IN THE KHMER KINGDOM
"By virtue of these good works would that I might rescue all those who are struggling in the ocean of existence."
King Jayavaram VII on building the temples of Angkor.
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ANGKOR WAT CAMBODIA
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THE TEMPLES OF ANGKOR
Angkor is a magical place, mysterious and vital, an Emerald City of temples and towers so high, only the gods are meant to see the tops. It rises above the jungle, shining with the spirit of kings and conquerors, artists and poets, gods and goddesses.It embodies Cambodia's fabled past and offers hope for the uncertain future of this shattered and struggling country. Cambodia reflects humanity at its spiritual and artistic height and most brutal depths. How else to describe a country where graceful, glittering temples and golden Buddhas rise above the Killing Fields left by the Khmer Rouge?
I first visited Cambodia in 1968, aboard a Royal Air Camboge Caravelle, served by gracious - and barefoot - crews whose uniforms consisted of colorfully printed blouses and sarongs. We landed in Siem Riep, a dusty, provincial town where a few intrepid tourists came to view one of the world's wonders, the Khmer Kingdom of Angkor.
This was once a flourishing society, highly sophisticated and creative. Influenced by Indian traders and seafarers who settled there, the Khmers adapted Indian language, writing, building technology and art. The Khmer Kings were considered gods - the manifestation of the Hindu deity Shiva.
From the ninth to the 13th centuries, their empire spanned most of the Southeast Asian Peninsula. The temples the Khmers raised to honor their deities and inspire their people, project a rare beauty and strong spirituality.
A MYSTICAL REALM
I was thrilled to revisit Angkor, although Siem Riep is greatly changed, with luxury hotels, new restaurants and flotillas of motor scooters bearing young Cambodians. Few speak French now and many are illiterate. But nothing has dimmed the magic and mystery of Angkor.With over 100 stone temples, Angkor stretches over acres of jungle and plains, where the god-kings built temples, residences and a complex irrigation system that linked lakes, canals and moats. Precisely aligned with the constellations, the architecture of the temples was based on the idea of a sacred mountain, the base pulling strength from the earth and rising in tiers above the lush green horizon. Although these structures served as a burial place for the kings, they were designed to bring the monarch and his subjects closer to the divine.
Centuries later, Angkor still pulls visitors into a mystical realm of harmony and beauty. Both Hindu and Buddhist deities rule here. A serene and compassionate Buddha emerges on the wall of a crumbling temple, is silhouetted in a doorway or gazes through the trees. The massive, carved faces of Buddhas and Bodhisavattas line the ramparts and the moats and look down from the peaked roofs of the temples. Each face is different, yet the same, benevolent and enlightened.
Turn a corner and find towering stone demons, intimidating with their drawn swords and menacing grins. Chinese lions guard an ancient palace, its spires reflected in a still lake. Elaborately carved doorways stand alone, beckoning into vanished chapels and shrines.
THE GODS OF WAR
The gods of war are here as well. Shiva, his many arms brandishing weapons, inspires the armies that battle down the centuries in the carvings along the temple walls. The warrior kings lead the way, atop elephants, sheltered by parasols and canopies. They seem ready to march off the stones to again conquer their neighbors.The Khmer Kingdom did not endure. Attacked by Siam in 1431, the Cambodians were ruled alternately by their ancient enemies, Vietnam and Thailand. Angkor was overtaken by the jungle and only in the 1930s did restorations begin, spearheaded by the French government. During the Khmer Rouge years, all restoration efforts ceased. Only recently has the country begun to recover from the devastating effects of that period that left Cambodia spiritually and economically devastated.
Tourism is key to that recovery and today, Siem Reap is poised to become Asia's premier travel destination. The arts that flourished in the original Khmer Kingdom are being revived and reinterpreted. Silks, silver, antiques and carvings spill from the bazaar, the stalls near the temples and the stylish shops that fashion lush Cambodian fabrics into striking clothes and accessories. Several art galleries have opened, featuring contemporary artists as well as quality reproductions of antique sculpture.
DINING OUT, SLEEPING IN
Dining in Cambodia spans Paris to the Pacific - Asian, Australian and French, nouvelle and old. Cambodian food combines Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai influences to produce a subtle and varied cuisine. Food can be more sweet than spicy. Hotter condiments are offered on the side so diners can control the heat, or enhanced with a fermented fish sauce that is an acquired taste.Try a clear hot-and-sour soup, a sweet potato curry, vegetable spring rolls and fish, fresh from Tonle Sap Lake, the largest in Cambodia. Street stalls provide movable feasts of shrimps, wild birds roasting on spits, even baked tortoise. If that is not to your taste, (I drew the line at tortoise) Siem Riep and Phnom Penh offer plenty of excellent Western restaurants.
Siem Riep offers accommodations from five star legends like the venerable Grand Hotel d' Angkor to funky guest houses for the backpacking crowd. New hotels are under construction to accommodate the growing number of visitors. We stayed at the impeccably designed Residence d' Angkor.
There are many ways to see Angkor - by helicopter, hot air balloon and elephant. But the Khmer gods are in the details and their magic is most potent in the quiet forest, with the light glowing on the sandstone carvings.
PHNOM PENH - CAMBODIA'S CAPITAL
Phnom Penh, the capital, retains much of its old French Colonial grandeur and the temples and palaces rival anything in Europe. The Royal Palace is a fairly-tale complex of several temples and residences where the royal robes and jewels are kept. Phnom Penh's museum is a must for any lover of Asian art and houses a superb collection of majestic Buddhas and exquisite bas reliefs.Visitors should see the Tuol Sleng prison museum - many will choose not to. If Angkor is a monument to the highest levels of art and spirituality, Tuol Sleng is a testimonial to the most base and brutal period of Cambodia's history, the Pol Pot regime. In 1975, the Khmer Rouge forced the entire population of Phnom Penh out of the city and into the countryside. Nearly three million died from disease, starvation and execution at the hands of fanatical Khmer Rouge who literally wiped out an entire generation. Artisans, teachers, dancers, agriculturists and officials died and Cambodia's artistic and intellectual heritage almost died with them. Finally, the Khmer Rouge turned on its own cadres who were tortured at Tuol Sleng before being taken to one of Cambodia's 323 killing fields. The museum displays hundreds of photos of these victims - young adults, elderly people and even toddlers and several Western journalists who stayed to cover this vile story and became part of it.
With my friends, all ladies of a certain age, I am again an object of curiosity - not because of my hair or my skin but because of my age. We are constantly asked how old we are. For there are no older people here. Generations were wiped out by the Khmer Rogue and there are few people left to offer the wisdom of experience to a land much in need of it.
It is difficult to reconcile this horror with the gentle, welcoming Cambodians, struggling to restore the country's cultural heritage and to rebuild its rock-bottom economy. Perhaps Cambodia's best hope - and ours - lies in restoring the spiritual legacy of the Khmer Kingdom.
CAMBODIA'S NIGHTMARE - THE KHMER ROUGE
Cambodian Genocide - Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge
The photographs of the victims from the Cambodian genocide are what really haunt you. There's a huge discussion of this topic on my blog, http://www.vagabonding.com/travelogue/000060.html Here's an entry I wrote about this: Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge, and Genocide in Cambodia During their three-year, eight-month, and 21-day rule of Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge committed some of the most heinous crimes in modern history: - The entire population of Cambodia's urban areas was evacuated from their homes and forced to march into rural areas to work the fields. - Every man, woman, and child was forced into slave labor for 12-15 hours each day. - An estimated two million people (21% of Cambodia's population) lost their lives. Many of these victims were brutally executed; many more died of starvation, exhaustion, and disease. That these crimes were committed so recently (1975-1978) makes them all the more sickening. The country's scars are still plainly visible: - The population is suspiciously youthful (50% is under the age of 15). - The economy is in shambles. This is partially thanks to the Khmer Rouge's execution of the upper and educated classes. The fact that they destroyed most of the vehicles and machines in the cities can't have helped. - New human remains turn up around the exhumed mass graves of the Killing Fields of Cheoung Ek on a daily basis. Silent reminders of the tragedy, these bones and teeth are ceremoniously placed into makeshift shrines in tree hollows and cement planters. It's hard to comprehend the motivations behind an atrocity like the Cambodian genocide. What could have been going through the minds of the Khmer Rouge officers and their leader Pol Pot? "Hey Pol, I've got an idea, man. Let's turn the country upside down and get real primitive. Evacuate all the cities, march everyone out to the country. And then start farming, man! Big time. And if anyone resists, let's execute them. In fact, let's kill a whole lot of people. I'm talking hundreds of thousands. Maybe millions. And do it real cruel-like. Bash their heads against trees, electrocute 'em, drown 'em in vats of cold water..." Fear must have been the prevailing motivator in the regime. How could an officer commit such monstrous crimes against his own countrymen? For fear that something even worse would happen to him. The Khmer Rouge atrocity seems to follow a time-honored recipe for genocide: the obsessive desire to reach a religious or political ideal coupled with a healthy dose of madness. Why don't we learn? It seems as if past atrocities of genocide haven't served as a warning, but instead as a blueprint for how to repeat them. But if history has proven human beings to be intrinsically fallible, it has also proven us to be extraordinarily resilient. Pol Pot cast a heavy shadow over Cambodia, but the people have managed to persevere, begin anew, and find joy in life again. -- If you'd like to learn more about the genocide in Cambodia, visit the Yale Cambodian Genocide Project at http://www.yale.edu/cgp/.
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GETTING THERE
Flying to Cambodia
Cambodia can be reached by air and most major airlines serve one of the hubs such as Tokyo,Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Singapore that offer connecting service to Phnom Penh, the capital or Siem Riep, where the temples of Angkor are located.I used my Frequent Flier miles to travel from Newark on Korean Air. It was a very long flight, stopping in Seoul and connecting to Bangkok. I strongly recommend going Business Class if you have the miles or the money. The service was excellent on this and all the Asian carriers we flew while traveling through SE Asia.
Land arrangements are best made by a reputable tour operator with a strong presence in Cambodia. Two recommended companies are Absolute Travel www.absolutetravel.com. and Myths and Mountains www.mythsandmountains.com.
ORIENTATIONS - ENCHANTMENTS FROM THE EAST
Silk and Silver from the Khmer Kingdom
Southeast Asia is an Aladdin's Cave of silks, silver and gems, of exquisite carvings and handicrafts, graceful artworks and striking colors. These dazzling pieces embody Asia's rich cultural heritage - sometimes traditional, often with a contemporary twist.We import from India, Thailand and Vietnam and we are especially proud of the beautiful silks and silver that are hand woven and hand carved by Cambodian artisans.
Under the Khmer Rouge, these ancient arts were nearly destroyed and we are privileged to bring these exquisite bags, scarves and jewelery to the US. All our products are made according to Fair Trade practices at Tabitha, an organization that provides, among other services, an opportunity for Cambodian women to learn a new skill and to become self-sufficient. We offer scarves, bags, desk accessories, jewelery and silver boxes. All are beautifully crafted and proudly made.
For more Enchantments From The East, go to www.orientationsinstyle.com.
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angkorgirl wrote...
Great info! I went there few months ago, and it was AMAZING! Apart from Angkor Wat though, I found lots of other attractions in Siem Reap. Like Kampung Phluk, the silk farm tour for those beeeautiful Cambodian silks stuff (very interesting) and visiting other more remote temples. It's an amazing country. You can find out more here:
http://www.holiday-in-angkor-wat.com/kampung-phluk.html
http://www.holiday-in-angkor-wat.com/siem-reap-tourism-silk-farm.html
Posted May 01, 2008
dwighthz wrote...
Hi, Great info on Angkor. Hope to visit there on my annual trip to Southeast Asia. I've been to Thailand 3 times and Vietnam 6, want to add Cambodia.
Posted March 27, 2008
