Siem Reap, Cambodia

Click here for more photos of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom in Cambodia.
These two history teachers have wanted to visit Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom for twenty years, to explore the ancient capitol of the Khmer people with its unique pyramids and temple complexes that mapped constellations 1,000 years ago. We stood where the Khmer King watched elephant fights, like a Roman Emperor at the Coliseum. Tomb Raider popularized the ruins and enshrined Angelina Jolie in the hearts of the Cambodian people and sparked her commitment to them.

Lonely Planet assured us we could navigate the ruins on bicycles, but who wants to wander the muddy jungle roads in the torrential rains trying to decipher Cambodian? So, Sum became our guide for three days in a car with A/C and kindly shared his personal story so we could better understand this culture. At the age of five (1986) he had sole responsibility for five cows grazing in a rice paddy. He couldn't go too far to the west because of landmines. Sometimes when the civil war raged near his village, he couldn't go to school. As the youngest of six kids in a poor, rural family, he joined the Buddhist monastery at twelve to further his education and get a free room and two meals a day. He learned English and left the monastery in his twenties to become a tour guide. His English occasionally took a poetic turn. Pointing to a hill, he explained, "That is where we climb to visit the sunset."

The girls and Jeff scampered, like billy goats, up the narrow, steep steps of Angkor Wat. Sum stood at the bottom of the steps and said, "Oh my Buddha," and waited for us down below. I followed them up, calling out, "Choose your footing! and Be Careful!" at regular intervals. The view, the breeze, the architecture and carvings made the climb worth it. On the steps, going down, the Cambodians, had installed a more-or-less stable handrail. A Japanese woman burst into tears and became paralyzed on the stairs below us. So, thankfully, we could really take our time and return safely to terra firma.

Exploring the Jungle Temple of Angkor Thom, in a torrential downpour, we climbed atop 1,000 year old carved rubble to get out of the mud. It's amazing that the sandstone buildings have resisted the ravages of weather and roots for a millenium. The Spung Tree sends massive tentacles over and under the stone, trying to return temples to the jungle.

When asked about the time of Pol Pot, Sum said that while the movie, Killing Fields is widely available, the truth about the war time is still secret. Some of the current leaders were in office between 1975 and 1979 so full disclosure may incriminate some of them. Reading the current issue of Time Magazine, we met Youk Chhang, a Cambodian who has documented the four years that claimed the lives of 1.7 million Cambodians under Pol Pot. Because of his efforts, a trial on genocide will start this year. Hopefully Cambodia (following South Africa's example) can confront its demons and begin healing.

Traveler's Note: Don't bother changing money into Cambodian Riel. Their currency is actually the US dollar. Restaurants, hotels, guides, children selling postcards, all prefer US dollars. Carry a stack of $1's and $5's with a few Franklins in reserve. Credit cards are useless except for the hotel room and higher end restaurants. Also, ignore the CDC advice about anti-malarial meds for Siem Reap. There aren't any malaria mosquitoes here unless you're camping in the countryside. None of the tourists we met were taking them.