Killing Fields No More - One Week in Angkor, Cambodia

Siem Reap (pronounced “See-em Ree-ep”) in Northern Cambodia is roughly a 50-minute plane ride from Bangkok, but a journey into a different world, a small sleepy town near Angkor, a UNESCO world heritage city of literally 100s of temples. We wanted to visit there before it became a much hotter place and turned into another Phuket or Bali – to our semi-amazement, it already is on its way, while still retaining most of the charm and humanness that most tourist places lack. It was also a little getaway from our bi-yearly visits to Pakistan. Siem Reap is a small town of a village feel, with approximately 3 miles of very tastefully constructed hotels on both sides of its main drag. Much of the structures are done in traditional Khmer style, and a 5-story cap on buildings, making it much pretty. Tuk-Tuk (pronounced “Took-Took”) is the main mode of transportation, a rickshaw pulled by a small motorcycle, a great way to get around. The old reminders in town are the French shop-houses, and the quiet river. We stayed on the outskirts of Siem Reap at a place owned by a French couple with a local partner. The hotel has bungalows done in local woods with luxurious feel and a winding swimming pool and lush water gardens, priced at a steal compared to comparable accommodations in other cities. Imagine staying at the Ritz while paying Holiday Inn prices.

Siem Reap was a small village when Angkor was “re-discovered” by French explorers in the 19th century (there are disagreements over this claim, some suggest that it were Portuguese who first stumbled upon this site, yet other claiming Japanese). With its control to French (or Cambodian) in the beginning of the 20th century, Siem Reap began to grow. Early to mid 20th century, the temples drew a lot of adventurous and high profile visitors, and then it stopped for most of the latter part of the 20th century, due mainly to regional wars (Vietnam) and Khmer Rouge. Today, this is the fastest developing region of Cambodia.

This travel essay does not deal with Pol Pot’s regime (the Khmer Rouge), the recent bloody past of Cambodia, but talking to natives over a bottle of beer, I learnt a couple of facts worth noting. One, that the UN might appear active in setting up tribunals to try at least the high level officials but many think of it as nothing more than hogwash, because they routinely see their torturers walking on the streets. Another interesting point to note is that while Pol Pot denied any meat to the Khmer people, he made sure that the Muslim (of Vietnamese decent) were fed pork. The reminders of Pol Pot are way too in your face all over this part of the world. There are “Land-mines” signs, there are maimed and limbless folks mixed with the able bodied ones, there are blind trained as masseuses and musicians, there are training facilities for victims to become stone sculptors and painters. Over half a million tons of bombs were dropped on Cambodia (as my son puts it so eloquently - “Americans bombed the crap out of Cambodia”). Pol Pot and his regime killed 2 million Cambodians, a substantial sum in a country of 8 million. Recent past is just too sad and there is no way to explain it in words, but the future looks very promising. Cambodia is a country bouncing back with an amazing speed. Siem Reap is increasingly becoming an in spot with conscientious travelers. Rock and movie stars are often spotted in side street cafes of Siem Reap. UN has a pretty extensive presence and there are tons of NGOs active in various charitable works (however, there are debates over their roles). A Swiss doctor (Beat Richner) has opened a hospital to treat children under the age of 15 for free, and there are long lines of parents outside the hospital. Dr. Richner is also a classically trained musician and conducts Bach concerts every Saturday to raise money for his hospital. I visited the hospital with my two teenage sons, and it was a very very sad experience for us. Currently there is a severe epidemia of hemorrhagic Dengue fever. The visit made us realize our blessings.

Angkor. Between the 8th and the 13h centuries, Angkorian civilization was one of the most remarkable to mature in Southeast Asia. A succession of Hindu and Buddhist kings created literally 100s of magnificent temples in stone. The elaborate carvings and intricate architecture of these temples continue to amaze visitors today. Most of these temples were taken over by jungles and were re-discovered only in the latter part of the 19th century. Khmer religious beliefs, arts, iconography, and architecture were all a result of the region’s trade with India in the 6th century and before. India had a profound influence on the development of Khmer civilization. I was particularly fascinated with the historic names of some places, such as Bhavapura (named after King Bhavaverman) and Aninditapura (you guessed it right). The discovery (or re-discovery) of Angkorian temples is considered the most significant find of modern archeology.

The jewel of the entire region is the Angkor Wat (Temple of Angkor) – the largest worship place of any religion in the world. The temple, when built in the 12th century was dedicated to Lord Vishnu, but in 13th and 14th centuries it was converted to Theravada Buddhism. It is so huge that the travel guide recommends that you spend several hours (more than 3 visits) to see it all. It is huge. It is built entirely in sandstone (like most other temples) and took about 50 years to complete. The sandstone was hauled from a place 50 miles away on barges. From distance, it just looks like someone stacked stones on top of one another, but not until you get close you get a real feel for it. The first step in the construction was setting up blocks, and later each one maticolously carved depicting various scenes, notably from Hindu scripture, Apsara Dancers, and the Kings themselves. Some of the carvings are incredibly detailed. The central building, or the Temple Proper is built with two major features of Khmer architecture, a Pyramid, and surrounding galleries, in very high (approximately 6 stories) and the steps to reach up the temple are so steep (roughly 4 inch step with over 1 foot riser) extremely hard to climb, built in the Khmer belief that reaching the kingdom of Gods is no easy task. The temple also symbolizes the center of the Hindu universe. The central part of the temples has many broken statuettes of Buddha; the Khmer Rouge destroyed many more during their reign of terror. We spent the entire day walking thru Angkor Wat, and only explored about 1/3rd of it. By the end of the day, I was ready for a relaxing foot massage by the poolside. The massage never felt that good before. The evening ended with a delicious Khmer meal.

We had bought 3-day temple passes for us – 40 $ per person for three days of unlimited access to temples. Not a bad deal, considering that there are literally hundreds of fascinating temples to visit. The car rental with driver for a day (10 hours) was only $20 (25 for a minivan if you wished). In Cambodia the US $ is the de facto currency. From matchbox to restaurant menus are priced in the US $. During our one-week stay, I only saw the local currency (Riel) once or twice – saving some for keepsake.

The poverty there is painful to witness. There is little or no government support for the poor, which turns many to begging. Visitors may develop beggar weariness by the 3rd day, but one should always remember that these people have no other means to support themselves, and while there is no need to give to everybody, but there is also no need to treat them that if they don’t exist. On tourist locations, such as temples, it is heart breaking to see little kids, some only 3 year old, trying to sell little souvenirs, or postcards, while saying “sir, please buy from me” “madame, will you buy it from me when you come back” “10 for only one dollar – OK I give you 20 for a dollar” “if I tell you the capital of New York State, will you buy it from me?” One little girl counted 1 to 10 in 10 different languages. The travel guide recommended that it was better to offer food to the kids than money, because money is passed on to someone else. It is still very affecting no matter how one looks at it. It really breaks your heart.

The second day was spent in Angkor Thom (a walled city). This city was built in the classical period (9thth to 13th century), and during this period, temple construction was in its peak, due mainly to prosperity. There are dozens of beautiful temples in this city, each unique. In evening was watched Reamker (a Khmer Version of ancient Indian dancing Ramayana) and an elaborate Khmer meal. 3rd day was also spent doing yet another group of temples, Banteay Srei and Banteay Samre became two of my personal favorites. I would skip details of various groups of temples because there are just too many. By now, we were all templed out. The rest of our time was charted out to do other activities. One day to taking a boat ride of the floating village in the largest fresh water lake of Asia (Tonle Sap), with amazing boat houses. The remaining two days spent wondering around the old market (Psar Chaa) in Siem Reap. Last day, I took off with my older son, while my wife and our younger son did their own stuff. My son and I ate on the cheap from holes in the wall and carts, mingled with the natives, learnt some words of the Khmer language, went inside the houses, rode behind motos for free, tasted every thing on the street carts without knowing what we were eating, and only god knows what we ate, some of the stuff was incredibly delicious while other painful to swallow (I later learnt that I might have munched on rats, cats, dogs and worms – I say as long as it is not some endangered protected species, it is fine by me). The Khmer are very hospitable and gentle people. Unlike variety in features and complexions found among Thais, Khmer are very homogeneous with an inherent sadness on their faces, which is kinda hard to explain, but given their recent past that can be put into perspective.

In terms of Khmer cuisine, it is mainly rice, fish and peanut and fish-paste based dishes, pork, chicken and beef. Khmer cuisine is very similar to Thai but less spicy. However, at upscale restaurants, of which there are plenty, French versions of the Khmer cuisine can be quite tasty and worth experiencing. I particularly loved Cafe Indochine where the Khmer food had slightly different flavor, and the restaurant is run out of an elegant old traditional villa with an incredible ambiance. I loved the fact that there were no McDonalds or Starbucks in Siem Reap. May there never be any McDonalds or Starbucks there. Amen.

Last few words. Angkor is not for everyone. The main activity there is visiting the temples, and if you were not into archeological sites, I wouldn’t recommend it. Secondly, it is not a place to go with young kids, as they will only get bored in about an hour. Adventurous and interested teenagers and older kids are fine to take along. I met a young couple from Chicago, taking bus to Phnom Penh (the capital) and then taking a 3 day river cruise from there to Ho Chi Minh City, stopping along the way, partly in the Mekong. I can’t wait to go back to explore some more of that part of the world again. Neither can my sons