Cambodia, Part 2: The Southern Coast & Phnom Penh

 
Following our time in Siem Reap and hiking through the various temples, we shifted dramatically from the sweltering jungle interior to the warm yet refreshing southern coast of Cambodia.  Another shift occurred when we transitioned from the ancient history that surrounds Siem Reap to the impact of Pol Pot and Cambodia's war with Vietnam that occurred from the mid '70s into the '80s and is evidenced throughout the towns of Kampot, Kep, and the capital city of Phnom Penh.  When originally putting together the trip, it was the plans after Siem Reap where I was hopeful that Cambodia would maintain our interest; not only did it maintain our interest, but many of our favorite moments of our vacation occurred during this leg of the trip.  Onto the details. . .

Kampot
 
Meet my latest town for top choice when we retire.  Located next to the Kampot River which lazily flows into the Indian Ocean several miles downstream, the town lives from its riverfront and evokes an image of a golden era from times past while also showcasing an emerging vitality as the region recovers from the country's dark days.  Kampot grew as a French colonial town and its evidenced by the wonderful old architecture that exists throughout the town, much of it which fell into severe disrepair and stands as a shell of its former self.  Juxtaposed next to these staggering buildings is restored and sparkling structures, such as our favorite little guesthouse and restaurant, Riki Tiki Tavi (named after the mongoose from The Jungle Book).  Our love for this town began with this place which we both agreed was the best hotel experience we've ever had (next time you're in Kampot, Cambodia stay here!).  The friendliness we received from the staff at our hotel extended out to the shops and restaurants at seemingly every stop we made.
Some of the hotel staff from the nicest hotel we've ever stayed:

The proprietor of Kampot Tiny Pillows and perhaps the sweetest woman in the world:
 

What did we do in Kampot besides soak in the warmth of the townspeople?  While it's a sleepy little town, we found ourselves quite occupied during our days.  Much of our time was spent  wandering past and into these intriguing old buildings.  In its heydays of the 1950s and early '60s, this area of Cambodia was where the nation's jetset came to relax and play.  When Pol Pot and his Communist brethren took over in 1975, they reportedly took great exuberance in dismantling the structures that represented the "high life" of the country.  The war that followed with Vietnam, located just a short boat ride away, hammered this region even more, as evidenced by the bullet holes that riddle many of the grand villas and institutions that remain standing around Kampot and Kep.
An abandoned church in the Bokor Hill Station area:
 
The old water tower in Bokor Hill Station area:

Kampot Prison:
 
We also happened to be in the Kampot area for Christmas and as it was the first time that Marianella and I were not spending it with either of our families, we wanted to do something memorable and unique and fortunately, we were able to accomplish said goal.  Within a short drive from Kampot is a national zoo that had fallen into neglect, exposed in a headlining newspaper article in 2011.  The shocking conditions caused some deep pocket do-gooders to donate some funds, and the long and the short of it is that skilled animal care volunteers have come in and set up shop to get the zoo in proper shape.  One of the fund-raising efforts they offer is a half-day experience where outsiders can get up close and personal with some of the zoo animals for a mere $25 per person; this is where Marianella and I "splurged" and had an unforgettable morning.  We fed an aggressive female tiger condensed milk through a syringe and two friendly elephants Fruit Loops by hand; we massaged the hands and arms of a solitary gibbon while in another cage we saw a gibbon family fly gracefully and adventurously through their cage.  We got inside the cage of a beautiful hornbill and tossed pieces of fruit that it would snatch out of the air.  We spied month-old lion cubs, watched a leopard and a male tiger enthusiastically play with their new toys, and discovered the adorable binturong.  Throughout the tour, our guide Monique educated us on best methods of caring for zoo animals and the efforts they are making to improve life for the animals at the zoo.  I cannot overstate how much Marianella and I enjoyed our morning at the zoo, we both agreed it was one of the best experiences we have ever had.
Binturong:
 
Leopard:

Feeding the tiger:
 
The playful male tiger:


Feeding Fruit Loops to the elephants:
 
 
The stunning hornbill:
 
 Massaging the gibbon:
 
One-month old lion cubs:

As we were located right next to the Kampot River, we also took part in one of the popular sunset boat rides that left from right outside our hotel.  Unfortunately on the day we chose the sun was swallowed by the clouds at sunset, but that hardly affected our trip; meandering up the river, we saw the fishing boats and their exhausted workers coming home while we passed a combination of opulent estates and ramshackle huts pressed up against the river banks.  When we turned back for home, we witnessed the gathering of hundreds of birds as they swarmed for their evening feeding.
A hut of the ramshackle variety:

I like to call these two pictures Marianella's National Geographic shots; fisherman returning home at the end of the day:

 
I already briefly mentioned Kep, which was our destination during our final day in the region.  The grandest of the classic villas were located in this little beachfront town and that was the initial draw for us, but in addition we visited a pepper plantation (some of the finest pepper in the world is cultivated in this tiny speck of the map) and indulged in a lunch meal of fresh crab which as you may imagine was absolutely delicious.
Red and green pepper at the plantation:
 
The old governor's mansion in Kep:
 
Inside the mansion; those pockmarks on the wall are bullet holes:
 
 A grand art-deco estate, fallen into disrepair:

Coming in from checking the crab traps:
 
Fresh from the bay and the cooler:
 
After our lunch, we set back for Kampot, readying ourselves for the bus ride to the next stop on our tour of Cambodia.  It was hard to leave this deceptively sleepy little community and since returning home we have reminisced several times on the wonderful people and moments we had in the town.  But it was time to move on to. . .

Sihanoukville
 
After our trekking around Siem Reap and our constant day trips while in Kampot, it was time to dial it down and just relax on the beach and that is what was in store at this popular beach town of Cambodia.  The town of Sihanoukville itself wasn't that appealing-crowded, busy, hawkers every few steps; but Marianella and I were fortunate to find lodging on the outskirts of the town at a grand old hotel that's biggest selling point was its private beach.  Now, I've chronicled before my previous aversion to beach life (not knowing how to swim plus my masochistic relationship with the sun), but those days are long past.  Four days of reclining under an umbrella, reading and napping and taking the occasional dip into the warm sea was a great way to wrap up 2012.
 

Phnom Penh
Cambodia's capital was our center of activity on the trip-it's where we flew into, served as our embarkment point to Siem Reap, our layover spot between Siem Reap and Kampot, and it's where we ended our trip before flying back home.  It wasn't until that final stop when we actually had time to enjoy Phnom Penh.  As occurred at nearly every stop, we benefited from staying at an outstanding hotel and from there we were able to stroll easily to a variety of shops, restaurants and bars; as this doesn't exist for us in Dhaka, it was a very welcome departure from our daily lives.

While Phnom Penh seems to serve mostly as a jumping off point to Siem Reap for most tourists, it does have two of the most memorable sites we've ever visited, albeit undoubtedly the saddest and most heart-wrenching sites we've ever visited.  I've mentioned Pol Pot previously, but I'll give the nutshell history of this mad man now and his effect on Cambodia.  While the Vietnam War was waging next door, Cambodia was going through its own internal crisis and the spillover of the Vietnam War with the U.S's intervention was hugely unpopular, allowing Pol Pot and his fellow Khmer Rouge crackpots to overcome the corrupt, U.S.-backed regime and go about destroying the country.  On an April day in 1975, they conquered Phnom Penh and after the initial excitement of the citizenry that the civil war was over, they found themselves plunged into a living hell for nearly the next four years (if they survived).  The first act of the Khmer Rouge was to drive every citizen out of Phnom Penh and the cities and towns of Cambodia into the countryside, where the idea was to return to a simpler time, with the citizenry growing all the nation's food (primarily rice) and be isolated from the outside world.  The Khmer Rouge didn't believe in cities, mass transportation (everyone walked), education (all schools were closed), families (you were to be devoted to the Khmer Rouge), religion, currency, mail. .. basically anything that brought enjoyment or education to the population was banned.

As we learned more about the Khmer Rouge's utopian vision, it caused our jaws to drop further with each discovery.  Of course, to institute all these restrictions on the populace, it had to be done through intimidation and elimination.  If you were deemed an intellectual (simply wearing eyeglasses qualified you), you were earmarked for prison and likely death.  Any dissent seen or imagined was an unquestioned trip to prison, where you would be tortured, pressured to identify other dissenters.  Once you could no longer handle the torture and you gave the names of neighbors, co-workers, family members (any name that came to mind, so you could stop the torture), you were disposed of at The Killing Fields and those whose names were given would be rounded up and brought to prison.  Women and children were not spared, as Pol Pot's philosophy was that it was better to eliminate possible future enemies (who would be seeking vengeance for the killing of their parents) than allow them to live.

It was incredible to fathom the destruction that Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge imparted on their own country-if you weren't jailed, you were in a camp forced to work long hours in the rice fields while given very little food to sustain yourself, thus many others died of starvation and disease.  The numbers are staggering-it's estimated that between 1.5 million and 3 million citizens of Cambodia were killed during the Khmer Rouge's reign from 1975-79.  With a total population of 8 million people, roughly a quarter of Cambodians were killed during these dark years.  Pol Pot's reign finally ended because he had engaged Vietnam in skirmishes on the borders and the Khmer Rouge was routed back by the Vietnamese who liberated the starving, malnourished, abused people of Cambodia.  One can only speculate to how many others would have died had Pol Pot not engaged Vietnam in war during his time of power.

While there were several Killing Fields and prisons throughout Cambodia, the largest and most notorious were located in and near Phnom Penh.  I'm going to go light on the pictures and descriptions here; suffice to say, it was an emotionally taxing day to tread along the same ground where so many were senselessly and brutally murdered and tortured.  Despite the heaviness of the day, visiting the Killing Fields and the S21 prison site is something that Marianella and I gained a lot of insight into Cambodia's recent history and absorbed the cruelty that humans can inflict on each other when allowed.
The stupa built to contain the bones found on site at the Killing Fields:
 
 
Tuol Sleng (S-21) Prison; view from the 3rd floor of one of the units, the barbed wire was in place to keep prisoners from jumping and committing suicide:
 
Our final night in Phnom Penh, a view to the river from the Foreign Correspondent's Club:
 
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When we were sweating our way through the temples around Siem Reap, Marianella and I discussed how it would be our one and only trip to Cambodia so we had to absorb it all on this trip.  After three weeks in the country, we are reconsidering the "one and only" edict we laid down-it may be awhile before we return, but its tough to totally say goodbye to a people and place that treated us so well.

Our next big adventure will occur in April, so for sure you'll be hearing from me then, if not before.  From Bangladesh, we wish you a happy 2013 and hope it's a good year ahead for you all.