Oh Cambodia and the beautiful Khmer people. Visiting Cambodia was very emotionally impactful experience. Robin and I visited many of the sites where the Khmer Rouge did horrible and unspeakable things to their very own people in relatively recent history. Many of these sites were visited from within or short distance from Phenom Penh, Cambodia’s capital city. However, their regime spread across the country and we learned much of their horrific deeds even while visiting Angkor Wat.
After leaving Vietnam and arriving in Cambodia, I was struck by how calm and gentle Cambodians were in relation to the busy, loud cities of Vietnam. Although Phenom Pehn isn’t exactly a relaxing city itself, the contrast in culture is immediately obvious.
Our first week in Cambodia was spent trying the various typical foods of the Khmer people. These things include curries, beef with red ants, and lortcha noodles. We also visited the Imperial Palace and many of the horrific sites and memorials from the Khmer Rouge times, something I previously knew very little about.
When we arrived in Siem Reap it was all about the Khmer Empire’s temples. The vast empire spread beyond the boarders of modern day Cambodia into Thailand and Vietnam. We bought the three day pass and took the various routes and saw countless temples. The landscape much is broader than I had ever imagined. It was amazing seeing some of the remains from one of the greatest civilizations of its time. Some of these temples date as far back as the 12th century. Although originally Hindu, the empire later converted to Buddhism, but you can still see strong Hindu influence and iconography throughout the temples.
Probably the most unique and touching part of our journey in Siem Reap was the guide we hired to take us through Angkor Wat, the most famous temple in the complex. Our guide was between 40-50 years old and was a survivor of the Khmer Rouge Regime. He was a local to the area and like many Khmers had his family ripped apart by the regime. He and his sister were the only surviving members of his family. Again, like many men of his age he has returned to school since he was unable to attend as a boy. Instead he was forced to carry out the will of the Khmer Rouge for fear of harm or even death.
I was touched by his candidness and personal experience with the Khmer Rouge, up until this point we had only heard stories like his secondhand and on plaques in museums. He also gave us insight to modern day Cambodia and the trials they still face, such as suppression of their free speech. Cambodians cannot openly speak out about the corruption of their government and country. For example allowing the Chinese to come in and exploit their land and people. Before leaving, he cautioned to us, even as tourists, not to post anything about which he spoke until we had left the country for fear we would be arrested.
In total we spent only 8 days in Cambodia, and I hope to one day go back and explore more. The people were kind and the landscapes beautiful.
Oh and for funsies I ate a scorpion in Siem Reap, you can check the video below.
