Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Today we explored Cambodia’s charming and fast-growing capital city of Phnom Penh, quite the contrast to yesterday’s bucolic meandering down the Tonle Sap and across its rice paddies and lotus fields. This bustling riparian city of 1.5 million people with cafes on every street corner has had a recent history like no other. Unbelievably, it was completely de-populated by the horrific Khmer Rouge regime during their brutal period of power between the fall of Phnom Penh in 1975 and their ouster by the Vietnamese in 1979. Thankfully it has been beautifully reborn and is once again “The Paris of Asia,” which had long been its sobriquet. With its stylish French colonial architecture and true cosmopolitan air, this city that sits at the confluence of three rivers (the Tonle Sap, the Mekong, and the Bassac) is once again thriving.
Keeping with our record of trying all the local modes of transportation, we headed off in “cyclos,” which are comfortable bicycle rickshaws that make for a fun and quick ride to the major sites. After a short tour en plein air we were dropped off at the magnificent Royal Palace, dating from 1866. The extensive grounds are now amply and affectionately decorated with giant posters of Cambodia’s recently deceased King Sihanouk. Complex and hugely charismatic, Sihanouk was a fixture in modern Cambodian history and is beloved by the Cambodian people. A giant cremation stupa has just been erected to honor him and house his ashes. We then made our way to the Silver Pagoda which is adjacent to the Royal Palace and notable for its floor made of more than 5,000 silver tiles as well as its many priceless bejeweled Buddhas. We capped our exceptional morning with a visit to the National Museum where we saw spectacular treasures of Khmer sculpture dating back all the way to the proto-Angkorian Chenla Period.
We had a relaxing and wonderfully prepared Khmer lunch at the elegant Malis (meaning jasmine in Khmer) restaurant, before heading off to pay our respects at the S-21 (for Security Prison 21) Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. As important as it was difficult, this visit to the dark side of Cambodian history raised our awareness of the appalling extent of the crimes against humanity perpetrated by the barbaric and atavistic Khmer Rouge regime. Not an easy visit but an essential one, as the world must always remember this holocaust and this is the major monument to its victims. Some of us chose to complete this grim homage with a visit to the “Killing Fields” of Choeung Ek just outside the city, taking some more time to honor the fallen and reflect on the events of that hellish period and their meaning. Others understandably chose a more upbeat excursion and visited the extraordinary Tabitha organization, dedicated to the advancement of women in Cambodia and provides support, training in silk handicrafts, and instruction in financial management skills. The beautiful scarves and other products purchased will be a fine remembrance of this wonderful project and the powerful and constructive optimism that underpins it.
We headed back to our elegant riverboat home and had the enormous pleasure of hearing a lively lecture by Professor Jean Michel Fillipi on “Cambodia’s Modern History,” followed by a marvelous BBQ dinner on deck and a moonlight traditional dance performance by an extremely talented young local troupe.
In the balmy evening air with the moon reflecting on the Tonle Sap River lapping beneath us, we reflected on the extraordinary experiences of another amazing day in this most intriguing part of the world. Tomorrow we give ourselves unto Mother Mekong and will follow her lead into dynamic and fascinating Vietnam…
