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Bayon, Siem Reap
The impressive Bayon Temple within the walls of Angkor Thom. Without doubt my favourite temple second only to Angkor Wat. The flight from Pakse (Laos), had been quite pleasant overall, there had been a bit of turbulence along the way, which at most had caused my coffee to leap over the cup rim and then belly flop onto my food tray. Luckily though, the stewardess was quick on hand with a cloth before it could take a further dive over the sides and onto my clean light coloured North Face trousers. As we circled before making our final approach into Siem Reap airport I could get my first glimpse of Cambodia. Surprisingly it looked quite green, not the dry dust bowl I had been led to believe by other travellers I had spoken to recently. In fact, large areas of land were made up of large numbers of green palm trees, but were however, spaced by patches of very red soil, this red so bright and vivid in intensity of colour it was rather like fine red brick dust. Once landed the airport was spacious, modern and clean and I had my visa issued to me within 10 minutes, the same amount of time later I was at the desk arranging transport into the town centre. There are really only
Avalokiteshvara
There are 216 of these gargantuan faces watching over visitors in this memeorable temple. 2 options, a cab for $5 or a moped taxi for $1, having sat on the back of many motos recently I opted for the moped. I hopped on the back wearing my rucksack, the driver put my camera bag in front of him and in the pouring rain we buzzed along the busy roads weighed down heavily and precariously into town. My driver introduced himself as Chea, I already knew what his next question was going to be, better still I even knew the next 3 questions in succession, I had been in this situation many times now, so was really adept at how things are done in Asia. I was actually counting on him to ask me them as it would save me wasting time haggling later, better to do the negotiating immediately, then get on with seeing the sights and taking pictures. ‘No’ I replied to his first question, ‘I had nowhere to stay, (I had seen a place in my guidebook but I had no intention of going there),’ of course he knew somewhere better and cheaper. I knew that he probably would and was counting on him for just that. He gets a small commission
Buddha Calling
Monks prepare to take a call from Buddha or maybe they are just late for dinner! from the guesthouse, a little bonus for every person he takes there, we are talking cents or a dollar at the most, so I use the word ‘commission‘ very broadly here.
He then asked the usual pleasantries; where was I from, was it my first time in Cambodia, where had I been and what I intended to see whilst in Siem Reap. I then knwe it was time to negotiate with him. I told him the temples I wished to see over the next 3 days and he quickly assured me I would need a good driver to get me to all these places. He could take me off the beaten track to see some other sights that I would find interesting and away from the main tourist routes. I knew that these moto drivers rely on getting further business from tourists, there are so many of them that they are regulated and can only work the airport every 3 days. Therefore its imperative they find on-going business for the next 3 days otherwise they will have to sit and wait earning no money until their next rotor at the airport. So we spent the next 15 minutes negotiating
Detail
Attention to detail was incredible and many figures are carved into the temple frames and walls. and haggling over price. I’m not one of these tourists that will literally beat the guy to the smallest amount of money to get the maximum amount of value. Unfortunately, tourists have made a rod for all travellers backs, negotiating hard with these drivers as tourists have done so in the past only compounds problems for the rest of us. By trying to get the best price possible only perpetuates a bad feeling with the locals and they blatantly will try to ‘take you for a ride‘ at every opportunity available. The harder you push, the harder it will be on you in the long run. We have to understand that we are westerners in a poor Asian country, we earn more money in a year than most will ever earn or see in a lifetime. They know this so of course they start with a very high price, knowing that they will have to come down lower to get business. My outlook is somewhat different, better to build a temporary relationship from the start based on mutual respect. I think a fair price has to be secured in which both parties have to agree consciously not to be too
Blessing
This lady blessed me at Bayon, the statue of Buddha is at least 500 years old. greedy, I understand everyone has needs, but I'm not everyones personal ATM machine. In Asia most individuals I have met desperately spend everyday of the week looking for a way to earn their meal each day. So it’s important to treat people as people, haggling over just $1 or $2 for 10/15 minutes for a whole day's driving really doesn’t buy you anything other than bad feeling. After 2 months of travelling and negotiating Asia I have learnt it’s better to have some respect for the individual in question, you get to know what is a fair price to pay and what definitely is not. Being fair will also reap you an added benefit, a more amiable driver is also an important source of local/historical information - and that comes free!. So Chea and I agreed the terms of securing his moto services, a daily rate for the next 3 days and he also found me a cheap, clean guesthouse in the heart of town. That, I would regard as a mutual exchange, he’s happy and has business for the next 3 days and I can relax and enjoy the sights and temples of Siem Reap, the aggravation and haggling
Angkor Wat
The impressive Angkor Wat seen from the air by hot air balloon. By far the most impressive and one of the most amazing man-made wonders of the world. out of the way.
At this point I’m going to give you a little background on Cambodia, some of its incredible past and more recent turbulent history because they both influence this blog and it‘s title. I’m sure most of you are well aware of the Pol Pot atrocities but Cambodia has also had the most extraordinary of historical pasts in SE Asia.
Back in the good old days things were good in Cambodia, culminating in the vast and impressive Khmer empire of the Angkorian era, known for it’s unrivalled achievements in architecture and sculpture. It began in 802 under the rule of Jayavarman II, who established a new state religion ‘devaraja’ or God King. As vast irrigation systems were facilitated there was intense cultivation around Angkor, allowing Khmers to maintain a densely populated, highly centralised state that controlled vast areas of territory across the region. His vision for architecture and of creating a holy Mecca around Siem Reap created enormous building projects, of course as with all empires the cracks eventually began to appear. Hugely overambitious construction projects, distant outposts and increasingly belligerent neighbours began to weaken the Angkor Empire. In 1432, Thailand raided and sacked Angkor,
Angkor Wat
As seen from the ground this time, even now I still get goose bumps looking at the pictures and it's shear magestic size. stealing many precious statues and artefacts, the city was abandoned and moved to Phnom Penh the new capital. However, both the Thai and Vietnamese kingdoms continued to steadily and persistently occupy areas of Cambodia by force. Things started to get steadily worse and by the mid 19th century the kingdom of Cambodia was in danger of being completely squeezed off the map and sadly the Khmer empire period was finally over. It was the French who preserved the borders establishing a protectorate from 1864, however the French were more interested in Vietnam’s economic potential and left Cambodia to fester. Cambodia’s young King Norodom Sihanouk campaigned for independence from the French which was finally granted in 1953, he then dominated Cambodian politics for the next 15 years as prime minister, chief of state and king. However, Sihanouk’s erratic and repressive policies alienated both left and right, the army overthrew him in 1970 and he fled to Beijing. Under pressure from the Chinese he sided with Cambodia’s weak rebels the communist Khmer Rouge and dramatically bolstered their political support. Cambodia was sucked into the Vietnam conflict in the 70’s as the US secretly carpet-bombed suspected communist base camps, finally American and Southern
Bayon
As seen from the front this time, I spent nearly 4 hours exploring this temple and its long inner corridors. Vietnamese troops invaded the country to root out the communist forces. They failed and savage fighting soon engulfed the entire country ending only when Phnom Penh fell to the Khmer Rouge on 17th April 1975 just two weeks before the fall of Saigon. Even darker times were to fall on Cambodia, after taking Phnom Penh, the Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot’s leadership, committed one of the most heinous revolutions the world has ever seen. It was declared as ‘Year Zero’ and Cambodia was to become a Maoist, peasant-dominated co-operative. During the next four years, hundreds of thousands of people, including the vast majority of the country’s educated people were relocated to the countryside, tortured to death or executed in ‘killing fields‘ all across Cambodia. Thousands of people who spoke another language or simply wore spectacles were branded as ‘parasites’ and systematically killed. Accurate numbers cannot be known but it is believed that between 1975 and 1979 as many as three million may have died as a direct result of the policies of the Khmer Rouge. In 1978 Vietnam invaded and overthrew the Khmer Rouge, who fled westward into the jungles bordering Thailand. In the subsequent chaos, millions of Cambodians set
Guards
Staues lining the bridge to Angkor Thom seem to act as guards, they seem to be pulling a rope like a 'tug of war' team. off on foot to search for family members who may have survived the apocalypse. There was a further cruel twist of fate as crops wilted and a severe famine in 1979 and 1980 killed hundreds of thousands more. The Khmer Rouge maintained a guerrilla war throughout the 1980’s financed by China and Thailand (and US indirect support) against the Vietnamese backed government in Phnom Penh.
In 1991 a peace accord was signed in Paris which enabled UN-administered elections in 1993. Norodom Sihanouk once again became king but the government was a volatile joint coalition of Prince Norodom Ranariddh’s Funcinpec party and Hun Sen’s CCP party. Both were co-prime ministers, however the real power was wielded by Hun Sen whom the Vietnamese had originally installed. After bickering intensified between the two Hun Sen overthrew Ranariddh during a July 1997 coup, Ranariddh eventually came back as head of the National Assembly in a later deal. It wasn’t until 1998 that the Khmer Rouge was finally put to rest after it was decimated by a series of mass defections. Two decades had passed since the tragic revolution began and a court was created to bring surviving members to trial but bureaucratic bickering
Dancing Girls
Detail from Angkor Wat, brilliantly executed sensual carvings of dancing goddesses. stalled its start. It was already too late and Pol Pot escaped punishment when he died in 1998.
Phew! that was somewhat exhausting to keep it even this brief as an overview for you. So Cambodia today is at a crossroads on it’s journey to recovery, from the brutal years of Khmer Rouge rule to the meddling of neighbours and uneasy alliances of more powerful nations. It’s clear the people want long-term forward progress but the elite and well-educated seem intent on short-term gain, corruption and power. King Sihanouk surprised the world recently by passing his throne to his relatively unknown son King Sihamoni, a former ballet dancer. It is Hun Sen though who really wears the crown and continues to weald all the power. Despite loosing an eye in the battle of Phnom Penh in 1975 he has never lost sight of his ultimate control. He recently removed parliamentary immunity enabling him to arrest politicians accusing him of corruption, after it was alleged that he paid a US$30m bribe to Ranariddh in 2004. So with a poorly educated electorate and the opposition under his thumb, it appears that ‘in the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is
Ta Prohm
Ta Prohm looks like it fell out of a movie set, in fact it was used in Tomb Raider and Two Brothers recently. king!’.
Oh!, I nearly forgot. There’s just one important thing that one has to be mindful of; mines, mortars and bombs. Cambodia is still one of the most heavily mined countries in the world, an estimated 4 to 6 million of these ‘active enemies’ litter the countryside. You are always reminded that under no circumstances is it safe to stray from well marked-paths, even stepping away from the roadside can have nasty consequences and possibly ruin your day. Organisations are working throughout the country to clear these deadly assassins, but even with their limited presence, the most common way a landmine is discovered is when a man, woman or child steps on it!
It all sounds a lot worse than the actual reality, but knowing something of this country’s past prepares you for the things you are going to see. I saw some of the hardest and most terrible things that one human being can afflict on another human being at the ‘killing fields‘ and genocide museum. Some of you may find my writing and pictures disturbing later in this blog, they may be both disturbing to read and see for those really sensitive of souls. I wasn’t
The All-Devouring Jungle
Tentacle like roots of mature trees slowly strangle the stonework. It took an incredible 80,000 people to maintain this temple. hardened to these sights as I experienced them firsthand for myself, quite the opposite I was moved immensely as were many tourists whom I saw crying at the S21 detention centre. You will read how I felt and see some of what I saw ‘the good, the sad and the ugly,’ please don’t shy away but read on and look at the pictures. Just like you and I, these were ordinary people; men, women, young boys and girls, children and even babies. Their voices can no longer be heard but the pictures of their faces are on display and their stories are written on the walls for all to read and they are not forgotten. Like all atrocities that take place in this world we should remember.
The Good
So picking up from where I left off (for those still following the story that now seems a mere distant memory) Chea and I rode off to see my first temple. Beng Mealea is a truly abandoned temple, it’s about 70km northeast of Siem Reap on reasonable dirt roads when it’s dry or very unreasonable when it’s wet. Luckily, the rain had stopped and we raced along the main
Terrace of Elephants
The terraces central stairway held up by garudas (mythical human birds) and lion headed figures guard the top of the staircase. highway, (in fact there is only one main road that runs the entire length of Cambodia), before turning off onto a side road which took us through many small villages and farm land. Chea’s moped was a 120cc Suzuki so it was pretty quick despite my heavy western frame sitting on the back, at times we raced along the main highway at over 90kmh even overtaking slower traffic. It’s important to bear in mind that safety isn’t a priority here, or for that matter any country in SE Asia, using any form of transport is putting responsibility for your life and/or limbs into someone else’s complete control and trust. I had no crash helmet because there simply wasn‘t one to be had, even if I was wearing one to protect my head, I was only wearing shorts and vest top, it was too hot to wear anything more appropriate. I think it’s fairly safe to assume that if Chea lost control of his driving at any time it would result in messy consequences for us both. We finally arrived safely at the temple, on entering the site my first impression was noticing that the jungle has pretty much reclaimed large
Terrace of the Leper King
Detail of the wall found in the hidden trench behind the front retaining wall, not many tourists find this spot. sections of the temple. Large limestone blocks lay in massive piles and roof’s have collapsed inwards, into what would have been impressive long stone corridors. I was also told by a guide that the Khmer Rouge was responsible for deliberately destroying the central main tower (once standing well over 30m tall now reduced to a very large pile of rubble) and other areas as part of it’s ridiculous re-education programme to forget the cultural past. I climbed up and over large blocks and into long dark passageways that still echoed footsteps of the past (okay maybe they were just my own) but there is the feeling that this was once a special place, it has an aura about it and you can feel ‘an atmosphere.’ This was once a place where people came in their thousands to pray and respect their Gods, evidence is everywhere as intricate carvings of deities can still clearly be seen on scattered blocks, simply touching them makes you tingle with excitement. Due to it’s remote location few tourists journey here and that’s exactly the reason why I chose it as my first temple to visit. It may not be as impressive as those I was
Terrace of the Leper King
Carvings that look nearly as fresh as if they'd been carved only yesterday, in fact they are centuries old. to see over the next 3 days but nonetheless it left me with the impression that something important had happened here in this area. A sophisticated society that excelled in art and architecture had once flourished, one that paid extraordinary attention to the smallest of details. I had been impressed by Beng Mealea, it had been an excellent hors d'oeuvre, I was so excited with the anticipation of next day to arrive I hardly slept that night. I knew when I planned this trip all those months ago this was going to be one of the highlights for me. No more staring at photographs in a book, no more wishing one day I would go there, no more wondering what it would be like, right now I was actually here in Cambodia. The next day simply couldn’t come soon enough, tomorrow I would see one of the most impressive manmade wonders of the world. I secretly hoped that I wasn’t to be disappointed as I had been in China and kept pushing the thought away - The Temples of Angkor were beckoning.
At 8am Chea picked me up and we joined a long procession of motos, taxis, buses, private
Temple
These temple paths would once have been crowded with worshipers from all over the Khmer kingdom. cars and push bikes, it seemed as though thousands of people were filing along the main road leading to the main entrance gate. I purchased a 3 day entry ticket for $40 and we set off into the Angkor world heritage site. My time had arrived to be overwhelmed by divine inspiration! The first thing that struck me as well drove along the road was the size of the trees that lined these roads, they were immense both in terms of width and sheer height, I felt as though I was in a prehistoric Jurassic Park forest. These tree-lined avenues are so wide that paths run parallel to the road on either side, lines of elephants stroll these paths carrying tourists in boxes on their backs around the temples. Chea decided Angkor Thom should be our first temple as Angkor Wat would already be busy with tourists and as we rounded a corner there it was, there was Angkor Wat. It‘s sheer size simply takes your breath away, it is one of the most inspired and spectacular monuments ever conceived by human kind, I was absolutely astonished as I stared at it and felt instantly overwhelmed. It was and remains
Steep
This gives you some idea how steep and narrow the staircases are, no doubt made for Asian feet rather than western feet. the singularly most impressive sight I have seen on my travels but more of Angkor Wat soon enough. We passed by and continued along the tree lined road until we reached one of the five monumental gates of Angkor Thom. We crossed a bridge or causeway to the gate it was lined with a row of statues on either side, figures that looked as though they were pulling a long rope (like a tug-of-war team) and passing it to the one behind them. It also felt as though they were pulling you towards the main gate’s entrance. Four huge faces of Avalokiteshvara stared menacingly and eerily downwards from the top of the main gate, as though watching you and guarding the entrance to the fortified city of Angkor Thom, again I was overwhelmed by size and sheer scale. Even the city walls that adjoined the gate stretch more than 12km and are 6m high and 8m wide all the way around the city. Behind these walls are some of the most amazing and important monuments including Bayon, Baphuon, the Terrace of Elephants and Terrace of the Leper King. By far the most impressive is Bayon, this temple has 216 huge
Long Gone
A scene reminiscent of a long since departed age, a monk takes a stroll around one of the temples. faces of Avalokiteshvara that today watch and preside over visitors rather than the worshippers of the past. It was built around 1200 by Jayavarman VII in the exact centre of the city. Some historians believe the faces bear a resemblance to the king himself, a touch of immortality, a way of keeping an eye on his subjects eternally from the heavens even after his death. This temple was stunning and I wandered around its long dark corridors exploring the inner sanctums and courtyards, climbing steadily up onto the different levels until I reached the top. A central tower now contains a Buddha statue that tourists are encouraged to part with a dollar in exchange for a blessing. In fact all the temples have Buddha statues, Cambodia is now a deeply Buddhist religious country, when Angkor was originally built it was predominately Hindu. The view of the surrounding forest and the avenue that leads to further temples is wonderful, however by the time I had reached the top so had large parties of tourist groups. It was a feat to take pictures without hoards of people but sitting still at your chosen spot for 10 mins sees them move on and
Forever Praying
The people may have long gone but their image remains immortalised within the walls. Another reminder of this areas holy 'mecca' connections. able to take photos freely, just before the next group arrive.
I then moved onto the Terrace of Elephants, climbing staircases of three-headed elephants and walls adorned with huge bas-reliefs of elephants in hunting scenes flank this monumental terrace’s central stairway. The terrace itself is 300m long and was originally topped with wooden pavilions decorated with gold-framed widows. It was used a giant spectator stand for public ceremonies and parades as well as serving as the king’s grand audience hall. The Terrace of the Leper King is just north of the Terrace of Elephants and is a carved 6m high platform. On top stands a mysterious statue, some believe its Yama, the god of death, others say its Yasovarman, a Khmer ruler who died of leprosy. The most spectacular part here for was the carvings of evil-looking figures found in a hidden trench behind the front wall. They look as if they had been carved the day before and due to the floor being flooded with ankle deep water no tourists dared venture in here and I had as much time as I wanted to admire and take pictures. I spent the whole day being driven by Chea from
Face
The haunting face of Avalokiteshvara seems to follow you everywhere. temple to temple I must have visited nearly every single temple in Angkor, I absolutely relished every moment. Ta Prohm also stands out as one of the best, it was used as a set in both films Tomb Raider and Two Brothers, whilst many of the temples have been preserved this one has been left much as it looked when the French explorers discovered it a century ago. The jungle is slowly reclaiming the temple, massive tentacle like tree roots are slowly strangling the stonework buildings, the trees rise above hallways in places making great pictures as you will see. According to ancient inscriptions it took an incredible 80,000 people to maintain this temple! It was a hot and exhausting day and about an hour before sunset I arrived at Angkor Wat. Soaring skyward it’s five towers dominate the skyline and surrounded by a huge moat, it’s a magnificent sight as it rises out of the surrounding jungle. I proceeded to walk across the long bridge that spans the moat, I could feel the excitement flood through my body causing my heart to beat abnormally faster. I walked slowly and made everyone fade out until in my mind I was
Jungle Explorer
'Dr Livingstone I presume.' No, just me getting hung up on the local roots. the only one here, I envied and appreciated the man that was responsible for creating and making his vision an architectural reality and therefore himself immortal - Suryavarman II. Some people believe the walk from it’s outer causeway to it’s inner confines is a symbolic trip back to the universe’s creation. To others it replicates the spatial universe in miniature, the Hindu’s mythical Mt Meru is the central tower, the smaller towers - the lesser peaks, surrounded by continents - the lower courtyards, and finally the oceans - the moat. The seven-headed serpents or Naga along the causeway are an emblematic bridge for man to reach the abode of the gods. I felt there was huge significance and spiritual theme at the core of this temples creation, I felt very small and humbled against this massive religious backdrop. The whole Angkor area has a permeable spiritual theme that seems to reside even in the very air that you are breathing and I would challenge anyone as soul-less not to feel inclined towards those same religious feelings that I was having. This is after-all the largest religious building ever built in the world!
Angkor Wat was built by Suryavarman II
Naga
The seven-headed Naga or serpent heads that stand guard around the temples. (1112-52) to honour the patron deity Vishnu and was to be his funerary temple. The central temple consists of three separate and elaborate levels, each enclosed by a square in turn surrounded by interlinked galleries. Four shorter towers dominate each corner of the this square’s level, before rising 31m above the third level and 55m above the ground level is the core central tower. Surrounding the central temple complex is an 800m long series of exquisite bas-reliefs, the most notable is titled the Churning of the Ocean of Milk in the east gallery. This carving depicts 88 asura (demons) on the left and 92 deva (gods) with crested helmets on the right, churning up the seas to extract the elixir of immortality. I saw this carving as the sun began to set casting colours of gold and pinks across its carved surface no superlatives can describe it‘s sheer brilliance. I climbed the different levels and walked the long corridors and galleries and was amazed at its construction, large blocks of limestone and sandstone, so neatly joined that even today no cracks or gaps appear between them. This temple above all others was built with love, care and attention to every
Exquisite
Another example of fine carving, these impressed me nearly as much as the architecture. single detail, built to last an eternity by craftsman who would even have the Egyptian Pharaohs envious. This is a city built entirely on the perfect fusion of creative ambition and spiritual devotion, the Khmer’s created a vast, political and social centre of an empire. An empire that stretched from Burma to Vietnam, a city which at it’s zenith boasted a population of one million when London was a small collection of scrawny buildings of 50,000 inhabitants. I climbed to the final level and the base of the fifth tower and watched the sun slowly set, it wasn’t hard to reflect on how the worshippers would have marvelled at this same sight, maybe they had indeed created a way to touch nirvana here on earth. It’s easy to be spiritually uplifted at Angkor Wat, that’s exactly what it was designed to do, I sat, watched and reflected as did the other tourists all lost in our own private thoughts and observations of what we had all seen that day. Finally as the sun lowered itself over the horizon and when we had collectively squeezed every last precious drop possible from that cherished elixir of a moment, the mass exodus back
Fruit Seller
A young girl on the Tonle Sap paddles with her mother around the flaoting village selling fresh fruit. to hotels and guesthouses began. It had been one amazing day for me, a day that will always be special, with just one slightly sad observation, I had been alone and had not one person to share it with me the entire day!
This is becoming a travel novel rather than a blog entry, yet again! So I will have to thin details down and include a couple of the more vivid memories of the next two days. That’s the most exciting part of travelling Asia, something or someone happens to you every single day, they say ‘unless you have an adventure most days then you are not travelling.’ Chea on seeing me so alive after my Angkor visit took me to see Kbal Spean and Phom Kulen both sacred places in Cambodia, bless him as his intentions were well meant but after the previous day both were an anti-climax and frankly a wasted day overall. A giant reclining Buddha sits on a mountain top carved into a huge boulder but it‘s not that impressive. A nearby river has a large waterfall and carvings in the riverbed, (River of a Thousand Lingas - I’ll explain what a Linga is
Young Monk
A young monk collects donations for Beng Mealea temple in the jungle 70km outside Siem Reap. another time as it is of sexual connotations‘) however the waterfall allowed me to take some great pictures of local monks bathing. The journey takes three hours and over 60km on a road that was so bad, I doubt I will ever have the same experience on the rest of my travels to come. It was a dirt track of bright red dust and rock, some of them were actually boulders not rocks, Chea had to avoid them so as not to loose wheel traction and steering or me. That morning before we left Chea had bought me a helmet which was so big that even when I turned my head left or right it remained unmoved and at the front. The visor was also badly scratched and battered, I couldn’t see a thing out of it - it was as good as useless and I opted against it. So I’m on the back wearing a pair of light khaki trousers and a t-shirt and Chea is driving on this Dakar rally off-road as though he is in the race. Red dust is flying all around us and I’m getting covered in a fine layer of it, the wheels are
Royal Palace
The grounds of the Royal Palace, a welcome relief from the hardship of the morning's sights! hitting rocks and sliding us around and sometimes we hit huge holes in the road and I bounce up and nearly off my seat time and time again. It was touch and go even my easy going patience was literally being severely tested, every time I asked him to slow down within minutes the race was back on, I was going to end up thumping him. Suddenly, as if from nowhere some divine intervention happened our way. I noticed the clear blue sky suddenly vanish to clouds that got darker and more threatening the longer I looked at them. ‘It’s going to rain’ I shouted in his ear, ‘no, no rain today’ he replied. He was wrong. We were bouncing along at 90kmh and suddenly I noticed the road 200 yards ahead of us simply disappeared into a perfect white wall, this white wall was rapidly eating the road and on a collision course with us. We hit that white wall and passed cleanly through and into it, the road didn’t disappear instead it became a river. It was as though we had stepped into a parallel monsoon universe, we were drenched in seconds and Chea had to stop at
DHL Delivery
The local courier service on it's way upriver. a small roadside house. The rain eased and he had no choice the road was literally washed out he had to drive slowly until we joined the main highway. It was without doubt the most extreme journey I had on the back of a bike in SE Asia. Fatal moto accidents are a regular occurrence, when I returned to my guest house I was covered in dried red mud and had perfect ‘panda’ eyes where I had worn my sunglasses.
The next day I was up before dawn to watch the sunrise on Tonle Sap Cambodia’s vast lake which swells to a massive 13,000 sq km during the rainy season. I chartered my own boat and headed upriver in near darkness along with a procession of local boats carrying fish and vegetables to various markets. Unfortunately it was a cloudy morning so the sun rose without so much as a peek from behind aforementioned clouds and was a non event. However I was taken to a floating town, some 6,000 people living on permanent makeshift floating houses which even included a sports centre complete with basketball court. We also visited a floating fish farm and restaurant as well as
Fishing
Man and wife work as team fishing, definitely 'fisher of shrimp, not men!' the catfish and shrimp they farm they also had crocodiles which we reared for their skin which made handbags and belts for tourism. I was assured that none had ever escaped but looking at their flimsy sunken wooden cages I wouldn’t be to confident of taking a dip locally. The lake is no more than 1m deep everywhere at this time of year, a dull brown colour as far as the eye can see. It was odd looking at a lake that could well be mistaken for a sea (as the opposite bank was not visible with the eye) and one that you could walk right across for miles only up to your waist. The afternoon was spent visiting Banteay Srei the last temple on my list renowned for it’s elaborate carvings that adorn the doorways and walls, I watched the sunset for the last time over the temples of Angkor and my time is Siem Reap was all but at an end. I had but one final task to complete, as a personal thank you to Chea I offered to buy him dinner at a local restaurant of his choice. This was to later prove a mistake on my
Bathing Monk
A monk prepares to go bathing in the waterfall. behalf.
Chea brought a friend with him to drive him home afterwards (whose name escapes me and is not important) and he chose a local Cambodian restaurant renowned for Khmer cuisine. I asked him to choose the food specifying that I would like to eat local speciality dishes, which he then chose. The beer flowed, the food arrived, more beer arrived and flowed (although I’m not a big beer drinker so I switched to coke after drinking enough) and I was introduced to his friend the manager - apparently. Chea asked two waitresses to join us who spoke little English but smiled and watched us which I found rather odd. Then as alcohol took it’s hold on him Chea became more boisterous and louder, I told him I had decided it was time to go, the night was fast spiralling downwards. I was presented with a bill for US$150 and at that point I laughed aloud. Food and drink are very cheap, beer is no more than $1 and food just as cheap, no way the three of us had eaten and drunk that amount. I only had US$50 on me and told him that was all I was
Memorial Stupa
This white stupa was built to remember the victims killed at Choeung Ek, it contains the skulls of 8,000 victims. prepared to pay and no more. The manager started shouting at me, Chea started shouting at the manager and I shrugged my shoulders at them both. The manager threatened to call the police, which I thought sounded a good idea, ‘call them’ I said. I had seen no menu, no prices, nothing Chea had taken care of all the ordering including the beer which was apparently a massive US$8 a can! They were blatantly trying to con me. I then started to insist they call the police and shouted at the manager to call them immediately as I started to fear for my safety being outnumbered at least 25 to 1. Eventually I decided the game was over and going nowhere, I paid my US$50 got up and walked out leaving Chea and the manager shouting at each other. I’m sure it was a well rehearsed show that they regularly host. Eventually Chea followed me explaining that he had paid US$40 extra to what I had paid out of his own pocket and could I reimburse him. I turned to him and told him that I had paid him reasonably for the 3 days work and that he had turned
The Sad
Some of the many skulls that fill the stupa, some skulls show they were clearly beaten to save bullets. a well meant gesture into something ugly. He would get no more money from me and he had ruined any trust we had, I told him to leave me alone and I urgently found a moto taxi to get me back to my guesthouse quickly. I also had a good mind to report him to the authorities as I had his licence number the next morning but decided not to in the end. He left upset, slightly ugly drunk and threatening and that was the last of Chea I will ever see again. I knew that it was an attempt to blatantly scam me out of extra dollars, it was a shame and sad way to end the last 3 days together!
The Sad
I arrived in Phnom Penh by bus, a population of 1 million and most of them seemed to have surrounded our bus on arrival. As I got off hundreds of faces and voices merged with hands that all grabbed for my attention, their collective shouting an inaudible and incomprehensible wall of sound. I ignored them all, found my rucksack then turned to the nearest person desperate to get my attention. “You” I said pointing
Clothes
Clothes of the victims still remain half buried in the ground today and serve as a grim reminder what horrific events took place here. at him, “take me to a hotel and I only want to pay a dollar” and I was gone leaving the swarm to buzz around someone else. My hotel on arrival was a very dubious 3 star but at $10 a night in the Psar O Russei area it was near to the Royal Palace and other city sights. I had a TV (which was permanently stuck on a terrible Asian soap channel), en-suite bathroom (only big enough for a mouse!!), air conditioning was also available for an extra $10 a night so I opted for opening the window and the ceiling fan. In fact it is my preference to open the window, I enjoy lying on the bed in the humid heat, listening to the endless noises of the street and world outside. Different voices and cooking spices fuse to waft upwards, eventually through the window and seem to curl around the room until they find you and your nose. You feel involved, more immersed in the life around you, rather than in some grand air-conditioned bubble of nonsense, a luxurious 5 star monstrosity themed to comfort the travelling tourist - I find all very dreary.
The next
Bone Fragments
Bone fragments can be seen also on paths and near the earth's surface, tourists dig these out for souvenirs! day my arranged driver was waiting at my hotel and we headed for the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek 14km southwest of central Phnom Penh. I walked through the main gate and rising above you is a massive white stupa that has been built as a memorial to the 17,000 men, women and children who were executed here. Behind the stupa’s glass panel sides and rising upwards shelf by shelf are over 8000 skulls found during excavations here in 1980. Some skulls I was shown clearly had marks on them that indicated they were bludgeoned to death with axes and other tools for the sake of saving precious and valuable bullets. There are 129 mass graves here (43 have never been disinterred) as I walked around clothing and human bone still poke out of the paths from the churned ground. This startlingly brings home the striking contrast in Cambodia today from the ancient temples of Angkor to its dark abyss of recent times. A guide reveals a shocking revelation to me that some tourists dig out these items of clothing and pieces of human bone as souvenirs. Sick, sad and incomprehensible. I wandered around various pits now large holes in
Mass Graves
The excavated mass graves of men, women and children. No birds sing in the trees here, even nature pays it's respects to this area of ground. the ground, signs at each reveal how many bodies were discovered there, some pits were just male, another female and another all children. No birds sing in the trees, no crickets chirp from the long grass, even nature seems to understand the horrific events that took place here and duly pays its silent respect. Suddenly the sounds of joyful children playing resonate through the air from a nearby school at break time, adding a surreal and deeper sense of melancholy, such a juxtaposition against a backdrop of tragedy. I left in contemplative mood and jumped onto the back of my moto taxi and told the driver to head for Tuol Sleng in central Phnom Penh, leaving the silent and sombre field behind me.
The Ugly
Tuol Sleng, from the outside, is made up of four non-descript grey buildings. The entrance gates give way to a large courtyard, its then evident that this was once a high school and the buildings once housed classrooms. I started to walk down the checked tile corridors of the first building and it is immediately apparent that classrooms were used for unthinkable horrors. Each classroom was converted into a prison cell, all the
Tuol Sleng (S-21)
The building of Tuol Sleng detention centre, people were processed here before being transferred to the killing fields. windows were enclosed by iron bars and then covered with tangles barb wire to prevent escape by prisoners. The cells range in size from 0.8m x 2m for single prisoners to 8m x 6m as a mass cell, the middle floor block of cells was used to hold women prisoners and one block of the four was used primarily for interrogation and torture. Today as you walk around and into some of the cells a single rusty bed and a disturbing black and white photo are all that adorn some rooms. Tuol Sleng (meaning poisonous hill, or a place to keep those who supply guilt) became the S-21 security institution designed for the interrogation and extermination of opponents of the Khmer Rouge. The victims in the prison were taken from all parts of the country and from all walks of life, farmers, engineers, teachers, students, ministers and even diplomats. Moreover, whole families of the prisoners including new born babies were taken there en masse to be exterminated.
Between 1977 and 1978 the prison on average held between 1,200 and 1,500 prisoners at any time, the duration of imprisonment ranged from 2 to 4 months although some political prisoners were
Cell
Classrooms were converted to cells, a single rusty bed and grusome picture on the wall of a victim tortured in this cell are all that are in each room. held up to 6 months. They were constantly shackled to a long iron rod by their ankles and were inspected 4 times a day, the guards would check if their shackles were loose. If they were loose the shackles were replaced immediately. The prisoners had to defecate into small iron buckets and were required to ask for permission from the guards in advance before relieving themselves. They would be beaten or receive 60 strokes of a whip as punishment for failing to do so. Ten regulations were posted in each cell and prisoners were to abide by these rules, to do anything, even to alter their position whilst trying to sleep they first had to ask permission from the guard. Prisoners were always being severely beaten and tortured, food was basic and water scarce, unhygienic living conditions meant they became infected with diseases. Those that survived the beatings, disease or from being tortured were transferred to the killing fields of Choeung Ek and executed.
It’s a shocking and sad place to visit and serves as a sad reminder yet again of mankind’s ability to sink to depths of such evil, it appears that history tends to teach us very
The Ugly
Rows of iron rods that prisoners were shackled to by their ankles. They were inspected four times a day, any shackles loose were immediately replaced. little except that we never seem to learn from the past. Before being placed in their cells prisoners were photographed and detailed biographies of their childhood were recorded. Their numerous faces fill display board after board of the lower rooms, men, women, children, young boys or girls, the haunting innocent faces of lives brought to an abrupt end for no apparent motive other than cruelty. I wandered through the rooms looking at the many faces, eyes staring blankly back, reading their stories, the stories of simple innocent people who vanished and was abhorred by the manner in which they were tortured. No one ever escaped from the prison and it is believed that around 16,000 people passed through it, either dying within its walls or transferred and executed, including 2,000 children.
As I finished looking around the prison and walked to the exit I saw many foreign tourists being comforted by their partners. Some were crying, others holding each other tightly for support, there was however one emotion that we all had in common; we were all to distressed to speak, there was nothing to say or that could be said that would seem appropriate. The last four hours
Silent Voices
I think this picture speaks for itself! had been slowly draining me, experiencing and touching genocide so personally had left me feeling slightly depressed and even heightened my own sense of loneliness and isolation. For no apparent reason other than a state of mind that I had created, I felt vulnerable. I suddenly realised I was a visitor in an Asian country, no-one knew me here and no-one knew I was here or even where I was staying, I was completely alone in Cambodia. In fact I had been on the move every 48/60 hours for the last 5 weeks, down through Laos and now down through Cambodia and hadn’t had time to e-mail anyone my intended destinations or route. I had been on many buses and boats recently and had seen very few other western travellers. I had sat on the roof with the luggage/bags or stood on the tailgates of overcrowded buses and passed over many rapids and whirlpools, as I sat in the long wooden ferries. I had just taken it for granted that I would be okay and would arrive at my next destination safely, hardened to uncomfortable transport. In fact the more I thought about it the more I realised how much
Royal Resident
One of the permanent residents of the Royal Palace! After I took his picture this monkey bared it's teeth and chased a tourist down the road! I had changed within myself or rather how much Asia had influenced the change in me. I was in need of some light relief after the house of horrors I had just visited, so I decided to visit the National Museum and Royal Palace. Both were welcome relaxing sights, the National Museum includes the world’s finest collection of Angkor sculpture. A large open-aired gallery is housed in a central inner square containing a large fish pond and immaculate gardens with benches. It was a good spot to relax and unwind from the morning whilst appreciating the giant sculptures of gods and figures around me. I then ambled to the Royal Palace and strolled around the lush gardens and at marvelled towering roofs of the Palace buildings. The Silver Pagoda is also within the compound, the floor is lain with 5 tons of gleaming silver and a section reveals a peek at some of the 5000 silver tiles. There is also an extraordinary Baccarat crystal Buddha and a solid gold Buddha weighing 90kg, adorned with 2086 diamonds the largest weighing 25 carats. The Palace was a calm oasis and by the time I left many of my earlier fears had now
Children of the Revolution
After all the Cambodian's have been through they were always friendly and always smiling. evaporated and I was back to my normal travel mode self again. I made plans to move on again and booked a bus ticket for Sihanoukville on the coast, however I had just one more thing on my list to do before leaving Phnom Penh.
The following morning I made my way to the local market with a taxi driver who spoke good English. With his help I purchased 60kg of rice, balanced precariously on his moped we drove across the city to an outer district to a small school for orphaned children. I gave my donation of rice to the school’s head director, who then thanked me for my donation and gave me a tour of the school. Buildings were divided into dorm style small bedrooms, they contained bunk-beds sleeping 6/8 children per room, they owned very little personally and had few spare clothes to choose from. There was no air conditioning or fans in the rooms and mosquito nets were all that covered the beds except for just one sleeping sheet per bed. A small allotment is nearby to grow a few vegetables and animal pens contain 3 pigs and a few chickens, both these are slaughtered
The Future
Hopefully these children have a better future waiting for them. when times get tough and the school runs short on food. The school is home for 45 children aged 5 to 12 years of age and is totally reliant on donations from overseas. The school’s director informs me they would like to expand the school, they receive no support from charities and they are working diligently to obtain long term support. I was then told my rice would last for approximately 5 days, the struggle to educate and feed these children is a daily and endless cycle. I watched a class being taught by young volunteer Europeans who seemed to regarded my presence a little suspiciously, understandable I suppose, a lone male traveller at a children’s school in Asia is a suspect picture. They were soon assured of my good intentions and I spent the afternoon playing football and volleyball with the children. I had a great few hours and was touched by their young inquisitive natures and simple questions. I learnt many of their names as the children took great pleasure in proudly telling me who they were in good understandable English. These few children are just a handful of the lucky ones, they are getting an education and
Fishing
A local boy fishing in the shallows of a local river. they are not living on the streets, unlike many others that just beg from a young age. It wasn’t much but it was my small contribution to do some good, as I watched the children playing and laughing I hoped they had a better chance in an uncertain future.
The majority of the population is poor and uneducated, families are large as mortality rates are high and healthcare barely exists. Cambodia is on a very long road to recovery, every family has been affected in some way by the past and yet the people smile and laugh regardless of everything that has happened to them. There is a massive underlying social bond between them and even the saddest and poorest victim of a landmine finds food from someone willing to share what little they have. I liked Cambodia and its people despite seeing atrocious wounds and scars of many landmine victims that seem to beg around every street corner. Men, even children missing either or both arms and legs with terrible shrapnel scaring to their bodies. Many fellow travellers I met en-route told me that begging was worse in Cambodia than any other Asian country and it was and
Khmer
This woman is wearing a krama scarf, it is used for protection from the sun or dust and also serves as a towel. it does get you down being hassled so much. Begging and/or selling is a part of daily life in Cambodia and something you have to get used to, for some it is a business and others the only chance of daily survival. I soon got hardened to it, I helped some and turned others away with a smile, at the end of the day I’m just a lone traveller not the Bank of Cambodia. But this is how street selling usually works; for example:
I would sit down at a café for a coffee, I would place my order with the waiter and open my lonely planet guide. Every café has someone working it so I was probably watched the moment I sat down, once I’ve ordered I’m a captive audience for the next 20 minutes minimum. They have a simple plan of approach usually divided into 3 separate waves depending how resilient you are to them. The first wave are the young children trying to sell you postcards or cheap bracelets/necklace. Boldly they walk right up to you and ask where you are from. I answer London UK, immediately they can recite all the major sites such as
Sihanoukville
The beaches of Sihanoukville were a good way to relax and recover from the madness of Phnom Penh. Big Ben, Leicester Sq etc etc, also the population and Tony Blair's name as PM. This is supposed to impress me but I’ve heard it a hundred times already. They can recite this information parrot fashion on any major European capital and do so without stopping to breathe and even adding to the final sentence ‘you buy my postcards only $1, you rich man, you buy from me’ then they take an urgent breath. I reply immediately ‘no postcards, I have already’ they reply ‘not my postcards, they different from mine, mine much better,’ I would then reply ‘mine exactly the same as yours’ and take out the collection of postcards I keep in my camera case. I know the next response ‘same same but different, mine much better’ of course they are exactly the same. This exchange will go on for at least 5 minutes and repeat itself for every item they try to sell to you, eventually the children leave begrudgingly and my coffee arrives, not that I will get to drink it hot. Safely through the first hurdle the second wave watching from a distance makes its approach. Older than the children, older and more wiser, aged
The sun finally sets on Cambodia
A magnificent sunset at Sihanoukville that also marked my last day in Cambodia . around 14 or 15 the bookseller arrives knocking on your door. He carries a small library around with him, old lonely planet guides, popular fiction books (The Beach is always amongst them) and makes his pitch to you. He or she wants more than a dollar for a book so they try to engage you on any conversation, from where you have been to where you are going, anything to strike an accord with you. I hold firm and after 8 minutes he to walks away giving me the look that says I have just ruined his whole day and the rest of his life to come. I take a sip of my now warm coffee. The third wave is about to arrive ‘the lady who sells handmade scarves and jewellery’ the most experienced of all the street sellers, she has seen or rather heard everything in her past and always proves the most difficult. ‘You are handsome man, very handsome, you buy my beautiful silk scarf for your wife.’ I reply ‘I have no wife’ then it becomes buy for my girlfriend and mother, which I say ‘I have none and my mother lives a great distance from here.’ I explain I’m travelling a long time and have no room in my rucksack (which is all true) this however is no excuse and it gets worse as she drapes her silks around my neck and explains how beautiful handmade they are. As I try to take them off she puts them and more back around my neck and smiles ‘you are handsome, you are kind man, your girl will like this scarf and this one.’ I finally pull them off and give them back ‘I’m sure they are beautiful, but I don’t want any of them.’ 'You buy my scarf and you will get a beautiful girl to love you forever.' 'No, no, no thank you' I start to loose my patience. We then repeat the whole show again for the handmade jewellery before she too eventually walks away empty handed and finally beaten. Again the disgruntled look of failure comes my way, finally I can drink my coffee in peace, my dark thick black coffee with a thin layer of canned pasteurised milk at the bottom, of course its stone cold now!
They try to hound you into submission its all part of the game of the street seller, sometimes I would have little love for the game and would firmly tell them to go away, other times I enjoyed the banter and would play along for a while. I did buy every single pack of available postcards from the children, they were the most fun to haggle/banter with and proved the most resiliant, they followed me home most nights until I bought something or gave them a dollar to simply leave me alone. However my compassion was reserved most for those beggars who were severely disfigured as a result the landmines still littering the countryside. I would keep my local currency change for these poor people where no govt social security is in place to help them. I gave more small change and dollars to these people than anyone else I have encountered on my trip so far. Some would say this was a weakness in me, I saw tourists that would push these people out of their way without even being able to look at them, some nearly running over them to get past quickly. These are just poor people regardless how they look and it’s a weakness to not recognise them as ordinary people just like any of us, they breathe the same air and laugh and cry just like us. Of course it’s hard to look at a child on the ground pulling at your ankles with no legs asking for anything you can give, it‘s a crime that a child should have this happen to them and a greater crime to ignore them. I have seen many incredible sights over these last few months, manmade and natural, I feel very lucky and privileged to have done so. I have also been struck by the natural beauty of the country around me and laughed and shared food with local people so poor but willing to give what they have, in return they ask only to be recognised as a person. This journey is not just about me but also about them because no matter where you go in the world there will always be suffering and poverty, whatever the country or landscape there are others less fortunate than ourselves. It tells me one thing; no matter how many miles I travel, no matter what distance I cover and who I meet along the way, as a race we have absolute 'mountains to climb'.
I left the Phnom Penh with the memory of the happy children of the orphanage and not of the atrocities and headed to the coastal town of Sihanoukville. White sand beaches and waving palms and tropical islands make this the perfect Cambodian cure-all for bliss and relaxation. My guest house was 1min walk from the beach and I walked along nearly deserted shores until I found a quiet spot to relax and enjoy the sun, sea and fresh breezes blowing in from across the ocean. I was becoming very tired of being on the move, Cambodia had been hard work physically, walking around temples in hot jungles, on and off hot overcrowded buses and boats, constant negotiating for moto taxis. I needed some time to unpack, I hadn’t even experienced hot bathing water in 6 weeks and craved a hot relaxing bath. I would just have to put up with cold showers for the time being. I received an e-mail from Jason telling me he was heading for Koh Chang an island off the coast of Thailand and not far over the border from Cambodia. I decided to join him for a few days and booked a seat on a local bus to take me across land to the Thai border. Early the next morning I was on the first bus out of Sihanoukville and began my journey to Thailand. My Cambodian adventure was all but over and this is where this blog now finally ends and where the next will begin, Koh Chang, Sun, Sea and Beach Moon Parties.
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Rob_n_Lorenza
Rob & Lorenza B
A really interesting blog! Great photos too!