We just got back from Siem Reap, Cambodia last night, and what an unforgettable trip! Josh and I were saying on the flight back that we would definitely return to soak in more of the incredible history and people. It is one of our wishes to be able to take another trip there and do some community work while travel the less travelled paths.
Everyday during our visit, I had to try really hard to remember all of the things that were told to us by our guide, a native Khmer who has gone through the terror of Khmer Rouge. His tales were incredible and we really enjoyed the personable and private tours. I'd like to share with you some of my travel notes I jotted down daily, over the 3 days we were there.
We have a private tour guide and driver with us the whole time, and lucky for us, our guide studied history in university, so everywhere we go, not only do we get to see the mesmerizing sights, we get valuable history lessons. His name is Bunat, he's married with 2 kids, and he lost his father, a math teacher, to the Khmer Rouge when Bunat was only 7. The Khmer Rouge regime lasted from 1975-1979. Bunat's only in his 40s, but he looks like he's well into his 50s. I can tell the hardships he's been through from his dark, sunburned, and patchy skin, and the wrinkles and sunspots on his rough hands.
Though I don't know many Khmers, just from getting to know Bunat and hearing him talk about his people, the Khmers have been around since the 6th century, and through time, have persevered and exude great pride for their mythical and unique culture that has captivated me since my arrival.
Morning call was at 3:30am for our flight that departed from Singapore at 6am. Today we visited a temple called Preah Khan, and passed by a Cambodian wedding. We only heard the loud celebratory music, but didn't see anybody from the wedding party. It was 38 degrees, Celcius out and it was really hot. In the afternoon, we visited the Angkor National museum and saw loads of articrafts stolen/taken away from various temples. These articrafts are mainly the heads of big statues, such as buddhas and demons. They were stolen from temples in the middle of the night, cut off by electric saws. Then the bandits would try to smuggle them over the Thai border via trucks that carried rice. These stolen statues can be worth $5000-$10000 USD if sold in the black market. Given the fact that an average Khmer farmer makes $800-$1000 USD a year, they can feed their family for a long time from these deals. When the police at the border discovered these stolen statues, they were returned to Cambodia and placed in the national museum.
After the museum, we visited the outskirts of Angkor Wat briefly just to get some sunset photos, but we will visit the grounds in detail tomorrow. Our driver and guide were so amazing that they prepared a sunset picnic for us. We sat by an amazing spot by the moat that protected the temple, and listened to Bunat tell us about the Khmer Rouge. It's a sad page in the Cambodian history. Because of the ruling of Khmer Rouge, Cambodia's prosperity and peace took a great fall, which explains why the country is so poor now. If you are interested to learn more about this, I'm reading 2 great books by Luong Ung, "First They Killed my Father," and "The Lucky Child." I highly recommend these books, as it took me less than 2 days to finish the first, and I haven't been able to put the 2nd book down.
At night we watched performance of the traditional Apsara dances. Apsara means ladies from heaven. Their dances are elegant, with restraint, and I couldn't take my eyes off of the glitzy costumes! It was a dinner and show with traditional Khmer food. Khmer food is a hybrid between Thai and Chinese. I find it to be lighter and healthier.
Tomorrow, we will be visiting more temples. Being in these ancient temples sends thrills down my spine. It is an overwhelming feeling to know how long they have existed, and one day, I have the privilege to stand with them. I cannot wait!
Minnie
7/22/10
Preah Khan, the first temple we visited, built over 9th-12th century.
For more photos, please see facebook. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment