1. Our flight to Phnom Penh, Cambodia was from Changi Airport Terminal 2, where to our unexpected delight we found an 'Ananda Bhavan' - one of Singapore's premier South Indian food houses. Nothing spells breakfast better than hot idlis and a crisp dosa washed down by the irresistible brew of a filter coffee. Naturally, the vacation began on a delicious note.
2. A breezy couple of hours later, we landed at Phnom Penh International Airport, which reminds one of the smaller airports one sees in island-nations mostly. Visas were to be issued on arrival and entailed standing in a short queue, to submit our paperwork and photographs, after which we were politely shoved to the side and asked to wait until we heard our names called out loud.
This 'non-formalization of the formal process' comes as a good break from the rigid norms one gets used to, living in the West.
3. In my email communications with multiple hotels/ travel agencies/ tour guides in Asia, I am often referred to as Mr. instead of Ms. or Mrs. Albeit unknowingly, I guess, finally someone recognizes who wears the pants in this house. (Hubster barely reads my blog posts, so this claim can easily go un-defied, me thinks)
4. Our first impression, after landing and leaving the at airport at Phnom Penh, were the uber-clean wide roads with disciplined in-lane drivers. As I overlay this instance with my similar experience of driving out of Delhi's IGI Airport, I reminded myself, that this was not the real city. Airports and Airport-cities tend to do themselves up, in order to appear like their international counterparts, to the best of their abilities. They cant help it, as in their similarity lies their efficiency. They are hardly representatives of the multitudes. The inner bylanes & streets, markets & eateries, shops & pavements are where the city's real soul lies. And each time I visit a new city, I can't wait till I navigate through its make-believe, disciplined, structured Aerotropolis to peer into its soul. Coming from someone who's made a living from designing airports for the last decade, this might seem surprising. But as I always say, I am an Urban Designer/ Planner first and an Airport Designer afterwards.
5. Cambodia is poor, much poorer than India. Yet its clean. Even in it's poorest parts, its surprisingly well-kept.
Most urban or rural areas, that I've been to, on my recent trips in Asia, are litter-free, especially when compared to their Indian counterparts. As if everyone makes it a point to throw their trash where it belongs. There are no traces of plastic all over the place, as one sees often in rural India.
It makes me wonder what a sense of social cleanliness is really related to? Is it as simple as a good, responsible upbringing or not taking-for-granted one's physical surroundings? Is it the instilling of a sense of civic ownership & pride in the citizens or a 'recycle-everything' kind of approach? In rare cases like Singapore, it could be a by-product of a government-mandate that fines you each time you litter? Granted, India does not have its numbers going for itself in this case and keeping such a large country clean is one herculean task, but civic-cleanliness if instilled as a habit at the grassroots, can surely ensure a less littered surrounding in the first place. The kind one sees in Cambodia.
6. Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia and also one of it's largest cities. It is located on the banks of three rivers - The Mekong, Tonle Sap & Bassac.
The first thing one notices about entering the city centre is how the entire city comes rushing right at your face, riding on top of one another in two-wheelers, maneuvering themselves through narrow, haphazard, traffic-lightless, inner city roads. The rest of the city can be found seated on pavements; on low seats, savoring hot, yummy delicacies, in the multiple street-side restaurants. A small part of the city, lounges on the steps (their version of the Indian 'ghats') overlooking the riverfront, watching life go by while some others run on treadmills or bike on stationary bikes, placed in parks. (Yes, you got that right. Exercise equipment placed in parks; a new take on running/ biking outdoors if you don't have the space, because it's better used up as two-wheeler parking area)
7. On all our travels, while the Hubster prefers the usual Starwood properties, on account of their guaranteed level of service, a 'no surprises' kinda stay etc, I go the different route and book ourselves in unique, contextual and more locally-originated hotels/ b&b's/ homestays etc. (My approach being more inside-out than the outside-in. The only 'special' requirements I bear in mind, while picking accommodation offlate is, it needs to have a swimming pool/s for the tadpole offspring & a baby-sitting facility for us party-hard parents)
The Plantation Resort & Spa is a brand new, modernly designed, compact yet elaborate, oasis-like resort, right in the heart of the city. While their multiple pools, elegantly designed spaces and central location serve as clear advantages, their warm & hospitable staff is their real asset.
(A striking feature of most Cambodian hotels is how they publicly value their employees. While the corridors surrounding the central courtyard at our hotel in Phnom Penh, displayed creatively shot, life-size b/w photos of each of their employees, the lobby of the hotel in Siem Reap, had a wall dedicated to the employee activities, interests & fun pictures. The latter is also Cambodia's first hotel to have made all its employees into partner/ owners last year.)
8. Christmas eve was spent over a delicious five-course dinner, provided by our very generous hotel, on-the-house. Christmas day, was celebrated non-traditionally by doing a half-day bike ride through the Cambodian countryside.
The ride started from the city centre, winding our way through the swarm of two-wheeler traffic and went along the banks of the Mekong river, through lotus ponds, silk farms, mango fields & villages before bringing us back into the city. We started at 8 am and ended at 2 pm, after several stops enroute to taste fallen fruits, look at natural vegetation, pluck lotus flowers to sample their seeds (a favorite in this part of the world), try our hands at silk-weaving on looms set up in rural homes and meet and greet with the friendly, warm locals. (It was as if the village was full of Zoes'; every child excitedly yelled out "Hello" at us as we rode past them, a direct reflection of the fact that most public schools are now gradually introducing English as a second language. The baby was thrilled at finally meeting other kids, as gregarious as herself. She was so happy, she nearly stayed back with a silk-weaver's family)
It was close to 35 deg C; we were scorched yet excited, dusty yet eager and tired yet enthusiastic, throughout the 25 km bike ride. However, we were a little anxious that we may have perhaps stretched the baby's adventurous side a bit much? But she proved us wrong, and how!
The heat didnt seem to bother her, as she smilingly sailed through the ride, strapped in a baby-seat at the back of Hubster's bike. She napped at some point, sang and danced at times, yelled out "Wow..nice'" at pleasant sights and "Awwww..ed" away like only an American girl can, at little dogs, cats, cows, bugs, babies....anything cute that came along the way. She hi-fived passers-by, peek-a-booed with locals, shamelessly stormed into their huts, sampled everything we did; from fallen fruits to local delicacies shared by locals and drank water-mixed-with-dust, from our very dirty water bottles. She lunched on white rice with a local fish curry served to us at a road-side shack, like the rest of us and later snacked on another local fave (banana and sticky rice steamed in banana leaves), sourced from a street vendor.
Our tour guide at Grasshopper Adventures - The Vicious Cycle and our fellow-tourists took pictures with her claiming they had'nt seen another adventurous infant traveler such as her. We, her parents stood gushing on the side, silently hi-five'ing each other at having successfully created our very own adventurous little Dora, at 18 months of age.
This post is dedicated to this little nomad of our lives - Zoe, who seems to be taking her name very seriously (It means 'the spirit of life' in Greek) as she shows us and the rest of the world, how it's done, one act at a time!
9. A cruise along the Mekong river, one evening, revealed the real side of Cambodia to us. Most of the country resides in floating villages, that sit on stilts in the middle of the river. As we floated past these, we saw schools, hospitals, grocery stores, toilets, eating-places, kitchens - everything, sitting on stilts in water. Some of these are habited by the 'Chaams', another name for the Muslim tribe in Cambodia. Since the Mekong river runs through multiple countries, (Tibet, China, Burma, Laos, Cambodia & Vietnam) it's not strange to find boats with different flags furling on their decks, as one sails by. A strange incident was when a small two-person speed boat emerged out of nowhere, suddenly next to our private boat. A young girl holding cold cans of beer jumped right in, hoping to make a sale. When we refused, she jumped back into her speed boat which she had temporarily hooked up to ours and rushed off to the next private boat that she could find. Our driver later told us, this was a classic case of the 'Vietnamese' trying to make a quick buck on Cambodian waters.
As we toured mobile floating homes as shameless touristy bystanders, with our big bulky SLR's thrust in their business (as though we were in a Zoo), the locals waved out friendly 'hellos' to us. They were clearly used to foreign intrusion. After all, this was the poor man's Venice! Interestingly, after the floating village ended, came up a couple of slightly more sophisticated looking, large floating shacks, with young, sunscreen and designer shades-wearing tourists, holding 'Angkor' beers in their hand, rocking to world music. These were The Bungalows - Sunset Bar; that promised romantic young tourists, splendid views of the sun setting over the river. My voyeurism could'nt help but snap a picture of these wild animals as well, smirking at the dichotomy I had just seen in this ride.
10. 'Photo Phnom Penh' is a photography festival hosted every year in the city, sponsored by the Institut Francais du Cambodge. It was interesting to spend a few hours, looking at the work of various Khmer and International photographers, put together on the same platform. While foreign photographers exhibited works that were visibly hi-end, the locals showed work which was at best basic and generated a 'so-whats-so-great-about-that' kinda response, in general. This show needs better curation next year, that's for sure.
11. Night markets are the heart of Cambodian cities. One can usually find anything there; toys, books, clothes, household items to Cambodian silks, handicrafts, paintings, curios and souvenirs. And ofcourse delicious local food (The Phnom Penh Night Market, aka Phsar Reatrey, had a large eating area, with large mats strewn on the floor and one set of 'salt-pepper/ spice/ soy sauce' arrangement, per four mats. Locals and tourists alike, sat on the floor, sampling delicacies from the various stalls surrounding them). Since they are only open on weekend nights, we were lucky to be able to see them in both Phnom Penh & Siem Reap.
12. Siem Reap would be an otherwise sleepy, riverside town (the river lends its name to the city), had it not been for its proximity to the Angkor region; a UNESCO World Heritage Site. That makes it Cambodia's most visited city, hence as touristy as it can get. We flew here after spending the first three days of the week in Phnom Penh, to wrap up the rest of our stay in Cambodia.
We were welcomed by a rude episode with the hotel manager of Royal Crown Hotel & Spa, (I am working on writing a strong negative review on them), that almost made us lose faith in the Khmer people, whom we had started growing so fond of. Until we were told that the hotel manager was a Chinese immigrant. That kind of explains it. (In the otherwise 'gentle' & submissive countries of Asia, the Chinese are infamously considered to be snappy, rude and harsh)
Our spat with the hotel manager left us checking out of there, quicker than one can spell K-H-M-E-R. After an unsuccessful check-in at the next hotel on our list - Reflections Boutique Hotel due to a reservation availability mismanagement issue, we hoped to be third-time lucky when we walked into a third one, next door, called The Soria Moria Hotel. This one, proved to be a great find, what with their superlative staff, an easy-on-the-pocket tariff as compared to other hotels around, its 'sustainable development of tourism' outlook, it's close work with various local organisations to benefit local communities and an applaudable, democratic business idea (Established by a Norwegian couple originally, this hotel made all their employees into partners/ owners of the hotel in 2011, making it the country's first employee-owned hotel).
13. Our stay in Siem Reap, in a nutshell, was full of day-trips/ short hikes up and down mountains; to temple complexes such as Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Banteay Srae, Kulen mountain etc. Most afternoons were spent admiring ornate temple carvings and spatial complexes interspersed with numerous courtyards, decorative colonnades and intricate stone carvings of various Hindu mythological characters on endless stone corridors and even dry, step wells in some case.
Angkor Wat, is the largest elaborate Hindu temple complex ever built, ironically located outside the country which boasts of the highest number of Hindus - India. Built in the early part of the 12th century, this is one Hindu temple that breaks away from the norm and is dedicated not to Lord Shiva but to his friend, Vishnu. The temple is clearly the face of the country to the outside world, even finding a place on its national flag.
I felt rewound to my undergrad architecture school days, when we visited architecturally rich complexes such as these in India, to document and measure draw them, line by line, arch by arch. I wondered how long it would take to conduct a similar graphic exercise with Angkor Wat.
We also did an uphill hike on the steep slopes of the Kulen Mountain, with Zoe on Hubster's back, through a winding tropical forest to go see Kbal Spean aka 'The river bed of the 1000 lingas'. As the name suggests, this is a small tributary of the Siem Reap River, underneath the bed of which lie numerous stone carvings in the form of the 'shivalinga'. While it was a beautiful site, once we were done huffing and puffing post-climb, the Hubster gave me a "This is it?" kinda look, seemingly underwhelmed at what he saw. On our way back down the hill, he explained that we are probably sensing a different kind of a 'travel fatigue' - something one senses after having traveled a lot; that sights considered fabulous by others, hardly seem appealing enough, because one has seen better somewhere else. It's true! Sights that blow our mind are rare to come by, especially on our recent travels, perhaps because we are always subconsciously comparing them to other really enamoring ones, we've been to in the past (This happened with us in Bali too).
Of course there is always that 'first time' effect but still.
For example, Angkor Wat, is a world-renowned temple site which might seem grand, majestic and beautiful at most, (not amazing or out-of-this-world or anything) to someone who's already been to the elaborate temple complexes of South India, Khajuraho, Mandu, Ujjain, Hampi, The Sun temple in Konark etc. Granted there's still a new context and a unique style and that there's no charm like the 'first time' charm, but still. It seems that we need to work harder to not make comparisons and delve into each sight we go to, in isolation, to really appreciate its worth.
14. Cambodia's largest reclining Buddha (70 m long and 12 m high), part of the Baphuon temple, lies atop the Kulen Mountain, in the Angkor region. We trekked our way up countless stairs to go see this wonder, which was our first ever reclining Buddha experience. Monks at the temple sat in prayer, some meditating, while others chanting and playing soulful music for the deity. Not one to differentiate between prayer or rap, the daughter's body started making its moves. Tourists and locals that were busy praying or taking pictures/ videos of the reclining deity, did a U-Turn to film and capture this strange child, freely dancing away to the monk's tunes. This, as we noticed later, was the first of many such performances to come, during this trip. All it takes, is putting the daughter down, near any musical note and the show starts. I've been stormed by permission requests to film or photograph her in the act, by too many tourists/ locals we've met over the course of the two weeks and am beginning to feel this might be the time to get her an agent!
15. A tuk-tuk is to Cambodia what an autorickshaw is to India. While a tuk-tuk in Phnom Penh is merely a motorbike attached to a large cabin in the back (super spacious and can accommodate upto 4 adults easily) in Siem Reap, they are a more designed, decorated and sophisticated version of their Phnom Penh counterparts. A tuk-tuk does not run as per meter, but on pre-decided rates that are a general norm in the city (One can stretch a US dollar to it's last penny in Cambodia, so a lot of foreign tourists tend to overtip and overpay). Tuk-tuk rides are extremely enjoyable, especially for urban voyeurs such as yours truly. Cross-ventilated and airy, open cabins at the back of a motorcycle, letting a city come in and out of you, as it takes you swiftly from one end to another in record time - whats not to like? Now if only our autorickshaws back home in Mumbai, were as spacious and well-ventilated as their Cambodian versions (and as cheap, dare I say)...Hmmm!
16. Coming from the States, one is no longer used to PDA (Public display of affection) towards babies; such as random strangers squeezing a baby's cheeks or petting their head. Growing up in India though, this kind of physical carefree behaviour towards children is not so rare. In the rest of Asia, likewise. Why, even in Singapore, some Tamil locals have planted a gentle pat on the daughter's head and passed by, before she could wonder who that came from.
In Cambodia, as in some other parts of Asia, it is not surprising for a tuk-tuk driver to promptly hold your baby, while you climb into or alight from his tuk-tuk, without you asking him to do so. While some Americans would freak at such casual, innocent acts, there are others who're better traveled and laid back enough to accept this as a pleasant difference in culture.
I mentioned in my Bali travelogue, that the Balinese are a very child-friendly clan. The same can be said about the Khmer (Cambodians), who are a very baby-loving, gentle, respectful, accommodating clan with an inherent non-violent temperament (owing it to their Buddhist religious background). From a polite "Hello baby" to a full-fledged friendship struck over a tuk-tuk ride, there was not one Khmer we met, who did not try to have a conversation with our daughter. While in some parts of the world where people have no time to talk to each other, let alone regard children, this child-friendly attitude comes as a welcome change and a gentle reminder, in our everyday fast-paced lives, to regard everyone we meet - irrespective of their age.
Since Cambodians love and respect children so much, they naturally have ended up having too many of them.
Every time we looked out of our car/ bus/ ferry/ bike/ tuk-tuk, into the Cambodian landscape, be it urban or rural, we found in our visual spectrum, locals with children. At one point, I sprang upon the Hubster, a mini-exercise - to look outside his side of the window and count the number of babies he sees in a minute. He easily counted to double digits. Child healthcare in Cambodia is free, which is another reason people don't mind having large families.
Everywhere one turns to look in Cambodia, one sees children. More than half of Cambodia's children are under 15 years of age. Naturally, there is much concern regarding serious issues such as primary education, health care, human trafficking and child labour. And the biggest issue of them all - Orphan Tourism.
17. Orphanage Tourism has largely picked up in cities like Cambodia and Siem Reap, where one visits for tourism and then seeing so much poverty around, decides to go help out, only causing more harm than good, inspite of their noble intentions. Tourists often pay small sums of money, to volunteer as teachers in orphanages, for short periods of time, causing confusion and constant emotional loss to already traumatized children. Some tourists like visiting orphanages, making small toy donations and taking holiday pictures before leaving, satisfied that they've helped out in some way. No wonder then signs such as these - 'Children are not Tourist Attractions. Think before visiting' were common everywhere we went.
18. The Khmers' fave lunch or dinner accompaniment is a simple, comfort food usually referred to as 'Morning Glory' by tourists/ locals alike. This simple recipe involves a garlic and oyster sauce saute of Cambodia's fave forest herb - the morning glory. We all, especially the daughter, loved this dish so much, we ate it at all our meals, wherever we went, in the country.
There are some places that know how to make a way into your heart through their food. Khmer cuisine surely is one of those. Its a pity there are few Khmer restaurants to be found, outside of Cambodia. This cuisine is as simple, soulful, comforting and heart warming as it's people. No wonder then, we decided to stuff our faces with it, during our stay since, there's a fat chance we'll find it elsewhere. I got back a few spices and dried herbs and plan to replicate recipes that I learnt from some locals, in my kitchen, one of these days.
19. We wound up our Cambodian visit with a tour of the Cambodia Cultural Village, just before bidding our final good-bye to the country. Conveniently situated close to Siem Reap International Airport, the cultural village is a showcase of everything Khmer - arts, culture, lineage, royalty, geography, history, architecture etc. Here we saw a local dance performance, with sets so glorious and music composition so melodious, that it could give several Broadway shows a run for their money. The musical portrayed one of the most important chapters in Khmer history - of the much revered King Jayavarman VII and his reign, battles and expansion of the Khmer empire. Once again, we had to try and control the daughter, who I think needs lessons in 'not-stealing thunder', especially at performances where music of any kind, is involved.
20. The Cambodian currency is the Riel but the US Dollar is widely accepted and exchanged offically, thus making it easy to get around for most tourists. Sometimes when one pays in USD, the change is returned in Riels. Roughly 1 USD = 4000 Riels. Once again, we got our cheap thrills being millionaires in this nation. The Dollar goes a real long way here. Example - 1 USD can buy you any of the following:
A great 1 hour long body massage, a luxury manicure + pedicure, a really long tuk-tuk ride across the city, delicious local fare fit for a king, fresh fruit juice, incredibly beautiful jewellery and even serves as a generous tip for service. Cambodia truly makes you realise the Dollar's worth!
21. Cambodia is generous!
From random street vendors who make you sample their wares and refuse to take any money in return, to top-notch hotels that provide on-the-house gourmet dinners for all their guests on Xmas eve or those that put their employees above everyone else turning them into partners/ owners; from beautiful, genuinely simple people, across the board, who treat your daughter even more specially than you treat her sometimes, to the incredible level of service with extras thrown in for free almost everywhere you go - this is perhaps the most giving nation I've ever been to.
After what had been a week full of physically strenuous sight-seeing, topped by addictive massages (sometimes twice in a day), we are now ready for part deux of our vacation. The Kingdom of Cambodia has won our hearts like no other country we've visited in the past and made us fall in love with its simplicity, warmth, niceness, happiness, self-contentment and generosity, across the board, in every Khmer we met. (Their babies teach them well, I think).
This country has easily made its way to the top of our list of 'Round 2 worthy' nations to visit.
Next up is Vietnam! Stay tuned for more!
Love,
Shweyta
2. A breezy couple of hours later, we landed at Phnom Penh International Airport, which reminds one of the smaller airports one sees in island-nations mostly. Visas were to be issued on arrival and entailed standing in a short queue, to submit our paperwork and photographs, after which we were politely shoved to the side and asked to wait until we heard our names called out loud.
This 'non-formalization of the formal process' comes as a good break from the rigid norms one gets used to, living in the West.
3. In my email communications with multiple hotels/ travel agencies/ tour guides in Asia, I am often referred to as Mr. instead of Ms. or Mrs. Albeit unknowingly, I guess, finally someone recognizes who wears the pants in this house. (Hubster barely reads my blog posts, so this claim can easily go un-defied, me thinks)
4. Our first impression, after landing and leaving the at airport at Phnom Penh, were the uber-clean wide roads with disciplined in-lane drivers. As I overlay this instance with my similar experience of driving out of Delhi's IGI Airport, I reminded myself, that this was not the real city. Airports and Airport-cities tend to do themselves up, in order to appear like their international counterparts, to the best of their abilities. They cant help it, as in their similarity lies their efficiency. They are hardly representatives of the multitudes. The inner bylanes & streets, markets & eateries, shops & pavements are where the city's real soul lies. And each time I visit a new city, I can't wait till I navigate through its make-believe, disciplined, structured Aerotropolis to peer into its soul. Coming from someone who's made a living from designing airports for the last decade, this might seem surprising. But as I always say, I am an Urban Designer/ Planner first and an Airport Designer afterwards.
5. Cambodia is poor, much poorer than India. Yet its clean. Even in it's poorest parts, its surprisingly well-kept.
Most urban or rural areas, that I've been to, on my recent trips in Asia, are litter-free, especially when compared to their Indian counterparts. As if everyone makes it a point to throw their trash where it belongs. There are no traces of plastic all over the place, as one sees often in rural India.
It makes me wonder what a sense of social cleanliness is really related to? Is it as simple as a good, responsible upbringing or not taking-for-granted one's physical surroundings? Is it the instilling of a sense of civic ownership & pride in the citizens or a 'recycle-everything' kind of approach? In rare cases like Singapore, it could be a by-product of a government-mandate that fines you each time you litter? Granted, India does not have its numbers going for itself in this case and keeping such a large country clean is one herculean task, but civic-cleanliness if instilled as a habit at the grassroots, can surely ensure a less littered surrounding in the first place. The kind one sees in Cambodia.
6. Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia and also one of it's largest cities. It is located on the banks of three rivers - The Mekong, Tonle Sap & Bassac.
The first thing one notices about entering the city centre is how the entire city comes rushing right at your face, riding on top of one another in two-wheelers, maneuvering themselves through narrow, haphazard, traffic-lightless, inner city roads. The rest of the city can be found seated on pavements; on low seats, savoring hot, yummy delicacies, in the multiple street-side restaurants. A small part of the city, lounges on the steps (their version of the Indian 'ghats') overlooking the riverfront, watching life go by while some others run on treadmills or bike on stationary bikes, placed in parks. (Yes, you got that right. Exercise equipment placed in parks; a new take on running/ biking outdoors if you don't have the space, because it's better used up as two-wheeler parking area)
7. On all our travels, while the Hubster prefers the usual Starwood properties, on account of their guaranteed level of service, a 'no surprises' kinda stay etc, I go the different route and book ourselves in unique, contextual and more locally-originated hotels/ b&b's/ homestays etc. (My approach being more inside-out than the outside-in. The only 'special' requirements I bear in mind, while picking accommodation offlate is, it needs to have a swimming pool/s for the tadpole offspring & a baby-sitting facility for us party-hard parents)
The Plantation Resort & Spa is a brand new, modernly designed, compact yet elaborate, oasis-like resort, right in the heart of the city. While their multiple pools, elegantly designed spaces and central location serve as clear advantages, their warm & hospitable staff is their real asset.
(A striking feature of most Cambodian hotels is how they publicly value their employees. While the corridors surrounding the central courtyard at our hotel in Phnom Penh, displayed creatively shot, life-size b/w photos of each of their employees, the lobby of the hotel in Siem Reap, had a wall dedicated to the employee activities, interests & fun pictures. The latter is also Cambodia's first hotel to have made all its employees into partner/ owners last year.)
8. Christmas eve was spent over a delicious five-course dinner, provided by our very generous hotel, on-the-house. Christmas day, was celebrated non-traditionally by doing a half-day bike ride through the Cambodian countryside.
The ride started from the city centre, winding our way through the swarm of two-wheeler traffic and went along the banks of the Mekong river, through lotus ponds, silk farms, mango fields & villages before bringing us back into the city. We started at 8 am and ended at 2 pm, after several stops enroute to taste fallen fruits, look at natural vegetation, pluck lotus flowers to sample their seeds (a favorite in this part of the world), try our hands at silk-weaving on looms set up in rural homes and meet and greet with the friendly, warm locals. (It was as if the village was full of Zoes'; every child excitedly yelled out "Hello" at us as we rode past them, a direct reflection of the fact that most public schools are now gradually introducing English as a second language. The baby was thrilled at finally meeting other kids, as gregarious as herself. She was so happy, she nearly stayed back with a silk-weaver's family)
It was close to 35 deg C; we were scorched yet excited, dusty yet eager and tired yet enthusiastic, throughout the 25 km bike ride. However, we were a little anxious that we may have perhaps stretched the baby's adventurous side a bit much? But she proved us wrong, and how!
The heat didnt seem to bother her, as she smilingly sailed through the ride, strapped in a baby-seat at the back of Hubster's bike. She napped at some point, sang and danced at times, yelled out "Wow..nice'" at pleasant sights and "Awwww..ed" away like only an American girl can, at little dogs, cats, cows, bugs, babies....anything cute that came along the way. She hi-fived passers-by, peek-a-booed with locals, shamelessly stormed into their huts, sampled everything we did; from fallen fruits to local delicacies shared by locals and drank water-mixed-with-dust, from our very dirty water bottles. She lunched on white rice with a local fish curry served to us at a road-side shack, like the rest of us and later snacked on another local fave (banana and sticky rice steamed in banana leaves), sourced from a street vendor.
Our tour guide at Grasshopper Adventures - The Vicious Cycle and our fellow-tourists took pictures with her claiming they had'nt seen another adventurous infant traveler such as her. We, her parents stood gushing on the side, silently hi-five'ing each other at having successfully created our very own adventurous little Dora, at 18 months of age.
This post is dedicated to this little nomad of our lives - Zoe, who seems to be taking her name very seriously (It means 'the spirit of life' in Greek) as she shows us and the rest of the world, how it's done, one act at a time!
9. A cruise along the Mekong river, one evening, revealed the real side of Cambodia to us. Most of the country resides in floating villages, that sit on stilts in the middle of the river. As we floated past these, we saw schools, hospitals, grocery stores, toilets, eating-places, kitchens - everything, sitting on stilts in water. Some of these are habited by the 'Chaams', another name for the Muslim tribe in Cambodia. Since the Mekong river runs through multiple countries, (Tibet, China, Burma, Laos, Cambodia & Vietnam) it's not strange to find boats with different flags furling on their decks, as one sails by. A strange incident was when a small two-person speed boat emerged out of nowhere, suddenly next to our private boat. A young girl holding cold cans of beer jumped right in, hoping to make a sale. When we refused, she jumped back into her speed boat which she had temporarily hooked up to ours and rushed off to the next private boat that she could find. Our driver later told us, this was a classic case of the 'Vietnamese' trying to make a quick buck on Cambodian waters.
As we toured mobile floating homes as shameless touristy bystanders, with our big bulky SLR's thrust in their business (as though we were in a Zoo), the locals waved out friendly 'hellos' to us. They were clearly used to foreign intrusion. After all, this was the poor man's Venice! Interestingly, after the floating village ended, came up a couple of slightly more sophisticated looking, large floating shacks, with young, sunscreen and designer shades-wearing tourists, holding 'Angkor' beers in their hand, rocking to world music. These were The Bungalows - Sunset Bar; that promised romantic young tourists, splendid views of the sun setting over the river. My voyeurism could'nt help but snap a picture of these wild animals as well, smirking at the dichotomy I had just seen in this ride.
10. 'Photo Phnom Penh' is a photography festival hosted every year in the city, sponsored by the Institut Francais du Cambodge. It was interesting to spend a few hours, looking at the work of various Khmer and International photographers, put together on the same platform. While foreign photographers exhibited works that were visibly hi-end, the locals showed work which was at best basic and generated a 'so-whats-so-great-about-that' kinda response, in general. This show needs better curation next year, that's for sure.
11. Night markets are the heart of Cambodian cities. One can usually find anything there; toys, books, clothes, household items to Cambodian silks, handicrafts, paintings, curios and souvenirs. And ofcourse delicious local food (The Phnom Penh Night Market, aka Phsar Reatrey, had a large eating area, with large mats strewn on the floor and one set of 'salt-pepper/ spice/ soy sauce' arrangement, per four mats. Locals and tourists alike, sat on the floor, sampling delicacies from the various stalls surrounding them). Since they are only open on weekend nights, we were lucky to be able to see them in both Phnom Penh & Siem Reap.
12. Siem Reap would be an otherwise sleepy, riverside town (the river lends its name to the city), had it not been for its proximity to the Angkor region; a UNESCO World Heritage Site. That makes it Cambodia's most visited city, hence as touristy as it can get. We flew here after spending the first three days of the week in Phnom Penh, to wrap up the rest of our stay in Cambodia.
We were welcomed by a rude episode with the hotel manager of Royal Crown Hotel & Spa, (I am working on writing a strong negative review on them), that almost made us lose faith in the Khmer people, whom we had started growing so fond of. Until we were told that the hotel manager was a Chinese immigrant. That kind of explains it. (In the otherwise 'gentle' & submissive countries of Asia, the Chinese are infamously considered to be snappy, rude and harsh)
Our spat with the hotel manager left us checking out of there, quicker than one can spell K-H-M-E-R. After an unsuccessful check-in at the next hotel on our list - Reflections Boutique Hotel due to a reservation availability mismanagement issue, we hoped to be third-time lucky when we walked into a third one, next door, called The Soria Moria Hotel. This one, proved to be a great find, what with their superlative staff, an easy-on-the-pocket tariff as compared to other hotels around, its 'sustainable development of tourism' outlook, it's close work with various local organisations to benefit local communities and an applaudable, democratic business idea (Established by a Norwegian couple originally, this hotel made all their employees into partners/ owners of the hotel in 2011, making it the country's first employee-owned hotel).
13. Our stay in Siem Reap, in a nutshell, was full of day-trips/ short hikes up and down mountains; to temple complexes such as Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Banteay Srae, Kulen mountain etc. Most afternoons were spent admiring ornate temple carvings and spatial complexes interspersed with numerous courtyards, decorative colonnades and intricate stone carvings of various Hindu mythological characters on endless stone corridors and even dry, step wells in some case.
Angkor Wat, is the largest elaborate Hindu temple complex ever built, ironically located outside the country which boasts of the highest number of Hindus - India. Built in the early part of the 12th century, this is one Hindu temple that breaks away from the norm and is dedicated not to Lord Shiva but to his friend, Vishnu. The temple is clearly the face of the country to the outside world, even finding a place on its national flag.
I felt rewound to my undergrad architecture school days, when we visited architecturally rich complexes such as these in India, to document and measure draw them, line by line, arch by arch. I wondered how long it would take to conduct a similar graphic exercise with Angkor Wat.
We also did an uphill hike on the steep slopes of the Kulen Mountain, with Zoe on Hubster's back, through a winding tropical forest to go see Kbal Spean aka 'The river bed of the 1000 lingas'. As the name suggests, this is a small tributary of the Siem Reap River, underneath the bed of which lie numerous stone carvings in the form of the 'shivalinga'. While it was a beautiful site, once we were done huffing and puffing post-climb, the Hubster gave me a "This is it?" kinda look, seemingly underwhelmed at what he saw. On our way back down the hill, he explained that we are probably sensing a different kind of a 'travel fatigue' - something one senses after having traveled a lot; that sights considered fabulous by others, hardly seem appealing enough, because one has seen better somewhere else. It's true! Sights that blow our mind are rare to come by, especially on our recent travels, perhaps because we are always subconsciously comparing them to other really enamoring ones, we've been to in the past (This happened with us in Bali too).
Of course there is always that 'first time' effect but still.
For example, Angkor Wat, is a world-renowned temple site which might seem grand, majestic and beautiful at most, (not amazing or out-of-this-world or anything) to someone who's already been to the elaborate temple complexes of South India, Khajuraho, Mandu, Ujjain, Hampi, The Sun temple in Konark etc. Granted there's still a new context and a unique style and that there's no charm like the 'first time' charm, but still. It seems that we need to work harder to not make comparisons and delve into each sight we go to, in isolation, to really appreciate its worth.
14. Cambodia's largest reclining Buddha (70 m long and 12 m high), part of the Baphuon temple, lies atop the Kulen Mountain, in the Angkor region. We trekked our way up countless stairs to go see this wonder, which was our first ever reclining Buddha experience. Monks at the temple sat in prayer, some meditating, while others chanting and playing soulful music for the deity. Not one to differentiate between prayer or rap, the daughter's body started making its moves. Tourists and locals that were busy praying or taking pictures/ videos of the reclining deity, did a U-Turn to film and capture this strange child, freely dancing away to the monk's tunes. This, as we noticed later, was the first of many such performances to come, during this trip. All it takes, is putting the daughter down, near any musical note and the show starts. I've been stormed by permission requests to film or photograph her in the act, by too many tourists/ locals we've met over the course of the two weeks and am beginning to feel this might be the time to get her an agent!
15. A tuk-tuk is to Cambodia what an autorickshaw is to India. While a tuk-tuk in Phnom Penh is merely a motorbike attached to a large cabin in the back (super spacious and can accommodate upto 4 adults easily) in Siem Reap, they are a more designed, decorated and sophisticated version of their Phnom Penh counterparts. A tuk-tuk does not run as per meter, but on pre-decided rates that are a general norm in the city (One can stretch a US dollar to it's last penny in Cambodia, so a lot of foreign tourists tend to overtip and overpay). Tuk-tuk rides are extremely enjoyable, especially for urban voyeurs such as yours truly. Cross-ventilated and airy, open cabins at the back of a motorcycle, letting a city come in and out of you, as it takes you swiftly from one end to another in record time - whats not to like? Now if only our autorickshaws back home in Mumbai, were as spacious and well-ventilated as their Cambodian versions (and as cheap, dare I say)...Hmmm!
16. Coming from the States, one is no longer used to PDA (Public display of affection) towards babies; such as random strangers squeezing a baby's cheeks or petting their head. Growing up in India though, this kind of physical carefree behaviour towards children is not so rare. In the rest of Asia, likewise. Why, even in Singapore, some Tamil locals have planted a gentle pat on the daughter's head and passed by, before she could wonder who that came from.
In Cambodia, as in some other parts of Asia, it is not surprising for a tuk-tuk driver to promptly hold your baby, while you climb into or alight from his tuk-tuk, without you asking him to do so. While some Americans would freak at such casual, innocent acts, there are others who're better traveled and laid back enough to accept this as a pleasant difference in culture.
I mentioned in my Bali travelogue, that the Balinese are a very child-friendly clan. The same can be said about the Khmer (Cambodians), who are a very baby-loving, gentle, respectful, accommodating clan with an inherent non-violent temperament (owing it to their Buddhist religious background). From a polite "Hello baby" to a full-fledged friendship struck over a tuk-tuk ride, there was not one Khmer we met, who did not try to have a conversation with our daughter. While in some parts of the world where people have no time to talk to each other, let alone regard children, this child-friendly attitude comes as a welcome change and a gentle reminder, in our everyday fast-paced lives, to regard everyone we meet - irrespective of their age.
Since Cambodians love and respect children so much, they naturally have ended up having too many of them.
Every time we looked out of our car/ bus/ ferry/ bike/ tuk-tuk, into the Cambodian landscape, be it urban or rural, we found in our visual spectrum, locals with children. At one point, I sprang upon the Hubster, a mini-exercise - to look outside his side of the window and count the number of babies he sees in a minute. He easily counted to double digits. Child healthcare in Cambodia is free, which is another reason people don't mind having large families.
Everywhere one turns to look in Cambodia, one sees children. More than half of Cambodia's children are under 15 years of age. Naturally, there is much concern regarding serious issues such as primary education, health care, human trafficking and child labour. And the biggest issue of them all - Orphan Tourism.
17. Orphanage Tourism has largely picked up in cities like Cambodia and Siem Reap, where one visits for tourism and then seeing so much poverty around, decides to go help out, only causing more harm than good, inspite of their noble intentions. Tourists often pay small sums of money, to volunteer as teachers in orphanages, for short periods of time, causing confusion and constant emotional loss to already traumatized children. Some tourists like visiting orphanages, making small toy donations and taking holiday pictures before leaving, satisfied that they've helped out in some way. No wonder then signs such as these - 'Children are not Tourist Attractions. Think before visiting' were common everywhere we went.
18. The Khmers' fave lunch or dinner accompaniment is a simple, comfort food usually referred to as 'Morning Glory' by tourists/ locals alike. This simple recipe involves a garlic and oyster sauce saute of Cambodia's fave forest herb - the morning glory. We all, especially the daughter, loved this dish so much, we ate it at all our meals, wherever we went, in the country.
There are some places that know how to make a way into your heart through their food. Khmer cuisine surely is one of those. Its a pity there are few Khmer restaurants to be found, outside of Cambodia. This cuisine is as simple, soulful, comforting and heart warming as it's people. No wonder then, we decided to stuff our faces with it, during our stay since, there's a fat chance we'll find it elsewhere. I got back a few spices and dried herbs and plan to replicate recipes that I learnt from some locals, in my kitchen, one of these days.
19. We wound up our Cambodian visit with a tour of the Cambodia Cultural Village, just before bidding our final good-bye to the country. Conveniently situated close to Siem Reap International Airport, the cultural village is a showcase of everything Khmer - arts, culture, lineage, royalty, geography, history, architecture etc. Here we saw a local dance performance, with sets so glorious and music composition so melodious, that it could give several Broadway shows a run for their money. The musical portrayed one of the most important chapters in Khmer history - of the much revered King Jayavarman VII and his reign, battles and expansion of the Khmer empire. Once again, we had to try and control the daughter, who I think needs lessons in 'not-stealing thunder', especially at performances where music of any kind, is involved.
20. The Cambodian currency is the Riel but the US Dollar is widely accepted and exchanged offically, thus making it easy to get around for most tourists. Sometimes when one pays in USD, the change is returned in Riels. Roughly 1 USD = 4000 Riels. Once again, we got our cheap thrills being millionaires in this nation. The Dollar goes a real long way here. Example - 1 USD can buy you any of the following:
A great 1 hour long body massage, a luxury manicure + pedicure, a really long tuk-tuk ride across the city, delicious local fare fit for a king, fresh fruit juice, incredibly beautiful jewellery and even serves as a generous tip for service. Cambodia truly makes you realise the Dollar's worth!
21. Cambodia is generous!
From random street vendors who make you sample their wares and refuse to take any money in return, to top-notch hotels that provide on-the-house gourmet dinners for all their guests on Xmas eve or those that put their employees above everyone else turning them into partners/ owners; from beautiful, genuinely simple people, across the board, who treat your daughter even more specially than you treat her sometimes, to the incredible level of service with extras thrown in for free almost everywhere you go - this is perhaps the most giving nation I've ever been to.
After what had been a week full of physically strenuous sight-seeing, topped by addictive massages (sometimes twice in a day), we are now ready for part deux of our vacation. The Kingdom of Cambodia has won our hearts like no other country we've visited in the past and made us fall in love with its simplicity, warmth, niceness, happiness, self-contentment and generosity, across the board, in every Khmer we met. (Their babies teach them well, I think).
This country has easily made its way to the top of our list of 'Round 2 worthy' nations to visit.
Next up is Vietnam! Stay tuned for more!
Love,
Shweyta