Splendor of the Khmer kings

With the city of Siem Reap as our new base, we were once again touring on our own. We met our guide, Mr. Thy (pronounced "tEE"), who would quickly win our hearts with his passion for the archaeological sites of Angkor, the UNESCO heritage site that brought us and so many others to this region of Cambodia.

 

Stretching over some 400 square kilometers, and including forested area and manmade lakes, Angkor Archaeological Park contains the magnificent remains of the capitals of the Khmer Empire from the 9th to the 15th century. They include the famous Temple of Angkor Wat and, at Angkor Thom, the Bayon Temple with its enigmatic stone faces. In the late morning light, these beautiful sculptures were challenging to photograph.

It would be easy to write a dozen posts about all that we saw in our three days of temple exploration. We'll share a little about the Bayon Temple because it is both famous and beautiful. Your really cannot see the sculpted detail of the temple from a distance; at first site it looks like a pile of rock, albeit a pile of rock guarded by both gods (below left) and demons (yes, below right).

The Kyhmer king, Jayavarman VII, began construction of Bayon Temple in the 12th century. Building was continued by his successors as they too looked to leave their mark on the kingdom. Banyon Temple is a state temple, built by the king to serve the royal city of Angkor Thom. As my guide book, Ancient Angkor by Freeman and Jacques explains, it uses a mass of face-towers to create a stone mountain of ascending peaks. Today there are 37 towers standing, although there is debate about how many towers were constructed.

The complexity of Banyon Temple speaks to the passing of relgious phases in the Khmer kingdom. Again, according to my guide book, the temple was initially built to honour the pantheon of Hindu gods, then shifted to Buddhism. We learned that the religious focus of this and other Angkor temples changed over time, almost like waves washing over a sand beach, as warring groups achieved victory and imposed their beliefs on the temples. Even today, the temple holds Buddha statues which are considered sacred. Often these statues were attended by people who served in a lay capacity as monks and nuns.

This sweet elderly lady (a lay nun) offered me an additional blessing, wishing that the blessings of Buddha would stay with me. I believe they will.

 

Riding in an oxcart

 

In the regional town of Kampong Tralach, we took an oxcart ride. It's a bumpy, but fun way to travel. Again, we were on an excursion with our fellow passengers from the cruise boat. Riding two to a cart in a line of maybe 50 carts, we trundled down a country lane past rice fields and rural homes, laughing all the way.

For generations, country folk in Cambodia have used these light, narrow carts for reach their fields and haul fodder for animals or produce to market. And then it was back on board ship for one last night in our lovely floating hotel.

 

We have enjoyed our time on the Mekong so much, but ahead lies Siem Reap and the splendor of the Khmer kings. We are looking forward to exploring the ancient temples of Ankgor Wat.

 

 

A blessing at Vipassana Dhura

Thirty-five kilometers from Phonm Penh is another world. Oudong was an ancient Khymer stronghold until King Norodom re-established the capital at Phnom Penh in 1865. Located on the hilly ridge of Preah Reach Throap, Oudong once boasted dozens of temples and royal stupas. Most were destroyed in air strikes against Khmer Rouge installations ordered by Lon Nol, a general who took power in Cambodia through a 1979 coup. (Believe me when I say that the history of Cambodia is complicated.) A few monasteries have survived along with some the royal funerary stupas. The domed and spired towers below are stupas.

We visited Vipassana Dhura, the biggest Buddhist monastery in Cambodia. The temple (directly above) is new and serves as a Buddhist study center. We entered the temple and were immediately impressed with the size of the building. A huge Buddha dominates the space.

 

 

We joined a large group of tourists who had come for a blessing from two monks. We sat before them on mats. The chanting, which is the main part of the blessing ceremony, began. We bowed our heads and allowed the chanting to center us. Even in that large group, in the humidity and heat, it was possible to still my thoughts.

 

Again and again, the monks tossed fresh jasmine blossoms over the crowd. They gently rained down on us, falling in our clothes and the mat around with a soft pattering. I gathered a handful to hold the blessing a little longer.

 

Riding rickshaws in Tan Chau

Reporting on our modes of travel has been fun. In Tan Chau our group hopped aboard one-person rickshaws for a fast tour of the town. The rickshaws are attached directly to a bicycle and are probably more comfortable if you are a tiny Vietnamese.

Still, it is a great way to see a slice of town life. Shops and rice wine rooms are close to the road. While we were busy looking at the locals, they were busy looking at us! The kids get so excited when they see foreigners, they call out, "Hello, hello, hello."

Many people use carts to do their daily chores. We passed several on our ride.

Here's Rob kind of stretched out on his little metal "chariot".

And here's my rickshaw driver. I can only guess at how many years he's been riding down the streets of Tan Chau.

A school for pain

If you found the story of the killing fields was distressing, you may choose to skip this post. It is painful too.

In Phnom Pen, we went to what was known as S-21 Detention Centre under the the Khmer Rouge. Today it is called Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.

Once a primary and secondary school, the four three-story classroom blocks were converted into detention cells. The compound was surrounded by two rows of corrugated iron fencing and dense barbed wire. In three classroom blocks, 1 x 2 meter cells made of rough brick were constructed on the first floor. These cells held individual prisoners while the classrooms on the upper two floors held many prisoners in shackles.

People suspected of traitorous activities of any kind were brought to this place. People accused of leading the uprising against the Pol Pot revolution were detained in Cell Block A. These cells contained a bare iron bed, a blanket, a mat, a metal or plastic bucket as a toilet. Prisoners were shackled to the bed frame.

The interrogators were vicious; the cell guards were teenaged boys and girls who would themselves be killed if they did not follow orders. We were told that inevitably they were killed, for after three months or so of working in this hellhole, they knew too much. It was their turn to go to the killing field. They were quickly replaced.

The interrogation methods were hideously similar to the methods we have learned about in recent years: beatings, electric shock, water boarding. For most prisoners, this went on for some weeks until they had confessed or informed on others. Astonishingly, there are seven people who survived S-21. Six are still alive today.

Although I have visited prisons and places of execution before, Tuol Sleng was the grimmest I have seen. I could weep for the poor souls who passed through these doors. Nearly 24,000 prisoners were named in the S-21 records between 1975 and 1978. Such a place is the essence of evil. The Cambodian people say remembering the victims of the Khmer Rouge and their suffering is critical to preventing the emergence of a new Pol Pot.

 

Visiting the killing fields

On March 8 -- International Women's Day -- we sailed into Cambodia. In Phnom Pen, the capital city, our education about Pol Pot's sadistic regime began. The Khmer Rouge seized power in 1975 and swiftly forced Communist rule upon the Cambodian people. In Phnom Pen, teachers, lawyers, Buddhist monks and anyone believed to be loyal to the previous democratic regime were rounded up and executed. Families were forced to leave their homes and move to the countryside, most often on foot and carrying what they could. Those who walked too slow were simply shot. Our guide Ry (pronounced "rEE") was a young boy when he left his neighborhood and walked into the countryside, gathering grim memories as he witnessed beatings and suffering along the way.

Pol Pot's goal was to establish an ideal agrarian society by making the population into farmers. Economically, it didn't make sense, but with Marxist principles guiding the regime and with assistance coming from Vietnamese operatives, Pol Pot (a nickname the dictator took which is a shortening of "political potential") pushed forward, always manipulating things from the background. In time, the Khmer Rouge became systemically paranoid, obsessed with killing anyone who didn't adhere to the rules.

It is estimated that 7 million Cambodians died between 1975 and 1979. While many died of starvation and disease in the Khmer Rouge work camps, most died in the killing fields of which there were several across the country.

The killing field of Choeung Ek, a former Chinese cemetery, is located 15 kilometers from the centre of Phnom Pen. Prisoners were brought here by truck and killed immediately unless there were too many, in which case they were housed in a darkened wooden building overnight. The horror of waiting for certain death must have been terrible.

In the centre of the site now stands a sad memorial with glass compartments holding hundreds of skulls, the remains of the victims. In the Buddhist faith, the head is the seat of knowledge and wisdom. In death the ohead is essential to finding one's way to the next reincarnation. It is especially poignant that these skulls now have a safe resting place.

As the rains come, bones, teeth and clothing emerge from the clay soil. Custodians at the site gather and keep everything. Just as we heard this, we glanced down to see these remains there at our feet. It could make you weep to think of the fear and suffering of those who were brought here. They were not shot. Their throats were slit or they were bludgeoned to death and shoved into a mass grave. DDT was spread to mask the smell of decay and eliminate insects. The horror of it is impossible to fathom.

Below, a loudspeaker was mounted on this tree to play loud music to mask the screams of the victims.

So why did we go to this place? The Khmer Rouge regime is part of the story of Cambodia. This genocide happened in our lifetime, although we were barely aware of it. It felt necessary to bear witness to the suffering of the Cambodian people.

Bracelets are left on a fence, each in memory of a lost loved one.

Note: Pol Pot's real name was Sa lit Sor. He died in 1998, but his body was burned and then buried. There are those in Cambodia who doubt he really died.

 

Rice is the stuff of life

In Vietnam, as in so many other Asian countries, rice is the most important food staple. Steamed rice is part of nearly every meal. And while we knew about rice crackers, rice noodles and rice cakes, we soon discovered that rice is used to make candy.

A day excursion away from the cruise ship took us to the village of Cai Be to observe how rice candy-making. First, a large wok-style pan is filled with sand and placed on an open fire. Rice husks are used as fuel to maintain an even fire. When the temperature is very hot, dry rice kernels are poured into the hot sand. They pop almost immediately. The pan is moved off the fire and the popped rice is poured into a wire sieve. The sand falls away, leaving the popped rice.

That's the initial step. Next syrup and nuts are stirred into the popped rice. The mixture is transferred into large flat pans were is it quickly rolled flat and pressed down firmly. It is measured and cut into pieces and wrapped for sale.

The finished product.

 

Rice wraps are available in Canada for making fresh or deep-fried spring rolls. Making the wraps by hand takes some skill and plenty of practice.

A thin rice flour batter is prepared and spooned onto a large griddle and smoothed into a thin sheet. The wraps is covered to steam for a few minutes. The it is carefully lifted on a long bamboo spatula and hung to cool. It is then transferred to the bamboo racks to dry. Wrap making is weather-dependent. If the weather is too humid, the wraps are difficult to make and they won't dry properly. We were lucky; on the day of our visit, the weather conditions were ideal.

Later, at a cooking demonstration on board, I had a chance to make a fresh spring roll and get the recipe for the traditional dipping sauce. So tasty. I am hooked now; we'll be making these treats at home.

PS - This post is for Jane who knows all about fresh spring rolls and has been sharing them with friends and family for a long time now.