Did you know that silk is really worm spit? Just one of the many things I learned on our trip to Cambodia. We spent three nights and three full days in Siem Reap (Siem Reap means the ‘defeat of Siam’). A mere two-hour flight from Singapore, Cambodia may only be one-hour behind on the watch but it is like turning back the clock by decades. Families on bicycles and cows fight for space on the dirt roads competing with tuk-tuks, motorcycles, and cars. The French colonial influence is still noticeable with tree-lined streets and old bungalow style buildings, not to mention the local people selling fresh baguettes along the roadside each morning. Something about Siem Reap feels like you stepped onto a film set.
This was my first time in a country with such a recent war. The Khmer Rouge, who murdered about 2 million of its own people in the late 1970’s, has been out of power in Cambodia since 1979, when the Vietnamese “liberated” the country. The Vietnamese ruled until 1989 – so the wars in Southeast Asia, you know the invasion of Iraq, ahem, sorry Vietnam, are a big part of the identity of Cambodia today. Land mines are still maiming people even though many of the millions that were planted have been removed, in part thanks to Princess Diana’s foundation which has a presence in Siem Reap. The war museum (definitely more appealing to guys) is basically a field of second-hand artillery and weapons generously dumped in Cambodia by countries around the world, including land mines courtesy of the US of A. The U.S. is still one of a handful of countries that refuses to sign the land mine treaty.
With a relatively new and stylish airport, Siem Reap is growing to accommodate the 2 million tourists that have been pouring in over the last few years (though apparently they've never encountered a Pakistani before; or maybe Ms. Rice and Mr. Cheney have had some say in things – leave me alone DICK! I moved halfway around the world to get away from you DICK!). Seriously – they detained Mo for more than 40 minutes and got every uniformed officer involved in the commotion of a Pakistani visitor. It was ridiculous!
More than 100 new hotels have been built since 2005, with new ones coming up in every direction. We stayed at Le Meridien, which we would highly recommend. It is a beautiful, well-located hotel, with excellent staff and amenities (I even got Mom to go with me for a facial).
Siem Reap is home to Angkor Wat - a UNESCO World Heritage site - that boasts the largest religious site in the world with more than 3,000 Hindu temples. ('Wat' means temple) built beginning in the 9th century. We hired a driver and tour guide for our three days and visited about 9 of the temples in one day.
Siem Reap is home to Angkor Wat - a UNESCO World Heritage site - that boasts the largest religious site in the world with more than 3,000 Hindu temples. ('Wat' means temple) built beginning in the 9th century. We hired a driver and tour guide for our three days and visited about 9 of the temples in one day.
Angkor Wat is the most famous and the largest of the temples. Our smart guide took us there first and through an entrance that was less-traveled by the mobs of tourists. For about 30 minutes we had a bit of serenity…then we crossed to another side of the temple and saw the lines
of tourists like ants crawling up a tree. Tourists are still allowed to climb all over the temples, something that is certainly accelerating their decay. And man – those stairs are steep. We climbed to the top of a few temples and I thought I would never come down (not because of the physical strength it required, but because I was terrified of the height!).
One of our favorite temples was Bayon - the temple of face-towers. Today there are 37 towers still remaining each with four faces.
Ta Prohm (also known as Tree temple and site of scenes in the Lara Croft
of tourists like ants crawling up a tree. Tourists are still allowed to climb all over the temples, something that is certainly accelerating their decay. And man – those stairs are steep. We climbed to the top of a few temples and I thought I would never come down (not because of the physical strength it required, but because I was terrified of the height!).One of our favorite temples was Bayon - the temple of face-towers. Today there are 37 towers still remaining each with four faces.
Ta Prohm (also known as Tree temple and site of scenes in the Lara Croft
Tomb Raider film) is covered in tree roots and has a mystical feel.
We also visited Angkor Thom, Elephant Terrace, and several others. A highlight was going to this quiet temple where we met three young children who took us on a tour of the temple and helped find the easiest ways up and down. They asked us so many questions and proudly displayed their knowledge of capital cities. They ran up and down those stairs like mountain goats. We gave them $10 for their help after which they disappeared so quickly that we wondered if they were figments of our imagination.
One afternoon we went to visit Tonle Sap – a lake that during rainy season grows to five times its normal size. It is the largest lake in SE Asia. Two million people live in floating villages on the lake, many of whom are Vietnamese fishermen. The journey along the dirt road is an experience. The poverty is staggering, but it’s not a depressing place. Among the huts that are barely standing, there are children playing and fishing, and running naked in the street. Families of 8 to 10 live in one room with no running water. Yet there is bright-colored paint, water wells sponsored by families from all over the world, adorable smiling faces. 
When we get to the lake, we board a boat and stream down the dirty river (part of the Mekong). There are floating schools along the way where students are sitting at their desks and learning to speak English. The children are absolutely irresistible. Someone advised us to bring small U.S. bills - $1 bills with us to give to the children (the Cambodian currency is rarely used and dollars go much further). I can’t even count the number of smiles we got in exchange for a dollar. And the kids insist you take whatever they are selling. I will never forget those smiles and the impressive English the children spoke.Another highlight was visiting the Artisans of Angkor School and Silk Center. This NGO trains young Cambodians to carve, paint, weave, etc…. Their handicrafts are beautiful. After they train for a year, they are sent back to their villages to continue honing their skills. They Silk Center was fascinating. Now theoretically I knew that silk worms played a role in spinning silk. I did not know however that they are fully responsible for the fabric we pay so much money for! The worms are fed mulberry leaves – their spit forms a cocoon. 
Each fiber of the cocoon can stretch 44 meters! and as the fibers are intertwined in boiling water they form silk that is then died and woven. The outer layer of the cocoon is what we know as raw silk and the inner layer is fine silk. There are a lot of detailed and exhausting steps that take place from the boiling of the cocoons to the scarves in the shop, and here young Cambodians are trained to handle the entire process. Proceeds from the sale of these products goes back into the education and training of the Artisan’s students.
Tuk-Tuks are a main form of transportation in Siem Reap. They are small carriages pulled by motorcycles. Mo and I hired a tuk-tuk ($2 each way) to go into Siem Reap one evening. By night, the town is filled with tourists drinking cheap, but rather tasty!, local beer called Angkor. I actually think it is better than Singapore’s coveted Tiger beer. We assured Mom that it wasn’t made from the water in Tonle Sap!
Despite the poverty and recent trauma in the country, I found Siem Reap to be a romantic and tranquil place. The people were some of the nicest I’ve met, and despite the horrors that people of my generation there experienced, they are looking towards a better tomorrow.
Each fiber of the cocoon can stretch 44 meters! and as the fibers are intertwined in boiling water they form silk that is then died and woven. The outer layer of the cocoon is what we know as raw silk and the inner layer is fine silk. There are a lot of detailed and exhausting steps that take place from the boiling of the cocoons to the scarves in the shop, and here young Cambodians are trained to handle the entire process. Proceeds from the sale of these products goes back into the education and training of the Artisan’s students.Tuk-Tuks are a main form of transportation in Siem Reap. They are small carriages pulled by motorcycles. Mo and I hired a tuk-tuk ($2 each way) to go into Siem Reap one evening. By night, the town is filled with tourists drinking cheap, but rather tasty!, local beer called Angkor. I actually think it is better than Singapore’s coveted Tiger beer. We assured Mom that it wasn’t made from the water in Tonle Sap!
Despite the poverty and recent trauma in the country, I found Siem Reap to be a romantic and tranquil place. The people were some of the nicest I’ve met, and despite the horrors that people of my generation there experienced, they are looking towards a better tomorrow.
