatch hut, hovering only inches above the water, and cram at least 8 people into each one. Most people set up a spread of random things/food to sell out front, the kids run around halfdressed but happy as can be, waving widely at us with the biggest smiles imaginable. The school and health center police station are all simple structures over the water as well, there are women on the roof of their huts laying out rows of fish to dry, men pounding giant piles of rice grain in small open shacks – you honestly have to see it for yourself to comprehend how little these people have and how their living/hygiene standards, in our eyes, don’t even begin to border on basic. Despite all of this, these people all wear radiant smiles, are obviously closer to their family than we can even begin to comprehend, and everyone gave out truly genuine, friendly greetings as we passed.
We’re planning to go visit a local orphange this afternoon, as they are always in need of some school supplies and people to come play with the kids a bit. I’m really looking forward to it – I don’t think that I have ever seen more adorable children than Í’ve seen here, and there are so many that need help. Over 40% of the population is under the age of 15, thanks to the massacres of the 1970s, and it’s impossible to not want to help in some way. This is definitely a place with a very unlucky history, but they certainly do whatever they can to make it, always in good spirits.
Tags: Angkor Wat, Cambodia, culture, poverty, Siem Reap, Travel, village
allisonrae
October 6th, 2008 at 12:03 am
[…] Original post by allisonrae […]
October 6th, 2008 at 6:41 am
Great writing, Allison. I almost feel like I am there. It sounds like you two are having a wonderful, eye opening experience and I can’t wait to hear about your next adventure.
Love,
Mom