Understanding Angkor's complex history is beyond my pay grade. Throughout the ages, the temples of Siem Reap have been used for religious and political purposes to develop and cultivate community desired by the King of the moment. Thus, some temples are Hindu, while others are strictly Buddhist, yet still others combine the two religions. Their detail is immaculate and hundreds of thousands of workers must have been used to build vast moats and carve intricate detail. That's about all that stuck with me from our Cambodian turned Australian (outback hat, authentic "hehe" laugh, swagger and all mate) tour guide.
My favorite temple was the Hindu temple Angkor Thom which was used in Angelina Jolie's movie, "Tomb Raider". Mighty trees engulf the temple ruins and stones appear to be nothing more than hard soil in which to dig their roots. It offers a pretty spectacular sight that is certainly a one of a kind. (I now realize that these photos are on David's camera. I'll upload these pictures soon.)
The most meaningful part of my short Cambodian experience was interacting with the children. Outside each temple we would be swarmed by kids who wanted to sell us anything and everything for virtually nothing. Their faces were adorable and when they're asking you to buy 10 bracelets for $1 it's a bit hard to say no. And these kids were probably the best bargainers we've come across! Example: Do you have a girlfriend? If yes: Well, then you need to buy one for her! She'll really like you then! If no: Well that's because you don't have a bracelet! Here, you can buy one of mine, only $1. If that wasn't enough to make their sale it was on to their math and geography recitals as they counted from 1-10 in about 10 different languages, recited state capitals and populations (some of which I didn't even know... I know, I'm ashamed...). Bottom line, they were good. Anyone want a bracelet when I get home?
Our time with the kids brought this hard to swallow combination of joy and sorrow. The joy was from the kids themselves. I only wished I had a kickball! It would have been awesome to take the large swarm of kids away from their daily routine and allow them to just be kids. The sorrow came from double edged sword of tourism. Tourism is critical to such an impoverished country such as Cambodia, but in some sense it also restricts kids such as these to working only in tourism. Selling souvenirs or working for tourists will most likely make up a large part of their lives. Hopefully that won't always be the case.
Now it's off to Thailand for babes and beaches. My mom typically says that they aren't always a good combo. But I've got different hopes for a group home in Chiang Mai with 120 girls who get up at 5:30 each day to worship. We'll be sure to let you know how it all works out.
~Joe
