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Cambodia
The Ghastly
and The Glorious
Text
and Photos by Sandra Scott
Cambodia is a study in contrasts. The people of Cambodia survived incomprehensible
suffering during the 1970s when an estimated two million people died.
This is the same Cambodia that created the magical Angkor Wat. Built between
9th and 14th centuries when the Khmer civilization was at the height of
its creativity, it is believed to be the world’s largest religious
structure.
River City
Cambodia' s capital city, Phnom Penh, lies at the confluence of three
of the region's great rivers - the Mekong, Tonle Sap and Bassac. It is
the political and commercial center of the country and home to over one
million people. Once it was considered the most beautiful of all cities
in French Indochina – called “The Paris of Asia.”
The Royal Palace is a must-see, located on the site of the former citadel,
it was built in 1866 by King Norodom. The Royal Palace is now home to
His Majesty Preah Bat Samdach Preah Norodom Sihanouk, King of Cambodia,
and Her Majesty Preah Reach Akka-Hohesey Norodom Monineath Sihanouk, the
Queen.
The city is still a combination of old and new. There are more motor bikes
than cars on city roads. It is difficult to find a single stop light or
other traffic directional signs. But, like all else in Cambodia, it is
changing fast with new hotels opening and more tourist facilities available.
The Killing
Fields
The second most popular tourist destination in Phnom Penh is the notorious
Tuol Sleng Museum, which graphically details the atrocities of Pol Pot’s
Khmer Rouge and the Killing Fields. Visitors walk in numbed silence from
cell to cell, from photo to photo, trying to comprehend the horror. Little
is left to the imagination. One of the instructions stated, “While
getting electrification and lashes you must not cry out.”
On
a picture-perfect day my husband, John and I, bumped along the dusty road
from the capital of Phnom Penh to a tranquil place on the riverside that
belied the unspeakable horror that took place 25 years ago. At Choeung
Ek, one of the Khmer Rouge’s many killing field, near what was the
mass grave for 17,000, more than 8000 skulls, arranged by age and gender,
are piled high behind the glass panels of the Memorial Stupa.
At the age of seven, when our guide’s family was separated, his
father cautioned him, “Never forget your name.” He was forced
to spend the next four years in a Khmer Rouge jungle camp. Memories of
his earlier life faded but because of his father’s sage advice he
was reunited with his family when he returned to Phnom Penh at the age
of eleven. Other youngsters were not so lucky.
Tonle Sap
Our choice to travel by boat from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, the city closest
to Angkor was a good one. For six hours we traveled the Tonle Sap River
into the lake so large that we could not see the shore. Many people along
the waterway still live in rattan mat houses, some on stilts, some on
floating platforms.
Along the river people fish and farm as they have done for generations.
We felt we were seeing the real Cambodia and that the atrocities where
a tragic aberration. The last half hour a small boat pulled our 100-passenger
boat through the shallow canal of Chong Kneas, a floating fishing village.
The children, in uniform, paddle their small wooden boats to the bright
blue, floating school, while others fish and go about their daily routine.
We developed a respect for the resiliency of the Cambodian people who
have survived generations of war with their warm smiles in tact.
Angkor
The glory of Cambodia is found in the huge temple complex of Angkor. It
is the heart and soul of Cambodia, a source of great pride and inspiration
as they rebuild their lives.
Even amid the throng of tourists it is easy to be entranced by the aura
of Angkor. Most temples are entered by short jungle walk - disabled veterans
play traditional music and monkeys gambol about. Within the temples is
the heady smell of incense, saffron-robed monks, fortunetellers, and halls
lined with religious bas-reliefs.
Angkor Wat, considered the crown jewel, is one of the largest religious
monuments ever built. The temple complex covers 81 hectares and is dedicated
to the Hindu God Vishnu. The temple is a representation of the Hindu cosmology.
The central monument represents the sacred Mount Meru, and the five towers
symbolize Mount Meru's five peaks. The temple’s greatest treasures
are the bas-reliefs around the walls of the outer gallery and the hundred
figures of devatas and apsaras.
Each temple area has its own special charm from the magnificent carvings
at Banteay Srei to the ruins Ta Prohm still locked in the muscular embrace
of tree roots. The huge roots have been left and the temple has not been
reconstructed giving it a mystical aura. French archeologists wanted to
show how nature can destroy man's work.
The town of Siem Reap, gateway to Angkor, has attractions all of its
own including the country’s best hotels and restaurants. It is growing
by leaps and bounds. The new Cambodian Village gives visitors a taste
of traditional Cambodian life with recreated buildings and folkloric shows.
Change is coming fast, especially in Siem Reap. In 10 years the old Cambodia
will be hard to find. For more information check www.mot.gov.kh!!!
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