Cambodia: Lean into the discomfort and become spellbound by the majestic temples, delectable cuisine and whole hearted locals
Images and words by Charlene Trist
From the moment I arrived, Siam Reap commanded my full attention. Unrestrained in the back seat of an auto-remorque (also known as a tuk-tuk), I held onto my luggage tightly, in the hope that neither it or I would slide out the side as we freewheeled over pot holes, into oncoming traffic and took corners like an energetic cat. The scent of jasmine, charcoal grilled meats and petrol fumes whooshed into my olfactory as we whizzed past rice paddies, road-side restaurants and happy naked children frolicking recklessly in a muddy and somewhat ominous looking stream. Humble handmade homes constructed of draughty thatched walls and palm leaf roofs were scattered amongst the dry and dusty landscape, progressively morphing into somewhat sturdier stilted timber houses as we approached town.
In the main tourist corridor, beautiful hotels and resorts lined the streets side by side with food stalls, markets and stores catering to local and tourist needs. If you seek to be spoiled, there is an abundance of tranquil day spas and fine dining restaurants with cheerful staff waiting to fulfil your every whim. It’s easy and affordable to live like royalty if you wish; however, you must also be warned that it is impossible to avoid the stark reality of local life – unless you choose to wear blinders that is.
At times, Cambodia will likely make you uncomfortable. There is no glossing over what the genocide of one third of a countries population does to the people left behind and the generations that follow. No avoiding the child begging, the hassling tuk-tuk drivers, the homeless, the tired and the hungry. You will likely trip over broken foot paths and feel compelled to bless yourself as you cross the road. You will weep at the killing fields where thousands were starved, tortured and killed during the regime of Pol Pot and profusely sweat under the hot Khmer sun. You will hear heartbreaking stories framed in the context of before and after the Khmer Rouge and watch on helplessly as men and women disfigured by the millions of undetonated landmines struggle to go about their lives. Persevere.
You will also be gobsmacked by the creativity and ingenuity of an ancient civilisation and the relics they left behind, awestruck by the amber, violet and baby pink hues of the sun setting behind lush jungle terrain and the silhouettes of lanky, gangly coconut palms in the distance. You will be delighted by the fresh and lively flavours of classic Khmer cuisine and inspired by countless NGO’S and social enterprise projects that are transforming lives.
My best advice for an exhilarating and meaningful adventure is to lean into the discomfort and become spellbound by the majestic temples, delectable cuisine and whole hearted locals.
Ancient Temples of Angkor
The sun rising behind Angkor Wat.
One of the grandest archaeological and religious sites in the world, Angkor Wat is a powerful symbol of Cambodia and a source of great national pride. The ancient temple complex draws more than two million visitors a year. Believe me when I say that nothing you may have learned from pictures, books or google about Angkor Watt approaches the actual experience of visiting this temple.
If you give credit to online reviews, you might consider skipping the 4.45am departure from your hotel and forego watching the sunrise behind Angkor Wat in favour of a comfortable sleep in, but I suggest you brave the early hours, wipe the sleep from your dreary eyes and enjoy your dark and quiet tuk-tuk ride into the country side.
You need arrive early if you want a front row seat, but the wait can be made all the more enjoyable by striking up a conversation with the other tourists. You will be happily chatting away when all of a sudden the horizon starts to brighten and the crowds hush. Bewitchingly, the magenta hue rises slowly in the sky. Over shimmering still water, the four iconic gopuras and corner towers seem to magically materialise out of nowhere. It’s a special and humbling way to welcome the birth of a brand new day in an ancient land.
Symbolically representing an earthly model of the cosmic world, Angkor Wat’s scale and artistic genius is mind-bending. Inscribed upon its lotus –bud towers, courtyards and galleries, friezes tell of a time where royals lived in magical palaces, where kings were entertained by dancing celestial maidens and of vicious warriors who fought ferociously to defend the Khmer Empire during the ongoing war with the Ayutthaya Kingdom.
My cheerful and chatty archaeological guide cum translator, Mr Sok, enthusiastically and expertly guided me through Angkor Wat and several of the other temples. To call him a local guide is an understatement. As a young boy, Mr Sok’s home was merely a few minutes’ walk to Angkor Wat. Most of his youth was spent playing in the time-worn fortress and cooling down with a dip in the ancient royal baths. Occasionally he would even sleep on Angkor Wats cold stone floor, tucked away in a corner dreaming about the characters inscribed upon it so many years ago. Of course this is well before UNESCO took over the management of Angkor Wat forcibly relocated all the village people into even more remote countryside to rebuild their homes and their lives.
Mr Sok inspired me to envision each corner, each artefact and each inscription through the eyes of a child. At some point I was told how many people it must have taken to cut each piece of rock, transport it, position it and engrave it but my mind was carried away in a land of long ago imagining such a spectacle unfolding before me. Scrambling around in the sweltering heat confined within the temples sturdy walls just added to the euphoria of the experience.
When I spoke about my interest in discovering traditional Cambodian food, he insisted on taking me to meet his aunt at her restaurant specialising in ‘kuy teav’ – a rich, steaming bowl of broth filled with yellow or white noodles, beef and aromatic herbs famously served in the region. Over breakfast Mr Sok spoke of challenges he experienced in qualifying for his tour guide licence, his dream to travel the world and the pressure experienced by men and women of his generation to get married and start a family, often by arrangement.
While Angkor Wat is the most recognised and arguably the most beautiful ancient temple, it is only one of approximately ninety in the region, each with its own sense of character and unique features.
At Bayon temple, 216 gargantuan smiling faces of Avalokiteshvara compassionately glare down at you from every angle with as many as a dozen heads visible at any one time. Bas- reliefs depict the majestic and the minutia of daily living with scenes of shops, food stalls are women selling fish in the market are remarkably and somewhat eerily familiar to modern day city life.
Food Culture
Markets form the lifeblood of locals and are a great way to immerse yourself into a new culture. I tried to visit a new market every day as part of my morning routine. My favourite was Phsar Leu, Siam Reap’s largest and most authentic market. Located just out of town on National Road 6, locals swarm here to snag the best of the days local catch of still flapping fish, raw meat, the most amazing and colourful variety of fresh fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices as well as clothes and household items. Here the streets are like a maze, narrow and congested with foot traffic, motor bikes, and push carts selling flowers, fried snacks and cockles dredged in sugar, salt and chillies.
Cambodian food is often compared to the cuisine of its neighbours. Despite the inclusion of some elements from Thailand and Vietnam, Cambodian cuisine is still distinctly different. A variety of spice pastes called Kroeung form the base flavours of many Khmer dishes. Prahok, a fermented fish paste is commonly referred to as ‘Cambodian Cheese’ thanks to its distinctive odour and is commonly used as a seasoning or condiment. Tropical fruits, palm sugar, nuts, coconut cream, noodles, chilies, fresh green pepper and lime are common ingredients as is the liberal use of wild flowers and herbs. There is also a trace of the departed French in its breads and pastries.
When the Khmer Rouge marched in during the 1970’s the country was destroyed and all links to the past, culinary and otherwise, were severed. Traditional home cooked and celebratory dishes including specialty dishes specific to the royal family were lost. Recipes were burnt with all forms of other literature and a generation of mothers and grandmothers were tragically killed before their daughters and granddaughters had a chance to learn and practice ancient food rituals, some estimating from as early as the 9th century, containing such important links to their history and culture.
Recovery of the cuisine has been slow however a revival is now underway. In Siam Reap, young Khmer chefs have been busy researching the uniqueness of its native ingredients and connecting with the few remaining elderly who remember creating, first hand, the dishes of the kingdoms past as an exploration of their heritage and the basis for respectful reinterpretation of the classics. Many of my most memorable dinners were at Cambodia’s finest restaurants. Sugar Palm, Malis, Mie Café, Embassy and Cuisine Wat Damnak are the absolute top end of dining in Siam Reap.
Food has an almost magical way of invoking local understanding in travellers. Market tours, street food tours and excursions to rural villages were fun, insightful and gave me ample opportunities to connect with local people.
Country life
Visitors who wisely decide to complement their itinerary of temple sightseeing with some rural village exploration would be forgiven for thinking that this is a country frozen in time. The stone engraved images of farmers planting rice, fisherman casting their nets, people playing chess or gathering for a cockfight come to life in the countryside.
Within just a few kilometres of leaving town, you reach the jungle outskirts and become surrounded by farm land for as far as the eye can see. Cars and motorcycles are replaced with horses and oxen pulling carts, just like on the temple walls, and children stacked onto pushbikes will do their best to follow you as they enthusiastically waive “hello, hello”.
In the bucolic countryside of Siam Reap and Battambang, I was welcomed by artisanal producer families into their homes and participated in the making of fermented rice noodles; traditional coconut based deserts, rice paper for Cambodian spring rolls and dried banana parchment. I observed the harvesting and production of palm sugar and hand planted rice with the most beautiful Khmer women I have ever seen.
Knee deep in mud with a gaggle of cheeky but entirely friendly Khmer ladies, my neck was burning and my back was sore from being hunched over at 90 degrees as we transplanted rice seedlings from one small paddy to a much larger one. Dressed in long tracksuit pants, chequered shirts and wide brimmed sunhats, they chuckled at my awkwardness and unique planting style. My rather buxom behind and comparatively slower pace must have been thoroughly amusing. What a sight I would have made! The pride on my local guides face was priceless. So impressed, with my participation, he promised to keep me updated on the progress of my little plot. My grin was wide. I felt giddy and pretty spesh.
Heartfelt hospitality
The hospitality I felt during my time in Cambodia was overwhelmingly heartfelt and sincere. Given the economic state of the Kingdom, it would be reasonable to expect poor village people to be protective and conceal their way of life from comparatively wealthy international tourists. The sense of anxiety and fear of judgment I feel about the state of my home, the quality and value of my furnishings, the quality of food I serve when friends and relatives come to visit can at times be overwhelming, but I felt none of that self-consciousness at all in the homes of my new Cambodian friends.
Together over the making and sharing of food, I came to understand their passions, desires, struggles and sorrows. Memories of courageous, whole hearted people living with a deep sense of worthiness and willingness to connect will stay with me for a life time. Cambodians of all ages and walks of life offered themselves and everything they had to me and most importantly they let their true authentic selves be seen - deeply and vulnerably seen.
CONNECT
Many of these experiences would not have been possible without Lara Dunston and her team at Grantourismo Travels.
EAT AND DRINK
Please show your support and give back to the local community by dining at the following NGO operated social enterprises in Siam Reap that train and employ youth from the most disadvantaged villages and their families from.
SHOP
The best way to purchase quality products and support locals is to buy directly from artisanal producers, village industries and local manufacturers. I also recommend shopping at:
Kendal Village
***Please note this trip was not sponsored and completely self-funded***