The wonders of Angkor and the horrors of Pol Pot

Hello again, the last time I'll be emailing you from Asia for a while. Tonight I fly back to Europe, and after a long flight and connection in Zurich, will be meeting my parents in Venice for a few days (they've hired a flat for a week). Indeed, I have 2 weeks left of my trip, I'm aiming to be back on the 3rd July, a nice round 6 months since I left London, and Red Ken is still pestering me to firm up the date so he can organise the open top bus parade! The Red Arrows apparently need 48 hours notice too.

A week ago I set off for Cambodia, flying into Siem Riep. I got the visa at the airport without too much difficulty, it costs $20 cash, a fact which is well publicised, so the fact that 4 Americans didn't have any of their own currency on them did raise a chuckle! Cambodia runs on $US, but for everything less than 1$, reverts back to their currency the Riel. 1$ = 4000 Riel, so something costing $3.20 actually costs $3 and 800 Riel! ATMs have just arrived, they dispense $.

I quickly found Cambodia very tiring, simply from the number of times you have to turn down motorbike taxis and tuk tuks. When you've been asked for the 50th time that day, you give up on politeness. I've also been asked "Do you want a lady sir?", I think that meant a massage, though aren't entirely sure...

Siem Riep is the gateway for the temples of Angkor, some of the most amazing historial structures on earth, built between the 8th and 13th century. That afternoon I took a tuk tuk to see the two most significant Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom. It is difficult to put into words the significance of these structures, I've taken lots of photos, but their jumbled up, as I paid more than one visit. It was quite nice just wandering around, without necessarily being too worried about facts and detail - the next day I hired a guide to get the background to these and several other temples - as this way you can appreciate them more, their size and detailed carving.

Angkor Wat (12th C) the largest religious monument in the world
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The last photo is a model, it shows the layout very well, and was made by hand.

Angkor Thom - Bayon (12-13th C)
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The last picture is my moment of passion!

Parts of Tomb Raider was filmed at Angkor, apparently the location below (at Ta Phrom) is one that Angelina used...
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Several of the temples have been left partially overgrown and derilict, with massive trees growing out of walls, and rubble everywhere, giving a very romantic feeling - sometimes buildings can be over restored.

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The last photo is from Preah Khan, a very derilict temple, where you wonder how any of the walls or roofs stay up!

Cambodian Tuk Tuks are different from the Thai ones, in that they are a separate carriage pulled by a normal motorbike, which can be disconnected. They are quieter and more comfortable, and some, like the one I used, had roll down canvas screens to keep you dry when it rained! Taking one through the countryside to distant temples was very pleasant, lots of fresh air and lots to see!
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A favourite dish is amok, a coconut milk based curry, often served in a coconut shell. Delicious!
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A disadvantage of being here in the off(wet) season, apart from the daily torrential rain storms, is that many activites shut down, for example none of the traditional music and dance shows were running. Instead I retired to my (empty) Guest House (built in traditional style, on stilts) to watch the World Cup! The best place to buy beers was the petrol station, the only place to have proper fridge cabinets! Cambodian WC coverage was very annoying, as they ran adverts during the games!

Leaving Siem Riep, I flew to Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital. At the airport, I noticed a plane owned by "PMT Airlines". I'd be careful of bothering the air hostesses...
"Can I have another glass of water?"
"LEAVE ME ALONE, I'M HAVING A BAD DAY!!!!"
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Phnon Penh is, frankly a bit of a dump. Manic traffic, with motorbikes going in all directions, the wrong way down streets and through red lights, lots of rubbish everywhere, beggars and incessant motorbike taxis touting for business. When it rains the roads quickly flood - drains are very inadequate, and many of the roads out of the centre quickly become mud baths.
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It's also very annoying that the wide pavements laid out in colonial days are now used for parking cars. Being forced into the traffic because some Land Cruiser or Mercedes is completely blocking the pavement is very irritating. It is also a sign of inequalities in the post communist society, where a small number are doing suspiciously well, while a lot of the people aren't getting their fair share (similar to Russia)

If that last comment sounded a bit lefty, I will redress the balance by also saying that I think the people are a bit lazy too! I've never seen so many hammocks as in Phnom Penh. Traditionally, they start early, have a long (and early) lunch break, then back again for the afternoon. So for example, the hours for the Royal Palace are
Morning 7.30 - 11.00
Afternoon 2.00 - 5.00
Funnily enough, I don't normally fancy sightseeing at 7.30, but would actually quite like to visit at 11am! During the 3 hour lunch break...I'm sure the dead hand of communism is a factor here.

However...all this has to be taken in context. Cambodia suffered terribly in the 70s. First the Americans bombed large parts of the country trying to flush out Vietcong guerrillas (good old Nixon and Kissinger). This ended up with full scale fighting on Cambodian soil. The end result of this hopeless policy was the rise of the Khmer Rouge, and Pol Pot taking control of the country. Pol Pot was inspired by Mao and China's Cultural Revolution but was far far worse. His first act was to send the whole of Phnom Penh (a million) people and send them out onto the land. Intellectuals (or alleged intellectuals, or anyone really) and their families were tortured hideously and killed (intellectuals meaning doctors, teachers, educated people, people wearing glasses....) children were trained to spy on their parents and turn them in to the authorities, the whole country reduced to a basket case, the aim being to create a blindly obedient peasant economy. Nobody knows how many people were killed or died as a result of this madness, but in the 4 years it is estimated that 1.5 million people perished (a quarter of the population) before the Vietnamese drove Pot's people out in 1978 (they became a rebel group after that, albeit one supported by Thailand and the West?!?!)

It is painful seeing some of the remnants of the regime, the S21 interrogation centre, the memorial at Choeung Ek (The Killing Fields) with it's pile of skulls, just one of many similar killing fields. Indeed, it is a testament to humankind's hardiness, that the country could have recovered from such a trauma.
S21
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Choeung Ek
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On a lighter note, my hotel had very comprehensive satellite tv, so I could avoid Cambodian World Cup coverage, by watching another country's coverage. I plumped for the Chinese coverage (they had the flashiest graphics and sets, and the on screen clock and score) but could have watched on Vietnamese or Thai tv too! When you're organise your evenings around football and tennis, perhaps it's a sign that you need to move on...I'm back in Bangkok again, killing time really. My flight back to Europe leaves in less than 6 hours...

Mike