We usually carry a cheat sheet with us when we visit a country. The cheat sheet would have all the key phrases to help us during our journey such as: hello, how are you, may I order a... etc. and I have used it extensively in Thailand and Laos. But I am ashamed to say that I still can’t say hello in Khmer. I found myself to not make much of an effort to start a conversation with the locals in their language until I run out of vocabulary. This is due to the fact that they make a bigger effort in speaking English to me so that I don’t have to speak Khmer.
Go to a big city like Siem Reap or the capital Phnom Penh, most people all speak English if they are conducting a business. At least they know the basics, which is much more than I can speak in Khmer.
Siem Reap is a beautiful city of 160 000 people. It is a multi cultural city with influences coming from India, Australia, China, Vietnam and of course France. The hotels are luxurious, the streets are clean and the young people are very up to date with the country’s latest fashion which by the way includes women wearing pyjamas in public. Yes, the pj is a legit casual wear in town. It’s very odd to see a mid-30 year old women serving you food at her restaurant. The colourful Mickey Mouse pattern must inspire prosperous business or something :o) This place is a transit place for people wishing to witness one of the wonders of the world: Angkor.
Gen and I rented a bike and bought a 3-day pass to visit the main temples in Angkor. There are about a hundred of temples to visit, of course they are all ruins now because these were built in the 8th century. We had a really wonderful time riding in Angkor. The roads of Angkor are peaceful, scenic and smooth. We had the privilege to be among the really beautiful historic ruins that were built by someone’s own hand and sweat. No machinery. From the front gate to the top stuppa via the 6m walls and pillars, everything was hand carved and artistically precise. We were so amazed at some of the art and dimension of the temples. My favourite was Preah Khan. This one is so old that trees had grown from underneath the walls and meshed with the temple in a very symbiotic way. At other spots, the trees simply lifted or pushed the walls out of the way. These trees are massive! Check out the photos and you’ll get a better understanding of the picture I am trying to draw. We took a few hundred photos that day! Ta Phrom came to a close second on my favourite list. This temple seems to be completely destroyed by the huge tree roots. There were blocks of sandstone spread everywhere on the ground. This temple was also made popular when they shot Tomb Raider with Angelina Jolie.
Angkor Wat – The oh so famous Angkor Wat. I would say this one is the best kept temple of all. The walls are still up and in great condition. The hallways are long and endless. This temple is huge!!! Although it is the most famous one of all, I did not enjoy it as much. It didn’t have all the carving precision of the older ones, actually it didn’t have half of the carving of the other ones. I didn’t feel the history when I roamed the hallway or the terraces. There was just no presence for me. Don’t get me wrong, it is still a magnificent building. But you can feel my disappointment when you look at my Angkor Wat photo album: there are mostly pictures of Gen and I goofing around. One thing I wish I had was a kick ass camera; one that would capture the lighting of a sunrise and a sunset. There were thousands of us at the sunrise (i.e. we were up at 4:15 am and hit the road in the dark on our one gear bike to be there at 5:15 am) and I was so jealous of the people with their expensive SLR’s. I would peek over their shoulders to see the end result of their sunrise shot and I quickly realize my 5 year old point and shoot Canon was no competition :o)
Phnom Penh – This is my favourite place in Cambodia. It is a very big city of 1.5 million Khmers. It is a very vibrant city with its multi-ethnicity. The Royal Palace is just sensational from outside (we didn’t want to pay $12 to go in). The streets are wide and busy. The traffic is just like the one in Bangkok, oh how much we miss it :o) The tuk-tuk drivers are friendly and are always too willing to pull a u-turn through the 4 lanes to offer you a ride. The thing I love the most about Phnom Penh is how active and social the locals are. There is a really big public park (5 blocks long) near our guesthouse, it has a green and lush garden. The flowers are well maintained and it’s super clean. We like to go there at night to observe people come with friends to play badminton, soccer or run around the park to exercise. People run in their business suit, their shorts and of course their pyjamas too. There are at least 2 aerobic classes running simultaneously at different places in the park. And later in the evening, groups of hundreds of teenagers gather at different locations to dance. The music would start and a designated “instructor” would lead and show the moves while the rest of the hundred other would follow his every move like a shadow. Hip hop seems to be the music of choice. If you need a break, there are food vendors one the street along the park. It is truly a very fun evening activity.
On a sadder note, we visited the killing field where 2 million people were brutally murdered by the Khmer Rouge. We were very sad to learn about how this regime brutally changed the country and its history. Speaking to our guide and a tuk-tuk driver, I can see they were still affected by this and I think it would take a very long time if this will ever be forgotten. Some moved on but others still remain very cautious about a possible second coup. I would encourage you to do your own research on this subject if you’re interested in genocides and crime against humanity stories. You will have a different perspective of some of the pictures I’ve taken during the visit. Gen also visited S-21, the prison where they held the hostages and tortured them.
Phnom Penh is our last stop in Cambodia. It was a brief visit but I am not totally disappointed because this means I get to visit my home country and meet my mother and sister very soon. My mom and sister are meeting us in Vietnam and we’ll tour the country together for three weeks. I am excited to meet my relatives and also my home country for the first time as an adult. My family left when I was only 4. I’m now 35. On April 10th, Gen and I will set foot in Chau Doc past the Cambodia-Vietnam border on the Vietnamese soil. Wish me luck.
