Back to Cambodia
Back to Cambodia
It was seven years since I had visited Cambodia, so it was wonderful to return to that beautiful country this week with two of my sons, Tim and Andrew, following a short visit to Luang Prabang in Laos, which I had never previously visited.
To anyone of my age, the “recent” tragic history of Cambodia is all-too-well known. The victory of the Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot in 1975, after which the country was re-named Democratic Kampuchea, the cities evacuated, money abolished, the calendar re-set to Year Zero, and a quarter of the population exterminated are now well documented. The Killing Fields of Cambodia have become synonymous with cruelty imposed by extreme nationalistic, atheistic and so-called egalitarian regimes throughout history. At the time of the late 1970s, however, the extreme secrecy surrounding the country led to wild speculation and rumours about torture and abuse - rumours that turned out to be cruelly conservative when the horrible reality finally became known.
Happily, away from the bookstalls where counterfeit, bound, photocopied histories of Cambodia can be purchased for a just a few US dollars, the people of Cambodia seem to be putting their terrible recent past behind them and moving forward very effectively. In any case, given Cambodia’s rapid population growth today, most of the population is too young to remember, or even to have experienced, Democratic Kampuchea.
Few people would label Cambodia as one of Asia’s frantically paced nations, but after sleepy Laos it did feel a bit that way. Our short stay was restricted to the city of Siem Reap and the nearby ancient city of Angkor - one of the world’s great inspired and inspirational sights! I had last visited Siem Reap in 1999, at which time there were tens of guesthouses and one large hotel. Today, there are dozens of large hotels and hundreds of small guesthouses. Siem Reap is booming, which is great for the local economy but not so wonderful for the atmosphere of this once (indeed, recently!) tranquil town.
I was reminded how mobile and confident the students from my College are when I bumped into three sub-sets of a group of our students travelling unescorted through Cambodia and Thailand during their Christmas break. It was quite a surprise to look up from my dinner table in Siem Reap and see a group of smiling LPC students looking down on me. It became a double surprise when we met again at the Baphuon in Angkor. A triple surprise eventuated when we met yet again at sunset at Angkor Wat. Now, however, I am back on the campus of the College in Hong Kong, probably the one place where I think I will definitely not be seeing any students - at least for the next two weeks!
FOOTNOTE: I have uploaded a gallery of images showing Luang Prabang, which can be accessed HERE. I will upload a gallery of images showing Angkor in Cambodia during the next week or two. Keep an eye on the front page of my website to see when the Angkor gallery has been uploaded. Meanwhile, enjoy the images of Luang Prabang.
Sunday, 24 December 2006
Angkor Wat in Cambodia, built between 1113 and 1150, is the world’s largest religious building