Cambodian Love Affair

Cambodia; A country that remains on replay in our minds and that we have raved about since visiting almost two years ago. The people, despite having been devastated by a genocide only 40 years ago, were as a whole, the kindest and most genuine folks we have ever met. The landscape was beautiful and the history was rich. This was the country where we took our first tuktuk ride, were introduced to coconut curries (in the form of amok), became deathly ill, and began to change a lot of our perspectives. This is a place where we will, without a doubt spend some years in the future.

After our first year in Korea, we did the standard trip around S.E Asia, starting with Malaysia (obviously influencing our next move). From Malaysia we landed in Siem Reap Cambodia for a 3 day tour of Angkor Wat, which turned into a week-long stretch.We stayed at Happy Guesthouse, which was beautiful and the price was right. They had a great bar and restaurant which was an ideal place to hangout and chill. They also had very kind staff. This is where we met Soapy. Soapy worked at the guesthouse with his brother. We hired him for a couple of days of touring around Angkor Wat, and ended up spending some serious facetime with him (the real face, not the iphone kind). He talked a lot about what it was like to live in Cambodia and his family. We also talked a lot about learning English. The thing that we found in general was that Cambodians spoke pretty great English. After coming from Korea, a country pouring millions every year into ESL programs, this was mind boggling. Soapy, a guy with limited means, scrimped and saved $10 each month to attend English class (about 1/5 of his salary), and studied when he wasn't working (literally, when we'd pull up to a temple he'd whip his book out, and by the time we came out he had questions ready for us). As a result, he was able to chat about all aspects of his life and ask us about ours. Alternately, Korean parents throw money at hagwons, forcing their children to toil away for hours each day and still the majority of Koreans cannot sustain a conversation beyond the basics. Perhaps the school of hard knocks has a perk or two?
Anyway, Tyler and I spent time checking out Angkor Wat with Soapy (the obligatory sunrises and sunsets), but after two solid days we needed a break from marveling at ancient stone buildings. We ventured into the city, shopped the markets, lazed on the river banks, biked the dusty roads and ate the happiest of pizzas. I really think we could've stayed in this town forever. But alas, we had to keep on moving.

The smile we left Siem Reap with quickly faded as we rolled into Phnom Penh. Granted, we only spent a few days in the capital city, and did not give it the chance it deserved; Even after returning for a couple of days, we remain disenchanted. Our guesthouse (although certainly not the worst...a certain Sri Lankan hole in the ground comes to mind..) did lack a certain ...je ne sais quoi. Probably contributing to its prison-like ambiance were the lack of windows, air con, and showers. As we emerged from our 'cell', hitting the street, we were quickly and constantly accosted by large groups of street babies, toddlers and kids. Instead of giving them money, we thought we'd do the ol' trick of buying some candies and passing them around. Well, I know I've been accused of being a Grandma (old soul is more becoming) but I hit an alltime high (or low...) in the geriatrics department. After passing out our first round of single candies to a hoard of kids, then to watch their faces and the scene go sour, we realized we had picked up a pack of menthol Halls singles. If this was Halloween, we were the house that gave out raisins and tooth brushes, and our house was about to get egged. After outrunning a mob of kids whose sinuses had just been cleared and smelled of Vics Vapour Rub, the children of Phnom Penh taught us that it is a city not to be messed with.

While in Phnom Penh we checked out the genocide museum, and for lack of a better word, the killing fields which serve as mass graves sites. So, in the 1970's Cambodia was under the thumb of the Khmer Rouge led by a big ol' psycho by the name of Pol Pot. His role models included Stalin and Mao, and he did a good job of being a prodigal son. Basically he envisioned a country that sustained themselves through agriculture, scrapping any advances or influences that could be considered modern or worldly. This included forced labour, killing the educated, burning all of the Cambodian money, and most notably, the murdering of millions of Cambodians. Knowing the history, why did we visit these places? To learn more, be aware of the indecency humans are capable of, and to pay respect to the country's people that had shown us so much warmth. As expected, the day was filled with horrific photos, and accounts of injustice that stirred feelings of sadness and anger. The unexpected aspect was that the killing fields were very much beautiful. Yes, it was the scene of unthinkable violence, however due to the standard audio tour, it was by and large silent. Walking around listening to the stories, and seeing the evidence left behind by way of bones being unearthed each time it rains, there was peace. The silence, a calm lake, and dozens of butterflies made it the perfect place to listen, learn and reflect. It made us hopeful that the victims had found peace too.

After having a heavy few days in the capital city, we bussed it to Sihanoukville, a beach area in the southern part of the country. Again, we were only to stay for a few days, but an unfortunate bout of suspected food poisoning kept us for over a week. I should say, a suspected bout of food poisoning. After 3 days of Tyler writhing in pain and bound to the hotel room, we did a little research as to where the most reputable doctor could be found. As our tuktuk rolled up to what I would describe as a once car garage outfitted with hospital beds, we remained hopeful. While waiting for medical attention we smiled nervously at family members fanning the flies off patients' fresh wounds, and began to assess Tyler's real need to see a doctor. However, after blood tests, wait time, and a hefty bill, it was concluded that Tyler had picked up a parasite somewhere along the way. With a slue of prescriptions in hand, Ty was hitting the beach like a champ within 12 hours and vacation was back on!

What was supposed to be a 10 day stay, turned into a three week love affair. Cambodia showed us its best and worst, and still left us wanting more; I think that's what they call unconditional love! With the sun on our faces, we said 'See you soon' to Cambodia via the Mekong Delta, crossing the border into Vietnam.