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Sua s'dei from Cambodia!
In a nutshell, we've been very busy and very humbled by our time here. We arrived in Siem Reap last Sunday, to be picked up by the coolest tuk tuk so far - think moped on the front, chariot on the back and party patterns all over. We were those people who were greeted by a sign-wielding, smiling man in the arrivals lounge - a first for us both. We were really pleased to finally be in Cambodia; it was always one of our top destinations from the beginning and we were on top form as we tuk tuk'd into Siem Reap at the standard 100mph. The heat and humidty raised the bar, it felt much hotter than Laos. Basically between 12-3pm its too hot to function, or so we discovered very quickly on our first day.
There are 5000 tuk tuk's in Siem Reap (which isn't a huge place) which proved to be 4500 too many as we and every other white person in the vinicity were constantly asked "you want tuk tuk sir/lady?!" At first this was quite amusing and provided some joviality between us and the touting drivers - but we soon tired of this and resorted to walking past the hordes whilst smiling widely (you have to smile here or risk embarassing the locals - a big no no) and vigoursly shaking ones head. Amazingly Al was even asked if he wanted a tuk tuk while sitting down and eating his lunch - also it was not uncommon for one driver to see you leaving a tuk tuk and approaching you immediatley to ask you if he could take you anywhere... This charade isn't unique to tuk tuk drivers - the massage, eating joints and markets all had the same healthy dose of friendly harrassment. Despite this, we loved Siem Reap and did the following there:
- Spent a whole day open-mouthed at the famous ancient temple city, starting with sunrise at Angkor Wat - it was almost unbelieveable to be standing in front this epic piece of history. Being one of the biggest and oldest buildings on earth (over 1000 years old), the stone is carved with the most beautiful and intricate bas-reliefs, which boggle the mind as some look like they could have been done yesterday morning. We had a great guide called Sokha, and a chilled out tuk tuk driver 'Mr Loen' who made the day even better with their charisma. By 3pm we were totally exhausted, dusty and sweaty but found refuge in a hotel pool to reflect on the day. We actually took 1million photos which we would be very happy to show you all through the medium of power point slide show upon our return - you'll be riveted.
- Got stuck in at the night market and honed some haggling skills. We also had a Khmer massage which is a bit like a Thai massage, slightly less violent but just as energetic. After we had our limbs pulled in all directions, we were feeling much better.
-We then undid all of this good work by walking for what seemed like days to find a exceptionally expensive gallery where we could only afford to by postcards. I'm sure you can guess who's idea that was... thanks Carly.
- Watched a traditional Cambodia Apsara dancing performance, where the girls are other worldly in their beauty. A particularly amusing part of the evening was at the end when the audience was invited to have their photo's taken with the dancers. Aside from this being a slightly uncomnfortable moment anyway, it was made worse by what seemed to be the ugliest, most odd looking human beings we've ever seen queuing up for their picture. It may simply have been 'normal people' stood next to stunners, but the spectacle had us in stitches. Even more so when a Japanese stoner lept up onto the stage wearing an evolutionary t-shirt (showing the evolution of neoandarthal to man) and seemed to be the spitting image of the midway point between monkey and man. Priceless.
- Hooked up with Mr Loen to visit Kompong Phluk - a stilted village that builds its houses 6 meters off the ground to thwart the rainy season, as they are in a spot which means their village turns into a river for quite a few months of the year. It helps that they're all fisherman.
- Had a truly memorable day helping out a rural village with some much needed chores. Our old mate Sokha joined us to show us the ropes, and we helped to make thatched roof panels out of palm leaves, plant fruit trees and make a traditional rural workers lunch which frighteningly involved masses of live red ants and one year old fish paste. It actually turned out quite nice, but the red ant's friends got their own back by relentlessly biting us all day - b******s. It was cool to walk throughout the village and meet the locals going about their daily business, who seemed really pleased to see us and were full of questions. The village isn't a 'tourist village' but a real place with real people. The inhabitants are very poor: most don't even have toilets and there is no running water or electricity. People sleep on the floor and have to forrage and struggle for food every day to feed their families. The lady we helped, Leah, was a widow after her husband was killed by a landmine in the war - so we couldn't have been more pleased to help her.
- The only disappointing moment of our time was when we we all geared up for an evening of 'Monk Chat at the Peace Cafe' - this was to be an hour of chilling with monks and quizzing them about a monks life. We arrived early and keen, bought the biggest drinks available only to be told that the monks were busy that night. Blown out by a monk...
On Friday we boarded a 6 hour bus to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia - which we both enjoyed. We saw lots of beautiful countryside, heaps of lush green rice paddies, bustling villages, beeping vehicles and very cute waving kids. It really made us wish more than ever that we had more time to see the countryside and not just the cities. Our tranquil state of mind was short lived following our arrival to PP bus station as we became caught in the middle of a heated tuk tuk driver scuffle, after some confusion about who claimed us first... Standing in the middle of two raging drivers in the pouring rain was unsettling, but we chose the right guy who we've used a couple of times during our time here.
Perhaps the most moving part of our entire trip so far has been our experience today, as we visited S21 (Security Prison 21) which was the Khmer Rouge's infamous torture prison during the Khmer Rouge rule from 1975 - 1979. What happened there was so disgusting it's hard to write about. The prison, which was ironically a former high school, was turned into a museum just a year after the Vietnamese liberated the capital. The hallways and rooms are nearly exactly the same as they were found, with blood stained floors, original beds, torture weapons and 5,000 photo's of the poor people who were killed there. Out of 20,000 people who passed through the prison, only 7 survived: 3 of whom are still alive today, and are acting as witnesses in the ongoing trial. We then went to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek where most of the prisoners held at S21 were killed. This was just horrific - as we walked around the site the guide pointed out bones, bullets, teeth and clothes which are still rising up out of the ground after each rainy season. This really brought home how recently this genocide happened, and reminded us of how many people that are alive in Cambodia today have stories of their own of lost friends and family and who must have suffered themselves. Cambodia is a Buddhist country who believe their dead need to be laid to rest in order for them to pass onto the next life. For this reason a dramatic memorial stupa has been erected to house the 9,000 skulls and bones that were excavated from some of the mass graves. The rest of the bodies will not be excavated as it's thought that there is more than enough evidence to bring those responsible to trial. We just hope this happens quickly as most of the surviving Kymer Rouge senior staff are now late 70's and the Cambodian people may never see justice.
It's a testament to the people that even though they endured so much suffering with nearly all of their educated members of society murdered, they are rebuilding their country and are so positive about the future and accepting of the past. We were privilidged to hear our friend Sokha's story, which was almost unbelievable as he and his family went through so much - but the sad fact is his story is shared by millions. We feel very lucky and have a lot of respect for Cambodians.
We leave for Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam on Monday for noodle soup, floating markets and hopefully some beach time. It's been a flying visit to Cambodia but we're certain one day we'll be back.
Lia Hao-y
xx
- comments
Mum and Dad Hi my darlings - good to hear from you and what a fascinating and moving experience you have had in Cambodia. It sounds an incredible place to visit and you could write a book about it im sure. What a mystical place the ancient city temple must be. As usual a brilliant blog. Keep safe, and dad says "tuk tuk wars!!! " - sounds like a good theme for a film....love you and miss you loads. Mum and Dad xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
MumTuck and DadTuck Wow - yet again a wonderfully descriptive blog it really sets the imagination going when reading it. Can't believe how much you've seen and done so far and there is still a lot more to experience - you'll never forget this adventure. It really is an eyeopener when you see how some people live with very little and yet, more often than not, they are very happy generous people - the western world could/should learn from this. Keep safe as always - we're both missing you and looking forward to seeing you at end of Sept. All our love, Mum and Dad xxxxxxx
Pi Hello my lovelies, Again to reiterate the parentals the blogging is amaze...really feels like we could be there with you. Miss you lots and so pleased that you are enjoying so many amazing, moving and funny experiences together. Much love xx
Char Ow you guys, miss you so much. Apologies for lack of comments but I am now officially up to date on your amazing blogs!! They are so good I can hear you both! (don't worry not mental and hearing voices). Not that I want to hurry your adventures but I can't wait for you to come back for the slide shows.....I also want to copy your itinerary and follow in your footsteps. Love you both very much, looking forward to the next chapter xxx
Ruthie Hi you two! Great blog, Cambodia sounds amazing. The S21 sounds disturbingly facinating. So moving. Can't wait to see all your photos! Love the part about the tuk tuks! Keep safe and have fun, love you both xxxxxx
karen Hi Carly and Al great to hear all about your travels. I really enjoy reading every word . We all miss you both so much cant wait to read more .Love you both love Kar xxxxxxxxx