| Suspension? What suspension? November 5, 2001 A gruelling fourteen hour trip saw me into Cambodia aboaut two weeks ago. I had run into a friend the night before in Bangkok and spent all night catching up and packing and foolishly believed I could sleep through the trip. Wrong! Arrived in Siem Reap at midnight, and crawled into the first bed I found (at a place called "Popular Guesthouse", even though I was the only one there). It's always interesting to get into a place at night, becuase you wake up in the morning, look out the window and think, "Whoa! This is where I arrived last night?" The reason I had come to Siem Reap was to see the ultimate in Asia: Angkor Wat. Built between the eighth and twelfth centurires by the Khmer people, it is a huuuuuge area covered with temples honouring the gods. Think of every "big" adjective in your vocabulary and you're still not even close to Angkor Wat. Awesome. Inspiring. Terrific. Munificent. Imcomprehensible. I spent only two days wandering among only six of the main temples, as my foot infection was still bothering me a lot. But wow, two days were enough to fill me with wonder. Every inch of all those temples, and there are dozens and doens of them, are carved with intricate patterns. In fact, most of teh bas-reliefs tell detailed stories about battles, ings, and daily life. Add to that hundreds of huge faces smiling mysteriously down at you, steps so steep they are impossible to climb, weather that seems to work in part with the temples to enhance their beauty...I watched a thunderstorm make its way over Angkor Wat, and don't know if I've ever seen such an impressive sight. But enought. Words just won't do it. From Siem Reap I took a "speed boat" to Battambang. In fact, it was a I'm-gonna-go-catch-my-lunch-now kind of boat, but it made for great adventures. Our dirver got lost halfway across the Tonle Sap lake, but I wasn't too worried, as it is the largest producer of freshwater fish in the world. The trip was incredible. We passed dozens of worn houseboats, filled to the brim with fish ready for sale to anyone who passed. We came around the corner and a huge boat was headed our way, decorated with streamers, music blaring, the bright orange robes of monks visible among it all. They didn't pay us any attention until one of them realized there were foreigners about. Suddenly they began pelting us with water balloons! And hey, I'm all for a water fight, but I didn't have any to throw back...all I could do was protect my camera and shake my fist in protest. They loved it, and so did I, especially when we arrived and I was informed that the water festival was beginning that day. Aha. Battambang proved to be a typical dusty, poverty-stricken town with two highlights. I met a surgeon from England who took a look at my foot and declared it on the healing path, and he took me to the pharmacy to find eye drops to clear up the infection that had begun there. Good deal! Ask and ye shall receive. The other great perk was the CABLE TV in my hotel room. Doctor's orders, I took the day off and spent the entire (and I do mena entire) day familiarizing myself with pop culture. That's right, MTV, HBO, BBC, CNN and a whole whack of other initials, too! Yay! Another back-breaking journey into Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. You would not believe this "highway": fiery red mud as far as the eye could see. At points where the road had been washed out by monsoons, kids directed the driver through, asking for money after we were successfully through. I ahd been promised the journey would take sex hours, but that was before the truck started breaking down, we lost our suspension (that's right, lost it), we got caught in a rainstorm, we had to stop to wash the truck (thought of my Dad)...The Khmer people are nothing but optimistic. The fun, songs and games, playing with the foreigner, did not stop until we finally arrived thirteen hours later. Yesh. My first stop in Phnom Penh was to visit the Killing Fiels museum which was a sombering eye-opener. During Pol Pot's regime, only four years, 1975-1979, two million of Cambodia's seven million people were killed by the Khmer Rouge. Anyone considered educated, bourgeois, even those wearing glasses were tortured and killed in the name of communism. the most eerie thing about it is that you can see an entire generation missing while walking down the street. Everyone I met had been personally affected, most were the only survivors in their family. Of those people who survived, it is such a war-ravaged country that the number of amputeed beggars is staggering. But to meet the Cambodian people is a lesson in the resilience of the human spirit. Despite the pverty, and the lingering sense of sadness in the air, they are absolutely light-hearted and playful, always starting a joke or game. One day I got pulled into a game with a group of young boys. We stood in a circle kicking a hacky-sack type thing around. If you missed or used your hands, everyone else got to wipe charcoal on your face. About ten minutes in, I missed and there was a silence as the kids looked at each other..."Are we really gonna do this?" Finally, with a yell, one jumped at me and wiped a big streak right across my nose, and the rest piled on. The adults who had gathered to watch loved it. So did I! The guesthouse I stayed at was right on a big lake with a gorgeous sunset view and hammocks as the perfect final touch. Oh, and they had an enormous collection of movies. Perfect place for my foot to finish healing! (I'll be sad to lose that excuse!) I ventured out to enjoy the expat population, a lot of people who have succumbed to teh friendliness of the Khmer people and enjoyed a few beers with, you guessed it, local English teachers. The water fesival was a lot of fun, three days of boat races and fireworks, all for the King's birthday. I'm not one to label a place "My Favourite" because there are so many factors that get involved in your visit to a country. Weather, food, health, money, home situation, travelling partners, blablabla....but I have to say, I am sad to leave Cambodia. But then, as with every special place, I'm taking it with me. back to pictures home |