Friday, January 1, 2016

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



 
















Sunday, December 27, 2015

Cambodia - Part 1


My trip to Cambodia started with a face palm moment. I walked up the immigration official in Hyderabad airport. I handed my passport and my boarding pass and informed him I was going to Phnom Penh. He drew a blank face and asked me where I was going. I changed my answer to Cambodia. He still drew a blank face. I "informed" him that it was a country south of Thailand with on-arrival visa for Indian Citizens. He said why are you going there? Business? When I said for a tourist visit, he asked what's even there to see. He was one of the many who asked me this question. 

The first thing you notice about Cambodia is the heat. You cannot ignore it. The sun pierces and stings you even when you aren't in its direct sight. I regretted my jeans jacket which I wore to wade of the plane air-conditioning, and my jeans and my attire in general. It is shorts season throughout the year in Cambodia. There are many things which are alluring about Cambodia. It is dirty, dusty, it rains without warning, Remork, or more popularly known as tuk-tuk drivers chase you the moment they see you - But, the people are the best thing about Cambodia. 

Visa System in Cambodia at least in Phnom Penh airport is so darn weird but not inefficient. Like many Asian countries, it had its own set of rules which you will be totally unaware thanks to an ever-present gap in communication. While I found it extremely easy to get a visa in the airport, I did hear horror stories from fellow travellers about the process at Thai and Vietnam Borders. As a general rule, go for e-visa instead of an on-arrival if you are crossing borders at these places.

Once you successfully make it out of the airport and get used to the heat, you will start to notice too many things at once. Cambodia is an assault to your senses. The sights, smells, sounds and sensations overpower you. You wish that you had 3 more sets of eyes just so you get 360 degrees view. In short, it is as vibrant and colourful as India.

As an Indian, I couldn’t help but draw comparisons between the two nations. After all, Cambodians believe that they are descendants of Indians. It is believed to formed through the marriage of an Indian Brahman named Kaundinya to a Naga princess whose father ruled the sunken lands of Kambuja. True to their origins, Nagas are ever present even till date in most of the buildings and are a very big part of anything Khmer.




Angkor is nation pride here in Cambodia. It is also their bread and butter. Angkor and it’s surrounding temples see about an average of 2-3 million per year. It is the biggest industry in Siem Reap region, giving employment to most of the local people. The government takes unabashed advantage of this and promotes till you get tired of it. From Beer to Flag, you cannot ignore the magnificent Angkor.


But, Cambodia is so much more than Angkor. I met a lot of travellers who are just in Cambodia for it and scram to neighbouring Thailand or Vietnam. Cambodia is probably the most ignored destinations after Laos in the South- East Asian countries. No wonder the immigration official was totally unaware of its existence. Thailand and Vietnam always manage to steal the thunder in the region. I was really tempted when one of my friends whose backpacking in the region wanted me to leave to Cambodia to travel to Vietnam cause he was insisting it is definitely a better place than Cambodia, or so he heard from others.

As a person, personal preferences usually take precedent, but as a traveller, it is important to have an open mind about few things. Yes, probably sunrise over Machu Pichu might not equal that of one near my house in New York, but both evoke different emotions. If one is of grandeur, the other is a sense of belonging. I feel the same about countries, we might have personal preferences of what we like and dislike but, each country has its own charm and beauty waiting to be discovered and explored.

The natural and man-made diversity in Cambodia is quite extraordinary. One side you have the Angkor, its transcendence humbles you and the other end you have these endless white sand beaches which are isolated and gives you enough space for private thoughts and contemplation.


Cambodia is also plagued by its past. It wears its scars proudly and shows them to the world so that we learn from it. In span of 4 years, from 1975 to 1979, it had lost about 25% of its population. About 1-3 million men, women, and worst of all children (Numbers are still shaky cause evidence is still being uncovered) perished in hands of Khmer Rouge. Educated elite, teachers, doctors, lawyers, artists – pretty much everyone needed to make the country a better place killed in the haze of a mad man, POL POT. Imagine an entire parents generation more so specifically educated generation didn’t survive, what kind of world would you be living in?

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