Last phase of our adventure and plan A panned out. The magical thing about airline passes and standby travel is the opportunity and possibility to go (and imagine going) anywhere! So we hopped on a 40 min. flight . . . . .
. . . . . got a tuk tuk at the airport . . . . .
. . . . . and settled in for our time in Siem Reap.
We are only here for a short time, so we only really got up to three things. Touring the temples of Angkor Archaeological park, hanging/vegging out in the city of Siem Reap and learning about the war and landmines that have been left behind in this country.
Let’s get the dark part out of the way. We visited two different museums in the area: the Cambodian War Remnant Museum and the Cambodia Landmine Museum. Both fairly small, both very informative, both worthy of a visit if you are ever in the area. Our tour guide at the first museum had been a child soldier, was the victim of a landmine (lost his leg) and was eventually helped physically and emotionally by the UN. He was determined to get his story and the common story of many people his age out to the west. The second museum was started by a man who was also a child soldier, helped to set landmines and has dedicated his life to now clearing his country of landmines and providing aid to children who continue to be victims of these landmines. Some of the things that we learned (and at times were really hard to hear) were
- various wars in the country lasted 30 years
- there are still somewhere between 3-6 million landmines “somewhere” in the country
- landmines are still being planted in the world today (in September this year, the Myanmar army were accused of laying landmines)
- there is currently a landmine treaty in place (stopping the development, production and use of mines) that has been signed by 155 countries, but not by China, Russia or the US (landmines are currently in place along the DMZ – the border between South & North Korea)
Having the luxury of being born in Canada, we can’t even imagine what the Cambodian people have gone through (and most likely continue to go through today) and we aren’t quite sure what we now do with that information. Any thoughts?
On the lighter side, we spent some time just wandering around Siem Reap. It’s an easy city to just walk around, so that is exactly what we did. The Cambodian people are AMAZING. So warm, friendly and quick to just simply share a smile with you. Our hotel was located a bit out of the centre in a local community. It was close to an elementary school and children and parents would daily greet us with hellos and smiles as we passed by.
My birthday was spent at one of my favourite “restaurants” in most Asian countries . . . At the food stands. $4US (oddly enough, the second official currency) bought us a delicious meal, a fruit shake and the entertainment of basically sitting in the middle of the road as trucks and scooters tried to work their way around us.
I had a few massages here. In Thailand, my massages were for the sake of “research” and mastering my techniques. Here, my Khmer massages were simply about pure relaxation and occasional laughs.
B-Rod had a few firsts here. His first time to Cambodia, his first time at Angkor Wat, his first time wearing shants (more later) and his first ever straight razor shave. It was pretty amusing to watch as everyone around him seemed fascinated by the whole process – maybe just not used to how much more hair a whitey has and how the barber was going to handle it perhaps? A couple of scratches with the blade on a local’s chin is usually more than sufficient. B-Rod had a few days growth, and admitted to being nervous at times. One observer leaned right in mid shave just to get a closer look. Another volunteered to actually do it instead of the barber that had cut his hair. $3 for the experience … worth it!
Through our hotel, we arranged to have a tuk tuk driver take us around the various temples around the park over the course of 2.5 days. The place is HUGE!! Though Angkor Wat is the most famous, it isn’t my most favourite. This was my second time here and though it was just as good, it was different. It is the beginning of high season, while last time I had come during low season. There weren’t quite as many times where we could have places to ourselves, but the area is so spread out that you can still always find a quiet spot.
The dress code was supposed to be a bit stricter than the last time I was here as there had been some cases of blantant disrespect at this sacred religious site (why do tourists have to be told (and charged) to not pose nude in this area????!!!!) B-Rod felt quite Euro with his shants (not quite shorts, not quite pants) to cover his knees. His buff headband to protect his twice burned forehead (do you remember he lost his hat riding a tuk tuk in Bangkok), his ‘sports’ shoes and backpack. All things he doesn’t wear on a normal every day basis.
We won’t go into much information about the temples, as neither of us were really interested in the details except for the fact that these complexes were built between the 9th and 12th centuries. They alternated between Hindu and Buddhist, with many carvings of deities scratched out, and sometimes redrawn. For me it was more about the fact of just being there and the feeling that came along with being in ancient, sacred sites. We had a difficult time choosing pics, so you’ll just have to scroll through “a few!”
I think we did pretty good on this trip – big city, middle of the ocean, beach, ancient sites and jungle and many firsts and new experiences. Grateful to be back on my favourite continent with my most favourite person! Dela Frijoles!!!
Amazing trees among the ruins. Glad your trip seems to have had a more positive turn. RL