Turkey, Tuk Tuks and Temples

Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument in the world.

Not surprisingly, Thanksgiving is not celebrated as a holiday in Hong Kong.  But with the large expatriate community here, the holiday did not go unnoticed.  Grocery stores in Hong Kong were filled with turkey, stuffing mix, cranberry sauce, holiday music and long lines at check out.  Jeff and I were invited to have Thanksgiving at the home of some American friends who have lived in Hong Kong for many years.  They hosted a large group that represented Australia, Canada and the UK, in addition to Americans.  It was such a warm and friendly gathering, we hardly noticed the distance from our friends and family back home.  With most of our U.S.-based work colleagues off for a long weekend, Jeff and I decided to use the rest of the long weekend to explore Cambodia. 

The Angkor temples  are  in Siem Reap proviince in north-
west Cambodia, about 100 miles from the Thai border.

Kampuchea (as Cambodia is known in the Khmer language) is roughly the size of the state of Missouri and has a population of about 15 million people. The country has a long and proud history that turned tragic during the 20th Century.  The Khmer people originated from the Indian sub-continent.  At one point the Khmer empire, which dates to around 800 AD, encompassed most of Southeast Asia, including what is now Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.  The Khmer, who were Hindus, ruled from a region called Angkor and built extensive complexes of temples there, prior to the rise of Buddhism in the 12th Century. A tumultuous period followed, during which the Khmer empire waned after invasions from  neighboring Thais and Vietnamese.  In 1863, France colonized Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam into a protectorate called French Indochina.

Tuk tuks are a key means of transportation in Siem Reap.

 After ninety years of French rule, Cambodia gained its independence in 1953.  Although Cambodia attempted to remain neutral during the Vietnam conflict, Communist forces launched attacks on South Vietnam from Cambodian territory.  Control of Cambodia passed through a series of Communist- and U.S.-backed groups, ultimately leading to rule by the notorious Pol Pot, leader of the Khmer Rouge, in 1975.  During four years in power, the Khmer Rouge attempted to return the entire country to an agrarian society, killing up to three million people in the process.

Angkor Wat is positioned so that sunrise and sunset align with

the center tower on the two days of the equinox each year.

Beautiful statues are found throughout Angkor Wat.

The genocide targeted the educated and professionals, wiping out nearly one-quarter of Cambodia's population at the time.  In 1979, Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge were overthrown by Vietnamese forces, but the leaders of the Khmer Rouge evaded capture. Pol Pot died in 1998, but a handful of Khmer Rouge officials faced prosecution beginning in 2009, with convictions occurring as late as August of this year.  Sadly, Cambodia has been unable to shake its unfortunate history. Since 1997, the country has been controlled by Prime Minister Hun Sen, a former leader in the Khmer Rouge with a reputation for corruption and brutal suppression of his opposition.

Despite political instability over the years, tourism in Cambodia has grown rapidly.  The number of international visitors has more than quadrupled over the past decade, and tourism has become a crucial part of the Cambodian economy.  The temples constructed by early Khmer people in the Angkor region are a major draw for tourists, and are located in Siem Reap (pronounced "see-em reep"), a province of about 1 million people in northwest Cambodia.  The name "Siem Reap" means "defeat  of Siam," referring to earlier conflicts with the Thai people.  The city is a friendly place, clearly reliant on tourism, but with much of its cultural charm intact.  Although motor scooters are a popular means of transportation, traffic was not as overwhelming as we expected. For tourists, the primary means of transportation are 'tuk tuks,' a kind of rickshaw attached to a motor scooter that serves as a taxi cab and seats up to three adults.  We used tuk tuks to get around the center of the city, to places like the Angkor museum, the markets and restaurants.  At US$2 or $3 per run, tuk tuks were a real bargain.  There are numerous restaurants in Siem Reap, ranging from high-end eateries to local cafes.  Our experience with food in Siem Reap was similar to what we found in Hanoi: interesting, delicious and inexpensive.

Bayon Temple is known for its towers featuring stone faces.

Cycling the flat trails around Angkor was an excellent
way to see the temples and avoid traffic and crowds.

Our visit to the Angkor temples started very early on a Saturday morning, when we were picked up from our hotel at 4:30am to join a small group for a one-day bicycle tour of the temples around Angkor.  Our first stop was Angkor Wat (which means "Temple City"), Cambodia's most recognized site.  Surrounded by a moat over 600 feet wide, the area is more than 200 acres and contains a central temple and five towers linked together by galleries featuring elaborate bas-relief friezes depicting stories from Hindu mythology.  Seeing the sunrise over Angkor Wat temple was a special experience and made the early start worthwhile. Following our visit to Angkor Wat, we cycled on scenic trails through the jungle to visit two more temples. Bayon Temple in Angkor Thom is known for its towers featuring stone faces.  Built in the late 12th Century, it is the "newest" of the Angkor temples and the only one built as a Buddhist shrine.  At nearby Ta Prohm temple, very little has changed since it was discovered with a number of very large trees growing out of its ruins.

This year, we are thankful for our friends who hosted us to a traditional Thanksgiving dinner while we are so far from home.  We are also thankful for the opportunity to try out the tuk tuks and to bicycle the temples in Cambodia.