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Published: December 8th 2009
It’s 5:30am and we are crammed onto the damp dirt on the water’s edge along with the hordes of other tourists. Cameras are ready. Tea and coffee are being peddled by the locals. A few lucky people are seated in plastic chairs, but it’s standing room only for the rest of us. We are all here for the sunrise at Angkor Wat, Cambodia’s crown jewel of a temple and one of many intricate ancient temples built at this site. Angkor Wat is home to a collection of temples that were built by various ancient rulers--each trying to out do the other. Angkor Wat is claimed to be one of the largest religious sites in the world and is certainly on every traveler’s must-see list for Cambodia.
The sky slowly turns purple and then a soft pink. Cameras flash. Both people and the bugs seem to buzz with excitement. “Oh, look at the color on those lily pads,” I hear one person say in an English accent. “Would you look at that!“ another exclaims. All around me people push each other trying to get the perfect picture--trying to capture this not-so-intimate moment. But Angkor Wat is patient. In this soft light,
it’s distinct figure silhouetted against the sky looks majestic and commanding. It really is spectacular. The Cambodians should be proud of this, I think to myself.
We stay to stare at Angkor Wat long after the crowds have cleared. We want to savor it. Sitting face to face with Cambodia’s pride, I consider the contrast between it and Cambodia’s dark past. I am ashamed to admit that I knew precious little about Cambodia’s recent history until our visit to Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s charming riverside capital city. As a harsh introduction to Cambodia’s terrifying past we toured two very emotionally-intense sites that illuminated in horrifying detail the mass killings, torture, and ultimate defilement of a nation under the Khmer Rouge: Toul Seleng (a.k.a. S-21 or the torture museum) and the Killing Fields.
The Khmer Rouge came to power after the overthrow of Lol Nol‘s corrupt (and US-government-backed) reign in 1975. The Khmer Rouge stormed in to Phnom Penh on April 17th, 1975 and forced mass evaluation. The old, the young, and infirmed fled to the fields and the surrounding countryside to seek refuge from the rogue, lawless soliders. In protest against the gentrification of and the capitalistic tendencies of
contempary Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge spearheaded an uprising of the lower class against the upper, educated class. In times of desperation and tremendous poverty, the leader, Pol Pot, readily garnered the support of poor, uneducated farmers and peasants to eliminate all things and people deemed “unpure.” All doctors, lawyers, engineers, educators, law enforcement officials, artists, and other worldly individuals were displaced from the cities, often separated from their families, and eventually killed--leading to the death of nearly one quarter of Cambodia’s population. Operating under the philosophy that “to remove the grass you need to also remove the roots,” entire families were targeted and systematically exterminated. Some were sent to work camps to work to death, others starved to death, and some were tortured to death. Children were brutally killed in front of their mothers--some were beaten to death against what was termed “the killing tree” near Phnom Penh.
Staring at the majestic Angkor Wat, it is hard to imagine such a grizzly past. Imagine an entire nation deprived of social, medical, educational, and artistic advances. Imagine the elimination of all educated people. What lasting impact--economically, psychologically, culturally--does this have on a county, I wonder. How does a country recover
from that?
With this in mind, we tread lightly in Cambodia. I begin to imagine Cambodia as a county with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It requires a patience and a kindness that other countries have not needed. We endure endless offers from touts with grace and gingerly decline their services. We readily thank everyone we can for any help offered. When we catch someone’s eye, we smile and nod hello. We read historical and autobiographical accounts of the Khmer Rouge’s reign. This is a country that could use a little extra T.L.C.
Still, it is not all doom and gloom in this tiny country. In fact, very much the opposite. Cambodia has emerged from underneath the rubble of wartime destruction, wiped the dirt from their hands, bandaged their wounds, and--slowly, gingerly--began the process of re-building a nation. They are a country in transition--and this is evident in everything we see: the dark past and bright future sitting comfortably together.
On one of our many tuk-tuk rides, the pocked road violently rocks the tuk-tuk carriage, the tuk-tuk groans in response, and the driver white knuckles as we press through. A series of ramshackle huts stream by the open
tuk-tuk window. Shirtless, skinny men wade into the water to fish. Women vigorously scrub clothing under the shade of the trees. Dogs chase the tuk-tuk, but quickly succumb to the oppressive heat and dusty roads.
As we leave the bustle of the city behind, the countryside opens up around us. Suddenly, we are surrounded by children at every turn. Their tiny faces crack into huge white smiles. They wave frantically--calling out in English, “Hello!!” A returned wave or smile renders them elated. They giggle and wave with even greater vigor. “Hello,” they call again as we pass--not knowing the proper way to bid someone goodbye. This happens over and over. Pierce and I are giddy almost immediately--infected by their joyous faces and bright smiles. We cannot wave or call ‘hello’ fast enough. Even the older people smile and wave at us. Women shift babies around to another hip and wave. Men nod their heads and sometimes child-like smiles pass over their sun-hardened faces. By the time we arrive at our destination, we are irrepressibly grinning from all of the positive energy. I joke that I feel as if we are in a parade. These are the images of Cambodia
I hope to remember--a little country with a sorrowful past that is still somehow filled with smiling children and a little bit of hope for a better future.
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truggles
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overwelmed
I am so overwelmed with all that you are experiencing. Again, this should be documented in a travel magazine or guide book. CR and I were watching something recently on Nat. Geo. channel about Cambodia's floating cities and Angkor Wat. You have sparked my curiousity.......My best wishes, mama Teri