Cambodia - Part II

I went to Phnom Penh to prepare myself of I could expect in a country like Cambodia. Yes, the scars are visible. But, they are also healing quickly.  Beyond the awful past, They welcome visitors with open arms and yet they are guarded to let you in to their lives. Cambodia is a case in point of how a country is turning it self into a better nation after going through so much.

Choeung Ek Genocidal Center or more commonly known as Killing Fields is Cambodia’s attempt to tell the world what happened there and also it is a lesson for us to see what should not be repeated, no matter which part of the world. It is horrible, it makes you weep, wail and misanthropic. Once you get out of the Killing Fields, you begin to see Cambodian people in new light. The resilient, optimistic nature of the people staggers you. “From where do they even draw such strength to move on?” I kept asking myself.

Just before I recovered from it, I was taken to S21 Prison. The first thing I noticed is its location and the appearance of the prison. Bang in the middle of the capital city of Phnom Penh, in middle of the town houses, it can be easily mistaken as a local school. In fact, it is a school for teaching Khmer Rouge protesters a lesson. The torture cells, the photos, the interaction with survivors, I wished my head just stopped spinning from the awful information unloading. I could get into the gore details of what happened there and what shouldn’t have, how we as spectators of this awful tragedy could have done something to prevent it, how the world had turned blind eye to it. But, it would just make you feel sad and small. But, it is our responsibility that we do not let the history repeat itself. For that alone visit Cambodia.

As a person from the sub-continent, you take few things granted. As in, Hinduism is solely followed in India and all gods are fashioned after us, i.e., All gods either have Dravidian or Indo-Aryan Features. Pretty egotistically of us to assume they would take after us. It took a trip to Cambodia to actually realize how evolved and malleable Hindu religion actually is. National Museum was so worth the trip. I would have totally missed it thanks to my laziness and late night partying but some how I dragged myself out on my last day in Phnom Penh to see the museum and Royal Palace - Silver Pagoda. Resplendent is the word and also very carefully reconstructed. I took a guide to show me around and give me a bit of history of the place, which was a good idea. The conversation I had with him was very doleful, as his brother was one of the victims of Khmer Rouge and he recounted his experiences with me. Of all the experiences in Cambodia, my interactions with the locals has been the most unforgettable.

Street food, Flea markets and night markets are pretty synonymous with Asia. So unless you are doe-eyed traveller to the far-east I wouldn't recommend them for shopping. Russian Market, Central Market and Night Market near the Water Front have a pretty much the same stuff. I find enough "POMA" tees "Channel" bags or Designer duplicates at market near my home thank you very much!

But, night market is definitely on top of the list for eating awesome post drunk food. It is not for the weak-hearted mind you. Somewhere between customary fare, they manage to sneak in an occasional Spider legs, fried Duck foetus or some fried Crickets even. Delicious if you have an open mind. Grasshoppers are my favourite followed by Frog. Duck foetus was probably the most disturbing, I had Haggis in Scotland, I thought I could wrap my mind around it, but after a customary bite I couldn’t move past it. I wouldn’t have minded if I didn’t know if it were foetus, but when I knew it was hard. I guess they need some help in the marketing department.

All in all, Phnom Penh was an memory worth a share. I have had some people tell me that there wasn’t much here to do. True, it is a city, a typical Asian city, probably no different from Calcutta or Bombay. But, the people maketh the city and unadulterated people of Phnom Penh were phenomenal!

Then next came the beautiful backwaters of Kampot. Sunset over abandoned hills station, trekking to waterfalls and almost deserted city made for walking and eating. The city makes you lazy; I mean seriously lazy, it was a good break from all the seriousness and city-like atmosphere. All you do here is swim, have good food and read a book. The city makes you lazy; I basically had to crawl out my way to Sihanoukville. I have mixed feelings about Sihanoukville, it’s purely personal. I neither have an issue with the hedonistic living nor am I prude, but I found it to be extremely tacky and I, even with my extreme low standards of sanitation, found it to be dirty. I had this unbelievable urge to get out of the place as soon as I got there. So I made my way to the islands little off the coast from Sihanoukville. Most of them have found a right balance between party-packer crowd and isolation, which is what I was seeking. Koh Rong is an untouched paradise. When I mean untouched literally only inhabited part is the beach shacks / hostels along the south coast. Beautiful is an understatement. I loved every moment of it. I almost felt sorry to leave Koh Rong. I could have spent the rest of my trip there.

If Battambang was a memorable experience, getting there was… Err… How do I put it delicately without scaring people? Nope, no way around it. The night bus; It could have been opening scene to a psycho-thriller. Isolated roadways, bus full of “beds”, random strangers getting on and off, yup could have been a horror movie – but it wasn’t. The ride was relatively pleasant for me. That is, if you stay awake and stare out of the window. Pray that whom so ever is sharing your bed is decent enough to give you space and also ability to ignore the stranger beside you sharing your bed. In retrospect, I wouldn’t have done it but, I had to see Battambang, with my schedule that was the only option I had. Weird and unforgettable experience. I do not think it would have been bad if we are travelling with company. But as a solo traveller take the Virak Buntham Night Bus only if needed.  

Battambang was so worth the travel. In here, I almost forgot that I was in Cambodia; so French in architecture - a city made for flaneurs. Thanks to Mr. Han, my tuk-tuk driver I did manage to leave the city and explore the rural landscapes and see real Cambodia as I am told. I ended up taking the bamboo train. The ride itself is excellent experience and the assembling and disassembling of the “train” is cathartic. The sheer mechanical drill of it is very appealing to city dweller like me. Mr. Han got me fried banana snack, which is similar to the Bhajiya we have in India but just replace raw banana with sweet and the batter rice instead of chickpea. Delicious! I saw the village of Chams (Followers of Islam in most of the South East Asian countries are referred with this name. They have their own villages and it was pretty weird for me to listen to someone talking about it in the matter of fact tone). I got a jolt of the past when he took me to the Killings Caves of Phnom Sampeau, but I was prepared, so I thought. I still got affected. Once I got out of the caves, My driver told me we still have some time before we head out to the city and asked me to follow the crowd for something spectacular. Bat Caves of Sampeau are mesmerizing and a distraction after the killing caves. At dusk, millions of bats inhabiting the hollow mountain leave their nests to go and hunt for food. This splendiferous display of almost military like discipline in leaving their nests one after the other is breath-taking. Of the cities, Battambang is definitely the best one in Cambodia. Also a good stop to take the boat to Siem Reap. Long lazy boat ride in a very tapered river whose width is no longer than that of your boat is not for people who want luxury while travelling. It was hot; so hot that brown skin like mine got burnt and I do not think I will ever get rid of cringe-worthy tan.

Siem Reap, the crown jewel of Cambodia. Was it the best? Nope. But the city itself has nothing much to do. But it is the simple gateway to the TEMPLES.I spent 4 days and three nights. I had temple fatigue by the days end every day. Yes they are beautiful, magnificent, mesmerizing, awesome – But they are too many! After a while I started to see the same thing over and over. If I return the next time I will do the temples pacing them with trips back to the city for a bit of socializing and museums. Lesson well learnt. But, I do not regret it, I guess I was way too excited for a first timer.  I will not dwell on details much here about it. I think I should write another post just for the temples sake. 

On the bad side, I hated the intrusion of tourists in the city, as a tourist myself, I am pretty judgemental of other tourists, probably because I feel that not all tourists are alike. I especially hate those people with cameras around their necks and taking pictures of anything and everything. Yes, I am judgemental of those of who feel they don’t care enough to respect the customs of the locals, deal with it. Also those locals who choose suddenly to not understand a word of English so that they can just feign ignorance. Yes, I am talking to you my window seat moocher on my bus to Kampot! 

Cambodia was fantastic.The mix of architecture, history, scenic beaches, forests and most importantly the people who bring it all together was awe-inspiring. I wish I were there longer. My wanderlust craved for more. That is always a good sign. When you still long for a place once you leave it, it means you haven't stayed there long enough. 

Cambodia - Snap Shot