The joys of Cambodia

I’ve picked out ten photos to showcase what were, for me, the never-forget and laugh-out-loud moments, the heart-stopping places and heart-warming days, and my all-time favourite things from my six months living and working in Cambodia. These images are in chronological order – I couldn’t possibly decide which is the most special.

The many and varied temples within the 400 square kilometres of the Angkor Archaeological Park never cease to fascinate and amaze me, with their skilful engineering and their stunning architecture, and though extremely destructive if left unchecked, the kapok trees and strangler figs are an integral part of the Angkor experience. This magnificent kapok tree has buttresses that prove just how skilled an architect Mother Nature can be.

The Silver Pagoda was definitely the highlight of the few short hours I spent exploring Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh and, once I spotted the reflections in the waterlily-filled urns, I couldn’t resist taking hundreds of photos. The combination of the superbly sculpted temples and shrines with the beautiful waterlily flowers, all reflected in the still dark water, was irresistible.

Sihanoukville turned on sunsets like this every night we were there and, as long as you walked past the boozy-bar, sleazy-tourist end of Ochheuteal Beach, you could enjoy the tepid waters and desert-island feel of this gorgeous white sand beach.

The two weeks I spent in workshops with creative artists from around the world and excited children from local NGOs, making the enormous puppets for the annual Giant Puppet Parade, were the most fun of my six months in Siem Reap. The children’s energy and enthusiasm were as charming as they were infectious, and performing as number two puppeteer on the Hanuman puppet on the night of the parade left me exhausted but wonderfully exhilarated – a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Another day, another temple. The combination of an hour-long tuktuk ride, relatively few tourists, a magnificent temple to explore IndiAnnie-Jones-style, and like-minded company to share the pleasure with – a perfect combination! I had been to Beng Mealea before, I went again in March, I would repeat the day at the drop of a hat!

In Cambodia I discovered the delights of waterlilies, their infinite variety of patterns, the delicate subtlety of their colours. Feast your eyes on these beauties and smile!

Cambodian children are wide-eyed, cheeky, desperately poor, smart, smaller and thinner than they deserve to be, cute, capable, hard-working, affectionate, creative, playful, sensitive.… And one of the joys of my last few months in Siem Reap was managing the transition of Helping Hands, the project these three girls attend, into the Globalteer family. I hope their future is a bright one as they each deserve to be stars!

Even now I laugh when I look at this photo. Whenever my spirits were low – which, luckily, was seldom – I would visit the pond at Wat Damnak where there is a healthy population of these little frogs, and their comic antics would always make me laugh out loud.

If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you’ll be aware of my obsession with the pagodas of Siem Reap. This one, Wat Po Banteaychey, is probably my favourite, though each is special in its own way. I think it’s the combination of splendid architecture, the vibrant technicolour decoration, and the tranquillity of the pagodas that made them my favourite places for exploration and lingering.

Here’s another creature that made me smile, with its hilarious dance-like actions, its ability to change colour when aroused, and its truly impressive tail. Both these Oriental Garden Lizards and the tiny geckos that inhabit every nook and cranny of every building in Cambodia, as well as the Tokay geckos that cry out “okay, okay, okay”, charmed and entertained me, and helped provide me with the memories of Cambodia that I’m sure will never leave me.

From spider whisperer to pagoda photographer

On Friday 11 January I set off on my latest adventure, a week travelling around Cambodia with my friend Marianne and two of her Cambodian family, young lads of 17 and 24. First, was a 6-hour bus trip from Siem Reap to the country’s capital, Phnom Penh.

The roads here can be dangerous and Route 6 has a sinister reputation but our trip was without incident. We had chosen a new bus company, Giant Ibis, with a comfortable air-conditioned bus, skilled drivers, complimentary bottles of water and chocolate pastries soon after setting off, and movies (we saw three: The Dictator, The Expendables, and The Amazing Spiderman) to keep the passengers amused. Actually, watching the movies was quite a bizarre experience as, with just a slight upward or downward motion, your eyes could move from the sight of a road full of tuk-tuks or an old wooden cart being pulled by two oxen to a scene of Hollywood-created carnage in Asian Russia or Spiderman saving the world from a giant lizard!

Halfway through the journey we stopped for a lunch break and then later we paused for a restroom break. That was hugely interesting, as we stopped in the small town of Skuon, which is well-known locally for the bizarre food on offer in its market. Spiders are the local speciality but we also saw beetles, crickets, frogs and small birds, to name just a few. I could never bring myself to eat such things, though other bus passengers did. I was, however, more than happy to have a live spider sitting on my hand, something that would have freaked me out in the past – I used to have quite a phobia about spiders, but have become braver – some might say crazier – in recent years! The spiders are a type of tarantula and are apparently at their tastiest when tossed in sugar and salt, then stir-fried with garlic in oil. I prefer mine alive!

Phnom Penh is a huge city of about 2.2million people but we had little time to explore, just a few hours free on Saturday morning. We tuk-tukked from our hotel to the Independence Monument which commemorates independence from France in 1953 and, these days, also serves as a war memorial to honour Cambodia’s war dead. The red sandstone tower recalls the architecture of an Angkor tower, with its multi-tiered roofs decorated with more than 100 nagas (seven-headed serpent statues). Shame about the concrete and glass skyscrapers in the background.

We walked from the monument down the grand Sihanouk Boulevard, past the equally grand buildings of the Buddhist Institute and the National Assembly, home to Cambodia’s parliament, then along the waterfront adjacent to the confluence of those two mighty rivers, the Tonle Sap and the Mekong. After a few blocks we turned left towards the Royal Palace. The street outside is currently closed off due to the death of former King Norodom Sihanouk, considered by most Cambodians to have been the father of their country. His passing on 15 October 2012 sent the entire country into a period of mourning that will last until his burial in February, and throughout the country there are billboards, large and small, showing his photo. Underneath a huge one of these at the Royal Palace there is an area where locals can light incense and place lotus flowers in memory of their beloved king.

The Royal Palace is closed during the mourning period but the grounds of the neighbouring Silver Pagoda are still open. This enclosure is a tranquil oasis amidst the hustle and bustle of the city, and is a stunningly beautiful place. As well as the Silver Pagoda, so-named for the 5329 engraved silver tiles that cover its floor, the grounds contain ornately carved Chedi (stone towers) and other pagoda-like constructions, set amidst hundreds of ornamental plants in large pots. I was totally enchanted with the reflections to be found in the wide urns of waterlilies and many many photographs were taken.

I would have liked to have stayed longer but we needed to be back at the hotel to check out by midday. Next time!