What a Beautiful Country...

Siem Reap, Cambodia

July 10, 2007
N 13°24.747
E 103°51.822

It was a good thing we went to bed early last night since we had another early morning with Mey and Lin for our trip to the mountains. We were headed to Phnom Kulen National Park which is located roughly 2 hours from Siem Reap. Promised sights for the day included a fabulous waterfall, a temple with a giant sleeping Buddha and the river of 1000 Lingas.

After the long, curvy, drive up the pot-holed mountain road we headed straight to the temple of the sleeping Buddha. The Buddha was discovered after the Pol Pot regime was finally dissolved. Nearly 25 years ago the mountain area was a camp for the soldiers of the regime and many of the religious monuments were banished or destroyed. Additionally, the army decimated the surrounding jungles by planting thousands of landmines in order to deter the Vietnamese army from aiding Cambodia; we were told to stay on the marked paths since many active mines still exist. Today the area is once again a thriving hub of dedicated Cambodians that come to pray to their beloved Buddha.

After a quick stop at the river of 1000 Lingas we headed to the waterfall area. The waterfall, a very popular spot for locals to come and picnic after visiting the temple, has covered, wooden platforms about 10’ x 10’ with sitting mats on the floor. It’s common to bring an ice chest full of cold drinks and order lunch from the locals; famous for their roasted chicken.

During our picnic we were entertained by the local kids. They ran around butt naked, - swam in the river, and jumped up and down shaking a suspension bridge every time an adult or tourist tried to cross and, well, we watched them be kids. Every now and then one would walk by us, smile and say hello. After we responded, they would giggle, and run away.

It was also during lunch when we met a young lady snapping pictures of the local children. We could tell she was American. She stopped to talk to us and told us she was from Cleveland. She was traveling with her childhood friend and her friend’s family. The family escaped from Cambodia in 1980 after leaving an internment camp set-up by the Pol Pot regime. The family experienced first hand the devastation handed down to the local people by the crazy government. They were lucky enough to live through the experience, unlike the three million people who were killed by the government.

However, the whole family didn’t make it to the USA, and part of the reason for the return was to pay respect to their father. The father stepped on a landmine as the family escaped Cambodia, on foot, to the Thai border. This was their first visit back to Cambodia since 1980 and they held a small memorial service in honor of him. The short conversation was very touching, hearing first hand how the government destroyed a life, but luckily the family was able to start a new one in America.

The Pol Pot regime is such recent history that it still impacts the country, setting them back in time, making it harder to catch up technologically and economically to their neighboring countries. When we visited the Killing Fields, one of the smaller ones in the country, we left with tears in our eyes as a young man told us of his hardship. He explained he was going to school and getting an education, something his people couldn’t do under the Pol Pot regime. The regime that wanted to start a Communist state beginning at Year Zero—killing doctors, lawyers, teachers and anyone else with an education or opinion that may bring dissent.

It was another long day for us, we were exhausted at the end, but we had a great time and experienced more of the rich Cambodian culture. Our time in Cambodia was short; however, we saw a lot in our time here… every minute was worth it.