NOTE: This is a long over-due blog entry that should have been posted sometime in MAY, closer to the actual trip at the end of APRIL ~~~ Thanks for getting on me to get this up, Beth, heh heh.
First, the most pressing question: Cambodia. What was it like going back to the country of my birth for the first time since I left it? Ever since I was a child, I had wanted to go back. When anybody asked me “what are you?” I usually answered “Chinese-Cambodian.” In truth, I’m only Chinese and just happened to be born in Cambodia. Still, mention of this distant land conjured up very few images in my mind. Fortunately, very few people have ever asked me anything about what the country is like, though many have asked me if I remember anything. So you can imagine that, on my first couple of trips back (I’ve been there and back twice now during my time in Thailand), I certainly experienced a flurry of emotions. Most of these emotions were surprisingly fleeting and did not stir up emotions deep within me to the extent that I was anticipating. That’s not to say that I wasn’t dumbstruck by some of the things I saw while I was in Cambodia. I felt the pangs of compassion for a country that is just now moving out of its brutal military and political past and concentrating on moving itself beyond the grips of poverty – much like anybody who has an interest in economic development does. I felt a deep sense of sorrow and disbelief when I saw the eyes staring back at me from the photos on display at S-21, the prison in Phnom Penh – much like any non-Jewish American might feel when they visit a Holocaust museum such as the one in Washington, D.C. I felt irritated with the aggressive drivers and vendors and amused at the children who could tell me various country facts depending on where I told them I came from – like any tourist can tell you. However, I did not feel, as I thought I would, an electrifying sensation that one may feel upon the realization that those faces could have been members of my family. It could have been my mother or my father. My aunt or my uncle. My neighbors. Some of my feelings of anger and resentment, which I had harbored ever since I was a child, with the Khmer Rouge for what they forced my family to go through seemed to be put to rest in a strange kind of way. Maybe it had to do with what our guide at S-21 told us when one of us asked her if she was angry with the Khmer Rouge and if she sought justice for what happened to her family. She replied that the past was the past and that she just wants to move on with her life. It shocked us all, but in a strange way, it was comforting for me to hear. It meant that it was ok for me to forgive too (but not to forget). It caused me to reflect back on the members of my family every time the issue of the Khmer Rouge came up in conversation (which was seldom). It was then that I realized that whenever I overheard them talking about it, there was always a solemn presence in the room – but with my child’s level of perception, I was never able to detect a sense of hatred and resentment in their voices. Anyway, my family was fairly lucky in that most of us were able to escape unscathed. I lost both of my grandfathers and a couple of aunts and uncles, but that is nothing compared to the experience of others, whose entire families were wiped out. My family is now scattered throughout the US and also France and Japan. If you want to read some books on this topic, let me know and I’ll see what I can dig up out of my library…
View of Pochentong International Airport as we got off the plane:
This picture of the residents of Phnom Penh was taken on the day that Phnom Penh fell to the Khmer Rouge. As you may notice, the unwitting residents actually look happy because they saw the KR as liberators:
Cambodia is still a country that is heavily dependent on international aid. In the past, you could see white vehicles sporting logos similar to this one, only they were UN cars:
Below are a set of the more successful, young entrepreneurs around Angkor Wat, who were able to convince Razz to buy something from them:
Ok, so maybe now we can talk about the fun part of my trip to Cambodia. Razz, Beth, Jeremy and I left Bangkok way too early in the morning for the once a day flight to Phnom Penh on AirAsia. I love that the plane ticket only cost $15. What killed us was how much higher the ticket price came out to be after taxes. Razz had already been in Thailand to visit for the last two weeks or so. We had the chance to enjoy beautiful Koh Tao, Koh Nangyuan and Koh Samui – all islands in the Gulf of Thailand. We also took the opportunity to learn how to dive in some of the most beautiful dive sites in the world in the waters surrounding Koh Tao. Razz has the copy of our diving debut on video and there will definitely be a viewing at the party when I get home, so be there or be square! Beth arrived in Thailand just a few days prior to the trip to Cambodia; just enough time to see the can’t-be-missed Temple of the Emerald Buddha and Chatuchak Weekend Market. And Jeremy, of course, had been bumming around BKK ever since December =). Anyway, I digress…
On Beth's first full day in Thailand, we went on a fun filled day of temples in Bangkok. Featured below are photos from the magnificent Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew):
Photos from the beautiful Temple of the Dawn (Wat Arun). I think both photos cost our dear Elizabeth a bit of change:
It was quite hot that day...well, everyday really:
Twist of fate? I think not. This was the name of the boat we were on for our diving course at Koh Tao:
Razz, it feels a little tight. Is it supposed to be this tight? It feels like my eyes are about to be sucked out.
CoCo Island: Beautiful Koh Samui
Beth and I at Vertigo Bar on top of the Banyan Tree Hotel. Yes, I mean ON TOP, not the top floor...cheers to $10 drinks!
Our driver from the hotel was there at Phnom Penh International Airport (hah) to pick us up and spoke English with us at a level that I was no longer used to given my time in Thailand. That’s saying a lot since he really only asked us how our flight was and if we wanted to go to the hotel now. Although I speak Khmer, I was a little apprehensive to use it in this case. He was doing so well with English, why should I demonstrate how rusty my Khmer is so early in the trip? Now, if he spoke Thai, I might have been able to muster something up.
As we made our way towards the hotel, I think everybody’s attention was fixed on the scenes on the streets of Phnom Penh. Lots of bicycles, motorbikes, carts, and people. Few cars and NO TRAFFIC LANES. Although, there was something of a divider between us and oncoming traffic. The result was that everybody just sort of weaved in and out in a carefree and lazy fashion. We were probably going no more than 20 or 25 mph on a main street because of this “dance of the vehicles.” At the hotel lobby, we went about the somewhat tedious process of checking in. One of the many guys who seemed to be standing around as we were checking in struck up a conversation with me in Thai. I’m not quite sure why as I was conversing with the guy at the desk and my companions in English. I hadn’t even uttered a word of Thai. When I told him that I’m not Thai (in Thai), he wouldn’t believe me. So I told him in Khmer. His reaction was one of amusement. I, on the other hand, was a little flabbergasted and was beginning to realize that maybe I really do look Thai – maybe the Thais who keep telling me “you look like Thai” aren’t all that ethnocentric and don’t really think that all Asians look Thai. We finished checking in and went upstairs on the tiny and ancient elevator; perfect for Southeast Asians – not so much for overgrown North Americans (that one is for you, Jeremy).
Views from our hotel balcony window:
We took that day and the next to visit the Russian Market (there wasn’t much Russian about it, but it was where Lonely Planet told us to go), the Killing Fields at Choeung Ek, the former prison called S-21 and the Grand Palace and Silver Pagoda. My Fulbright ETA friend Sarah had been in other parts of Cambodia for some time already before us met up with us for these hot destinations – and I do mean HOT. I guess air-conditioning was a little inappropriate in most of these places. We checked out a little bit of the Phnom Penh nightlife, of which there was little, but that didn’t stop us from having overpriced drinks at the Phnom Penh branch of the Foreign Correspondents Club. On our last night in Phnom Penh, we all met up with my aunt, who took us out to a random open-air restaurant that specialized in hot-pot style cuisine. It was quite an amusing scene to watch my “farang” friends try to handle themselves over at one end of the table. Meanwhile, I was playing the perfect and lovable nephew at the other end of the table with my aunt and a couple of gentlemen who turned out to be her business partners. They were introduced as “uncles” to me at the time. I guess I should mention it was a particularly special occasion because it was the first time that I had met this particular aunt since we were separated when I was a baby. It was strange, meeting her again. She reminded me very much of my mother. I was also able to see grandma again. The last time was about 6 years ago when she came to visit us at our home in Renton, WA. I promised the two of them I would be back in July or so, when my mom was scheduled to make a visit to Cambodia (more on that later).
What follows is a chronologically arranged pictorial account of our day sightseeing in Phnom Penh (as I remember it, anyway, hah hah):
My grandma, my aunt's sister-in-law and my aunt met me for breakfast before I started the day with the gang:
The gang at Wat Phnom in Phnom Penh:
The area just outside of Phnom Penh is still very much undeveloped. This picture was taken on the way to Choeung Ek, a site that is known as one of the "Killing Fields."
These horrid little urchins were hanging out near the edge of the compound. I had to take a picture of them because they said to me: "uncle, coloring your hair like that is so not cool!" I was appalled. Here I was, in the sticks of Cambodia and I was getting advice on hair.
Given the heat and the things we had just seen at Choeung Ek, I don't know how any of us could have been hungry -- but we were:
Tuol Sleng, or S-21 as it was called by the Khmer Rouge, was a school before it was a prison. The high-profile prisoners were kept in their own cells while the commoners were crammed into hastily constructed group cells. I think our guide said that of the hundreds of prisoners sent there, only 7 were known to have come out alive. If you were sent to S-21, you were as good as dead. Many of those labeled guilty and sentenced to death here were sent to Choeung Ek:
The commoner's cells:
\
These objects comprised a prisoner's toilet in a VIP prisoner cell:
The Silver Pagoda -- the Royal Palace was already closed for the day:
These kinds of pictures are always quite amusing, aren't they?
We affectionately dubbed our avian friend "Pigeonzilla"
Isn't my borrowed shirt like, totally sexy? You can also see what all the exposure to the sun has done to my tan. Gosh, I'm dark.
I have to say that they handled themselves pretty well...
Drinks at the Foreign Correspondents Club Phnom Penh:
The next morning, we hopped into what turned out to be a very expensive taxi ride down to the charming little town of Siem Reap; the jumping off point for would-be explorers of the temples of Angkor. We stayed at a lovely little boutique hotel called the Golden Banana that featured friendly staff and a salt-water pool (which turned out to be a god-send). Our first night in Siem Reap, we went to a popular dinner show in town that featured a buffet with a vast selection before we were dazzled with beautiful Khmer women in intricate costumes dancing to the heavenly sounds of traditional Khmer music. Ok, maybe that was a little over the top. But I should note that these women were performing a particular style of dance that is supposed to be in imitation of the apsara – the heavenly goddesses that appear everywhere in Khmer mythology and temple carvings.
A pit stop on the way to Siem Reap:
Lunch and quick siesta:
This was our lovely pool:
These pictures of the apsara dancers are actually from my second trip to Cambodia. The photos from the first trip were terrible!
The next morning, we got up bright and early and jumped into the tuk-tuk we had rented for the day and went about the business of temple trekking. I’m not going to bore you with the names of all of them because you’re going to forget anyway. Instead, I’ll just give you pictures and if you really care to know which temple we were at, send me a message and I will enlighten you =). How’s that? We ended the day by giving Razz and Beth a chance to ride some elephants to a hilltop temple. At this point, all of us were templed-out and didn’t really feel the need to actually see the sunset for which this temple is famous. Also, we just wanted to avoid the roving gangs of tourists who were ascending the slopes.
The morning after that, Razz, Beth and I flew back to Bangkok. Jeremy opted to take the bus back to Bangkok. Hah hah, sucker. Yes, the ticket back to Bangkok was three times the price the trip to Phnom Penh, but that’s just because of the silly monopoly that Bangkok Airways somehow managed to finagle out of the governments. Anyway, I’m quite glad we decided to fly. It also meant that the three of us had time to make another excursion out to the seaside town of Hua Hin back in Thailand. Unfortunately, we made the decision to have American food on our first night there and both Razz and Beth seemed to have ordered something they shouldn’t have.
Unfortunately, it was gray and cloudy at Hua Hin that weekend:
Over the next few days, I saw all three of them leave to go back home and felt a sudden pang of loneliness mixed with gratitude for some time for myself – I can go back to vegging in front of the TV instead of planning trips and haggling with vendors and drivers!
No comments:
Post a Comment