Beaches, Buddies, Buddhism and Bones

We were especially excited about our journey to Cambodia as we would be traveling with our good friends Megan and Tom and their friends from Montreal, Dora, Jeff and Dave. On the morning of December 29th we woke Megan and Tom bright and early to say hello. They had arrived in Bangkok from Canada late the previous night. We were traveling by bus to Siem Reap and they were flying so we would meet them that evening in Cambodia but we were too excited to wait.

We shared the bus with several travelers who had escaped the devastation of the Tsunami; their stories and pictures were all too real. Otherwise, the bus ride through Thailand to the Cambodian border was uneventful. On the Cambodian side of the border we were met by dozens of young children and landmine victims, all pleading for money. The level of poverty was shocking and sad. Then we were transferred from a large VIP bus to a minibus for the remainder of the bumpy journey. We meet up with Megan, Tom and company only three hours late and enjoyed a few well deserved beers at an Irish pub in Siem Reap.

We set off early the next morning to explore the temples of Angkor. Although there are over 30 temples in and around Siem Reap, there are 5 considered to be the most important and impressive, the main one being Angkor Wat. We visited three temples over two days and learned all about the history of the temples from Dora (who was born in Cambodia). The elaborate carvings covering the walls, the statues found throughout each temple, the mazes of dark corridors, and the imposing towers make each of these massive stone temples a must see. Words simply cannot do these structures justice; it was truly an awe-inspiring experience.

The temples of Angkor were built between the 9th and 13th centuries and were left abandoned until their 'discovery' by a French naturalist in the mid 19th century. Can you imagine finding these amazing structures, considered to be one of the architectural wonders of the world, in the middle of the jungle? Sadly, we learned that the temples were found in much better condition than they are in today as many statue heads and carvings have been pilfered and sold to act galleries, private collections and museums worldwide. Today, the temples are much better guarded and there are ongoing efforts to restore the damage and collect the stolen pieces.

Siem Reap, where we stayed during our visit to Angkor, is a pleasant, French colonial town that seems to be growing at a rate faster than it can keep up. The majority of the roads are unsealed and weave in every which direction; it is obvious that the city is made up of a cluster of old villages. New guesthouses and funky cafes nestle among the local markets and traditional restaurants of the town. We enjoyed many great Cambodian meals (which is like a milder version of Thai food) and certainly benefited from traveling with a Cambodian who was able to translate for us. Thanks Dora!

For New Years' eve, one of the town's main roads was closed off for a street party, with all the restaurants and pubs setting tables on the street. At midnight, a series of floating candles were set off into air, which was beautiful, then the tables were moved and the dancing started. We shared buckets of Red Bull and Mekong Whiskey and danced all night with locals and other travelers until we called it a night around 4 am. It was so much fun! The party was still in full swing when we left (gotta love the Red Bull). It was definitely one our most memorable and enjoyable New Year's to date.

On New Year's Day, we set off by taxi for Sihanoukville (a beach town on the south west coast of Cambodia). Our kamikaze driver had no fear of passing rows of trucks at high speeds on blind corners and blind hills, he just leaned on the horn and gave 'er. At first we were terrified and eventually it became perversely funny until finally we barely noticed the near head on collisions with trucks, motorbikes and various animals. It was definitely a good hangover cure! Seven hours later we arrived in Sihanoukville.

Like Siem Reap, Sihanoukville is developing very quickly in an effort to keep up with the floods of tourists that have come to Cambodia since the border was opened in the late 80's; there is certainly no shortage of restaurants and bars along the beaches of the town. We stayed in bungalows set along a cliff (Cloud 9) at the end of Serendipity beach. The beach is home to many local homeless children who make their living from visiting travelers and tourists by selling fruit and souvenirs, collecting cans and bottles, and eating any leftovers offered to them. Although it is very sad, we were amazed at how they still manage to laugh and play like any other children, and always smiling. They were very cute.
We had a great time in Sihanoukville. During our stay, we enjoyed some beach time with great swims in the warm, deep, sandy bottomed ocean; we rented motor bikes and explored the area including visits to other beaches, temples and look off points; we went on a boat trip and tried some snorkeling (although Tracey and Megan were freaked out by some little fish that hovered around us so they called it quits early and relaxed on the boat); and of course we sampled some of the local beers and delicious Cambodian fare. At night, we usually ate dinner on the beach and then spent the rest of the evening keeping the owners and other guests of Cloud 9 company as we played drinking games around the horseshoe bar. We even celebrated Megan's and Tracey's 30th birthdays on the beach with a deluxe picnic, courtesy of Tom and Jay, complete with French wine, a selection of cheese, French bread and crackers, some chocolate puff cookies for cake and birthday hats. You can't top that one! We stayed in Sianoukville with Megan and Tom for almost two weeks. Jeff and Dora left earlier to visit relatives of Dora's and Dave only had two weeks off work.

On January 12th, we traveled by bus to Phnom Penh for the final leg of our Cambodian travels where we toured the Genocide Museum (S-21) and the Killing Fields to learn about history of the Cambodian Genocide. Between 1975-1979 the Khmer Rouge (KR) Regime implemented a radical and brutal restructuring of Cambodia with the goal of forcing the entire population to work in the countryside as peasants. While in power, the KR was responsible for the death of an estimated 2 million people (more than 20 percent of the country's population), through execution, famine and disease.

The experience of touring the Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields was horrific and depressing. The Genocide Museum (S-21) is a converted high school that was used as a center of detention and torture during the KR regime; over 1700 people (including children and elderly) were held there for an average of 2 to 4 month and then brought to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek where they were killed and buried in mass graves. The Genocide Museum (S-21) is still set up as it was during the KR Regime with interrogation rooms and tiny detention cells. Each prisoner that passed through the S-21was photographed and these pictures along with many instruments of torture are on display. In the Killing Fields, the remains of the 9000 people have been exhumed from communal graves and their skulls are on display in a Memorial Stupa. There are also fragments of bone and clothing scattered throughout the fields. It is unbelievable that this level of horror took place during our life time and so few people know anything about it.

Our trip to Cambodia was filled with so many mixed emotions. We had an amazing time touring the incredible temples and relaxing on the beach with a great group of friends. We enjoyed the bustling centers and appreciated the friendly people throughout the country. However, the level of poverty across the country was heart wrenching and the gruesome history of genocide was shocking. And still, Cambodians, obviously very resilient, are famous for their smiles. The experience really put life into perspective for us.


Note - We have added more pictures to the previous blog.

---

---