We started early in the morning in Phnom Penh and headed first to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek. It was a deeply saddening place. The most distressful part of the visit was seeing the clothes of the victims come up from the ground because of the rains. Near the mass graves, there was the killing tree. Democratic Kampuchea soldiers would smash babies against this tree to kill them. It was horrific, but William Wordsworth said "we will grieve not, rather find / Strength in what is left behind." The museum left behind honors these victims and their remembrance should bring us strength. In the fields, there are a disproportionate number of butterflies. The Cambodian people say that the butterflies are the renewed souls of the victims. They were finally set free from oppression after death. As Cormac McCarthy said, "all things of grace and beauty... have a common provenance in pain." Though their lives finished with suffering, their souls are gracefully dancing through the fields. We went, next, to the Tuol Sleng Prison Genocide Museum. Although it was not organized or decorated, the simplicity and barrenness were representative of the prison itself. As you walked around the cells, you could see the splattered blood of the prisoners on the walls and floors. It was quite the dreary morning.
I ate lunch at "Friends," an NGO restaurant/ school that employs and trains street children. After lunch, I sat by the Mekong for awhile. While I was sitting on the bench reading, a preteen boy came up and asked if I wanted to buy a book. I told him I already had one and looked back down. He was still there, so I glanced back upwards. He proceeded to ask me if I wanted marijuana, opium, or cocaine. I was bewildered; he was only a child. I sent him on his way, but I wonder if there is anything I could have done. I wandered the Royal Palace, whose grounds were massive and quite beautiful. Nearby, was the National Museum, which I explored for a few hours. We took the "five hour" bus ride to Siem Reap, which took almost eight; then, we settled into our hostel.
The next day, we took our first adventure into Angkor Wat. Before we left the hostel, we were told it was a holy day, and to wear long sleeves and pants. It was sweltering outside, but we obliged. We went to a few crumbling temples, and we thought they were incredible. Our driver told us that these were some of the minor temples. What?! We also learned some interesting information: evidently, we did not need to wear long clothes. Oh, bother. Instead of facing another several hours baking in the suit in my linen pants and long-sleeved shirt, I bought more weather-appropriate clothes from our restaurant. In the late afternoon, there were three brothers. The six year old was Nga and the twin eleven year olds were Dey and Nee. They were exploring these abandoned temples and running in the jungles surrounding. They showed us around the temples and I was sad to say goodbye to them and their mom (who had ten kids)! On the way out, we saw the sunset over Angkor Wat. I knew then that waking up at 4am to see the sunrise would definitely be worth it.
The next morning came almost unbearably early, but we decided to follow A.E. Hausman's order: "up, lad; when the journey's over / there'll be time enough for sleep." We forgot a flashlight, so we tripped and stumbled through the first temple before we settled by the pond in front of the Great Temple. The sunrise over Angkor Wat was breathtaking, but brief. When it was almost finished rising, Andrea and I hurried into the Great Temple. There were less than a dozen people inside the Wat. It was superb! After exploring for a few hours, we sat and relaxed on a nearby temple. I even nodded off for a few minutes. We headed next to Ta Prohm, which is atop a hill. The walk up the mountain was easy; the steps to the actual temple, however, were not nearly as simple. You were forced to walk sideways up the stairs, and the width of your foot is nearly too much. Once we stood looking over all the temples, we breathed in the astounding view. We did our best to "stuff [our] eyes with wonder... see the world," because Ray Bradbury was right that "it's more fantastic than any dream." On our way down the mountain, we noticed a man playing a beautiful melody with a set of bongos and a blade of grass. We, then, explored the grand expanse of the Temples of Angkor Thom. We wandered through the jungles and admired the ancient trees and stone temples. When we came upon Angkor Thom, we were awestruck. It was massive and filled with huge and intricate carved faces; there were dozens and each were different. I sometimes forget when I'm looking at beautiful monuments, how they came to be so beautiful. It was painful for me, when I occassionally saw monks kneeling with their heads bowed and hands clasped in reverence, to see Farangs like me taking disprespectful pictures and talking loudly. I'm sure that, I too, am guilty of this. People use this temple to meditate and honor Buddha. This sacred ground deserves more respect.
That night, we saw an Aspara dancing show. Their costumes were gorgeous; when they moved gently, almost dreamlike, they told such interesting stories. We left the next morning on a bus to Bangkok saying goodbye to the beautiful people and fascinating history.
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