I realise that this will sound ridiculously spoilt, but it’s difficult to retain the ‘wow factor’ whilst travelling. Once you’ve seen the world’s biggest waterfall, it becomes hard to appreciate all others, especially when your financial and time faculties are beginning to wane. So it is with these heavy thoughts, and several hideously smelly t-shirts, that we crossed into Cambodia.
I knew Cambodia would have to have an ace up it’s sleeve if it was going to impress this wizened nomad, and it did. Ankgor Wat, the biggest religious area in the world, could not fail to capture the imagination, looking like something out of an Indiana Jones movie.
Add to this a bizarre palate – fine Cambodian cuisine includes duck embryo and fried tarantulas – and anyone would agree that it is wondrous country in many regards.
Sadly, it is impossible to write about Cambodia without mentioning the Khmer Rouge – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmer_rouge. Lead by Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge committed horrific and indescribable crimes of national genocide, torturing and murdering over 2 million people in 2 years between 1975 and 1977. This is the reason that 40% of the population is under 15 years old.
In the capital, Phnom Penh, Laura and I visited Choeung Ek – the killing fields memorial which holds 9,000 human skulls – and Tuol Sleng, the genocide museum. These painful and moving tributes to a sad history are difficult to comprehend and understand, but we both felt that it was important as visitors to try, to better appreciate and respect the country’s culture and psyche.
So, for me Cambodia will remain a country of contradictions: it managed to blow my mind and break my heart.
Bonj x
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