Danger!! Mines!!

Siem Reap, Cambodia

8 May 06 cont.

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From the Floating Villages of Tonle Sap we head to Aki Ra's Land Mine Museum just on the outskirts of Siem Reap.

Aki Ra is an expert in Explosive Ordnance (EOD) as that's what he did in the military during the years and years of civil strife in Cambodia. He has collected thousands of pieces of expended and in some cases wholly intact ordnance from around Cambodia and has assembled a very informative outdoor museum on the subject of landmines. He operates the museum on a donation only basis and the money he raises goes back into ongoing land-mine clearing projects around the country and medical assistance for people injured by land-mines.

Here is a display of anti-tank mines accompanied by warning signs folks will see about Cambodia in areas that have yet to be cleared of mines. Thanks to the Khmer Rouge there are literally millions of landmines still scattered about this country--an unfathomable concept, isn't it?

Thought the US bomb was interesting. I presume this is in the area because of the attempt to bring Cambodia into the Vietnam conflict in the early 70s. Doesn't appear to have gone off, does it?

Lots of anti-personnel mines.

More anti-tank mines--there were stacks and stacks of these all around the museum.

trkr points out a bear claw trap that's tethered to a series of obstacles & tripwires that incorporates landmines, grenades and other pieces of ordnances. At the museum, we also met several children and young adults who had been maimed by the mines over the years. Some were wearing prostethics--many weren't. We read through several narratives of people who have been affected by mines.

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Touring this museum was quite sobering! It really drove home the point how dangerous these landmines can be and also reminded us of the horrors of war and the dangers of dictatorships. It really reinforced how precious freedom is and how blessed we are to be Americans.

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This reminds me that at various points during our trip I'd ask the locals about life as they experienced it during the years of the Khmer Rouge's control and how things have changed since. None of these folks were shy about talking about life under the Khmer Rouge. They were also ecstatic in describing how things have improved and are improving everyday. The refrain "times are much better, much nicer now" was a common thing to hear.

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After the land-mine museum we enjoyed another nice lunch in town and capped it off with more scrumptious banana fritters. Walking out of the restaurant I noticed a tree with small red berries on it. I picked one up off the ground and could smell that it was really sweet. I asked one of the waiters if he knew what it was and he said it was a Go-kope and that it was edible. Inside it had tiny yellow seeds and it tasted like custard with a hint of cinnamon and apples!

Then we headed over to the Old Market and hunted for a few final items before we departed the country. I went there looking for silk linens but didn't find specifically what I wanted. We were rushed for time so I settled on a handful of silk pillowcases, some small change purses, several silk blouses (the BIG find at about $3-$4 each) and a pair of silver earrings. This was the one drawback of staying in one of the newer hotels on the outskirts of town--we didn't have the ability to just walk over to the market during the day because we had to hop in a taxi or tuk-tuk to visit the market. So, if/when we come back for another visit I'd want to add a few more days to our itinerary so we can leisurely explore the area.

trkr walking past a fish vendor at the Old Market. There were rows and rows of dried fish at this stand.

RnrB & trkr pointing out the sausage vendor at the market.

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When we ran out of time at the market we purchased a large bag of the palm sugar candy in those tiny palm leaf packages. We could only eat one or two of the bundles ourselves so I handed the other 6 bundles to rnrB & trkr to hand out to the children and invalids we saw along the way. The children who received the bundles were elated & rnrB & trkr really got a kick out of brightening these other childrens' days.

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After the market we headed over to the Chantiers Ecole--a trade school sponsored by the French government that teaches Cambodian children various trades. The children are provided scholarships and come from some of the neediest villages around the country. They are taught how to create sandstone panels that bear images found on the various temples of Angkor Wat.

What's amazing is the various processes involved in making a single panel. The processes include steps that require people to hand rub the raised detail for several days between coats of color and lacquer--using the natural oils in their hands to bring out the lustre of the sandstone.

These panels were very intricate!

The next area was the silk-screen room that employed only deaf mute women. These ladies were painting gorgeous pictures on the silk.

Another stop was the lacquer container area. The process to create the lacquer boxes was very similar to what we'd seen in Thailand. What surprised me was that the flat panels of lacquerware used MDF (medium density fibreboard) as its base.

The entire Chantiers Ecole operation appears to be a great opportunity for the impoverished children selected for the scholarship. Once they develop these skills to make high quality objects then they are able to eventually branch out and create the items on their own.

This area is where the students chisel the stone. This totally reminded me of carving stamps for letterboxing--although in a 3-D manner.

Once we finished the tour of Chantiers Ecole we headed back to the hotel, grabbed our gear and made our way to the airport.

Heading home...

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Cambodia has been such an amazing experience. It's a country that truly is frozen in time--evoking that nostalgic feeling from an era long gone. It's quaint, welcoming, the people are friendly yet reserved and totally honest. Their country offers unique historical and cultural sites but it's their citizens who touch our hearts. We knew very little about this country before we embarked on this whirlwind trip but we've learned a tad about what makes the country and its citizens tick. Although it's not a totally 'open' society it still feels very open and appears 'free' from what we can tell. Capitalism reigns supreme here. The people (of all ages) are very hard-working and beyond tenacious. There is much poverty here--moreso than I've seen in any other area of the world that I've ever visited. But despite the poverty, the people still carry this warmth and sense of dignity about them. Many children are forced to sell trinkets around the area just to raise money for school--even at the age of 3 & 4. That will be something I will never forget.

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The children who do attend school have memorized facts upon facts about numerous countries--I suppose as a way to 'connect' with people they meet along the way. When they see tourists out and about they ask where you're from and then instantly describe your country. "USA, Capital: Washington D.C., a large land with many people--population 300 million, etc". They quote these facts for each region from where the tourists hail and never skip a beat! As a test, I quizzed one boy in particular about California. He continued the same rote-recitation of the facts for California as he had done for the US and the other countries he described.

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Another memory that stands out is one young boy of about 6 counted to 10 in at least a dozen languages. I was able to count with him for about 6 languages but then he continued on and on in many others. Then when we quizzed him further he began to count using a different language for each digit--now that was amazing--and constantly changed them up! These kids are incredibly smart and very able to memorize facts and figures. We're constantly reminded that if they were only given better opportunities their potential would be boundless!

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Other vivid memories we will bring home with us from this trip are: motorbikes with pigs strapped down on the back, children and infants just haphazardly sitting on folks' laps be it on motorbikes, bicycles, tuk-tuks, etc. The extremely slow driving speed was a nice change of pace for us--it truly lessened the 'stress' throughout each day. Siem Reap also appears to be undergoing a construction boom--perhaps driven by the tourism industry. I have a feeling that things will change drastically for this region in a few short years.

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Our driver exchanges email addresses with us and says if we ever want to return in the future that he's offered to help make arrangements for us (or friends if that's the case).

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We leave Cambodia knowing that we've only scratched the surface of this country. This place has a lot to offer but you often have to dig a bit to get past the 'touristy' exterior. When we visit next we plan to stay at a guest house in town instead. We'd like to see the bamboo highrises and the floating forests of Kompong Phhluk and perhaps explore the waterfalls of Kulen National Park and wander about the streets of Phnom Penh, too. I feel as if this location is a jewel of a time capsule just about to become exposed to the elements. Hotels and restaurants are popping up all about but fortunately it's the first foreign country we've visited in a long time that doesn't yet have a McDonald's or a Starbucks--if you can believe it! It's been an incredible visit but far too, too short!!!