Finding our Buddha

July 28, 2009

We arrived in Siem Reap, Cambodia on July 21st and instantly became millionaires! (in Cambodian Riel, that is). After a very fast paced trip through Malaysia we decided to slow down a bit in Cambodia and split our time between Siem Reap and the capital, Phnom Penh.

Cambodia is a difficult country to get a feel for. Cambodia is still, in some senses, haunted by its past. Landmines still litter the countryside and travelers are advised to always stay on the roads when traveling through the rural parts of the country. The effects of the Pol Pot genocide of the 70’s are still being felt and will likely to continue to impact the country for many years to come. Yet, despite their tragic history, the Cambodian people are extremely upbeat, friendly and optimistic. The new generation of Cambodian youth is a generation removed from the Pol Pot regime and, as a result, are receiving a better education and living with higher ambitions. For example, in our first day in Siem Reap we met a boy named Rith, who gave us an impromptu bike tour of some local monasteries and the surrounding villages. Rith has been learning English for the past three years and he was eager to practice with us. He told us about the history of Buddhism and told us that his dream was to one day be a tour guide at Angkor Wat. He told us that he would also love the chance to study at university one day, but his family could not afford it. Even after leaving Siem Reap, we received an email from Rith sharing more info on the history of the Buddha.

Our guesthouse in Siem Reap included free bikes, which Kevin and I took full advantage of. Biking in Siem Reap was hilarious! There are essentially no rules of the road. We saw motorbikes carrying families of five and driving down the sidewalk, trucks carrying at least twenty, and vehicles passing us from literally every direction. Everyone drives like they own the road, yet at the same time they are very conscious of everyone around them. It is a very communal approach to driving, and the horn is used frequently but not in an offensive way. Despite the lack of structure, the roads seem safe, probably because everyone is moving fairly slowly. The most common vehicles on the road are small motorbikes and Tuk-tuks, which are motorbikes with a carriage behind used to taxi people around. It was a lot of fun attempting to blend in with the Siem Reap traffic.

Most of our time in Siem Reap was spent exploring the ancient city of Angkor, and its Hindu-Buddhist temples built in the 10th and 11th centuries. The temples were incredible. Some of the highlights included Angkor Wat, Bayon and Ta Prohm. Angkor Wat is the biggest and, in my mind, the best temple. It is simultaneously a feat of engineering and artistry. The structure itself is incredible, but what makes it special is the intricacy of carving throughout the temple. Ta Prohm was also really cool. Located in the middle of the jungle, it has trees that, over time, have grown into the temple. It is incredible that certain parts have remained standing for almost 1000 years.




We spent three days exploring the temples on bike. The owner of our hostel gave us a great route to tour Angkor which let us avoid (as much as possible) the annoying crowds of tourists. It was a great route and we were able to experience Phnom Bakheng, Angkor Wat and Bayon essentially by ourselves. On the flip side, during Ta Prohm we were walking through in a big queue of tourists: much less fun. The only downside to this route: we had to wake up at 4am two days straight.

We celebrated Kevin’s birthday on July 24th with a traditional Cambodian BBQ, at which we sampled beef, chicken, squid, crocodile and snake. We washed that down with a number of 50 cents pints and indulged in a Siem Reap specialty: the fish massage. The picture should be self-explanatory.

The next day we bussed to Phnom Penh, where we met Robin and Sara, two of Kevin’s friends from Sweden. We had a great time together discussing all sorts of things and learning about each other’s countries. Canada could definitely learn a thing or two from Sweden in terms of social policy.

Our next day in Phnom Penh was a tough one, as we decided to visit the Killing Fields of Cheoung Ek and the Tuol Sleng Museum. These are two remnants from the military rule of the Khmer Rouge from 1975-1979. The Khmer Rouge was the ruling party in Cambodia during this time period and they practiced one of the most extreme forms of Communism that I have ever encountered. Led by Pol Pot, they strove to abolish money and create a completely self-sufficient agrarian society. Their twisted form of communism despised any sort of specialized knowledge or individual thought. The Khmer Rouge committed one of the worst genocides in history, exterminating doctors, dentists, academics, other educated people, and anyone who they deemed to have “too urban” a mindset. In just under four years, they wiped out 2 million people, a quarter of the Cambodian population. Cheoung Ek was one of the “killing fields” where the genocide occurred. Tuol Sleng was a high school turned torture chamber, where people were sent to be interrogated and, almost certainly, killed. Both were extremely difficult and disturbing to visit and brought out both anger and sadness. While it was difficult, I am glad that I saw these places. I think this a story that everyone should know, in the same way that everyone knows the stories from WWII.

We spent the rest of our time in Phnom Penh enjoying some traditional Cambodian cooking, exploring the lively markets, going bowling and taking in some of the night life. We had a minor flood in our guesthouse one night, but besides that our stay was excellent! I really enjoyed Phnom Penh. The city has a distinctly local feel and most of our experiences were with Cambodians rather than other tourists. I can't wait to come back and explore more of this country.

Next up is trekking in Chiang Rai in Northern Thailand.