Tuesday 9 July 2013

Angkor WHAT?!: A short snippet from my time in Cambodia

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveller is unaware...” – Martin Buber

Hello all! Hope you’re fine and dandy this lovely month of July? Travels are going well, we haven’t run out of money (yet) and the tans are coming on nicely. My white bits are becoming that white that I think I’ll become clinically depressed if I ever return to that shade again. Come to think of it, I don’t think I've ever let myself get THAT white; I used to apply fake tan as regularly as I brush my teeth. So, this installment will fill you all in on the sights and sounds of Cambodia: I literally knew nothing about its history so was going in with an open mind (Do not judge: after a quick browse in my trusted ‘Lonely Planet’ I was as clued up as the next traveller!) Oh, before we start: can’t believe we've FINALLY won Wimbledon! Well in Andy lad, about bloody time too! Although I bet his girlfriend was dying to get some selfies with Posh Spice rather than watch her boyfriend play tennis AGAIN. I hope he buys her a nice bag (or engagement ring) for her patience…

While we’re on the subject of sport… only when travelling would I find myself cycling at 4.30am. Yes, you read this right. 4.30 IN THE MORNING. I'm familiar with this time when stumbling in after a night out, but never to participate in self-inflicted exercise. Let me explain… the city of Siem Reap draws international crowds who flock to visit the famed Angkor Wat complex, a huge site housing ancient temple ruins. Some of you may be interested to know that Angelina Jolie filmed scenes for ‘Tomb Raider’ at many of the temple sites here; consequently, one of the local cocktails is named after her and she adopted one of her kids from here (not from the temple site, nor as a result of the alcohol, I'm sure) Anyway, the guide books advise that it’s best to experience the ruins early in the morning and by bicycle. Early and Exercise: probably two of my least favourite words. So this is how I found myself in front of the main temple, Angkor Wat, watching the sunrise from the comfort of my bicycle seat. The ruins themselves are pretty impressive but, in all honesty, once you've seen a couple of them, they all blend into one. The Taj Mahal was way more spectacular, if we’re talking wonders of the world here. I actually enjoyed the cycling; it took me back to when I was a kid, continuously riding around the block as I wasn't allowed to go on ‘proper’ roads! The four of us (us two and our fellow ‘flash packers’ Neil and Rach), we must've cycled close to 40km that day: luckily, it was flat terrain otherwise I’d still be on the way back now!

I can’t write a blog about Cambodia without mentioning its tumultuous past; the horrific events that took place in the seventies still remain at the forefront of Cambodians’ minds even today. From the capital, Phnom Penh, we took a trip to Choeung Ek aka ‘The Killing Fields’, the site where almost nine thousand innocent citizens were brutally executed between 1975 and 1979 as a result of Pol Pot’s ‘Khmer Rouge’ regime. I don’t want to turn this into a history lesson, but just Google the name and you can read about this extreme communist and his drastic ways in order to create a ‘perfect’ communist state. I've visited Auschwitz in the past, and the same feelings of sadness, pity and anger were evoked as I stepped through the gates. The informative audio guide leads you around the site, past mass graves where bodies were strewn once guards had killed the victims with a variety of implements. Guns were not used as bullets were too expensive; instead, they used trowels, knives and other makeshift weapons whilst victims’ screams were masked by propaganda music blaring out of speakers attached to trees. The most shocking sight of all, for me, had to be ‘the Killing Tree’. As it sounds, this was what guards used to smash babies heads against before dumping them into the nearest open grave. There are no words, really, are there? And to think this was all going on during most of our parents’ lifetimes… We concluded the day with a visit to the former high school now known as the ‘S-21’ museum; it was taken over by the Khmer Rouge in the seventies and was used as a sort of holding ground and torture camp before its’ victims were shipped off to their fateful end at the Killing Fields. Classrooms became torture rooms (some of the devices are on show) and the photographs that line the walls (the Khmer Rouge was very precise when it came to documenting their prisoners) serve both as a memorial but also a chilling reminder as to what went on here. The whole day is probably one of my most sobering memories of the entire trip.

Right, let’s lighten this mood… What does ‘back to basics’ mean to you? Nature? Tranquility? Yeah, me too… So, when we booked a couple of nights on an island off the coast of Sihanoukville, I envisaged a beach hut, a hammock and nothing but the sun, sea and sand to keep me entertained. Oh, Koh Rong, I got it SO wrong! This island is filled with Westerners and is set up to be the next ‘party’ place: no police, no rules… Oh, and no electricity. Our place kindly turned on a generator between 5 and 11pm; how kind. Would've been useful if I’d have had a plug socket, though. Couple this with no hot water, a long drop with a bucket-flush system of a toilet and some oddly smelling sheets and towels; obviously I was in my element. There was only one thing for it… to get PISSED. My tolerance has lowered considerably since leaving the UK (not that it was sky high anyway) and a few drinks turned into me (loudly) teaching anyone in close proximity how to play ‘Ride the Bus’. I’d obviously ridden it far too many times by the end of the night as I was half dragged, half carried home to spew my guts up all over the floor of our hovel, sorry, hut! I was also absolutely devastated to discover the next morning that, somehow, I’d managed to wear home some flip flops that were definitely not my REAL Havaianas. These weren't even branded. Oh, and were about three sizes too small for me. So, I’d lost my shoes, my dignity… safe to say, we left the next day!


So that, in short, sums up our three weeks in Cambodia. Cycling, card games and cheap drinks! Aside from what I've written about, I found the people to be extremely friendly, the history fascinating and the scenery breathtaking. A definite ‘must’ as a stop on the ‘Backpacker’ trail. Next up, Vietnam: what can happen next? Stay tuned kids, you’ll find out very shortly… 

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