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Siem Reap, Cambodia
Monday, November 12, we spent
a leisurely morning before packing for a 2:00 PM departure
from the Oriental and our drive to the Bangkok airport. We
had a little confusion at the airport. Our handlers from Universal
couldn't seem to find us so we stayed with our van for about
25 minutes until contact was made. We were finally led through
the airport to our bus and on our waiting airplane and crew.
To say we had the smallest airplane at the airport is an understatement.
We did not see another private aircraft.
The flight to Siem Reap was less
than an hour and with incident. We were concerned about Typhoon
LingLing that had come ashore in Vietnam and killed 13 people.
Fortunately, by the time the storm reached Cambodia, it had
dissipated into a low-pressure center with light rain. Upon
landing, we donned our rain gear, but by the time we reached
the hotel, the rain had stopped.
Cambodia is a country that has
endured immense pain and suffering. This was the "Killing
Fields" of the Khmer Rouge. During what they call their civil
war, 3,000,000 people disappeared with 1,700,000 confirmed
dead. Most of them were executed. Our guide, Sam, lost two
brothers to starvation and four uncles were killed. He was
grateful that his parents were still alive. I was reminded
of how little we Americans know about the human experience.
I was also reminded of the powerful will to survive.
Sam had been trained by one of
the two guides that had not been killed by the Khmer Rouge.
We had the opportunity of meeting his mentor while touring
Angkor Wat. At the time Sam completed his training as a guide,
he was one of only twelve. Now there are over one thousand
tour guides trained for the area of Angkor Wat. As these two
men greeted each other, I wondered about what they were feeling
and how their experiences had shaped their minds and souls.
I felt a great compassion for both of them.
The area around Siem Reap is
rich with the history of the Khmer people. There are many
temples some of which are just now being explored. There is
also the walled city of Angkor Thom that, including the surrounding
area was home in the 12th century for one million people.
This was at that time one of the largest cities in the world
and covered an area of over 10 square kilometers.
Angkor Wat is a huge walled Hindu
temple surrounded by a large moat. It is impossible to describe
the visual impact of this marvelous complex. There are carvings
on every wall in intricate detail. Epic stories of the struggle
of good against evil are displayed. A huge carving depicts
the various levels of heaven and hell. There is also Buddhist
influence displayed pointing to the evolution of religious
beliefs in this complex society. Some of the temples were,
in fact, Buddhist.
Ta Prohm was perhaps the most
remarkable temple we visited. Giant jungle trees are literally
consuming the structure. Their huge roots coil themselves
like enormous snakes around the stonework breaking it apart.
One sad note is that, here as at other sites we have visited
on our journey, most of the statues have been decapitated
by thieves. Our visit to the ruins of Cambodia rank near the
top of our list of experiences thus far.
Till next time,
Pat
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