We passed through the border to Cambodia on the 22nd of December. The border crossing was easy, a formality really. The Cambodia visas look pretty kool and take up a whole page of our passports. Our early morning bus (another 6am start!) took us to Phnomh Penh, the capital of Cambodia.
Our first impression of Cambodia was how flat everything is. It just goes on and on. Khmer people also look different to Vietnamese, they have darker skin and broader features. It's amazing that only a few hundred kilometres separates such differences.
On the whole, after one week in Cambodia we can safely say that Vietnamese people are nicer and more easily approachable. Here we get stared at alot and it doesn't seem like a friendly stare. But all the same, we have met some very nice Khmer people.
Cambodia
The biggest draw for us in Phnomh Penh was the Tuol Sleng Prison Museum and Cheoung Ek - the killing fields, both are sites of murder, torture, interrogation and other heinous crimes against humanity by the Khmer Rouge.
We walked to Tuol Sleng straight after we checked into the hotel. It was a big walk in a foreign city but well worth the navigational effort. From 1975 until 1978 the Khmer Rouge used Tuoul Sleng Prison, a former high school, to detain, torture and interrogate 'enemies' of the revolution. Mainly Khmer intellectuals, businessmen, officials of the old government and families who fought against the Khmer Rouge with the Cambodian military.
The prison was the last stop before prisoners went to Cheoung Ek and were murdered. A plaque stated that nearly 20 000 people went through Tuol Sleng, of these, seven survived. It boggles the mind to think in figures such as these.
The Vietnamese army liberated Phnomh Penh in early January, 1979. Upon hearing of the Vietnamese approach, the Khmer Rouge ordered the killing of remaining prisoners, but fled before they could finish and left the survivors to starve to death. Vietnamese soldiers subsequently found seven survivors clinging to life in the prison, to hungry to move. 14 bodies beaten beyond recognition were also found in other rooms strewn on rusty beds, their bodies are now buried in humble tombs in the courtyard of the prison.
The Tuol Sleng museum is brutal in its display and message. Graphic photos and descriptions outline the torture and interrogation that prisoners underwent. Other rooms are full of hundreds of mugshots of Khmer people who perished in or passed through Tuol Sleng. There are also photos of a few foreigners who become trapped in Cambodia following the Khmer Rouge rise to power and did not survive.
It was a very sombre afternoon. The mood in the museum was subdued as people walked around and tried to process the information and come to terms with it. One thing we could not get over was the setting. It is so plain, it looks just like a rundown school in a quiet area, how could it have gone from a quiet school to a brutal detention governed by power, paranoia and megalomania?
Tuol Sleng Prison
The next day in Phnomh Penh was another hard one. We went to the Cheoung Ek Killing fields 15km out of the city. This was another incredibly plain setting. The kind of area you wouldn't give a second glance if it weren't for its brutal history. It is in this area that 129 mass graves were found, 85 were excavated netting the bones of 8500 people. The largest mass grave had 455 people in it, a staggering amount. Many of the bones were clothed and most victims had been cruelly and mercilessly bludgeoned to death in order to save bullets. Even babies were not safe. Many hundreds were killed in horrific ways as a means of ensuring they would not grow up and take revenge on those who had killed their family.
The first thing you see as you walk into Cheoung Ek is a large monument at the end of a long path. It is not until you are close that you realise it is full of skulls. These skulls are placed on display in order to show the horrors of the Pol Pot led Khmer Rouge regime. It is a chilling example of the number of deaths that occurred as the monument is very tall and the 17 platforms all house bones that are grouped by age and type.
We questioned the ethics of displaying skulls and bones so openly, wouldn't those who died want to be cremated, to be free? The Khmer reasoning is that these bones serve as evidence of the atrocities that were committed by the Khmer Rouge. Now that many members of the regime are being charged with the crimes they committed during the Khmer Rouge's short reign of terror, the bones are exacting their ultimate revenge by being visible. Buddhist religion also dictates that human remains have to be accessible to the spirit of the deceased. The remains on display at Cheoung Ek were housed in glass enclosures, all open to the air through large gaps between the panes of glass.
Here are some links about Tuol Sleng and Cheoung Ek:
http://www.tuolsleng.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuol_Sleng_Genocide_Museum
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choeung_Ek
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Killing_Fields
Sorry they are not hyperlinked - it wouldn't let me do it. Just copy and paste them into the address bar.
After the morbidity of Cheoung Ek we went to the Russian Market in Phnomh Penh South. The market was absolutely massive and literally had everything. It was also stiflingly hot. We have become better at bargaining now, so we don't get ripped off as much anymore. Bargaining can be fun, in fact it should be fun. The best rule to go by is to make sure that you and the seller are happy with the price. It is no fun when you talk the person's price down so much that they begrudgingly give it to you and think you're an arsehole. Often when you ask the price of something the vendors will quote an outlandish price, I guess its like the lottery; every now and then a tourist will come along and be silly enough to pay the first price. This was us at the start of our trip and we STILL got a far better deal than back home.
At the market we both brought some USD$2 Calvin Klein underwear, I also got some pants and Anna got some singlet tops, a pair of shorts and a nice t-shirt.
We had time to check out the riverfront after this which was very nice. Lots of boats and fishermen scattered around and a lively atmosphere around the backpacker area, which was quite alluring as our hotel was out in the west side of Phnomh Penh.
The next morning it was up early again (6am!) for our bus to Siem Reap. We arrived about 1pm and got checked into a hotel that we were dubious about at first, but has since turned out ok. Straight away we organised a tuk tuk to see the sunset over the Angkor area as we heard this was essential. Our admission tickets to the park cost USD$40 for three days, pretty steep but it is definitely worth it. The security in the park is very tight, apparently if you are found without your admission ticket (which is a photo ID) in a temple you are fined US$100. I sure hope not!
The sunset over Angkor was beautiful, the terrain seemed to go on forever and the temple that we stood on atop the hill glowed bright orange in the fading sunlight. The only downside was that there were about 500-600 people also on the temple, which made it very crowded and noisy. Japanese tour groups are the worst as there are always a whole bus full and they stick together, pushing their way past everybody. It can really get on your nerves after you've been jabbed in the back as someone tries to step past you and take a photo!
That night we had a nice meal in downtown Siem Reap. We were feeling a little homesick especially as Christmas was the next day and there was a drought of festive cheer in Cambodia. A buddhist country doesn't take the slightest interest in xmas, hotels may put a token tree up (ours did on boxing day) or have some lights, but largely it is non-existent. We cheered ourself up by singing some christmas carols and I found I could still play jingle bells on the harmonica.
Sunset Photos
The next morning we were up at 4.30am to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat, yay Christmas day! Santa had filled our stocking with lollies, sugary drinks and other random knick-knacks. Anna has developed a taste for ice coffee and Santa didn't let her down with a can of coffee in the bottom of the stocking.
We had hired a tuk tuk driver to drive us around for the day and he picked us up at 5am. The sunrise over Angkor Wat was pretty spectacular even if there was another million tourists jostling for spots. It is the biggest religious structure in the world, which means its the biggest draw for the Angkor area. So we decided to explore it last and see some of the smaller temples first. But not after going back to Siem Reap to ring our families for xmas. Anna got lucky until the line broke, but I could not get through at all.
Back at the temples we went to Angkor Thom, an ancient city that holds a large, ruinous temple with over 200 massive faces carved into the parapets - the mighty Bayon. These faces are thought to be of King Jayavardaman VII and serve as a reminder to his subjects that he is big brother - all knowing and all seeing.
Sunrise at Angkor Wat and the ruins of Angkor Thom and Bayon
For boxing day it was back to the temples in Angkor. This time we hired some bikes and did the hard yards which turned out to be very rewarding. We had seen people biking the day before so we thought we would have a crack. It was very cheap - USD$1 vs. the USD$15 it cost for our twelve hour day with Mr. Sam the tuk tuk driver. Once we got on the bikes we were sweet, pedalling away very happily. It didn't even matter that my bike was pink :D
We started out at the holiest of holies; Angkor Wat. The anticipation had been building as we were well impressed by all the lesser structures. Angkor Wat is huuuge, it's surrounded by a moat that looks like a lake and the causeway leading up to the main temple is about 400m long.
Layout of Angkor Wat:
Once inside we started following the square outer circuit, on the picture above this looks like a wall but it is more like a closed terrace. It had many depictions of battles, all elaborately carved into the rock. Many of these bas-reliefs are being restored as they have been eroded by the years and the elements. After walking this 800m circuit we went into the area that houses the libraries. We had this area all ourself as the tour groups had all left for lunch - so peaceful! We stayed for a good while in the shade just trying to avoid the sun which was at its punishing best. We got further into the centre of Angkor Wat and it was simply stunning. The only downside is that the central sanctuary is being restored so we could not go up to it and get the great view it affords.
Angkor Wat
The bas-relief carvings in the outer corridor
The Library (can you find Anna)
Inside Angkor Wat
After Angkor Wat we carried on our bike trip to some very interesting but smaller temples. The area is virtually all jungle apart from the temples. As we were biking along a road with dense Jungle on both sides we seen animals sitting beside a tree...what were they??? Monkeys!! We had seen big lizards, elephants and monkeys all over the area but never a whole family of Monkeys. We slowed down to get a better look and I got a good shot of one of the cheeky buggers crossing the road.
As we went on we came across a Monkey mugging for the camera, or so we thought. It wasn't long before he had a whole crowd around him. He started to walk away, having seemingly lost interest in the hubbub around him...or had he? All of a sudden he turns around and leaps at a girl, grabbing the bag of pineapple she was holding loosely at her side. It was the best feint I've ever seen and I couldn't stop laughing as the Monkey ran up a tree to eat his prize. He had sure earned his treat!
Here are some photos of other intersting temples and structures from our second day, including Ta Prohm where some of Tomb Raider was filmed.
Well thats about us up to date I'm afraid! We've had a quiet day in Siem Reap today, resting our bums after the biking yesterday. Its also taken a good while to finish this post, its a monster!
Tommorrow we head back to the big smoke - Saigon. However, its a 13 hour bus trip to get there, not much fun. We love Vietnam now and it will almost be a relief to get back as Cambodia has been testing in parts (and also bloody expensive).
Once again we hope everyone had a great christmas and the sunburn isn't to bad!
Much love,
J & A
