Kampuchea

The Travelling Trio have just come back from the Kingdom of Cambodia. The idea to go there got started with running in the half marathon at the Temple of Angkor Wat. We set low expectations for ourselves, but we ended up doing alright. Sarah and I made awesome running partners and ran the whole thing (in 2h32min ... not bad since we did not train at all!), we just kept pace and it helped big time that the whole course was flat and the race started before the sun was at full blast.

But visiting Siem Reap became much more than just running a half marathon, it was tough at times to really comprehend what the Cambodian people have been through and what they are going through now. There are no landmines in Siem Reap Town but if you go outside the city boundaries you have to be cautious. There is an estimated 6 million land mines left in the country and the signs of the ones that have been discovered is obvious from all the maimed people we saw. Cambodia has been in wars until the 1980's and you wonder where will they go from here. The poverty is much more extreme than I have been seeing in Hanoi. Although in Vietnam you still see a lot of serious issues, there is a feeling in the air that things are on the upswing ... I did not feel that in Cambodia. The kids did not smile as much, they weren't in school, instead they were out of the streets selling postcards or books and following foreigners around.

One of the reasons an international half marathon started in Siem Reap was to bring Cambodia on the travelling stage to encourage tourism and the registration fee goes to landmine victimes. The Angkorian temples were amazing and pretty reasonable in price if you consider what you are seeing. We paid $40 USD for a 3-day pass and although by the last day we were templed out, the sites were spectacular. The temples have both Hindu and Buddhist influences as well as being commissioned by various kings from about 900 - 1400 AD. You really do need at least 3 days to see everything, because the sites are massive.

This is about 6am. Angkor Wat is in the background and the race starts in half an hour and the sun does rise by then.

Angkor Wat is the more famous temple, but I think I enjoyed visiting Angkor Thom which was the last capital city of the Khmer Empire and is 9 km2 in area.

I believe this is Pre Rup temple, thought to be the crematarium temple

We decided to rent bikes on our second day at the temples (yes, even though we just ran a half marathon) and biked from temple to temple. That was my favorite way of touring the sites. We got to go at our own pace and took out time. We had a lonely planet book and would read the info on each temple then would go see what we just read.



We were allowed to walk everywhere and anywhere in the temples, which we were a bit surprised by since it is a UNESCO heritage site and over a thousand years old! The temples have taken a beating, especially during the wars as there are still markings of bullets and bombs. Many of the dieties and animals' heads have been removed by bandits which they have sold on the black market. The sandstone blocks are collapsing and weathering away from the rain. And as you can see from the above picture, the jungle vegetation has taken over. Trees and plants are growing over the temples, but perhaps it is a good thing because they are also keeping the foundations standing.

Mr. Tet, our favorite tuk-tuk driver. This was our main mode of transportation and Mr.Tet even took us to visit his village and family which is about an hour (by tuk-tuk) outside of Siem Reap town.

I am back in Hanoi but Cambodia has left a lasting impression. I bought a couple of novels, a history book and 'the killing fields' which we also visited. This is my small personal plug - if you have an opportunity to make a donation to landmine victims, please do. Interestingly enough, the international treaty to ban landmines was created at the Ottawa Convention in 1999. Although Canada has signed - the US, Russia, and China are not signatories.