The ferry from Siem Reap to Battambang was smaller than I had envisaged. Seating along either side allowed for about 20 people, bikes were lashed to the roof. I had decided to make the 6 hour crossing between the two cities, across Lake Tonle Sap as a welcome change from eating dust and ingesting fumes from vehicles. A ferry also runs to Phnom Penh during the rainy season, but not today. The ferry was full and as the journey progressed, it was evident why the boat was the size and shape it was. Vegetation almost enveloped us at many points and some very careful navigation needed to avoid the propellers becoming jammed up. In between the dense 'jungle' were open tracts of water and numerous villages; the buildings either floating or precariously perched on stilts. The ferry provided a vital lifeline for locals travelling between these villages and if householders didn't possess a boat then they were effectively isolated. Villagers would be rowed out and would clamber aboard. You could see why the ferry doesn't run all year round because even at the end of the monsoon season, which this is, water levels in certain places appeared very low.
It was a welcome change taking the ferry and a great way to spend a day. Most of the passengers were tourists with quite a large Dutch contingent which was good as invariably they are good company. The ferry dropped us off in the centre of Battambang city on the west bank. Accommodation was easy to find and plentiful. I stayed in a small hotel on the east bank next to the large Kings Hotel, very new, the room overlooking the river; excellent quality accommodation for $12 a night. The Royal is a backpackers favourite and good value apparently. Coincidentally, I bumped into two of the Dutch couples who happened to be eating at the same place. They very kindly invited me over. and one couple Judith and Roel invited me over to their hotel on their last night for dinner. A really cracking couple who were superb company. Without question, if you find yourself in Battambang, the place to go is the Gecko Cafe. Believe me, this is as good as it gets. Situated close to the city centre, it occupies the first floor of a French colonial building, having an open seating area on two sides. It has a very welcoming atmosphere and the food, especially the breakfasts are sensational. The atmosphere is created by the staff, all girls who are a real delight, very friendly and speak some English. They are all employed as they have families to support, and on the back of the menu, there is a small cv for each girl explaining her background and intentions. Believe me, if you could transfer these girls to any hotel or catering establishment in the UK, people would be queuing at the door to get in. Oh another good place is Éves Cafe' on the waterfront. Great pancakes as well.
Mandi, a very good friend of mine, worked out here last year as a volunteer and I took the opportunity to look up where she worked. CCT or Cambodian Childrens Trust was set up a few years ago by a young Australian and she continues to be very involved. I met the local 'Manager' and a couple of the volunteers. This trust looks after some 300 children, the majority of which attend school. The trust collects children of all ages, from parents who are unable to fully look after them for a variety of social reasons; having attended the trust or school, they are then returned to their parents in the evening so that the parental bond is maintained. The trust also supports scholarships for more able children to give them a chance to develop their education which is so vital. I learned that many children once they reach a certain academic standard, leave school and return to their families to teach their siblings rather than continue to pursue a career. Most of the volunteer sector is supported by either Australians or Americans.
My purpose for visiting Battambang was twofold; firstly, to apply for a Vietnamese Visa and secondly, because cycling to Phnom Penh looked easier than from Siem Reap because of the larger towns on the way which were more likely to provide accommodation. My initial visit to the Vietnam Consulate lasted about 20 minutes entailing completion of the usual form. I explained to the official that I would very much like a 3 month visa as I was cycling and it would save having to make a sudden pit stop to Saigon or Hanoi to renew. Had I only wanted a 1 month visa, which is the usual length granted, I think they could have done that on the same day, but because I wanted a longer visa, the asked if I would mind returning the following day. This I did, and good on them, they granted the 3 month visa which of course I paid more for, but ultimately, it will save me a lot of hassle later down the line. They could not have been more helpful and hoped I enjoyed cycling through their country. Nice eh!
It took 3 days to cycle to Phnom Penh, in total 293 kms with an even space of towns in between, stopping at Pursat and Kompong Chhnang. The road was dusty although most of the way there was a decent shoulder lane, just as well since the apparent mild mannered people once behind a ton and a half of metal transform into Sebastion Vettal! The worst offenders are the taxis (all Toyota Camrys), mini buses and 4 by 4's. These guys hurtle down the middle of the road, horns blaring continuously as they try to cover the distance between Battambang and the capital in record time. I witnessed some near misses with cattle which frequently wander across the road and also children in villages, where the aforementioned group appear to accelerate as they pass through! There are numerous villages and cycling through you witness the poverty, yet always, people, kids especially shout 'hello' and wave. Yes, you always return the greeting even though after several hours on the road, it wears a bit thin. Its not much to ask, if these kids get a buzz out of it, then responding isnt so hard. I reckon that if I had a dollar for every 'hello' and wave I had given over that 3 day period, I could have afforded to fly first class around the world with Cathay Pacific and still have enough left to stay in a 5 star beach front hotel in the West Indies and consume as many Tom Collins as I liked!
Cycling affords the opportunity to at least connect with the villagers, who chat while passing on scooters or when you stop to buy a drink. I was invited, well directed, to two homes where I spent half an hour or so meeting the families and exchanging some very basic english. The Cambodians are so welcoming, hence the title of this blog. It would be difficult not to be sociable as these people (of all ages) are so friendly and genuinely approachable. How can you not smile when 3 girls on a scooter pass, wave, and say hello, or, when a feller on a scooter loaded with some produce in most bizarre fashion passes you with a smile. I must say that the humidity really takes it out of you; I found recovery time took quite a bit longer, but at least I achieved the timescale I had set.
Phnom Penh is a rapidly transforming city of about one and a half million people. As with most cities, the periphery is dominated by the poorer people, in fact the whole area seems to reflect a self contained market place for them, with every kind of activity imaginable including building materials, repair workshops, welding, cafes etc. These 'dwellings' front onto a dusty 'shoulder' which invariably becomes wind born as lorries and vehicles veer onto these stretches avoiding oncoming traffic. These areas bustle with people and a million tuk tuk drivers. Traffic flow is what you make it, there are no rules as such, well don't seem to be, at any given point of the road, vehicles, tuk tuks and scooters converge in various direction, weaving their way in and out. This occurs in the city centre so its a well tried method. The city centre is changing face; there is a mix of early 20th Century French Colonial, 1960's Khmer buildings and of course the ornate gold leaf temples and Royal Palace. Its a fascinating blend which I suppose sums up these people. Many of the older colonial properties have not been properly maintained and have fallen into some state of disrepair. I understand that a lot of these buildings are being acquired by hoteliers and converted into quality boutique hotels, clearly reflecting the greater demand generated by tourism and the city's ongoing development as a commercial and business centre. It is also good to see the Mekong River again, fast flowing, this river bisects the city and has helped it become an important port. It seems strange that only a few weeks ago, I was watching this river flow some 1,500 kms to the north at Luang Prabang. Its a bit like meeting an old friend. In truth the river at its central point of the city is an extension of the lake, but its classed as a river.
The west bank is where the life blood of the city exists, The tourist hub extends along Sisovath Quay with numerous hotels, hostels, restaurants, tour offices and of course millions of tuk tuk drivers who consistently invite you for the trip of your life!!!! I suppose from a tourist perspective, the place to visit is the Foreign Correspondents Club or as it is known, the FCC. This colonial building overlooks the river and at first and second floors, you can sit watching the sunset with some liquid refreshment attached to your hand between 5pm and 7pm (happy hour). This is the place where foreign correspondents collected during the 1970's particularly, when the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot played such a part in this country's recent tainted history.
Second only to Angkor Wat, the tourist destination to see is the Killing Fields and S21. In my humble opinion, a visit to both the Killing Fields and S21 is a must if you want to understand this country's darkest period of history and response to what happened. It seems improbable that these events took place during the 1970's and effectively shut out Cambodia from the whole world. The Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre (or as we know it as the Killing Fields) is situated about 15 kms from the city centre. A tuk tuk is the best way of getting there, and wear a face mask on the way since the dirt and dust is quite something. The entrance is low key being accessed down a drive. For $5 you get hooked up to an excellent audio set and so can wander to the sequential markers at your leisure, listening to the history of the site and personal tales from survivors and the guards. Pol Pot imposed his docterine of democratic communism during the mid 1970's until 1978. The son of a wealthy family, he studied in France, not attaining his degree but spending most of his time within the French Communist Party. On his return to Cambodia he taught (something of an irony as many of those murdered were teachers); he instigated his policy of no education, obedience to the party, work and revolution with unbelievable violence. As with many dictatorships, he created his red army from uneducated peasants, villagers and rural communities. These youthful recruits saw a future and he convinced them, which probably didn't take much. Teachers, professional classes of all description were rounded up, tortured and murdered. Throughout Cambodia there are believed to be some 300 killing fields, of which the one at Choeung Ek is considered to be the largest. Many of the others cannot be touched because of live ordnance resulting from USA bombings to prevent fuel lines to the Viet Kong. Walking around the Killing Fields, it is difficult to imagine the horror of what went on. The audio description is at times very graphic. To date 86 of the 129 mass graves have been uncovered accounting for almost 9,000 bodies of children and adults alike. Those that remain uncovered are likely to stay that way to afford respect to the dead. You will see that I have posted a few photographs; some explaining in words what went on; the sites where these horrific deeds took place and shots of the ground where you can see hollows where the graves have been uncovered, and where, through the effluxion of time, the soil has moved. Note also the picture of the tree; words fail me at this point. At this site, you just hang your head at the horror of what happened. This was where the red guards held the children (as young as babies) by their legs and feet and swung then so that their heads connected to the trunk. The brutality was unbelieveable. The largest mass grave uncovered contained 450 bodies. The central feature, or edifice, within the Killing Fields is the Memorial Stupa. Here the skulls and bones have been collected and displayed, dividing the skulls into sex and age group. The museum also shows the tools used to kill these people. It was considered a waste of bullets, so bludgeoning and hacking were the preferred methods of disposal!
Security Office 21 (S21) stands in the centre of Phnom Penh. This is now described as a genocide museum and was designed for detention, interrogation, torture and killing. All detainees were individually documented, some 20,000 were tortured, killed or moved on to the Killing Fields. Again ironically, this building was originally built as a school in the 1960's. Here you can walk into the cells; there are pictures of people and accounts of torture and confessions. Truly dreadful. You wonder how such apparently mild mannered people were capable of such inhumanity. Well I suppose that only a small number of 'focused' individuals appropriately motivated are needed to instill sufficient fear and obedience to a majority of the population; its happening all over the world. Over one quarter of the entire Cambodian population were murdered during this three year period; a staggering statistic. Of course not all the people involved were caught, and some may well be walking the streets now. Something I hadn't noticed, but Judith had, was the apparent few numbers of old people around by comparison with other places. This is true, furthermore, the trauma resulting from this madness resulted in women ceasing their menstrual cycle and therefore being unable to reproduce, so effectively you have a 'gap' of population, both young and old. Arguably one of the most incredible acts of world political decision making was the acceptance of the Khmer Rouge as a legitimate party by no less than the USA, UK, Australia, Germany and France, handing the Khmer Rouge a seat and a voice at the UN!!!
It is without doubt a sobering experience visiting these two locations, but fortunately the Country has recovered and it is hoped that this special land continues to smile in the future for all the right reasons.
I am contemplating taking the ferry down the Mekong to the delta region to Chau Doc in Vietnam. This will definately save on breathing in vast quantities of dust! This is a 6 hour trip and positions me well for the delta and the eventual destination of Saigon. That will be the next blog.
It was a welcome change taking the ferry and a great way to spend a day. Most of the passengers were tourists with quite a large Dutch contingent which was good as invariably they are good company. The ferry dropped us off in the centre of Battambang city on the west bank. Accommodation was easy to find and plentiful. I stayed in a small hotel on the east bank next to the large Kings Hotel, very new, the room overlooking the river; excellent quality accommodation for $12 a night. The Royal is a backpackers favourite and good value apparently. Coincidentally, I bumped into two of the Dutch couples who happened to be eating at the same place. They very kindly invited me over. and one couple Judith and Roel invited me over to their hotel on their last night for dinner. A really cracking couple who were superb company. Without question, if you find yourself in Battambang, the place to go is the Gecko Cafe. Believe me, this is as good as it gets. Situated close to the city centre, it occupies the first floor of a French colonial building, having an open seating area on two sides. It has a very welcoming atmosphere and the food, especially the breakfasts are sensational. The atmosphere is created by the staff, all girls who are a real delight, very friendly and speak some English. They are all employed as they have families to support, and on the back of the menu, there is a small cv for each girl explaining her background and intentions. Believe me, if you could transfer these girls to any hotel or catering establishment in the UK, people would be queuing at the door to get in. Oh another good place is Éves Cafe' on the waterfront. Great pancakes as well.
Mandi, a very good friend of mine, worked out here last year as a volunteer and I took the opportunity to look up where she worked. CCT or Cambodian Childrens Trust was set up a few years ago by a young Australian and she continues to be very involved. I met the local 'Manager' and a couple of the volunteers. This trust looks after some 300 children, the majority of which attend school. The trust collects children of all ages, from parents who are unable to fully look after them for a variety of social reasons; having attended the trust or school, they are then returned to their parents in the evening so that the parental bond is maintained. The trust also supports scholarships for more able children to give them a chance to develop their education which is so vital. I learned that many children once they reach a certain academic standard, leave school and return to their families to teach their siblings rather than continue to pursue a career. Most of the volunteer sector is supported by either Australians or Americans.
My purpose for visiting Battambang was twofold; firstly, to apply for a Vietnamese Visa and secondly, because cycling to Phnom Penh looked easier than from Siem Reap because of the larger towns on the way which were more likely to provide accommodation. My initial visit to the Vietnam Consulate lasted about 20 minutes entailing completion of the usual form. I explained to the official that I would very much like a 3 month visa as I was cycling and it would save having to make a sudden pit stop to Saigon or Hanoi to renew. Had I only wanted a 1 month visa, which is the usual length granted, I think they could have done that on the same day, but because I wanted a longer visa, the asked if I would mind returning the following day. This I did, and good on them, they granted the 3 month visa which of course I paid more for, but ultimately, it will save me a lot of hassle later down the line. They could not have been more helpful and hoped I enjoyed cycling through their country. Nice eh!
It took 3 days to cycle to Phnom Penh, in total 293 kms with an even space of towns in between, stopping at Pursat and Kompong Chhnang. The road was dusty although most of the way there was a decent shoulder lane, just as well since the apparent mild mannered people once behind a ton and a half of metal transform into Sebastion Vettal! The worst offenders are the taxis (all Toyota Camrys), mini buses and 4 by 4's. These guys hurtle down the middle of the road, horns blaring continuously as they try to cover the distance between Battambang and the capital in record time. I witnessed some near misses with cattle which frequently wander across the road and also children in villages, where the aforementioned group appear to accelerate as they pass through! There are numerous villages and cycling through you witness the poverty, yet always, people, kids especially shout 'hello' and wave. Yes, you always return the greeting even though after several hours on the road, it wears a bit thin. Its not much to ask, if these kids get a buzz out of it, then responding isnt so hard. I reckon that if I had a dollar for every 'hello' and wave I had given over that 3 day period, I could have afforded to fly first class around the world with Cathay Pacific and still have enough left to stay in a 5 star beach front hotel in the West Indies and consume as many Tom Collins as I liked!
Cycling affords the opportunity to at least connect with the villagers, who chat while passing on scooters or when you stop to buy a drink. I was invited, well directed, to two homes where I spent half an hour or so meeting the families and exchanging some very basic english. The Cambodians are so welcoming, hence the title of this blog. It would be difficult not to be sociable as these people (of all ages) are so friendly and genuinely approachable. How can you not smile when 3 girls on a scooter pass, wave, and say hello, or, when a feller on a scooter loaded with some produce in most bizarre fashion passes you with a smile. I must say that the humidity really takes it out of you; I found recovery time took quite a bit longer, but at least I achieved the timescale I had set.
Phnom Penh is a rapidly transforming city of about one and a half million people. As with most cities, the periphery is dominated by the poorer people, in fact the whole area seems to reflect a self contained market place for them, with every kind of activity imaginable including building materials, repair workshops, welding, cafes etc. These 'dwellings' front onto a dusty 'shoulder' which invariably becomes wind born as lorries and vehicles veer onto these stretches avoiding oncoming traffic. These areas bustle with people and a million tuk tuk drivers. Traffic flow is what you make it, there are no rules as such, well don't seem to be, at any given point of the road, vehicles, tuk tuks and scooters converge in various direction, weaving their way in and out. This occurs in the city centre so its a well tried method. The city centre is changing face; there is a mix of early 20th Century French Colonial, 1960's Khmer buildings and of course the ornate gold leaf temples and Royal Palace. Its a fascinating blend which I suppose sums up these people. Many of the older colonial properties have not been properly maintained and have fallen into some state of disrepair. I understand that a lot of these buildings are being acquired by hoteliers and converted into quality boutique hotels, clearly reflecting the greater demand generated by tourism and the city's ongoing development as a commercial and business centre. It is also good to see the Mekong River again, fast flowing, this river bisects the city and has helped it become an important port. It seems strange that only a few weeks ago, I was watching this river flow some 1,500 kms to the north at Luang Prabang. Its a bit like meeting an old friend. In truth the river at its central point of the city is an extension of the lake, but its classed as a river.
The west bank is where the life blood of the city exists, The tourist hub extends along Sisovath Quay with numerous hotels, hostels, restaurants, tour offices and of course millions of tuk tuk drivers who consistently invite you for the trip of your life!!!! I suppose from a tourist perspective, the place to visit is the Foreign Correspondents Club or as it is known, the FCC. This colonial building overlooks the river and at first and second floors, you can sit watching the sunset with some liquid refreshment attached to your hand between 5pm and 7pm (happy hour). This is the place where foreign correspondents collected during the 1970's particularly, when the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot played such a part in this country's recent tainted history.
Second only to Angkor Wat, the tourist destination to see is the Killing Fields and S21. In my humble opinion, a visit to both the Killing Fields and S21 is a must if you want to understand this country's darkest period of history and response to what happened. It seems improbable that these events took place during the 1970's and effectively shut out Cambodia from the whole world. The Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre (or as we know it as the Killing Fields) is situated about 15 kms from the city centre. A tuk tuk is the best way of getting there, and wear a face mask on the way since the dirt and dust is quite something. The entrance is low key being accessed down a drive. For $5 you get hooked up to an excellent audio set and so can wander to the sequential markers at your leisure, listening to the history of the site and personal tales from survivors and the guards. Pol Pot imposed his docterine of democratic communism during the mid 1970's until 1978. The son of a wealthy family, he studied in France, not attaining his degree but spending most of his time within the French Communist Party. On his return to Cambodia he taught (something of an irony as many of those murdered were teachers); he instigated his policy of no education, obedience to the party, work and revolution with unbelievable violence. As with many dictatorships, he created his red army from uneducated peasants, villagers and rural communities. These youthful recruits saw a future and he convinced them, which probably didn't take much. Teachers, professional classes of all description were rounded up, tortured and murdered. Throughout Cambodia there are believed to be some 300 killing fields, of which the one at Choeung Ek is considered to be the largest. Many of the others cannot be touched because of live ordnance resulting from USA bombings to prevent fuel lines to the Viet Kong. Walking around the Killing Fields, it is difficult to imagine the horror of what went on. The audio description is at times very graphic. To date 86 of the 129 mass graves have been uncovered accounting for almost 9,000 bodies of children and adults alike. Those that remain uncovered are likely to stay that way to afford respect to the dead. You will see that I have posted a few photographs; some explaining in words what went on; the sites where these horrific deeds took place and shots of the ground where you can see hollows where the graves have been uncovered, and where, through the effluxion of time, the soil has moved. Note also the picture of the tree; words fail me at this point. At this site, you just hang your head at the horror of what happened. This was where the red guards held the children (as young as babies) by their legs and feet and swung then so that their heads connected to the trunk. The brutality was unbelieveable. The largest mass grave uncovered contained 450 bodies. The central feature, or edifice, within the Killing Fields is the Memorial Stupa. Here the skulls and bones have been collected and displayed, dividing the skulls into sex and age group. The museum also shows the tools used to kill these people. It was considered a waste of bullets, so bludgeoning and hacking were the preferred methods of disposal!
Security Office 21 (S21) stands in the centre of Phnom Penh. This is now described as a genocide museum and was designed for detention, interrogation, torture and killing. All detainees were individually documented, some 20,000 were tortured, killed or moved on to the Killing Fields. Again ironically, this building was originally built as a school in the 1960's. Here you can walk into the cells; there are pictures of people and accounts of torture and confessions. Truly dreadful. You wonder how such apparently mild mannered people were capable of such inhumanity. Well I suppose that only a small number of 'focused' individuals appropriately motivated are needed to instill sufficient fear and obedience to a majority of the population; its happening all over the world. Over one quarter of the entire Cambodian population were murdered during this three year period; a staggering statistic. Of course not all the people involved were caught, and some may well be walking the streets now. Something I hadn't noticed, but Judith had, was the apparent few numbers of old people around by comparison with other places. This is true, furthermore, the trauma resulting from this madness resulted in women ceasing their menstrual cycle and therefore being unable to reproduce, so effectively you have a 'gap' of population, both young and old. Arguably one of the most incredible acts of world political decision making was the acceptance of the Khmer Rouge as a legitimate party by no less than the USA, UK, Australia, Germany and France, handing the Khmer Rouge a seat and a voice at the UN!!!
It is without doubt a sobering experience visiting these two locations, but fortunately the Country has recovered and it is hoped that this special land continues to smile in the future for all the right reasons.
I am contemplating taking the ferry down the Mekong to the delta region to Chau Doc in Vietnam. This will definately save on breathing in vast quantities of dust! This is a 6 hour trip and positions me well for the delta and the eventual destination of Saigon. That will be the next blog.
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