Cambodia: Reflections
Experiencing Cambodia was amazing. Traveling through the country challenged me in ways I did not expect. Mostly, I struggled with the poverty we saw on the coast and the aggressiveness of the vendors, particularly the children. At first it was disturbing because I could not get passed thinking about what I saw through a western lens. Once I began to read about the country and her history, I realized that the Khmer people are working to rebuild Cambodia in their own way. The country suffered through inconceivable horror during the regime of the Khmer Rouge. Between 1975 and 1979, the Khmer Rouge wiped out nearly 40% of the country's population. About half of those that lost their lives were tortured and executed in cruel, unimaginable ways. The policies of the regime caused widespread famine and disease that resulted in millions of deaths. The wounds from the genocide that took place in Cambodia are still fresh, but there is no doubt in my mind that the Khmer people are working to restore their country.
I left Cambodia looking through a lens of survival, reconstruction, strength and beauty. Although the country's recent history is dark and horrifying, her ancient history holds the strength and beauty of the Khmer people. Angkor Wat and all the temples are a testament to that strength.
On our second day, we rode our bikes to the temples. It was a great ride. On our way to Angkor Wat, we took a brief detour into town, which gave us a passing, yet engaging view of life outside of the touristy dwellings. The "wrong turn" was quite treat for us. We were able to see how people live when tourists are not around and are not the focus. It was vibrant, colorful and very alive. Once we were back on the main road, we rode alongside about hundred uniformed students that were either going to or leaving school. That was also a treat. Everyone was very friendly. I felt light and free riding next to the kids, waving hello and smiling. I was also singing along to my ipod playlist, so they may have also been laughing at me. Either way, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
Some friends have expressed that Angkor is spiritual experience. I agree, except that my experience was more enveloped in awe than spirit. I felt very lucky to be able to see and touch something that was created thousands of years ago. There is no question that the Khmer people had vision and extraordinary talent. The temples are magnificent. It would have been wonderful to see the temples when they were first built.
Cambodia: Angkor Wat
It has been nearly one week since Carla and I began our Angkor Wat adventure. The views were breathtaking. Imagine temples built in the early 12th century, with details engraved on doorways, walls, columns, and ceilings that remain nearly intact.
On day one, our adventures began with a beautiful sunrise at Angkor Wat. After taking a few pictures and admiring the early sun, we set off to Angkor Thom. We stopped for breakfast at the stalls just outside of the Angkor Thom complex and made some friends with the kid vendors. The video below is a shot of one of our friends, Kogna. She was selling bracelets, "tres for un dollar," and speaking to us in English and Spanish. The kid vendors are very smart. They learn the same phrases in different languages to get tourists to buy their trinkets. When they first approach you, they try to guess what country you are from, but they could never place Carla or me because we spoke English and Spanish. We seemed like an anomaly to them. To most of the vendors, and apparently to most of Cambodia and Thailand, we look Indian. Most of the time, we explain that we are from the U.S. or from Chicago, but that never seems to satisfy their curiosity. At one point we simply decided to say we were from "other" home countries, Ecuador and Guatemala. The vendors had never heard of Ecuador or Guatemala, and we had fun drawing maps for the kids and explaining that we were from the other side of the world. See Kogna's video below. We enjoyed talking with her and returned to see her the next day.
On day one, our adventures began with a beautiful sunrise at Angkor Wat. After taking a few pictures and admiring the early sun, we set off to Angkor Thom. We stopped for breakfast at the stalls just outside of the Angkor Thom complex and made some friends with the kid vendors. The video below is a shot of one of our friends, Kogna. She was selling bracelets, "tres for un dollar," and speaking to us in English and Spanish. The kid vendors are very smart. They learn the same phrases in different languages to get tourists to buy their trinkets. When they first approach you, they try to guess what country you are from, but they could never place Carla or me because we spoke English and Spanish. We seemed like an anomaly to them. To most of the vendors, and apparently to most of Cambodia and Thailand, we look Indian. Most of the time, we explain that we are from the U.S. or from Chicago, but that never seems to satisfy their curiosity. At one point we simply decided to say we were from "other" home countries, Ecuador and Guatemala. The vendors had never heard of Ecuador or Guatemala, and we had fun drawing maps for the kids and explaining that we were from the other side of the world. See Kogna's video below. We enjoyed talking with her and returned to see her the next day.
Just outside of the vendor stalls was the Bayon Temple in the Angkor Thom complex. The temple has massive stone faces carved into the many towers of Bayon. We were the first arrive and I spent about 20 minutes exploring on my own without distractions or interruptions. It was amazing. Bayon is a maze. We spent two hours at Bayon, and about 30 minutes trying to find our way out. That was quite amusing.
On our second day, we rode our bikes to the temples. It was a great ride. On our way to Angkor Wat, we took a brief detour into town, which gave us a passing, yet engaging view of life outside of the touristy dwellings. The "wrong turn" was quite treat for us. We were able to see how people live when tourists are not around and are not the focus. It was vibrant, colorful and very alive. Once we were back on the main road, we rode alongside about hundred uniformed students that were either going to or leaving school. That was also a treat. Everyone was very friendly. I felt light and free riding next to the kids, waving hello and smiling. I was also singing along to my ipod playlist, so they may have also been laughing at me. Either way, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
Of all the temples, Angkor Wat is the best preserved. My favorite temple, however, was the women's temple, or Banteay Srey, the Citadel of Women built in 967 A.D. On our last day in Cambodia, Carla and I made the trek to the women's temple by tuk tuk, stopping to watch the sunrise near Bayon. Banteay Srey is about 40 minutes from Angkor Wat. We were the first visitors that morning and had the entire temple to ourselves to explore, roam and take in the wondrous sights.
Some friends have expressed that Angkor is spiritual experience. I agree, except that my experience was more enveloped in awe than spirit. I felt very lucky to be able to see and touch something that was created thousands of years ago. There is no question that the Khmer people had vision and extraordinary talent. The temples are magnificent. It would have been wonderful to see the temples when they were first built.
During the evenings, Carla and I enjoyed delicious meals, sometimes visiting three restaurants in one night, simply to try the different menus. But my absolute favorite meal was at one of the outdoor vendors at the Angkor Thom complex. After riding around for nearly four hours on our rented bikes, at times in the rain, all we wanted to do was eat and find shelter. The temples close at 5:30 pm and everyone begins to pack up around 4pm. That's when we arrived for lunch. We found our friend, Kogna, from the day before and she took us to her family's food stand. We were the last to eat in the entire complex and they basically whipped up whatever they had left over for the day. OMG. IT WAS THE BEST FOOD EVER. I had the cashew nut chicken. Sounds simple, but the Khmer spice is like nothing I have ever tried before. I am back in Thailand and have not felt as satisfied with food as I felt in Cambodia. Thinking of my cashew nut chicken still makes my mouth water. The best part was that we ate and enjoyed every bite while staring at the Bayon Temple (my second favorite temple experience).
Cambodia was amazing. I would recommend the trip to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat to anyone that travels to this side of the world. I am definitely anxious to return. If you are interested in seeing pictures...click below! Hugs to my friends and family...and if you wished you were with me while reading this entry and viewing the pictures, know that you were with me every step of the way.
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| Siem Reap Day One: Angkor Thom |
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| Angkor Wat Day Two |
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| Banteay Srey - Women's Temple |
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