Khmer Rouge
People of a certain age will remember, with horror, the short, brutal genocidal reign of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. An estimated 25% of the populations died as a result of political purges and famine. Along with the temples of Angkor province, this has always been a prime association for me with the country.
Our guide to the temples, whose name I have shamefully forgotten, was a child of 7 during that holocaust. He told how his father was taken away for a long time, then released, but in such terrible condition that he died shortly thereafter. When we visited the 10th century Pre Rup temple, he recalled how he and his mother would risk being out at night to forage on the grounds of the ruins, searching for anything edible that might be growing there. Although he is now reasonably affluent and clearly very proud of his heritage, he acknowledged that the heaviness of those times still weighs on him, still leaves him with a great sadness.
Some Impressions
Cambodia seems to be a much poorer country than Thailand, its people less vibrant, less secure. Perhaps that is no surprise given the relatively recent history mentioned above. One clue for me is the difficulty in entering the country. Granted we flew into the relatively small town of Siem Reap, but the numerous forms and chaotic successive lines coupled with little or no instruction about how to proceed was maddening and unlike any entry into a new country that I have experienced. I speculate that the dense bureaucracy may be about creating jobs or perhaps an attempt to impress visitors with the seriousness of their purpose.
The food in Cambodia was similar to that in Thailand but struck me as being heavier somehow. Of course we ate in tour prescribed restaurants, probably ones that catered mostly to tourists. This is not the way to experience the best cuisine of a country. Still, the same applied to eating in Thailand.
Numerous small business lined the streets in Siem Reap and the road leading to the temple ruins area. There were a variety of items on display, invariably beer and stands of 2 liter bottles with yellow liquid in them. Someone finally asked about the latter; it was gasoline. Makes sense when you realizes that the most common mode of travel for the locals is motor scooters. There must be gas stations somewhere but I didn’t see them.
See images of temple ruins here.
Jconcetta's Journeys 