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If the book One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is required reading for humankind, Cambodia, without doubt, is one of the must-visit places in one’s lifetime.
This may be a sweeping statement but the sensation one experiences on stepping into the vastness of the temple complex are beyond human comprehension and imagination.
Cambodia’s rich culture dates as far back as the first millennium. In the late 1970s, the country struggled to heal the scars of what was called the Killing Fields under the regime of the Khmer Rouge.
Honour reclaimed
Under the rule of Pol Pot, millions of peace-loving Cambodians faced shame and dishonour.
However, Cambodians are known to be an adaptable people, and adapt they did, rising above the stigma, reclaiming the pride and honour of their once-prosperous civilisation.
I have not seen people making an honest living the way Cambodians do. Struggling and yet determined to succeed, they are making slow progress in rebuilding the country.
The recently renovated Phnom Penh International Airport is small and pleasant, with a cosy, homely feel.
Clean and well-maintained, the airport has modern amenities — some even better than most airports in South East Asia.
Upon arrival, travellers are greeted by a barrage of tuk-tuks and taxi drivers offering rides around the city.
The tuk-tuk fare is usually $2 (Dh7) to the nearest destination. A cab ride will be more expensive but the fare can be split with fellow travellers — there is no dearth of young backpackers and adventure seekers in Cambodia.
Economy on the rise
Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh, seems to be emerging from a cocoon. After decades of internal struggle, newfound wealth from sustained tourism and discovery of natural gas has helped the economy tremendously.
The country has witnessed the emergence of a new middle class — with luxury cars and SUVs — which now exist side by side with 50cc scooters.
The juxtaposition of the old and the new, of wealth and poverty, of thatched structures and concrete buildings, clearly reveal the interweaving fabrics of the country’s past, present and future.
From the heart of Phnom Penh, it is a comfortable five-hour bus ride to Siem Reap, home to the temple ruins of Angkor. For $8 (Dh29), this is arguably the best way to see the Cambodian countryside.
Rural life seems to beckon as you cross the mighty Mekong River — colourful temples, granaries, elevated nipa-hut dwellings and lotuses glistening in ponds.
The picturesque landscape captures the essence of perfect bucolic life framed in time.
Hassle-free travel
Siem Reap town is a straightforward affair — two kilometres of easily accessible avenue that runs alongside the Siem Reap River.
Getting around is easy and cheap — just make sure you have a few US dollar notes at hand.
This will save you the hassle of carrying thousands worth of the Cambodian riel during your stay.
You can easily arrange a trip to the Siem Reap town and the temples through the hotel concierge or on your own.
Hiring a motorcycle trailer (called moto-romauk or tuk-tuk) for a day (roughly $12 or Dh44) to explore the temples is a good idea.
Siem Reap is the gateway to the Angkor Archaeological Park, a Unesco World Heritage Site.
The park is home to the vast temple ruins, which include huge areas of magnificent Khmer architectural achievements.
Proud centrepiece
Angkor Wat, the striking centrepiece of the Angkor complex, stands proud alongside other famous temple ruins — the giant stone faces of Bayon, the tree-in-temple ruins of Ta Prohm and the temple-mountain of Pre Rup.
The sylvan splendour of the landscape is dominated by tall and impressive koki trees that line up the boulevard en route to the temple ruins.
The temple is surrounded by a moat reminiscent of Medieval European castles and was constructed as a “temple mountain” dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu.
It has also been suggested that the temple was the funeral ground of Suryawaman II, the patron king who built the temple during the high point of Khmer political and military dominance in the early 12th century.
An early-morning arrival, just as the sun is rising, is the best time to visit Angkor Wat.
The temple appears as a fascinating silhouette and one sees the outlines of the massive three-tiered pyramid crowned by the lotus-like high towers traced against the sky.
There is something magical and awe-inspiring about being in the presence of these enormous structures. It makes one feel small and irrelevant in comparison to the towering magnificence of the temple.
Strange feeling of peace
Yet as one stands there, in front of the centuries-old structures, one experiences a strange feeling of inner peace and communion with nature, which allows one to appreciate this wonder.
The site, now in ruins and surrounded by lush vegetation, reminds visitors of how powerful a civilisation this used to be.
Reminiscent of Egyptian hieroglyphics are the bas-relief carvings adorning the temple wings, which depict the history and military might of the time.
Rising above time
Another must-visit ruin is the Bayon, a complex of temple ruins dominated by huge concrete faces. The ornate carvings, though moss-ridden and blackened with time, represent classic Khmer art.
In Siem Reap, French colonial and Oriental architecture dominate the Old French Quarter area.
The blend of modern Zen designs and low-key food vendors with their ubiquitous red-plaid tables present a picture of vibrant Khmer street life.
Siem Reap is no stranger to pulsating nightlife. Bar Street teems with tourists and locals as they interact over traditional Khmer cuisine and a bottle of the Angkor national brew.
You can catch performances of apsara and similar traditional dance forms at many hotels and restaurants in Cambodia. After a day spent in the temple ruins, a traditional Khmer massage is a relaxing treat.
Cambodia has a charm of its own — its sincere hospitality and innocent appeal make it one of the world’s most exciting holiday destinations.
Cambodia, which seems to be infused with a spirit of determination and a will to carry on against all odds, promises to combine history, culture, natural marvels and man-made architecture to make your journey truly memorable.
— Erik Roque is a UAE-based freelance journalist
Controversy: There’s suspicion over museum’s designs
There is no question that Angkor and its temples are among the world’s archaeological treasures.
The site provides a window into the Cambodian dynasty, which flourished from the 9th century to the 15th century.
But tourists who flock to the site in northwestern Cambodia say something is missing; few artefacts remain to help them get acquainted with the customs and rituals of the ancient empire.
Numerous antiquities were looted over the centuries or appropriated by museums in France, the country’s former colonial ruler.
Of those that remained, many were relocated to Cambodia’s National Museum, more than 185 miles from Angkor.
Now a Thai company says it is trying to address the problem by opening a museum that borrows artefacts, including nearly 1,000 Buddhas, from the National Museum and elsewhere.
But the Angkor National Museum, which opened recently, has already drawn criticism from powerful detractors.
The critics include international restoration specialists, who are fiercely concerned about anything that affects Angkor, restored by Unesco and others after the wars of the 1970s.
Some quibble over the museum’s aesthetics — it includes a sprawling retail area — and its sense of history. There are hundreds of Buddhas, for instance, that date back no further than the 20th century.
Other critics object to the Thai involvement; Angkor was once under Thai control and Cambodians remain suspicious that Thailand retains designs on their patrimony.
These suspicions were stoked in 1999 when large sections of walls with bas-relief images of the revered multi-armed figure of Lokeshvara, one of the forms of the Buddha, were looted from the 12th-century Banteay Chhmar temple near the Thai border.
The stolen art was intercepted by the Thai police and returned to Cambodia.
One of the critics, Darryl Collins, a historian based in Siem Reap, said the displeasure of some Cambodians was understandable.
An enterprise that is foreign-led and “primarily interested in turning a profit”, he said, can hardly be called national, especially when Cambodia already has a National Museum.
Angkor National Museum was created by Vilailuck International Holdings, which is based in Bangkok. For 16 years, Vilailuck’s parent company, the Samart Corp, has been a major investor in Cambodia’s telecommunications sector.
Under the terms of its contract with the Cambodian government, the company agreed to transfer control of the museum to the government after 30 years in exchange for the right to display treasures from the National Museum and the Conservation d’Angkor, a national trove of some 6,000 artefacts.
That collection includes important statues of the Buddha from several historical periods.
The Thais involved in the museum have been stung by the criticism of the project, on which Vilailuck spent $15m (Dh55.1m) to build.
“We want to educate Cambodian people about their own history,” said the museum’s managing director, Sunaree Wongpiyabovorn.
Wongpiyabovorn is especially sensitive to allegations that the company is motivated by economics.
She said Vilailuck had to triple its original investment of $5m (Dh18.3m) because of cost overruns and did not expect to see a profit for at least ten years.
Moreover, complications seem to have left the Thais frustrated, especially with regard to the terms and conditions of the loans.
Under the original plan, the former director of the National Museum, Khun Samen, agreed to hand over as many as 1,000 artefacts during the 30-year contract as well as 31 major pieces on a six-month loan.
His successor, Hab Touch, however, reduced the number of major pieces to be shared to 23.
Unesco, which has declared Angkor a World Heritage Site, is supportive of the museum and is trying to help by providing crucial advice on display and other aspects of museum practice.
Still, Azedine Beschaouch, an adviser to the organisation, agrees with some of the criticism. Beschaouch, an expert on Angkor and a special adviser to Unesco’s assistant director-general for culture, is no fan of the retail area that Vilailuck calls a “cultural mall”.
“[The retail area, rather than the collection] seems to have been foremost on the minds of the designers,” Beschaouch said.
It has not helped matters that although the museum opened months behind schedule, most of the artefacts still had not been labelled.
In the museum’s defence, Wongpiyabovorn said the Conservation d’Angkor’s documentation of many of its works was lost during Pol Pot’s reign, leaving many artefacts with few historical records.
The museum insists that it needs more time to develop its identity.
Its curator, Chann Charouen, who is Cambodian, plans to rotate artefacts and bring in new pieces from Cambodian provincial museums.
It remains to be seen whether the museum will embrace the growing scholarship and broad debates that at present characterise Angkorian studies or be content with luring tourists into making an obligatory stop to see the cultural mall.
— By Robert Turnbull/New York Times News Service
Go there . . . Phnom Penh From the UAE . . .
From the UAE
From Dubai
Malaysian Airlines flies daily via Kuala Lumpur
Fare: Dh 4,990
China Southern flies thrice a week via Guanzhou.
Fare: Dh3,480
Singapore Airlines & Silk Air Ptd Ltd. fly daily via Singapore Fare: Dh3,880
Information courtesy: The Holiday Lounge by Dnata.
Ph: 04 4298576
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