Courgeous Cambodia

Cambodia to me has been the one place I have left feeling impacted the most, it was like a history lesson from the minute we entered to the minute we left, being able to see the devastation of war everywhere, from the population to the experiences of the Khmer people, Cambodia for me is a perfect example of the courageous survival of human kind.

From Angkor Wat we headed to Ko Tah Kiev island for 3 days at Crusoe Island, Crusoe island is a rustic island stay we found quite a few months back, maybe even last year and we both had been so excited for this experience of island life, Crusoe just looked a dream, it looked what island life should be like, rustic, laid back, hammocks and the sea on our door step, we had booked one of the bungalows, the vie.  When we arrived the sun was shining and the view stood up to its name, It was an open bungalow that looked straight onto a nook of beach and the ocean, ah heaven! We made our nest and got straight into the water, happy, smiling, and content. Ash and Mike were in the explorer cabin next to us and we all agreed things were going to be great, what more could you want then sun and ocean for three days?

Well without going into it too much, the rain come and Crusoe Island went drastically downhill, we did however manage to string some hammocks up in the only communal area and read and drink tea/coffee, so relaxing did happen, just in a very different form to how we had imagined.

We did however find some space when the rain stopped to go and clean some of the beach (in exchange for beer), sadly the beach is cluttered with rubbish and we managed to gather around 8-12 bags of plastic bottles before the drizzle started again, at this we jumped into the ocean and attempted to body surf the waves. For around 2hrs we played like children in the sea, laughing, joking, being swept under, riding on top of the waves and making the most of the storm brewing above us, making the sea a delightful playground.

That evening we were informed the kitchen had run out of food, at that point we knew we couldn’t wait to get off the island and head to our next destination, Kampot. We took a stroll along the beach that evening and went back to the restaurant we had enjoyed lunch at, having a feast of pizza and wine, it was nice to feel humbly fed with food and drink, retiring that night with the joyful thought of no rain tomorrow and a room that didn’t have sneaky mice stealing from you as you snoozed.

We took a taxi to Kampot the next day, Sam had booked us a floating bungalow on the river kampot which just looked so beautiful and M&A had a treetop bungalow out in the gardens of Bodi Villa. Kampot was such a lovely stay, really relaxing and just what we needed after our time on the island. For the three days we were there we just relaxed by the river, swam, ate and drank delicious wine. It was a great place for reading, writing and just enjoying the blissful calm of life in Kampot. Mike turned 29 when were there also so we chose to take a day trip to Kep, sadly the weather turned but we didn’t let it stop our plan, we took our scooters and travelled the hour’s drive to Kep market. Kep is known for its tasty crab and we found a perfect shack to enjoy a tasty feast. It was like a northern day at the beach, the rain was coming down, blustery winds and cool in the air, for us though it made it feel like home, both being from cold countries we embraced the chill and enjoyed the gusty day at the seaside.That evening we headed home in time for our firefly tour, we had no idea what to expect for our evening boat trip but we certainly were not dissapointed. The four of us heading out on a priavte boat, docking up at the side of a mud drawn road, we all looked at each other as if to say 'what the hell' but our lovely tour guide got us walking and took us through a muddy puddle into a bushy area, at this he pointed out one firefly and the moon, great we thought one firefly, oh and the moon! but then suddenly a tree in front of us just flashed, like a christmas tree, the lights of the fireflies intermittently going on and off, we all gasped with happiness and our tour man started singing happy birthday (in Cambodion). With a huge roar of laughter we all broke down, totally unaware of how he knew it was Mikes birthday, we sang away though and enjoyed such a magical moment. Another 30mins passed and we enjoyed the array of activity these little insects brought us, smiling with wonderous joy at each flicker of light, another one of the worlds wonderful creatures. Our tour came to an end and we headed back to Bodi for an evening on the pontoon, drinking wine and talking about Mikes 30th plans ahead.

The following day we packed and headed for our next stop in Cambodia, Phonm Phen, we had decided to take two days to explore the capital, taking in the museums and history of this wonderful country we had been travelling and taking so much richness from. I had started reading a book recommended to me about the Cambodian civil war which for me was a great way to prepare me for the horrific sad information to be given at the museums. My knowledge of history is dire and so I am aware of the Khmer Rouge regime but wasn’t as fully aware as I should have been, by the end of day 2 though my brain felt like it could have exploded with the sadness, terror and stories heard of this devastating period and the impact it still has today.

We started the day by heading to S21, this used to be an old high school before the Pol Pot regime took it over and used it as a prison, we chose to get a guide for the few hours we would be spending there, our guide was a women who had lived through the regime and told us her story of how she had lost her brothers and sisters due to the child labour camps and starvation they suffered as children,  her parents had also been killed for no other reason than being from the city. Her story was like so many others and my heart broke at the information surrounding us. The high school – prison – museum held such strong messages and a proportion of it was still in the same structure as it had been in the 1970’s. In one part the walls are lined with images of child soldier’s, innocent faces turned evil for power, brain washed by a man clearly unstable in his own mental health all for a notion of sheer madness, I read somewhere that even if you wore glasses you would be killed. We learnt that over half the population were killed, that’s 1 in 2 people were murdered for no reason, I don’t even know If I can still digest the information now but I know I feel utter admiration for Cambodian people, their courage to carry on is inspiring after such a brutal attack on their society. We entered one part of the museum which was dedicated to foreigners caught up in the attack, one guy was from Newcastle, my home town (as most of you know), it didn’t have much information so I chose to read some more on the internet, it again was another tale of horror, he was seized whilst yachting and was taken to S21, captured and tortured and made to admit he was part of the CIA,  this was a method the Khmer Rouge used when killing, by people admitting they were part of the CIA they then felt they had allowances to kill the said victim, none of it makes sense, the Pol Pot genocide was one of sick  intention and in S21 alone 14,000 people were tortured and killed.

From here we headed to The Killing Fields, I had no idea what to expect from this museum and was surprised at how well it was organised for such a horrific but important memorial site. The Killing Fields was another area people were taken to before being killed, there is a number of these all over Cambodia but the one in Phonm Phen is the biggest. The memorial is carried out as a audio tour,  each stop informing you what this area was and what was carried out here, the detail is to harrowing to write up and I think it’s more important to experience or read more about it yourself if interested. The emotion it stirred in all of us was indomitable and we all had to take some time out to regain ourselves and feel the sadness and devastation that was being stirred.  For me at first I didn’t really understand the true importance of people going to visit these museums and have these experiences but as I walked around I realised I was mourning the loss of thousands of lives, mothers, babies, fathers, children, families taken away for no reason, butchered for no reason, the killing fields was a memorial to these people to be remembered and never forgotten, it’s so important to remember these periods of history and stop civil wars and genocides like this happening again and if places like this do that then the message is being put out there and a nation is not being forgotten.

We took the evening and following day to be with ourselves and enjoy the feeling of being in PP after the devastation it suffered, looking at the pictures of how the city was prior to it being captured to how it was during and how it had been built back up now, booming with industry and travelers. I was proud to wander the streets and experience the culture, feeling blessed to be in this life and with the people I was with. Our last day in Cambodia was one of reflection and my time in this beautiful country had been more then I could have expected a highlight on the travel train, how it has opened my mind and eyes, making me feel a different appreciation for life and the experiences I am having.

We said our goodbyes to Mike and Ash, arranging to see one another again in Vietnam, they headed up to Kratie for dolphin spotting and we had to get ourselves to Vietnam for our time in Sapa before the parentals arrived. We took the mighty Mekong out of Cambodia, crossing the border to Vietnam on the river, entering back into familiar territory and excited for the next month of travel.