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I arrived in Siem Reap after sitting in the aisle of a bus wedged between two bags of luggage for six hours. Bus rides never fail to be interesting. I instantly loved the city of Siem Reap. The Cambodian people were warm, helpful and were always smiling even when I turned down their attempted sales. It didn't take long to realize that Cambodia is quite a poor country. There are countless people begging in the street and half of the time they are small children, who really know how to make you feel for them.
Siem Reap is the home of one of the worlds greatest religious structures. Angkor Wat is the largest temple of many but there are many more spanning an area of 40 miles. Most were built in the 12th century and are often compared to the pyramids and Machu Picchu. I spent a day walking through several of the temples while fighting the heat and being attacked by the many children selling anything from books to beer. I got to know my driver for the day, Koich, and he told me that he started an English school in his former village, with a traveler from England.
Surprisingly, a lot of the kids I met around the city spoke English well, but Koich informed me that the children living in poor villages do not have the chance to go to English school. I ended up coming back to Siem Reap after visiting Phnom Pehn and helped out at the school for two days. The school has only existed for two months so I was surprised when I saw how well some of the children spoke. It was a great experience that enabled me to realize how easy it can be to start a school and make a huge difference.
In Phnom Pehn, I learned of the devastating Khmer Rouge and their attempt to wipe out all the educated people of Cambodia in the late 1970's. They desired a country based only on agriculture without any western influence, including medicine and education. Their attempt to bring Cambodia to 'year zero" killed over two million people and displaced families all over the country. I visited the Killing Fields and the S21 prison, where many of the innocent Cambodians were tortured, killed and starved. It was all depressing but the most disturbing sites were the photos of the prisoners
at S21, some being quite gruesome. Viewing all of this gets you thinking about the world today. We have learned of many genocides throughout history and I always think that history as awful as this can not be allowed to repeat itself, but right now, in Darfur, it is. And again, it is so easy to turn our heads and go on with our lives like nothing atrocious is occurring in our world.
Despite all the negative history, I really enjoyed Cambodia. It is hard to describe what it is about a place that makes you love it so much, but I can say that this beautiful country has left me with a desire to return.
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