Cambodia, 1974 to1979

Cambodia has had some very rough history in the not distant past. In the 4 years after the Khmer Rouge took over the government in 1974, over 2 million Cambodians were killed; this represents between one fourth to one third of the population. Intellectuals were especially targeted and identified by characteristics such as higher education, softer hands, lighter complexion, and ability to speak another language. The goal of the Khmer Rouge was to create a completely equal society - practically this translated into mobilizing the whole population into agriculture (often rice farming) and killing anyone who resisted. Before the Khmer Rouge took over there was tremendous corruption in the government and so the revolution was originally hailed by a very frustrated population as the change that they had been waiting for.

Below is a picture of the middle and high school buildings that were converted into a detention center and a place for forcing confessions through extensive torture. Over the 4 years it processed 20,000 people. Extensive records were kept and I saw a lot of photographs that I never thought I would see.

 

The detainees were kept in either group or individual holding cells

 The rules shown below included not crying while "getting lashes or electrification"

After the appropriate confessions had been obtained from the detainees (sometimes confessions were written thousands of times), they were transported by truck 15km to the killing fields. At the entrance to the killing fields there is a big structure out of glass and wood that houses the skulls of 9000 people that were recovered from the surrounding fields.

I think one of the most amazing things I saw was the interview with the truck driver who drove all the people between the detention center and the killing fields. He was smiling during most of the interview as he pointed out the details of the killing fields. He is one of the few people that remain to testify in the war crimes tribunal that will begin in a few years. This topic deserves more commentary and hopefully I will get back to it...

 

I don't even know what to say about a sign like this.

  

As we walked around there were pieces of clothing stuck in the ground everywhere. These are clothes from the people in the mass graves that are still surfacing after each rainy season. I was uncomfortable walking around the killing fields since everywhere I stepped I noticed fragments of bone or clothing from the thousands of people who were thrown into mass graves here only 30 years ago.

  

There were many pictures that I could not bring myself to take while I was walking around these facilities, but this picture spoke pretty strongly to me about what it was like to live life during these years.

On a lighter note, here is Cat and Kev making a biking pit-stop at a bakery. My apetite was still at about 15% of normal after being sick but I found a very healthy little muffin friend to nibble on.

 

Boat ride to Battambang

The morning after Nate departed. I hopped a boat ride to Battambang that was supposed to be the most beautiful in Cambodia and estimated in the guide book to take between 5 and 9 hours. Southeast asia is currently in the dry season and the boat ride was safely at the 9 hour mark with our heavy load of passengers and rice for small towns along the way. It was pretty amusing that the boat had to stop every few minutes to "ask" (honk) fishermen to move their nets or wait for one of the crew to use large sticks to get us un-stuck from the bank where branches often sideswiped dozing passengers.

At the beginning of the ride we passed through Tonle Sap lake - which is Cambodia's largest freshwater lake producing a significant amount of fish for the country all year round. This lake is attributed to be a primary source of sustenance for the great Angkor empire.

The river is lined with floating fishing villages. The houses move significant distances every year as the rivers swell and ebb in size. They float on bundles of bamboo sticks that need to be removed and dried every 3-5 years to stay "floaty"

 

These giant-insect like cantilevered fishing nets were present all along the river and were often constructed as a floating house / giant fishing net combos. Definitely makes for a short commute to work...I think I would miss getting to ride my bike though.

 

I really liked how well organized all these floating houses were. Every kitchen area I could see into had a spot on the wall for each pan. I suppose when you have a family with several children and grandparents living in a tiny space where you often can't stand up, it is helpful if it is tidy.

  

While we were passing through a bird sanctuary I came to the front of the boat and sat with my feet on the edge, being careful not to get in the captain's line of sight as I had seen him use the horn on several passengers already. I saw a whole bunch of white herons, some large black birds, but the strangest birds are the ones I would see in a few days as I biked along the Mekong.

 

My main boat-companion, Kev (who I would meet up with 2 days later in Phnom Penh), filled a good part of our 9 hour trip with his tales of his 3 months of cycling and hitchhiking adventures through China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand.
Below, Kev is preparing for the next day and tutoring me on the finer points of hitchhiking logistics and philosophy. The logistics were amusing and may be useful someday but the philosophy is what I found really interesting because it relates to the reading I have been doing on honest and empathetic communication (Nonviolent Communication by M. Rosenberg...thanks for the recommendation, Chris!!!)

The idea is that when you hitchhike you are showing your vulnerability and others are able to give you a pure gift of a generous act. This makes them feel good because they have been generous and it makes you feel good because you have shared your vulnerability with another human being as asked for help. As a bonus, you often get going in the direction you were hoping to go and sometimes get to share a meal or a place to sleep.

No worries, parents, I am not planning to switch to a new primary mode of travel - since I do think there is another dimension added for single female travelers. However, the principle of the entirely generous exchange on both sides is very appealing to me.

Ankor Wat and Siem Reap

In the pre-dawn coolness, Nate and I joined the processional of dark figures and bobbing flashlights on the bridge crossing the moat of Angkor Wat. The moat is wider than a football fiel and in the darkness we imagined what the Angkor temples would look like as we passed through the outer gate. In front of the main complex are two large pool filled with lotus flowers - we waited there as the sky grew lighter and revealed the shape of the Angkor towers mimicing the shape of the closed lotus blossom.

We exited the Angkor complex later that morning and emerged to the scene of bridemaids resting in the shade of the outer walls while impeccably adorned Thai brides were photographed with parasols by the outer moat.

For a more extensive set of pictures and descriptions of all the beautiful temples we visited please see the lovely photo journal that Nate put together:
http://picasaweb.google.com/nateball/Cambodia?authkey=Gv1sRgCLSji_jyu53xSw#

I have been dreaming about visiting Angkor Wat in Cambodia for several years  - especially since hiking 5 days to see Machu Picchu in Peru. I also celebrated the realization that I have now been to 5 of the 7 voted wonders of the world The Taj (India), Pyramids (Egypt), Macchu (Peru), Petra (Jordon) and now Angkor (Cambodia) -  and greatly look forward to my trip to China for the great wall :)

The temples that I liked best were ones that were being both destroyed and held together by the massive roots of Spung trees. The most massive and elegant example of this is Ta Prohm. Below is the main entrance with the hugs smiling face characteristic of the major works created under Khmer King Jayavarman VII in the late 12th century.


 

 

 

Nate pushed up into a handstand to the delight of some passing tourists.

  

Cat in backbend during walk about in Angkor Wat.

One of the smaller and more ruined temples we visited 

Here is a massive pool built for a Khmer King kept full by an underground spring. Incredible.

Stay tuned in the near future for the rest of the Cambodia blogs, before I head down to Southern Thailand to begin my month-long exploration of the islands :)

I heart bicycles

I spent 2 full days biking on dirt roads / paths along the Mekong River. In my 28 years of life I have not yet developed a very strong directional sense, so my strategy was to keep the 10th largest river in the world always within view on my right. (Sometimes I would lose sight of it and have to cut through farm fields to catch a reassuring glimpse.) This is what it looked like:

On my first day of biking, when I left the small town of Kratie at 7am with all my belongings bungee corded to the back of my mountain bike, I felt a surge of joy and had a huge smile on my face - I couldn't help it - this act felt freeing and distinctly like what I wanted to be doing. Here is my bike with my bag looking especially small from this angle. It weighs about 8kg now.

Following the river, there were many bridges of  pretty good quality passing over tributaries to the river (which is now at its low point in the dry season)

This little cutie came over when I took my first break on the first day to have some mini-biscuits and water. I gave her a biscuit and she thanked me and then continued to watch me. Her little brother was too shy to come claim his biscuit in person so she accepted it on his behalf

Within the first 30minutes of biking through small riverfront villages I saw details of rural agriculture life in Cambodia that I can't imagine seeing otherwise. Also, it was refreshing to have everyone genuinely excited to see me, since I seeing a (pale and female) foreigner biking through their village was such a novelty. Everywhere I biked children screemed Helloooo! and mother's called their children to watch me pass.  In fact, any time I stopped small groups started forming and would mostly just watch me... this was fun except for when I really needed to pee. I had to sneak off from this group of guys pretending I was taking pictures around the corner.

At the end of the first day's ride I was in Chlong which gets about a paragraph in the lonely planet guide and was the only place with official guest houses for many miles. The first place I inquired was run by a friendly woman who excitedly ushered me up the stairs and then flew about opening sets of shutters to reveal a rather magnificent 2 bedroom house, made almost entirely out of teak and other hard woods. With a one-night fee of $7 to enjoy the space for the rest of the day, I was sold.

Here is me at the end of day 1.

I washed up and spent the afternoon laying on the wrap-around balcony and reading while enjoying the river. This was my private view:)

On day 2 I saw a LOT of carts - there seem to be several main designs for ox-carts and they all seem to be made for 2 oxen. I wonder why no one tries to pull stuff with one ox?

The second day was a 75km ride that took from 5:59am to about 3pm. What was cool about biking during this whole time was getting to see the daily activities averaged over thausands of families. For the first few hours I provided a bit of entertainment to hundreds of families eating sunday breakfast on raised and shaded platforms (that double as sales stands for produce later in the day). I said hello to hundreds of children (possibly thousands) on day 2.

I ran out of water and small bills by about 1pm and had 30minutes of biking that were mentally and physically  less fun. However, I met a farming family that had change for a 10USD bill and multiple drinks I could buy and I hung out with them for a while. The man I was speaking to was 28 and here is his 1 year old daughter that he would like to send to university.

Arriving in Kampung Cham felt a little miraculous. I checked into a room by the river. I changed colors in the shower. I ate a huge bowl of Fish Amok and rice (traditional Cambodian dish that resembled a fish custard with onion).

Biking down the Mekong starts tomorrow

I have been in Cambodia for 10 days now...here is the route I have followed (with modes of transportation drawn in as close to scale as possible)

Here is the brief version of what has happened (with a blog on each step to follow in the coming days)

On the boat ride between Siem Reap and Battambang, I met a wonderful British school teacher who inspired me to do some bike riding. Kevin and I met up 2 days later in Phnom Penh where I rented a good mountain bike. He told me where in Cambodia he'd had some of the most beautiful riding of his past 3 months and Kevin even parted with part of his precious Cambodian map (actually quite difficult to come by in Cambodia...), only taking a small bit to the south of Phnom Penh where he is ending his journey by donating his bike to an orphanage. Excellent chap!

This morning, I miraculously boarded a 7am bus to Kratie and got my montain bike on for an extra 3 USD. This afternoon I spent in Kratie, resting up for tomorrow, watching the sunset accross the magestic Mekong river and buying snacks for the ride around all 4 blocks of town!

I was a bit nervous yesterday since I am recovering from some vomitting / nausea / fever 2 days ago but today I feel almost strong like horse and am looking forward to being out on the bike. My goal is to ride along the unpaved road that follows the river, listen to my body and be safe :)

Here is a cartoon from 2 days ago

There are absolutely incredible pictures that I can';t wait to share from earlier in the Cambodia venture, but those will have to wait until after this 2-3day bike trip (unless internet cafe's have made it to the fishing villages that aren't connected by paved roads...which is possible...).

With so much love. Your Cat-Biking-down-the-Mekong-river-Tomorrow

Practice clearly. Mindfully. Try your best. - Dr. Narong

Living and meditating at Wat Umong in a forest outside of Chiang Mai, Thailand has left a big impression on me.

Over the last 9 days I have essentially not spoken, written or read anything. For the 14hours of meditation practice every day, there was 5-10minutes of instruction from Dr. Narong. I now understand that retraining the mind takes a tremendous amount of focused repetition.

I can say the following with confidence: We meditate to train the mind to see the true nature of reality so that we may live happily; acting and speaking in ways that reduce suffering for ourselves and those around us.

This statement has both profound and practical implications for me that I did not comprehend 10 days ago. For now, meditation is an active work in progress. I woke up this morning and practiced for 2 hours on my balcony as the sun rose.


Here are a few more images from my stay at the temple

 

And finally, here are the guidelines for the meditation retreat and also the chant that we said together before every meal (I became very fond of this one).

Pictures from the temple life

There is a tremendous amount to say about the last 3.5 days. All wonderful. However, I only left the temple to make sure I could get to Cambodia on Jan 20th. Before I head back to temple-life here are some pictures I wanted to share with you.

This is our teacher, Dr. Nagau

Here is where I go during our relaxation times

 

This is the hot chocolate I drink in the afternoon because we don;t have any food after 12pm

This is where I practice

And this is one of my favorite temple dogs

And finally, this is my new room. It is about 4'6" by 5'10", and I am very fond of it.