Cambodia, a land of cruel past

It is not as touristic as their western neighbour Thailand. Most tourists only come to visit one of the world heritage wonders – the Angkor, which is only a few kilometres away from the city of Siem Reap, then most of them head on towards Laos or Vietnam. Cambodia is one of places with the highest density of land mines in the world, together with Afghanistan and Bosnia. The rule or Khmer rouge is considered one of the bloodiest in the whole history of the humanity. In 1984 they’ve made a movie about this – the Killing fields – starring John Malkovich – winning a number of academy awards. In the four years of his reign of cruelty Pol Pot had over two million people killed, which amounts to 15% - 20% of the entire population of the nation. There was no warning or transition, the cities were emptied over the night, and educated people were forced to labour on farms and the nation was turned into a mass of slaves. The real cost in human lives will never be known. Mine fields still shock the visitors and it’s a real rude awakening to see the many invalids. Every now and then you’ll see people on the street with their limbs missing, due to the mines. The farmers are also limited to places, where they can work on the land, for there is a great danger they’ll find mines in the field they which to plough, killing off their buffalo. 

 

I entered the country from the north, where you can hardly see a foreigner, for it is still a restless area. After all the formalities with the visa I’ve entered the country and had to find a ride toward the city of Siem Reap, which was my first stop in Cambodia. There are always eyes on you, for you draw attention as a stranger, who dresses differently and have a different skin colour. There are no organized bus transport towards the city, so I was waiting some time to find a man, who took me to the city along with the locals. Since most people saw us foreigners as bags full of money, his price I had to pay was high, but due to my experience as a traveller I’ve haggled to a number that seemed reasonable to me. 

 

The city of Siem Reap is the gateway to the temple of Angkor and has many tourists. It is considered one of the world wonders and the most beautiful religious complex in the world. You can buy a daily pass for 20$ and while buying the pass you get your photo taken, which is placed on the pass, you it is not transferable to other tourists. Most of the tourists immediately after entering, head for the most famous temple – the Angkor Wat. The crowd here is very dense all day long. I preferred the smaller temples, with fewer people about. One of them was also the Ta Prohm temple, which served as the stage for filming the Tomb Raider movie. Massive stone walls are covered with wild vegetation and the sounds of the jungle make you feel surreal. The elephant terrace, which used to be the central gathering place from where their king talked to the Khmer directly, is simply fantastic. People were building huge stone structures dedicated to their king for centuries, but the jungle proved that everything men can make, nature can erase in due time as well.

 

At the height of its glory Angkor was one of the most populated cities in the world. Between 12th and 13th century it had over a million of people. To really explore Angkor you’d need a few days, but I was happy to get even one, for the visit of this remarkable and beautiful ancient place. The easiest way to get around is to hire a tuk tuk with a driver, who waits for you at the entrance. To hire one for a whole day cost me around 10$. Despite the heat some people decide to explore it by bicycle. The city of Siem Reap is really interesting for a traveler, for it’s easy to meet other travelers to share experiance with and information for the further journey. Since there is a lot of poverty around, there is also a lot of sexual tourism. Young girls, who come to the city to earn their living, offer their bodies on the street and can be very bothersome to foreigners. Often you get to see older tourists with young girls around them. Some even marry them.   

 

We took the night bus to the national capital - Phonm Phen. It’s the biggest and most populated city in Cambodia. You’ll need only two days to explore the capital, which is also the economic, cultural and political centre of the nation. Tourists usually don’t stay long here, because the city is not as interesting as the southern coast. This 11 million city features the Toul Sleng prison museum, which the tourists go to see. It was the prison where the Khmer rouge tortured and slew the people. In some rooms you can still see blood on the walls and the torture devices used – but I’d rather not mention. Every prisoner had a number and only a handful survived the slaughter of the fields of death. I took a scooter to get there, for it’s a cheap and easy way to get around the city. The traffic in the city is chaotic (to describe it mildly). They drive everywhere, with no traffic culture at all. At the sight of the genocide, you cannot but get touched by the beasty history and desire none of it would have ever happened.

 

Despite the natural and cultural riches of Cambodia the visit of the south coast is really welcome. The prices are a bit higher, because there are more tourists there, but still affordable for tourists. The price of transport in Cambodia depends much on the variation of the dollar exchange rate and present the biggest drain on the budget. The choice of vehicles is very varied. The busses are the cheapest and can take you from larger city to a larger city. Shuttles are another option – they leave when they are full. Taxies are in the similar price range, if you share them with others in a similar way as shuttles. The state of the roads usually makes a half truck the most appropriate transport, where people jam in and in the back (the open back is a bit cheaper). You can forget about the trains, for they do not know what a railroad is. When the waters are high enough there are fast boats running along the Mekong River, but are rather expensive in comparison. You can also travel between some places by sea as well. Cambodia also has good internal flight connections between Siem Reapom, Phonm Phenom and cities of south-eastern Asia. The best time to visit Cambodia is between October and March, outside the monsoon season, when it’s easier to avoid diseases as malaria. It’s a country well worth a visit or more, for it really does charm you with its natural beauty and the simple life-style among the people.