Closing Out on a Great Trip

Hard to believe that this excursion is almost over, but I’m in Siem Reap, Cambodia, with one day of exploring left before the big bird home. It’s been a gratifying trip, with everyone on the tour of the same mind, enjoying the company and experiencing some remarkable new adventures. Just today, we visited a local elementary school that happens to float like a barge to various locations (depending on water levels of the immense Tonle Sap Lake). The adorable kids don’t mind, as most of them are river people, whose parents inhabit floating fishing villages that similarly move about with the season. We journeyed there on ox cart (recommendation: don’t get too close to the front of the cart and/or the back of the ox), and on the way paid a visit to the home of the driver, whose family lives in a one-room structure high on stilts. As it is said here: it isn’t a question of if the waters will rise; it’s when. His little sister entertained us by proudly reading repeatedly out of her English language primer. We then took a boat ride for about 90 minutes, motoring through various floating villages that function much like their dryer counterparts on land: convenience store/boats, church/boats, even a floating bar/boat populate these dense towns on water, each village composed of many small fishing boats occupied by large families.

BUT FIRST, THE MEKONG DELTA
Before leaving Saigon for the short flight to Siem Reap, we spent a day cruising the Mekong Delta. This is really a scenic treasure, reminding me of thick jungle rivers in the South Pacific. Fishing villages are everywhere. We traveled by motorboat for part of the trip, and then transferred to sampans, propelled by a male oarsman in the back and a female oarsman up front. (I’m guessing the correct term should be “oarsperson.”) We glided through narrow canals with thick vegetation growing over us on both sides, then stopped at a bee farm and, of all things, a coconut candy factory. This is a photo of me with a new friend; quite a hugger on the first date. As lush as the growth is in this huge estuary, it’s odd that there is very little birdsong, and few birds to be seen. In other parts of the world, they would dominate. But here, damage from Agent Orange and other defoliants still affect not only the third generation of post-war babies, but also the wildlife. It’s estimated that it will be many years before the balance of nature is restored.

ON TO CAMBODIA
Siem Reap is a small town with three traffic lights, but lots of nightlife. Tourists are here from everywhere to marvel at the Angkor temples a few miles outside of the city. At its height between 800 and 1200 AD, this was the seat of power for Southeast Asia, with city populations in the millions. It’s estimated that the Ta Proh temple complex, pictured here with its photogenic ruins strangled by the roots of giant banyan trees, owned more than 3,000 villages and was maintained by 80,000 attendants. This was one powerful king. We got an early morning start to take in as much as we could, and after five hours had exhausted most of the minor complex areas. Such beautiful art work, intricately carved in sandstone. All of this was undiscovered until the French started cutting back the jungle here around the turn of the last century. Then it all became overgrown again, as Cambodia entered its dark period under the Khmer Rouge (one-third of Cambodia’s population was exterminated during this period, including everyone in the country who possessed anything above an elementary school education). Only about 15 years ago, with the demise of Pol Pot, was Angkor reopened to the world.

A MAJOR TRAVEL MOMENT
How to describe the experience of Angkor Wat? This is the main event, the single largest religious monument in the world. It translates to “The City That Is A Temple.” A moat about 600 feet wide surrounds a rectangular temple large enough to accommodate three of the Vatican’s St. Peter’s basilicas. When dedicated in the mid-twelfth C., it’s five soaring towers shaped like lotus buds, and 2,000 feet of surrounding bas-relief panels, were gilded to reflect the sunlight. It still looks golden, as we spent the afternoon there into the sunset. This is one of those “ya gotta be there” experiences that rank with the Sphinx and Petra.

GETTING HOME
After another day here tomorrow in Siem Reap, looking over a silk farm and visiting the Killing Fields execution site, we head back to the States. Bangkok airport is just beginning to be freed of its protesters, so we’ve all booked alternative flights via Saigon to Narita Tokyo airport and our original connections to various U.S. cities. I suppose the most enduring memory I’ll take back from this trip is the universal generosity and hospitality extended by all the local folk I’ve had the pleasure to meet. No matter what the political persuasion, everyone has been gracious and welcoming. This is a part of the world that seems genuinely relaxed and easygoing, and I hope I have the opportunity to pay another visit.

For now, the journal is closed.