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Published: March 6th 2007
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'Life is a rollercoster, just got to ride it.' the words of the late, great ronan keating. never have these words rung out more true than a visit through cambodia. From the highs of chinese new year, parties on the beach and the awe inspiring angkhor wat temples to the chilling reminders of cambodias dark past the killing fields, S-21 and the landmine issue. cambodia certainly was an emotional rollercoster.
My arrival in Phnom Penh (silent p i've been told, so p'nom enh) clashed with what is perhaps the biggest celebration in SE asia, chinese new year. just as i was finishing up breky with the recently formed crew, a procession of locals burst through the doors of the guesthouse with cases of beer and roasted pig in tow. Not being one to turn down a free drink and some pig fat i took up their offer and joined in the celebrations. That was it, day one in cambodia, a hazy blur of drinking and dancing and raising my glass every two seconds.
Next day we made our way several kilometres outside of phnom penh to the site refered to as the killing fields. It was here that the
khymer rouge murdered anyone who posed even the slightest threat to the regime. 17,000 men women and children were brutally murdered here, often beaten to death to save on precious bullets. In the centre the victimns are commemorated with a memorial containing 8,000 human skulls excavated from the mass graves. Next we visited S-21, this is a former school which was used by the khymer rouge as a prison and interrogation centre. Victimns entered here never to be seen again. they were kept in appaling conditions and put through the most savage forms of torture before finally being dispatched to the killing fields. some of the interrogation rooms are exactly as they were found when the regime was overthrown. It is deeply disturbing. All through the museum are mugshots of victimns and perhaps the most harrowing thing is seeing the eyes of people who are truly in fear of their lives.
Surprisingly phnom penh has a bit of a nightlife and there is nothing more impressive than an anglo-aussie-canadian dance troupe performing an amazing new dance form on the dancefloors of the pubs and clubs of PP. pioneering moves such as 'cutting the duck', 'the shopping trolley' and 'the
monkey swing' aswell as old classics like 'the sprinkler'. in our heads we were rockstars but all the imaginary fame and attention started to get to us so we decided to bust a groove (make a move). who knows where it may of led had we carried on thinking about it.
Sihanoukville was crazy nights and lazy days. we stayed in the loft of a restaurant on the beach and life very nearly ground to a halt. i spent most of the daylight hours feeling a little bit sideways and one day even a little bit upside down but this causes painfull trapped wind so i advise against it. On my return to phnom penh i took a day out in an orphanage helping out and playing with the kids. i used to be a kid myself so had no trouble at all coming down to their level. That morning without thinking i had put on a black t-shirt, on the front it was decorated with a skull with wings and surrounding that were revolvers and snakes and all things dark and morbid. so it was really nice when a little six year old girl drew a picture of
it and underneath wrote 'i love you too'.
The final stop in cambodia was siem reap and the first stop in siem reap was the landmine museum. It was set up by a local named aki ra, former khymer rouge and vietnamese soldier he now disposes of the mines he once laid. it began as one mans battle but has since gained massive support and is proving very effective, aki ra has a solution that can dispose of mines effectively for a fraction of the cost that the agencies charge and the solution lies with the people of cambodia helping themselves. Next day was a full on assault of the temples of angkhor, it began at sunrise and involved many long, hot hours of peddaling but was worth it. Angkhor wat and the surrounding temples were truly amazing and have finaly satisfied my temple fix which everyone seems to aquire when they enter asia.
Afterthought: Wandering through ta prohm i found myself a quiet corner amongst the ruins, sat myself down and contemplated life. i looked at the huge granite stones that were once the building blocks of this monumental temple which in itself was a building block
for a vast civilisation. i considered how massive a project like this was even with the technology of today and how ambition on that scale no longer exists. i looked at the finely carved buddhist symbols and figures which celebrate a belief that i cannot comprehend. i looked at the trees and roots slowly consuming the structure and returning it back to nature from where it once came. but there was one thought i could not put to rest, it was that of lara croft in hot pants and a tight vest making her way in leaps and bounds through this scene in front of me.
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Dave U
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Stay away from the children you bad man!
Alright mate, how's it going? Well actually I know already thanks to your great blogs. Look forward to every one to get my head out of colchester for a few minutes. Ta Prohm looks amazing, would definitely like to see that, kind of reminds me of the shed in the garden on a slightly grander scale. Thought you'd grown some sort of wizard-like beard in your "Me ta prohm" photo, but thank god its just the strap on your hat! Glad to hear your legendary dance skills are being given the worldwide exposure they deserve. "Cutting the duck" sounds interesting. You should teach your dance troop the "Twisters stomp and clap"?! Take care and look forward to your next installment.