Cambodia
Cambodia .. The Lost World
Deja Vu !!!
The clock showed 4:30 in the morning and our driver is ready with his car. We leave our hotel and pierce through the darkness of early morning. After a 20 minutes drive, we reach our destination and grab a place. We realise there are many people like us already there ! It’s still dark out there; so we take our time to adjust our camera lenses. It’s important to have proper settings ready and keep changing the settings as the scene unfolds.
As the twilight starts filling the sky before the sunrise, the gorgeous peaks are visible. There are some clouds in the sky but those add to the atmosphere. The sun is still not there. So we walk to the main theatre, an open air one ! Thousands of spectators are standing and sitting there for the special moment. But there is no shouting or any kind of feeling of a crowded place as people wait there patiently. I took a position just next to the lake from where I could see the lake and ancient structures beyond the lake.
With every passing moment, the sky opens up and the drama of elements – Fire, Water, Earth and Sky creates a spectacular picture of nature on the canvas of red & blue! I captured the silhouette of temple peaks and their reflection in the calm water… This is mesmerising, never seen before !
The wait is finally over, the sun sets up its rays over the ruins of the main temple.. the sky unleashes it’s colours. The temples, sun and their reflection is a view to soak in and cherish for lifetime! It’s like the Gods are explaining new verses from the holy book of nature and you are absorbing it. The drama in the Sky is simply breathtaking.. this is “Angkor Wat” !
Our trip to Vietnam- Cambodia was filled with such magical moments. We arrived in Cambodia after an eventful stay in Vietnam.
I’ve never crossed a border on foot, so it was another ‘First of’ experience for me when we entered Cambodia from Vietnam side. The people, the land, the climate on either side of the line are similar, and it’s merely a fictional cross-over yet you realise, you’ve entered a different territory, thanks to immigration offices on the border! The visa on arrival formalities were easy and quick @ $25 at Bavet immigration centre! Although, I seemed fit, customs guy did a 1 second health check by pointing some measuring instrument on my forehead and let me go in Cambodia.. well.. that was quick!
Phnom Penh
Once we entered the Cambodian territory, I started noticing difference in lifestyles, culture. The people seemed more traditional and devotional with small temples near their homes, ponds in front of house full of lotus blossoms and small place for faith plants (Tulsi)..very much like Indian countryside. Cambodian countryside seemed beautiful and our tour guide Mrs. Sok took us through the history of Cambodia which dates back to more than 2500 years invaded by many rulers including the Indian king Khambuj. It is said the name Cambodia has derived from this. Cambodian people, although mostly Buddhist, have huge influence of Hindu culture. They worship Visnu, Shiva and Ganesh alongside practicing Buddhism.
On our way to Phnom Penh, we had to cross a river by ferry. While we waited for the ferry, we observed interesting market life of a Cambodian town, where people were selling crickets, frogs, variety of insects and worms delicacies. Yes these are delicacies indeed in this part of the world! The people were were photogenic and happily posed for photos while varrying out their business. Our ferry arrived and we set for the journey ahead while the sun was setting down. I played with the children on ferry and captured their effervescent faces oozing with happiness in small things like a click. The river was behind us now and we restated the road journey. The sky was very pleasant and the blue hour on the backdrop of Cambodian landscape seemed enchanting. We reached our hotel at Phnom Penh and it was a sheer delight to watch the beautiful riverfront from our hotel’s balcony. After having a sumptuous dinner in an Indian hotel, we walked around the riverfront in the night.
Khemer Rouge
Next day, we had a chance to closely observe the life of a Cambodian city. Phnom Penh is the Capital of Cambodia. However, one would notice that it’s not a developed city,… more of a town. While taking the Cyclo tour, I perhaps started understanding the reason for the state of affairs here. The Khmer forces ruined the progress of the city by their cruelty and autocratic style of function. To understand more of this we moved to the infamous “Killing Fields” of Cambodia. It was a heart wrenching experience to see the heaps of human skulls arranged in the memorial at the Killing Fields. The Khmer forces – known as Polpot- brought the helpless people here and made them suffer by torturing them until they die. The Polpot were influenced by communism but went on the wrong side of implementing their thinking. They wanted to eliminate the educated people-doctors, teachers, engineers, artists from the region and only wanted farmers to live there. The genocide started in 1975 and ended in 1979 when Vietnamese army interfered to stop this madness. Walking through the killing fields sent chilling waves through my spine! We wanted to understand a bit if background of this so we went to a school which was turned into a jail -S21 during the Khemer rule. As we passed by the corridors of the school, we were shocked to see how cruel can someone be for one’s self ambition. The Khemers kept people in 2×2 feet cells and tied them by chains, with just a rice bowl of meal to eat everyday. And finally killing them! With heavy hearts, we came out of the school and were greeted by a few victims of khmer rule. The smiles on their faces were precious.
Spiders !
Next day before embarking on our we journey to Siam Reap, we visited the local morning market of Phnom Penh. People were busy in buying various things – from fresh vegetables to meat. It was interesting to note that that along with the elders, there were many children engaged in the market activities, perhaps learning tricks of the trade early in life! I captured some great photo shots of the market. On our way, we stopped at an unusual market place – Spider Market! I have never heard let alone seen something like this! Some children selling live spiders and spider delicacies. After overcoming initial hesitation to touch the spiders, we got comfortable with the spiders, taking them on palms, keeping them on hats.. it was fun handling deadly Tarantulas – Black spiders (obviously venom was removed) !
Let’s Rock
We finally reached Siem Reap – a small town by all comparisons and yet vibrant ! Siem Reap is full of tourists. If I’m not exaggerating, tourists to locals ratio here would be 70:30 ! Since we reached late evening, we decided to explore nightlife of the town ! And to our surprise it turned out to be the best party place on the earth I’ve been to -Pub Street! It’s literally carnival out there at night. Tourists from all countries, colours & race were there, enjoying music, drinks, LIFE ! I’ve never witnessed this kind of atmosphere anywhere. People party here all night, mix up with other nationals, locals freely, dancing, enjoying. It was Christmas eve and we couldn’t have been at a better place during our trip ! We were out on streets till late night and realised that we had to get up to watch the Angkor Wat spectacle!
Rendezvous with the History
After watching fascinating sunrise, we spent entire day at Angkor Wat in capturing the centuries old Vishnu temples and the ruins. One cannot help but stand and admire the man made wonders. Surprisingly these are maintained with the help of the Government of India! There’s lot to write about these structures but the best way in my opinion is to go and see it.
The key places not to be missed are:
- Ta Prohm: Featured in the Tomb Raider movie.
- Banteay Kdei: Home to 274 Buddhas rediscovered by Japanese archaeologists in 2002.
- Ta Nei: A quiet and peaceful temple deep in the jungle, along with Ta Keo, Chao Say Tevoda, and Thommanon.
- Bayon: The state temple of the Buddhist King, located in the center of Angkor Thom.
- Baphuon: The tallest pyramidal temple, which was closed for 27 years for restoration.
- Royal Palace Enclosure Wall: Includes the temple Phimeanakas, as well as the Elephant and Leper King Terraces.
As a photographer, I had a feast in capturing the structures, landscapes and the people – I love wide angle close ups and my shutter never stopped throughout the day !
The Floating World
Next day we visited the famous “Floating Villages” of “Kampong Kleang”. The houses, shops, even fuel stations are floating! It’s again full of photography opportunities. One can great silhouettes just before the sunset. I got some fantastic shots of my boatman jumping in water and a Fisherman throwing net in the river !
With the setting sun, we ended our Cambodian sojourn on high note by celebrating at the Pub Street. Next morning we bid adieu to Cambodia with bagful of memories and loads of photographs to cherish for lifetime !
If you love exploring new places, like to delve into history and want to enjoy life, Cambodia is the place for you.. A complete package!!
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