By Evelyn Kelly, PhD
Flying into Phnom Penh (pronounced puh naam pen), Cambodia was a shock: beautiful skyscrapers, polished roads, and an efficient airport. We were in a busy modern city with motorized scooters and tuk-tuks interspersed with a few cars. The energy was magnificent.
Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda
Unlike many countries of former French Indochina, Cambodia’s present government is a constitutional monarchy—somewhat like Great Britain. The king is the head of state, and the prime minister is the head of government and parliament.
As we were getting ready to cross the street, our guide said, “Wait.” King Norodom Sihamoni’s motorcade was leaving the palace and passed right in front of us. We think he waved to us.
The Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda are in the same complex. Assisted by the French builders in the 19th Century, the palace has a gilded pitched roof framed by serpents. The nearby Silver Pagoda has a gilded gateway and floors inlaid with 5,000 solid silver tiles.
The Great Khmer Empire We Know Little About
In our history classes, we study little about Asian empires. The magnificent Khmer Empire began in the 9th century and lasted until the 1400s. It covered modern-day Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its capital was Angkor Wat, now a World Heritage Site. The huge area consists of five-towered structures shaped like lotus buds surrounded by a moat. It was a city with both Hindu and Buddhist temples and many cultures and shrines.
Apsara Dancers
We saw a performance of the Apsara Dancers, Khmer female figures who are messengers of the divine. The performers stretch their fingers backways, dipping far back on the tops of their hands. During the empire’s full glory, there were 3,000 Apsara dancers to entertain and delight.
Although April, it was 102 F. I struggled with the heat, so the guide encouraged me to return to the hotel in a tuk-tuk, a one-person carriage driven by a bicyclist. We passed motor scooters and waved to them. Sometimes, three people were on a scooter; one was carrying a goat.
Cambodia by Oxcart
One of the fun things was riding in an oxcart to visit a family of Cambodian farmers who served us fresh coconuts. We played balloons with the children. We also stopped by a food stand on the roadside for KFC—Kambodian Fried Crickets. (They tasted like chicken.)
Related: Armchair Adventures: See the Himalayas on Buddha Air
Sad Times
When the French were defeated, the Khmer Rouge ordered everyone to evacuate the town and go to the countryside to work in “the great communist revolution.” Anyone who disagreed was killed or imprisoned in Kraol Prison, which today is a museum. Of the thousands who were incarcerated, only seven survived; I had the opportunity to meet one of the survivors, who talked to me through an interpreter.
Our guide asked for questions, and the subject turned to dictator Pol Pot. The guide’s parents were teenagers then and were forced to marry, although they did not know each other. They worked 12 hours a day, seven days a week. When tears appeared in the guide’s eyes, we knew our questions must end.
Evelyn Kelly is coauthor of the upcoming book, “Have a Love Affair with Travel,” to be released this fall.
