The Magic of Cambodia

Warning: long post, but read on please.

I will admit I was a little bit freaked out when we first arrived in Cambodia. The border town of Poipet was hot, dusty, and filled with people and chaos and I was prepared for the worst. All my preconceived notions about Cambodia filled my head as I recounted other travelers scares and warnings. I realized once I arrived in Siem Reap that first impressions can be incredibly incorrect as I finally got my first taste of the real Cambodia. As much as I was looking forward to visiting Angkor Wat I have found the real treasure of Cambodia to be the people who live here. Everyday I am humbled by their kindness and love of life and I feel so lucky to be here.

Angkor park (including Angkor Wat, Bayon, Angkor Thom, etc) is truly a sight to behold. We got a 3 day pass to explore the largest pre-industrial city in the world. What once was a thriving community is now a sprawling wonder filled with crumbling temples, soaring trees, jungle, and water. You truly feel like an explorer as you clamber over the stone temples investigating what is around the next corner. I understand why Lara Croft chose to play here, this mysterious land where trees grow out of moss covered ruins and stone faces fill the sky. There are so many temples and carvings here that three days was simply not enough time. It was an incredible birthday for me to be able to spend it in a place that was built long before America was colonized. I will post some photos when I get access to a computer- get excited because i probably took about 400 in total.

During my lovely birthday Brad also surprised me with the most beautiful bouquet of lillies and a lovely seven course tasting menu of Khmer food. One highlight was also when he arranged for the hotel staff to bring my cake and in walked eight Khmers (Cambodians) trying to sing me happy birthday. They were all so happy and excited and my heart almost exploded. We laughed and I shared my cake with everyone. We then spent three days at a yoga/meditation retreat, which I will save for a later blog.

I am embarrassed to admit how little I knew about the history of Cambodia prior to arriving and for those of you who are also uninformed I present to you a VERY brief history as I understand it. Cambodia gained independence from France in the 1950's and was highly affected during the Vietnam war (they were used by the Viet cong and also bombed by Americans going for the Viet cong). Boo. Many farmers were upset and during this time the Khmer Rouge found support and began to grow. In 1975 the current government was overthrown by the Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot, and they effectively evacuated the cities and worked to create a purely agrarian society. People who worked for the previous government, doctors, teachers, monks, scholars, and many more were killed by the Khmer Rouge. Millions of others were forced to work in the fields for endless hours each day with nothing to eat other than rice gruel. Families were ripped apart and many died of starvation and disease as well. I have read estimates that 1.7 to 2 million people out of a population of 8 million perished during the four years the Khmer Rouge was in power. After an invasion in 1979 the Vietnamese army launched a counter attack to take the Khmer Rouge down yet even though successful there were still many problems including corruption, starvation, and continued fighting. According to several people I have met the Khmer Rouge was still attacking in the west and north until 1998, when Pol Pot died and remaining leaders surrendered or were captured. This is such a ridiculously short explanation and I urge you to learn more about this devestating genocide Cambodia faced until so recently. People are still dying from land mines and grenades today. Yet, despite this horror and atrocity, the spirit of life shines so brightly among the survivors in Cambodia. I have found people to be remarkably friendly and willing to answer my many questions. Everyone we meet has been affected by tragedy in some way.

Today we saw a pagoda with the skeletal remains of people who were killed in the fields of Siem Reap. I wanted to cry as I thought about the pain that has been inflicted upon these gentle people. Yet they continue to fight with a undying tenacity for a better future for themselves and their family.

Soling, the girl at the front desk who made my birthday so special, is from the country and moved to Siem Reap so she could go to school. Her family was forced to work the fields during the regime and her father developed a disease in his foot during this time, which later took his life. At least 7 of her family members died as a result of the Khmer Rouge. Soling is now working towards her dream and will someday marry for love. ;-)

South is our tuk tuk driver for the next few days. He left his village after the Khmer Rouge burned part of his school in 1993 and after begging his mom he was sent to Siem Reap for school. His grandfather was killed by the Khmer Rouge for being a Colonel in previous army and told South's grandmother as he was marched away, "take care of our children." They too were forced to work the fields. South's father was in the army fighting the Khmer Rouge until he died from drinking tainted water in jungle. As a kid South used to shoot birds with a semi automatic weapon. His grandmother is still alive today.

Rien works at the hotel and lives in a little room on the top floor. He left his village because it has no high school so he moved to another village and worked at a temple so he could go to school and study with the monks. Now he goes to school (college) in Siem Reap during the mornings and works at the hotel in the afternoon/evenings. He is trying to get an MBA. He has 9 siblings in total and he has rented a room and brought his 3 younger sisters to Siem Reap so they too could go to school. His family was also forced to work the land and suffered from near starvation during Pol Pot's reign.

We met a young man at the temple who had lost his mom, sister, and right arm during a land mine explosion. He was selling art and smiling the whole time, other than when he mentioned his mother's death. It is also very common to see children selling a variety of things on the streets and at the temples, earning money for their families and for school. No labor laws to be seen.

"Ashley" you might find yourself saying, "you are seriously depressing me right now. What do you want me to do after reading this blog?" That is completely up to you. You could feel gratitude for having freedom and education, or even just having ten fingers and ten toes. You could remember that humans are amazingly resilient and that even when things seem so dark and overwhelming that there is a beautiful light that shines within each one of us. Maybe you tell your family and friends how much you love them and send a little extra love into the world for those who might need some too. If I have learned anything here it's that there is so much good inside of people and travel is great for the soul. Of course there are people here in Cambodia who are not so nice but I guess you find bad apples living everywhere in the world. By and large Cambodians are survivors and I have a profound respect for the families that continue to find some way to find joy through the pain.

Tonight we went to a pagoda and randomly found a group of 25 family members getting ready to sleep inside. They were from the country and very curious about us. Through hand gestures they invited us in and we all just sat around smiling at one another. We speak no Khmer, they spoke no English, and yet we didn't need many words. They were just happy a few "barang" (foreigners) had stopped by to sit with them and laugh for a few minutes. I will treasure the memory of sitting in that circle of people so far away from my home. There is a certain magic in Cambodia that I just cannot explain through words. These are the same people who built Angkor Wat. I feel very grateful to be here and fortunate to have the life that awaits me in America.

Thank you for taking time out of your day to listen to my random musings. I want you to know I appreciate you and send a little love and peace your way. Maybe you can send a little love and peace towards Cambodia in return- they could use it. Love, Ashley

"Perhaps surviving to remember creates the power to lift the veil of despair with smiles and hope." -Brad Paterson