We decided to go last minute. We hadn't booked anything as we considered whether to visit Hanoi in Vietnam or to go to Cambodia instead. We only had a week before we were due to land in Myanmar (Burma) and even though Vietnam remains undiscovered to us, I’m happy we decided to go to Cambodia. We spent one week there and in that time we visited Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.
A modest budget goes a long way in Cambodia, so we stayed at The Plantation in Phnom Penh and in the Bunwin Boutique Hotel in Siem Reap. These are two of best hotels we’ve ever stayed in- first class design, a tranquil atmosphere and top level service.
Very quickly Cambodia found its way into my heart. It’s a beautiful country with excellent people, and the food is to die for.
Similar to my previous experience in Korea, I learned how little I knew about it while I was there; Cambodia has a grand imperial past but due to its geographical position it has been caught in regional power struggles for centuries. It became a French colony in the late 19th century, until its independence in 1953- a hot time in international politics. In the midst of the Cold War Cambodia attempted to stay neutral but it eventually got caught in the middle. It was bad.
In Phnom Penh we saw a lot of poverty; skinny kids running around naked, filthy streets and people openly living in half done shacks that served as shops during the day and covered them from the drizzle by night. Walking or driving around town is quite challenging- there were more motorcycles than in any other city I’ve been to before (‘bikes are the car of the poor’ our taxi driver remarked), and there was no apparent logic to the traffic. It’ somehow fun though: there’s no anger in the honking, and you get this sense of pride when you manage to get your way.
Cambodians have a smile in their faces most of the time, but it is hard to miss their sorrowful past and notice its consequences. We had read about Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge regime before, but when we visited the Killing Fields and the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (once the regime’s secret police headquarters) we got a graphic idea of the atrocities committed during this time in the attempt to create a “pure agricultural state”. From 1975 to 1979 the country was ruled by fanatics that oppressed, tortured and mass murdered its own people leaving over 2m dead (approx. a quarter of the population) and setting the country back decades. The fall of the regime was followed by a war with Vietnam that lasted over two decades, causing more suffering, famine and death. 30 years later we visited a wounded but beautiful Cambodia, finally getting back on its feet, with great spirits and with a clear intention not to forget, but to build from its past.
In Siem Reap we were blown away by the beauty of the many temples in the Angkor region. The most renowned ones are Angkor Wat, Prasat Bayon and Ta Prohm, but there are countless more to see. We spent over nine hours walking around these testaments of grandeur and faith (buddhist or hindu, and sometimesboth). I could not believe myself then and even now, looking back, it seems unreal that places like that even exist, and that they are man made. The beauty and magnificence of the temples cannot be put into words because it’s not about their size, their detailed artisanship or age; it’s something you feel because of what they represent and what they are a proof of.
For me personally, Cambodia hit a nerve; the character of its people reminded me of my own: Guatemalans are generally docile and submissive, they keep their opinions to themselves, try to avoid painful memories and smile constantly. While I was in Cambodia, I read Haing Ngor's book Survival in the Killing Fields and I cried many times upon the constant realisation that even the kindest of us are capable of the worst barbarities. The brave and indispensable efforts not to let people forget now on display in many ways across Cambodia filled me with hope, and perhaps a little fear; for Guatemala has a disturbing past of its own, and we are yet to honour it, recognize it and learn from it as a nation.
Inspiring and fascinating, Cambodia is a place to experience.
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