An oven door blast of heat greets me as I step off the plane, letting me know without a doubt that I'm back in the tropics.
Cambodia is not like India, but it rhymes. That is to say, there are enough familiar elements:
There are the lunatic rats nest cat's cradle masses of electric wires that astonishingly enough haven't burnt everything to the ground yet, the manic traffic patterns filled with suicidal motorcyclists, scooters used as family vehicles, trucks loaded to
overflowing, and tuktuks massing like beetles, and entire neighborhoods built of corrugated steel, concrete and rebar. There are even familiar birds like Common mynah magpie-robins and egrets
Massive humpbacked Bhrama cattle graze placidly by the roadside like misplaced tarnished, snowdrifts, another familiar face in the crowd. Before too long, however Cambodia reveals her unique character. Traffic is less dependant on constant leaning on the horn to keep moving. Cambodians have a love of Khmer style ornament and adorn every available surface. Tuk tuk drivers, while still annoyingly persistent land pirates, are much more calm and relaxed than their brethren from other nations. The U.S. dollar seems to be the preferred currency here, which makes me wonder why I bothered to change currencies at the airport. Cambodians as a whole seem a sedate patient people who smile readily and will only rush on their own accord. Once I was better acquainted, the ones I've met have been charming and open companions
Wat Phnom
The temple at Wat Phnom is perched on the pinnacle of what claims to be the city's only hill, but I am staying at "Lakeside Guesthouse" and there is no body of water nearby larger than a pothole. I'm not taking these claims on faith. Wat Phnom is a circular park that is a welcome oasis of tranquility from the bustling metropolis. The tall jungle trees provide shelter to starlings, orioles, sunbirds and one of my old adversaries, The Coppersmith barbet. The Coppersmith is an attractive green bird about the size of a sparrow with a sharp yellow mask and red cap. At least all reports say so. I've never actually seen one in spite of my efforts . This bird has an instantly recognizable repeating metallic "pok pok pok" call that is easily traceable until you get close enough to actually spot it, at which point the Coppersmith hastily shuts up and vanishes into the ether only to start the whole process again from a nearby bush. A long staircase flanked by Naga, Garuda, and other Hindu figures leads to the main temple, resplendent in scarlet with it's peaked, terraced and spiked roof reaching into the sky. Directly behind this is a tremendous peaked stupa.
Riverside Park
Once again, if you need respite from the city's chaos and constant offers of tuk tuk rides you can walk along the wide wide palm lined walkway beside the Tonle Sap until it merges with the Mekong. There for a change, you will be constantly badgered for boat rides. During the heat of the day you can actually walk largely undisturbed flanked by the Cambodian- French accented buildings on one side and a grab bag Armada of ancient wooden fishing crafts and the floating palaces of cruise boats. The touts limit themselves to the shade of the Pagoda in front of the Royal palace. When evening comes, the quay is teeming with locals and tourists alike enjoying the twilight cool and making their way to the night market for a delicious Khmer curry.
National Museum
By the palace the National Museum is housed in a brick colored colonial era building with an elaborate Khmer roof. Unlike a lot of other national museums that are a hodgepodge assortment of the country's pride and joy, this museum has a singular purpose- to be the finest collection of Khmer sculpture ever gathered under one roof. After paying the ticket price ( the clerk couldn't be convinced that I was under six years old), I was permitted into the collection. Photographing the collection is frowned upon, but I was assured that sketching was fine. I spent several hours with pen and paper, largely uninterrupted among the broken gods and demons admiring the stunning craftsmanship of bygone eras.
Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda
Cambodians are justifiably proud of the jewel box that is officially home their royal family. The opulence of this cream and gold warren of buildings defies description. The riches on display hint at the sheer decadence in the private sections still inhabited by his majesty. The Silver Pagoda in a nearby compound encircled by a detailed fresco depicting a protracted war between gods, monkeys and demons. Elaborate temples and stupas the Silver Pagoda which house the Emerald Buddha on a gold and silver throne. At the base of this mountain of treasure sat a small contribution box. I concluded that any good with literal tons of gold and silver on all sides probably didn't need my dollar.
Killing Fields and Genocide Museum
These two excellent institutions are two of the only sites that I've gone to where I didn't want to go. I went. You do not get an exemption from the unpleasant aspects of history, especially if your nation is complicit in its creation. Both sites offer an audio tour which is entirely worth the extra cost. You are taken through the undeniable evidence of mind boggling heart shattering cruelty with each horrifying detail outlined by the narrator and the voices of survivors. The viciousness of Pol Pot's regime is brought home most clearly by the Genocide Museum where an ordinary school campus was turned into a factory of suffering with rebar and repurposed school furniture. Classrooms that served as torture Chambers and segmented into tiny prison cells are now lined with the accusing black and white mugshots of the victims of this dreadful place. Some of these are of quite young children
The Killing Fields make plain the inconceivable scale of this massacre. The grounds of the mass graves still reveal bone fragments and scraps of clothing. The memorial stupa in the center of the site is filled with unearthed skulls and larger bones. It is a towering structure about 200 feet high.
While it is important to witness this grim chapter of history and carry the memory with you, it is not easy. Anyone who has a heart will have it broken. Both sites have thoughtfully provided the visitor quiet spaces to come to terms with their emotions. The Killing Fields has a tranquil forested path around a square pond. It is here I encountered an unexpected and wonderful distraction. The Cambodian Tailorbird is a reclusive creature about the length of my thumb. Like other tailorbirds they make their nest by stitching leaves together. It is so secretive that in spite of living within the boundaries of Cambodia's largest city, it was not discovered until 2009 and declared as a species until 2013. I can tell you without a shadow of doubt that they nest in the Killing Fields.
Cambodia is not like India, but it rhymes. That is to say, there are enough familiar elements:
There are the lunatic rats nest cat's cradle masses of electric wires that astonishingly enough haven't burnt everything to the ground yet, the manic traffic patterns filled with suicidal motorcyclists, scooters used as family vehicles, trucks loaded to
overflowing, and tuktuks massing like beetles, and entire neighborhoods built of corrugated steel, concrete and rebar. There are even familiar birds like Common mynah magpie-robins and egrets
Massive humpbacked Bhrama cattle graze placidly by the roadside like misplaced tarnished, snowdrifts, another familiar face in the crowd. Before too long, however Cambodia reveals her unique character. Traffic is less dependant on constant leaning on the horn to keep moving. Cambodians have a love of Khmer style ornament and adorn every available surface. Tuk tuk drivers, while still annoyingly persistent land pirates, are much more calm and relaxed than their brethren from other nations. The U.S. dollar seems to be the preferred currency here, which makes me wonder why I bothered to change currencies at the airport. Cambodians as a whole seem a sedate patient people who smile readily and will only rush on their own accord. Once I was better acquainted, the ones I've met have been charming and open companions
Wat Phnom
The temple at Wat Phnom is perched on the pinnacle of what claims to be the city's only hill, but I am staying at "Lakeside Guesthouse" and there is no body of water nearby larger than a pothole. I'm not taking these claims on faith. Wat Phnom is a circular park that is a welcome oasis of tranquility from the bustling metropolis. The tall jungle trees provide shelter to starlings, orioles, sunbirds and one of my old adversaries, The Coppersmith barbet. The Coppersmith is an attractive green bird about the size of a sparrow with a sharp yellow mask and red cap. At least all reports say so. I've never actually seen one in spite of my efforts . This bird has an instantly recognizable repeating metallic "pok pok pok" call that is easily traceable until you get close enough to actually spot it, at which point the Coppersmith hastily shuts up and vanishes into the ether only to start the whole process again from a nearby bush. A long staircase flanked by Naga, Garuda, and other Hindu figures leads to the main temple, resplendent in scarlet with it's peaked, terraced and spiked roof reaching into the sky. Directly behind this is a tremendous peaked stupa.
Riverside Park
Once again, if you need respite from the city's chaos and constant offers of tuk tuk rides you can walk along the wide wide palm lined walkway beside the Tonle Sap until it merges with the Mekong. There for a change, you will be constantly badgered for boat rides. During the heat of the day you can actually walk largely undisturbed flanked by the Cambodian- French accented buildings on one side and a grab bag Armada of ancient wooden fishing crafts and the floating palaces of cruise boats. The touts limit themselves to the shade of the Pagoda in front of the Royal palace. When evening comes, the quay is teeming with locals and tourists alike enjoying the twilight cool and making their way to the night market for a delicious Khmer curry.
 |
| Buddha's Pagoda in the courtyard of the National Museum |
National Museum
By the palace the National Museum is housed in a brick colored colonial era building with an elaborate Khmer roof. Unlike a lot of other national museums that are a hodgepodge assortment of the country's pride and joy, this museum has a singular purpose- to be the finest collection of Khmer sculpture ever gathered under one roof. After paying the ticket price ( the clerk couldn't be convinced that I was under six years old), I was permitted into the collection. Photographing the collection is frowned upon, but I was assured that sketching was fine. I spent several hours with pen and paper, largely uninterrupted among the broken gods and demons admiring the stunning craftsmanship of bygone eras.
Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda
Cambodians are justifiably proud of the jewel box that is officially home their royal family. The opulence of this cream and gold warren of buildings defies description. The riches on display hint at the sheer decadence in the private sections still inhabited by his majesty. The Silver Pagoda in a nearby compound encircled by a detailed fresco depicting a protracted war between gods, monkeys and demons. Elaborate temples and stupas the Silver Pagoda which house the Emerald Buddha on a gold and silver throne. At the base of this mountain of treasure sat a small contribution box. I concluded that any good with literal tons of gold and silver on all sides probably didn't need my dollar.
Killing Fields and Genocide Museum
These two excellent institutions are two of the only sites that I've gone to where I didn't want to go. I went. You do not get an exemption from the unpleasant aspects of history, especially if your nation is complicit in its creation. Both sites offer an audio tour which is entirely worth the extra cost. You are taken through the undeniable evidence of mind boggling heart shattering cruelty with each horrifying detail outlined by the narrator and the voices of survivors. The viciousness of Pol Pot's regime is brought home most clearly by the Genocide Museum where an ordinary school campus was turned into a factory of suffering with rebar and repurposed school furniture. Classrooms that served as torture Chambers and segmented into tiny prison cells are now lined with the accusing black and white mugshots of the victims of this dreadful place. Some of these are of quite young children
The Killing Fields make plain the inconceivable scale of this massacre. The grounds of the mass graves still reveal bone fragments and scraps of clothing. The memorial stupa in the center of the site is filled with unearthed skulls and larger bones. It is a towering structure about 200 feet high.
While it is important to witness this grim chapter of history and carry the memory with you, it is not easy. Anyone who has a heart will have it broken. Both sites have thoughtfully provided the visitor quiet spaces to come to terms with their emotions. The Killing Fields has a tranquil forested path around a square pond. It is here I encountered an unexpected and wonderful distraction. The Cambodian Tailorbird is a reclusive creature about the length of my thumb. Like other tailorbirds they make their nest by stitching leaves together. It is so secretive that in spite of living within the boundaries of Cambodia's largest city, it was not discovered until 2009 and declared as a species until 2013. I can tell you without a shadow of doubt that they nest in the Killing Fields.
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