Cambodia & The Temple of Smiles

Why does the recipe of Tranquility so often have sadness as one of the main ingredients?

Welcome to Angkor Wat. The last remnants of a kingdom mostly lost to the mists of history. The temples and buildings of Angkor man silent guard over such a charming country and its recent unthinkable past.

The thing that you will remember most about Cambodia and Angkor Wat is the smiles. The smiles on the faces of the children. And knowing full well the evil that has visited itself upon their proud little country, you can’t help but wonder why they smile. I urge you to go to Cambodia. Visit Siem Reap and the temples of Angkor. Not because the monument complex will blow your mind; which it will. Not because the scenery is breathtaking; which it is. Not because the food is great and the shopping is incredible value; both very large affirmatives for your checklist. Not because the place will move you; and it will. Go there because the people have good hearts, and the most welcoming smiles, and they deserve your friendship and they deserve your esteem.

When you walk around the magnificence of Angkor – observing the jungle slowly consume these works of man – you will get approached by lots of little hawkers. Well, approach is a little tame, and hassle is a little strong, but for a certain zone around the main temples (but gratefully, not thereafter) you will have to navigate the many little children that want you to buy trinkets. As a friend pointed out, the thing to keep in mind is that, at least they are not begging. Because of this, and because of a genuine love for these little entrepreneurs, your guide won’t get cranky with their not so occasional persistence.

Go to Angkor. You will not be disappointed.

The central focus of the old Khmer Kingdom is Angkor Wat itself. It’s the classic photograph you see on the shots of the city (not the temple in the Angelina Jolie movie, Tomb Raider – that’s the temple Ta Prohm; another delight!). Angkor Wat stands tall and silent and strangely welcoming. Its unusual for a monument to be welcoming – most are imposing, some are stark, many are majestic - but I felt...welcomed. In tribute to this highpoint, no other building in the area (including in the commercial town of Siem Reap) is allowed to be built over its height.

Walk through, around, up and down the complex, and stop to view the bas-relief on the main walls. The temples were built around the Hindu religion of its day, and have been adapted to the prevailing Buddhist following of Cambodia today. Look a little closer, and you will see that in spite of their similarity to their Indian predecessors, the features are pronouncedly Cambodian – long earlobes and broad noses. Take a moment, and a gorgeous photo by stepping back to the tree line.

One thing that you don’t initially notice about Cambodia, is the dirt. We, Australians, are, quite rightly, proud of our rich, red earth; Cambodia’s earth is a soft, elegant, and visually stunning pink. This is complimented by the sun’s bathing of the temple walls, and the striking saffron colour of the draped statues that dot the interiors of the temple complex.

It’s hard to discuss Cambodia without a reference to the Khmer Rouge. With exceptional marketing skill they hijacked the old name of the proud Khmer people and for an insufferable time, hijacked the future of Cambodia. Today, Cambodia has approximately eight million people, the Khmer Rouge in its reign killed nearly three million. Mostly for the threat that a person who was ‘intellectual’ may have presented to them. Wearing sunglasses could have warranted your execution.

The local people are rebuilding their lives now. Their faces depict a certain tranquillity, tinged with sadness - but laughter and joy are also ingredients in the distinct and beautiful recipe that is now, Cambodia.

Go there.

The smile of someone who has no reason to smile stays in your heart forever.

©KM Francis 2008

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