Cambodian/Thai snapshot: Royal palaces

While I was exploring Phnom Penh and Bangkok I had the opportunity to visit the royal palaces of each country. This was the first time I had been to an Asian palace with its pagoda styled buildings, gold roof coverings and spires. They are incomparable to the palaces you find in europe except in the sense that they are a way to show off the wealth of a country's leaders. In that sense I'd have to say that the Thai royal family is definitely better off then that of Cambodia. The thing to see in Phnom Penh is the silver pagoda, which is almost completely covered in carpets except for a small square to protect the floor and the jade Buddha which resides inside. In Bangkok it was the details which made the palace so absorbing. Giant guardians looming on either side of a gate. Well preserved murals sharing pieces of history and mythology. Gold rooster dragon mix statues. Statues carrying the weight of a spire. Of course it also had its own spectacular pagoda pavilions covered in gold details and gems. When you walk through the gates to either of these two places it is clear that this is not a "normal" person's residence. You can only hope that your jaw doesn't drop and stay open at the ornateness of the palaces of the royal families of these two countries.

Cambodian snapshot: Angkor temples

It seems silly that I haven't written about the main reason that I went to Cambodia- the temples of Angkor. I think I've been avoiding it because I don't know where to start. Exploring the temples in person is a bit like escaping to a different time. A time when buildings spoke to the soul. When they were the heart and soul of a community. When nothing could be grander then these temples. And yet at the same time the draw is seeing just how something this old is surviving until the modern time. This is what you can call some solid construction. True there may be areas where the forest is taking over, where the trees have staked their claim as the fingers of their roots creep over walls, through cracks and sandwich walls. And yet with all the crumbling stones to accompany them there is still a magnificence to accompany these ruins.

I have to admit that Angkor Watt was not my favourite of the temples I explored during my three days there. Some of that may be because they were in the process of doing renovations so green tarp restricted my view of the towers and entrance. Perhaps it was the sheer size of the structure which made it difficult to grasp the full scale. Or maybe it was just that I preferred sites where there were fewer people and I could feel like I was actually discovering a new location.

So what did I prefer? The more than a hundred faces carved into the spires of Bayon held a special fascination for me. So much that I ended up wandering through that temple more than once. Of course who can resist the root entangled temple Ta Prohm, of tomb raider glory? Surely not me. My favourites though were those that were a bit farther off the beaten track. Ta Nei which required us to walk up a sand track and clamber over fallen stones provided a real sense of discovery, solitude and fallen glory. Further afield Banteay Srey stood proudly in a field with extraordinary carvings and details along every surface. Preah Khan had a few trees taking over giving a sense of just what nature can envelop given enough time. I could go on and on, but perhaps a slideshow of pictures will give you the best idea of this fascinating region of Cambodia.

Cambodian snapshot: Kampot

 

One of my difficulties during my Cambodia trip was deciding where I would spend Christmas. All I knew for sure was that I was not going to spend my Christmas on a bus, nor did I want to spend it in the party beach town of Sihanoukville. So I looked into places that were a short bus ride away and eventually found myself in the small French colonial town of Kampot. I'm not going to say that there was an extraordinary amount of things to see there. However, the few riverfront blocks of old architecture, a funky piecemeal bridge, a waterfront walkway and a lovely evening river cruise made for a quiet and relaxing Christmas. The most important thing was found, an Internet cafe where they hooked up a webcam and let me spend three hours sharing the holiday with my family. It turns out that at one point Kampot was famous for its pepper, my guide book even claimed that it was "a favoured choice in Parisian restaurants during the heyday of IndoChina." So what to do but try the local delicacy for my Christmas meal - crab with pepper. That turned into a bit more of an adventure then I expected as I watched the sunset and attempted to attack the shell of my crabs with only a pair of chopsticks. Perhaps it was a good thing that I was alone for that part of my Christmas. By the end of the day I felt like I had gotten exactly what I wanted for Christmas, a quiet relaxing place to spend the day with just a touch of adventure.

Cambodian Snapshot: Boat trip up Sangker River

One of my favorite days I spent in Cambodia was the day that I decided to take the boat between Battambang and Siem Reap. You might think that 6 hours on a boat in the river would be a little much, but I found the scenery to be gorgeous and I enjoyed passing by the fishing villages. Some of them clung precariously to the side of the river, but we also passed through at least three floating villages. I couldn't help but think how different your life experience would be if you grew up in a village that only existed on water and could actually move depending on the water level and where fish are biting. As a child you would have limited space to run around and play, but on the other hand you could handle a boat on your own quite young. One of the big amusements for the day is waving at the boats that pass by.  A quick shop is located on a boat that floats from house to house. Pigpens float, bathrooms float, houses float, and fishermen definitely float.

Cambodian Snapshot: Bamboo Railroad

Barreling down a track at what feels like a high speed (only about 15 km/hour) while a foot above the rails is a bit disconcerting to say the least. You feel every bump and jolt as one piece of railroad connects to the next (unevenly of course). Really it is quite amazing that two axles, a bamboo mat and a motor can take you down a 30 minute stretch of rail. Did I mention it only has one set of rails, and the "trains" run both ways? No worries, when two meet one of them (based off of passenger load and how many others are following it) simply moves off the rail. Passengers stand to the side, the drivers of both platforms unhook the belt, lift the platform off to one side then drop the axles beside the rails. Those still on the rails pass by then the process is reversed. After a push start you're off and running at a break neck pace down the rails again, until you meet another traveler.

Cambodian Snapshot: Wat Ounalom

On the one day I spent wandering around Phnom Penh I spent some time at Wat Ounalom, the Buddhist monastery which is the center of the faith in Cambodia. Talk about a peaceful location! It was hard to believe I had walked through the monastery grounds a couple of times and not seen the grandeur of the holy buildings: several layers, bright paint, interesting designs I don't know the story behind. I went up and down into several of the temples, but my most memorable occurrence of the day was when I wandered around the back to a cemetery (? memorial shrines? I think Buddhists cremate) where an old man was sitting outside another small wat and invited me in. Okay, why not? I don't have any real plans for the day. It was all I could do to not laugh when I realized the Buddha had a fluorescent spinner halo behind its head that lit up. I was really glad I hadn't when the old man then went into a  process of blessing me (? I think; I didn't really have a clue what was going on). He lit an incense stick, waved it over me then handed it to me to bring to my forehead before planting it in the holder. Then he stuck some sticks into water and sprinkled it over me several times; he had me hold out my hand so he could splash some water on it to rub over my face. After all of this and being encouraged to take photos I felt like I needed to make a donation, so out comes a $1 bill. Of course I couldn't just put it in the donation box, no I had to place it in the Buddha's lap. I was sort of glad there was no one else around to see me muddle my way through the interaction while at the same time feeling like I was walking away from a true cultural exchange and probably the most interesting few minutes of the day. You never know what will happen when you are travelling.