The Beauty and Intensity of Cambodia

To try to sum up Cambodia in words is quite difficult. It is one of those places where you feel at loss for words due to the constant mix of emotions. On one end, I was so captivated by the beauty and infinite landscapes of the Angkor Wat area, feeling wonderfully lost in the intricate details of each ancient site. Then I felt this deep sadness, reminded of poverty due to the shocking history of the nation by the ongoing begging of children. Although I only had 10 days in Cambodia, it was enough time for the country to easily capture my heart. The resilience and kindness of the people, along with the incredible sites and experiences made this country unbelievable.

Our Cambodian journey began in Siem Riep, close to one of the worlds largest attractions, Angkor Wat. We bought a 3 day pass to visit this massive ancient site, but knew we would only have energy to explore it for 2 days. For $4 each a day, we had a driver take us to all of the most famous sites, each presenting itself with its own character. I was so fascinated by every ancient temple, each with its own unique design. This is a place that is hard to describe in words so here are some photos from different famous sites:

After 2 full days of temples, temples, and more temples, I was exhausted and looking forward to a relaxing night. We ended getting a fish massage that was advertised everywhere and it was such a weird feeling.  And no, it was not because my feet are so beautiful that all the fish flocked to me...I think it was because my feet were so dirty!

Before arriving in the nations capital, Phnom Penh, I hadn't heard many things about it so therewere no expectations. I absolutely loved everything about the city. With its nice, wide streets, active parks, beautiful riverside, and endless shopping and street foods, it was definitely the place for me! But as I said in the beginning, there was still a huge mix of emotions. After a day of strolling through this lovely city (including getting my groove on in a public asian aerobics class), I found myself in pure shock and sadness the following day. On our trip to the Genocide Museum, which was an ex prison site during the Khmer Rouge in the 70s, I was shocked by the facts and figures of this terrible time. It was so eery being on the grounds where over 20,000 people died. There were just endless portraits taken of each prison, each having this hopeless look in their eyes. It was also really creepy because with the reflection on each portrait, you could capture a photo that made it look as if they were ghosts still in the prison.

After the intensity of the museum, we heading to the killing fields nearby, where all of the bodies from the prison were dumped. We were all silent as we passed through the area, and I just couldn't believe that two months ago I had no clue that two million people were executed in this country 30 years ago.



After the intensity of what I just saw, it was so weird to once again have conflicting emotions, as I witnessed a stunning sunset over Phnom Penh and then a water show at the central park area.

     

Our last two days in Phnom Penh were spent at an incredible orphanage called SCAO (http://www.savechildreninasia.org/index.htm). 

We came with their request of basic items, such as rice and water, but couldn't help bringing some fun toys for the kids the following day. I had the most amazing time with these children, as they had so much hope for their future despite so many hardships. They were all so loving, and immediately captured my heart. Our first day there was spent just playing with them, as it was their day off from school.

They took us around their small rural town just outside of the city and were very talkative! The next day, we went to help teach at the school run by the orphanage for those that cannot afford an education at the proper school in the area. The kids were all so eager to learn, but possibly more eager to play around with us and take photos on my camera!

                                  

As they said "see you tomorrow", I wish we could have stayed for longer but the journey must go on!

Next stop: Battambong, the 2nd largest city in Cambodia. For the city itself, there was not much going on! While there were several temples to visit, I could not bear the thought of seeing another temple! But, there were some very interesting activities outside the city. On one of our days, we went out to the rural area, first to the killing caves, another important site during the genocide. We had this adorable 13 year old boy that wanted to be our tour guide, so he came along, and was great entertainment and surprisingly shared a lot of solid information with us. The killing caves were intense, but there was a beautiful shrine inside the cave to honor all of those killed there. Further up from the caves was a beautiful view from a temple at the top of the mountain.

      

Later on, we were excited to go to the bamboo trains, which are a very old fashioned way of transportation, but so fun! We took the bamboo train with a badass driver for sunrise and got to see more of Cambodia's beautiful countryside!

       

Our final day in Cambodia was spent taking a cooking class, so be prepared, by the time I come home I shall be a master of southeast Asian cuisine! As my 10 days in Cambodia came to an end, I was sad to leave, but I know I will be back there again!