Angkor Wat and all things Khmer

I'm a week overdue on this report from my trip to Cambodia. True, it's because I've been doing many exciting things since then, but I also think it's because I needed some time to digest the sights, sounds, and smells of Angkor Wat and Siem Reap. In no particular order, these impressions are of:

Leaving before sunrise to see monolithic temples bathed in the first light of day ... enigmatic faces carved into hundreds-of-years-old rock ... age-old Hindu and Buddhist stories ... the persistent chorus of sellers asking for "just one dollar" ... a monsoon-like downpour ... cows in rice paddies ... aromatic Khmer curries ... the sounds of toads, birds, and insects in the jungle at night ... school children commuting by twos and threes on adult bicycles that dwarfed their young bodies ... motorbikes and tuk-tuks going every which way (including straight into other motorbikes -- yes, I witnessed a nasty collision) ... the back of my trusty tuk-tuk driver ... clouds of dirt and dust that I tried not to inhale for kilometers on end ... motorbikes carrying wooden cages full of squirming piglets (or just a giant boar lying awkardly on its back) ... that same pig, except decapitated with flies buzzing around, for sale at the market ... screaming naked children asking me to give them my ice cream as I sat in town waiting out the rain.

Angkor Wat upper terrace at sunrise

I flew into Siem Reap in Northern Cambodia on Saturday evening (June 2) at dusk. It was by far the most peculiar landing I've ever had... not because the Bangkok Airways flight wasn't smooth (it was smooth, and I even got a meal on a 35 minute flight - amazing), but instead it was because I had no idea when we were going to hit the ground. Given the darkness, I couldn't distinguish between night sky and solid ground; it finally occurred to me that I was landing in the least electrified place I'd ever traveled. There were just no lights to be seen. While the airport was new and modern, I would come to find on my two day visit that little else was.

A kind gentleman from the Palm Village Resort whisked me and my backpack away, and we set off for the hotel which was slightly outside of town. He was very apologetic when we turned off the main airport road onto a bumpy dirt road... and onto another ... and another... and they just got bumpier. Our conversation was interesting, though. He acknowledged that times have been very hard in Cambodia, but there's a lot of optimism for the future, and that "maybe the next time I visit these roads will be paved!"

I really was struck by just how underdeveloped Cambodia was. According to my guidebook, the area around Angkor Wat was well-developed for tourism, so I guess I assumed I wouldn't see much of 'authentic' Cambodia except for the temples. In actuality, I saw a lot of rural life, which was clearly a struggle. Traveling from my hotel to town or the temples (since I was staying in a rural area in between the two), as well as riding north of town to Banteay Srei and south of town toward Tonle Sap, I saw people working in the fields and living in primitive bamboo housing... in short, a pretty tough life.

Bayon temple in Angkor Thom

faces of the Bayon

On my first afternoon, I was sitting at the Blue Pumpkin Cafe in Siem Reap for a brief respite in the comfortable realm of a European-style cafe, eating Lemon-Kaffir Lime sorbet (yum) and wearing my Chicago Cubs baseball hat. By chance, an American man noticed my baseball affiliation and struck up a conversation -- turns out he is from Crystal Lake, IL and is living in Cambodia as a missionary. He commented that the country's predicament is clear when traveling overland from Thailand: apparently, all the trucks coming in are full, but all the trucks going out are empty since Cambodia has little to export.

sausages and hogs (ok, not exactly Harleys, but you get the idea)

The market scene outside all the major temples was another striking experience. I was prepared to be approached constantly, but the sales pitch here was 10 times what I experienced in Bangkok. As soon as I set foot outside the temple boundary, I was swarmed by children who, in perfect English, implored me to buy bracelets, postcards, a cold drink, scarves, t-shirts, etc. "Lady, you buy! Only one dollar! You buy from me!" Any response of "no" was met with "yes you can, I know you can! Only one dollar! I need it to go to school. You can help." If I was entering a temple instead of leaving, the pitch was "you buy on the way out -- I will remember you, lady!" On one hand, I take the 'hard sell' with a grain of salt, knowing that it's simply part of the culture here. On the other hand, having seen the contrast between Cambodia and Thailand, where development is faster and the economy stronger, I perceived a desperation in these merchants that was hearbreaking.

schoolgirls

This is not to say that I didn't have a wonderful visit. The people I met, from my guide Narin to my tuk-tuk driver to the innkeeper, were all completely lovely. The temples themselves lived up to expectation. Words don't do them justice, and neither do my pictures, but I'll post some anyway. For the record, I would also like to note that I woke up at 4:30 am on each of my two days to see Angkor Wat at sunrise, proving my theory that I'm completely a morning person on vacation, when I don't need to be.

the mother of all temples

Perhaps I was even more struck by Cambodia because I was on my own for this portion of the journey, and had lots of solitary time to think and observe. Regardless, it was well worth the trip!

Angkor Wat and all things Khmer

Siemreab, Cambodia