We flew from Hong Kong to Siem Reap on Dragon Air in 2.5 hour, almost 1,000 miles SSE. Dragon Air is the "low cost" affiliate of Cathay Pacific. After flying with Asia's low cost carrier I realize how poorly we, as customers, are being treated by the North American carriers. There was a quick efficient check-in, no charge for checked baggage and a hot meal service. I don't even remember how long ago that was in North America. Our arrival in Siem Reap was not quite as efficient however. After applying online for tourist cards for Cambodia I became acquainted with their love of redundant bureaucracy. Suffice it to say that in comparison, the USA has no border controls what so ever.
The main attraction to Siem Reap is the 10th to 13th century Hindu/Buddhist temples, the largest ancient religious monuments in the world. The largest and most famous is Angkor Wat which was constructed in the 12th century. The temple and its associated buildings walls and moats covers over 500 acres and was constructed in under 50 years. Like many other ancient monuments, it is baffling to think how 10 ton building stones were moved over great distances and lifted into place with out the aid of modern tools and technology. All the temples we visited are ornately decorated with carvings depicting religious stories.
Siem Reap is a small city of 130,000 people and is very simple. The majority of the population that we have seen live traditional lives as subsistence farmers with very few elements of what we would consider as essential to modern life. Very few people have electricity or running water. They cook with charcoal and may have a motor bike for transportation. In the "city" the roads are paved but there are no sidewalks,street lights, garbage collection or many of the other elements of our modern life. All that said, there are many lovely hotels and services that are essential to their developing tourism industry. We are staying in a hotel that is in a renovated colonial government building. The rooms are very nice and the food is excellent. We have a guide and a driver that pick us up each morning and escort us to the sites. Our guide is a history major and is extremely knowledgeable about the history of the temples. In addition to visiting the religious sites he has arranged some cultural events for us. This morning he escorted us to a private home where the woman had prepared food for Buddhist monks that would come by and collect the food for the monastery. We were part of the ritual which involved receiving blessing from the monks.
Cambodia has a very traditional societal structure and is slowly moving into the 21st century. The country has been plagued by war almost continuously for the last 100 years and it was only in 1993 that the monarchy was re-establish after the defeat of the Khmer Rouge.
This is our first time traveling to a destination where there is such a huge contrast between our living standard and the living standard of the local population. I guess these are experiences that "stretch" your perspectives. Later this morning we are off to the countryside to visit a site where water wells are being drilled for local area people. Approximately 40% of the population of Cambodia doesn't have access to clean drinking water all year around. These wells will provide clean water for these people in the dry season. After that experience we will come back to our hotel where we have dinner reservations at a Conde Naste recommended French restaurant........contrasts and perspectives. The French were a colonial power in Cambodia for many years and one of the best things they left behind was their cuisine.
Tomorrow we have an early flight to Phnom Penh where we will visit the capital of Cambodia before entering Vietnam.