A Weekend in Cambodia

Sharan and I just returned from a weekend in Cambodia. There is so much to say about Cambodia and so much to see that we were pleased to have the opportunity to be there Friday through today, Monday. I got the Super Bowl score from a guy in the airport that is from NC and was still grieving the game when two Bronco fans showed up. You never know who you will meet on the road. But back to a fabulous experience. I guess I thought that since I had been to Asia 4 times, I wouldn't find anything to surprise me, to move me or excite me. While the Asian countries are all different and some radically different from each other, Cambodia touched me in a way I haven't quite gotten over yet. I am still trying to figure out what the experience means to me so as this blog progresses, maybe I can tell you what an emotional experience I had each day!

Sharan and I agreed that the sequence of the day's tour was just right. When we got out of a long line of immigration in Diem Reap, we went out to find our guide. Normally one would look for their name among all the guides, right? No name "Sharan or Sandy." We walked back and forth trying to find a familiar name. All we knew was that "Joe" would pick us up. Then Sharan spotted the name of the travel agency but the guy holding the sign said his name was "Jim" and his name tag was something neither of us could pronounce. When we asked him if he was to pick up 2 people and he said he was but didn't know our names. By now a little crowd of locals had gathered and I asked him for his phone number and it didn't match our "Joe's" phone number. By this time I said I was not going with him since he wasn't called Joe or had our names or his phone number;. The local guys were hooting and hollering by that time. I said to Sharon I am not going with a guide who doesn't even have our name down. By this time he is reassuring us that he is the guy. He called the agency and got our names and we got in the van. He couldn't believe we were being so careful, but we are both savvy travelers and would like to live another year! Ha! We got in the van and left. After a quick stop at our hotel "Joe" took us across some of the poorest roads I have ever seen, and believe me the roads in West Bank are the worst. We went through really poor houses to a seaport and it was so beautiful! All of the boats were wooden and so old; paint pealing and they worked with a motor that twisted a rope that snaked down both sides of the boat and then seemed to pull through the water. There were boats everywhere and the river was so full of sand and silt it was tan and murky. But no matter, we drove to the Toni Sap Lake to the floating village.

The floating village was exactly that, a series of houseboats - maybe house boats is too good a term for barges that had boards nailed together to make a shelter. Some were ok but others had poor board and you could see through them. Joe explained that most of the people were immigrants from Viet Nam and since they could float free, they didn't need to pay any rent or cost for living on the water. They had a Catholic church on one barge, a school on another, a grocery on another, etc. I am guessing there were 100 of them floating around. Joe said that in another 2 months they would be gone and floating to another village. We stopped at a "tourist" floating barge and saw a bunch of crocodiles  in a tank. And several boats with children and mothers in them with python snakes and the girls held them around their necks for photos. One little girl was floating around in a tub - all seemed very happy but obviously poor. We bought our first souvenirs and headed back after an hour on the barge. It was Friday night so lots of people were out - lots of kids were headed somewhere up the river and some had gathered around trees sitting on their scooters. Lots of laughing people and all ready for fun. We got back and stopped at a lotus flower field and got a quick lesson about the value of lotus blossoms. We even ate some of the seeds that were still raw. The lotus blossom is used extensively in art and design for Cambodia. Take a look at the shapes of the Angkor Wat.

We were up bright an early on Saturday to go to the Angkor Temples. The temples were build in the 10th century and abandoned and covered up by foliage. We could see the damage the leaves and trees did to the structures over the years. While extensive renovation has been done, the temples remain much as they were originally. This blog could easily be all about the Temples. We spent a whole day, a fairly warm day at the temples and came away in awe of the architecture and artistic work of the people back in the centuries. I was surprised we were allowed to climb up the steps and go in the temples. You could go anywhere and up to the very top of the highest point of the 5 towers. You can see some of the photos we took that don't begin to show the beautiful of the temples. The grounds are surrounded by moats and large, huge banyan trees are everywhere. Their root system is often above ground seeking water and nutrients, so that meant, unchecked, the roots grew tremendous lengths and went into windows, under foundations and twisted in and out of the temples.

While in the temples we saw Buddhist Monks everywhere. They all wear orange and so many were very young. There were Buddha alters throughout the ruins and people stopped to say prayers and talk with the monks. There were several young monks that would read people's fortune. So you guessed it, Sharan and I had our fortune told - again. We both were told we were good persons and would have much to contribute to others and should enjoy our lives. We decided that was a good fortune. I have to admit, I wasn't sure if I would be able to keep up with Sharan on this trip. My doctors gave me permission to go but I know how much is involved in taking a tour, especially through enormous ruins like this. By 4 pm I could hardly walk and it isn't easy to walk on the ruins anyway. There are bit roots to cross over, old and cracked pathways and in some places, lots of steps. So after lots of bottles of water, I did it! I had to rest in a few places, but we finished as others were starting to leave. We sat at Angkor Wat, a smaller and more recent temple but of the king and his family and supported by some wooden structures that were long gone. We sat with Joe as he told us about life of the nobility and the people of past centuries. We watched the sun fade as people gathered around several elephants for rides. I was able to talk to my elephant but decided we would both be better off if I didn't rake a ride. After a drive back to our hotel we got rid of the dust and dirt of the ruins and ate dinner down the road at a buffet and show. The food was all fresh and wonderful and the show entertaining with 5 different acts of dancers in Siam costumes.