Cambodia: Exchanging Peace

We only spent about ten days in Cambodia, but it left an
unforgettable impression. The roads were in good shape, the sun was always out, and we were always met with smiles. The toughest times came when we would cycle for an hour or so and not see a single person, only dried, burnt rice fields and the seldom home left abandon.

 

Though we are a team of six we often find ourselves cycling in solitude, and it leaves me with no choice but to ponder, in this case over Cambodia’s turbulent history. Cambodia has seen its share of war. Since early times, they were always threatened by their neighbors, Thailand and Vietnam, and were constantly fighting over land. In the 1863, the French colonialists came to offer their protection in exchange for completely taking advantage of the country and it’s people for almost 100 years. The Khmer (the major ethnic group of Cambodia) finally revolted, only to be bombarded by the American imperialists for four year during the Vietnam War. And then, in the 1970s, as arguably a result of the bombing campaign, they began fighting themselves, when Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge murdered a quarter of the population, through slave labor, starvation, and mass executions. Cycling through the desolate northern part of Cambodia, I could only imagine what had happened here in the past.For an indepth insight on modern Cambodian history, check out Elizabeth Becker's book, When the War Was Over: Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge Revolution

Nevertheless, we felt very welcomed in Cambodia, as everyone was very curious and enthusiastic about our trip. People would proudly invite us into their homes and temples to show us how they are getting along. Even though they were incredibly friendly and always smiling, I could sense that there lives were  still very troublesome. It was very often that we saw people missing limbs, and orphanages are common in every town. We were lucky enough to visit one orphanage in Siem Reap. The founder was an orphan himself and he started the orphanage to give kids a place to stay and an opportunity to study. At the orphanage, the founder provides English classes, as well as basic needs, and is committed to sending them to public schools no matter the costs.

We arrived in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, after just three days in the country and we were immediately surprised by the contrast to the countryside. The city is a thriving, bustling metropolis with a large variety of people from all over Southeast Asia and the world. The culture is still very prevalent and huge temples and pagodas, as well as the national palace, distract you from the ugly western style buildings.

 

Our second day in the capital we met with the Vice Governor of Phnom Penh, who apologized that the Governor himself could not meet with us.
At that time the government was very busy, as Thailand and Cambodia were fighting over a World Heritage Monument in northern Cambodia, near the Thai border. Reports have said that up to 20 people were killed in the fighting and many people I spoke with believe the numbers were greater. The Vice Governor was very welcoming and was excited to promote relations between Yunnan and his city. He was also very enthusiastic about our trip and hoped that we could send
a message of peace from Cambodia to the world. “Cambodia and the Cambodian people wish to only have peace. Peace with Thailand, peace with China, and peace in the world.”

Our only other time to rest was in Siem Reap, to explore the incredible temples of Angkor Wat. During the 9-13^th centuries the Khmer had a vast civilization here, but due to threats from neighbors, they were
forced to abandon the area, and its history became lost until the French began restoring it in the late 19th century. The French began researching and renovating the incredible city and temples and discovered that the civilization was much more advanced in Science, Philosophy, and Religion than most anywhere else at that time. Ironically, their research instilled pride back into the Khmer people, who eventually revolted and threw out the French colonialists. Angkor Wat and the surrounding ruins are now a national pride and a world treasure. Angkor was the world's largest pre-industrial city, and to this day still contains the world's largest religious monument.

 

We could have easily spent a week here, but unfortunately we
had to move on, to continue our journey and spread our messages of peace and
friendship. Next stop: Thailand!

You can check out more photos here and read another account of my trip at Go Kunming website.

 

Peace from the Southeast!