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Have finished our travelling around Indochina with 5 action packed days in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. The great parts were the arrivals at both places by large public speedboats after 6 hour journeys. We left Chau Doc, Vietnam, completed Vietnamese and Cambodian immigration on floating jetties and then sat back to watch the life on the river and riverbanks. As we sped further away from the towns, the boat people and floating fish villages were more spread out and the dwellings were much more basic. Saw lots of riverside pagodas and temples which was a change from Vietnam. Fishermen were at work, hand casting their nets. The Mekong seemed to get wider and wider especially between the two cities as we crossed a huge lake to our destination of Chong Kneas, 15 kms from Siem Reap. We had lovely small hotels, colonial in style. in both cities, the White Mansion and then the Pavillon D' Orient. Great staff and friendly service. Also enjoyed a visit to the FCC (Foreign Correspondents Club) in Phnom Penh which has a roof top bar overlooking the river and the esplanade with world flags fluttering in the breeze. Felt l should be filing my blog from there with a gin and tonic in hand!!!! Loved the tuk tuks or remorks as they are in Cambodia as a way of getting around especially in Siem Reap.
The Royal Palace in PP is very ornate with beautiful grounds. Apparently, Cambodia reinstated the monarchy after the civil war and religion was allowed to flourish once again. The temple is lovely and a mix of Buddhist and Hindu (plenty of Shiva, Ganesh and Vishnu) symbols and religion.The Naga (a creature with 7snake heads) is a very important mythical symbol at temple entrances, bridges etc... We also visited the Silver Pagoda, so called because its floor is made of silver.
Kevin and I have always wanted to visit Angkor Wat so were excited when the day arrived. Our hotel was only 5kms from the huge complex of Angkor so I was a bit disappointed when we were picked up by a car and a driver as think we would have preferred a tuk tuk but as we started our tour with our guide, Noy, all we felt was amazement and awe at the scale of the temples. I didn't realise that there were so many temples in the same area.We visited as many
as we could, culminating with Angkor Wat as it was closing. My favourite temples were Ta Prohm, (now nicknamed the Tomb Raider temple as it was used as a location in the film) with huge tree roots wrapped around the jumble of towers, galleries and courtyards and the Bayon, part of Angkor Thom with its 216 large engraved faces staring out into the jungle and the fascinating carvings depicting everyday life in 12th century. Also loved the Terrace of the Elephants decorated with parading elephants and used as a giant viewing stand for royal ceremonies and audiences. Angkor Wat is wonderful but the magic was marred for me by the massive groups of tourists. Couldn't believe when my camera battery ran out as l was about to take the iconic shot of the outline of the Angkor Wat temple reflected in the lake in front of it!!!! Managed to go back the next day and almost get the shot!
The last day of our trip we hired a tuk tuk driver (oh yes) to take us 70 kms!!!! to a far less visited temple, Beng Mealea, that our guide had told us about. This turned out to be the best experience once we left the main roads. We went onto dirt roads through villages. We saw how beautiful this country is with endless rice fields studded with trees. The land is mostly flat so they use less water buffalo and rely on cows of the Indian variety (I'm obviously not a cow species expert!) We saw lots of evidence of NGO activity and charity. Lots of the wells had signs from individual donors. All the children waved to us. The temple was very Indiana Jones as it is falling down and the jungle is rapidly reclaiming it. It has only been open to the public since 2003 as the landmines had to be cleared from it. There are warnings to not wander far from the temple as mine clearance is ongoing!!! We were soon happily clambering up large piles of boulders. I surprised myself at how much l enjoyed being in adventure playground mode. I resisted hanging off the creepers til the end.
We obviously had a great time so what were the bad things?
Well, the traffic was heavy and it was difficult to cross roads. Had to shut my eyes in PP as our tuk tuk driver crossed intersections. All roads outside the cities were in a bad state. There were lots of beggars especially in Phnom Pehn. Many were victims of landmines but also mothers with babies and young children. This was in sharp contrast to the skyline with skyscrapers and 5* hotels and many ongoing construction projects. Siem Reap has grown at an amazing rate to accommodate all the Angkor tourists. There are hundreds of hotels, restaurants and bars. The centre becomes a neon party city with night markets, massage parlours etc.. once the sun sets.
I was amazed at the huge number of Range Rovers, Landcruisers and Lexus cars on the streets of PP. Our guides talked about the corruption in the government and the resulting existence of an elite class, so that sadly explained the cars. The prime minister was defeated in the election earlier this year but still remains in power. Was shocked to learn that the Angkor Wat complex is privately owned and that only 20% of the 20$ daily entrance fee goes to maintenance of the site (over 4m visitors pa) Also all the temple treasures were taken by the French as they relinquished their colonial power so there are many empty spaces. The other disturbing sight is the many single debauched Westerners with young pretty local girls. Sex tourism thrives in Cambodia also drugs are freely available. Kevin went to change some currency during the day and was offered ganga for sale twice.
The ugly is the not so distant history of Cambodia when the educated people in all the towns were wiped out in the space of 4 years by the Pol Pot regime. We visited the infamous Kymer Rouge S-21 prison in PP where thousands were tortured and sent to their deaths in the killing fields. There is a lingering feeling of death and terror. We went into the individual classrooms ( yes, the prison was a former school). On each wall was a large black and white photograph of the tortured corpse found in that room as the prison was liberated in '79 as well as the actual iron bed frame, shackles, and ammunition box used as a toilet, in the photo. It was very upsetting. There are hundreds of harrowing black and white photos of the victims as the prison recorded all the prisoners on arrival and as they died. The victims included hundreds of children and babies. I shook hands with Bou Meng (aged 72) who survived because he was chosen to paint Pol Pot's picture. His wife and children perished but he doesn't know where or when. We then drove out to one of the 343 killing fields. Over 8000 bodies have been discovered there. The grounds are beautiful and it is hard to believe that you are walking around mass burial graves. There is a large stupa with glass cabinets housing hundreds of unidentified skulls. One of the most moving sights is a large tree that was used to swing babies and young children against, until they died. Many visitors, especially backpackers, have left their coloured bracelets as a sign of respect on the tree. The museum is very informative. Everyone is very subdued as they wander around as you ponder on man's ability to have no humanity in certain situations. Our guide and driver told us about their individual family experiences as you realise that the genocide affected everyone in Cambodia. Very sobering end to the day.
Despite its terrible history and continuing challenges, the people are friendly and welcoming and continue to thrive in a beautiful land. Landmine clearance continues. We saw evidence of some good projects, Jimmy's Village School in SR (literacy) and Tiny Toones (a breakdancing project for street kids) in PP. We had a fabulous 5 days and wouldn't have missed it for the world.Cambodia needs continuing aid and support but so glad we finally visited.
Now back in Penang for the run up to Christmas. The hotel and town is festooned in Xmas decor despite the lovely weather. Off on Burma visa run to KL in a couple of days but the rest of our time will be spent counting down to our reunion with the children in Langkawi at Christmas and then our family week in Sumatre, Indonesia. Will blog how it all went. Wishing everyone a very Happy Christmas with their families and health and happiness in 2014 and thanks so much for all the individual messages which l will respond to. Xxxx
- comments
Gitte You should write a book! Thank you for letting us follow you. Wishing you all a merry christmas too, and may 2014 be just as fantastic for you. Love from us G.
Rose Another very interesting blog Mrs K! Wishing you and all your family a wonderful Christmas. Louise over with her entourage from Zimbabwe so have 20 here Christmas Day! Lots of Love Rx
Jess Fascinating to read about your adventures and the detailed descriptions of where you have been. A very Happy Christmas to you all. Have a great time and look forward to reading the next episode! Jx
Gladys van der Spiegel Dear Alison and Kevin, we find your blog fascinating to read and always look forward to the next instalment. We hope that you have a wonderful Christmas holiday with your family. Thanks for Theo's birthday postcard. New Year greetings to you all and happy travelling! Love from Gladys, Mark & Theo xxx