Places I Would Take Visitors To See

Place #1: Siem Reap, Cambodia

Angkor Wat circa 6: 30 am

If you are in Cambodia, everyone knows that visiting Siem Reap is a must. Siem Reap is a roughly 6 hr bus ride North of Phnom Penh and is home to the infamous Temples of Angkor. I received the opportunity to visit Siem Reap two weeks ago as a result of the majority of the Harpswell girls returning to their home provinces to celebrate a Buddhist holiday called Pchum Ben, leaving all of the volunteers with an unexpected holiday. I was delighted! The temples are a source of extreme national pride for the Khmer people (e.g. Angkor Wat--the most internationally recognized temple--is the symbol on their flag, currency, beer and much more). Since the temples were erected during the height of the Angkorian Era--a time when Cambodia was at its prowess--the Khmer people look upon these temples as a source of inspiration to prosper in the future and to move on from their recent horrific past.  I knew I had to see them at some point while I was volunteering here, but I had no idea I'd be able to explore them so soon.

Ta Promh Temple

Stretching across 100 hectares of forests dotted with reservoirs and rice paddy fields, the Hindu temples (Note: Cambodia was once a Hindu country) are very mystifying, especially when you see one that has fused with Mother Nature. Although it is nearly impossible to see every temple, nor is each temple truly worth seeing since only some have been restored and unearthed, I was glad to have 3 days to wander around the temple grounds. On one of the days I rented a bicycle from my guesthouse with Erika--my fellow Leadership Resident. For an afternoon we leisurely cruised around, passing by many incredible temples and adults hard at work in the rice paddy fields. We even attempted to see a sunset and sunrise like most tourists but the weather was unfortunately not cooperative.

The South Entrance to the Angkor Thom temples.

Aside from the Temples of Angkor, Siem Reap has a great night life scene that makes it a worthwhile spot to bring visitors. I will confess: its downtown area is definitely designed for foreigners. However, it still doesn't feel too Western and offers a great variety of restaurants and bars to check out. I also felt as though it was a much easier city to navigate in comparison to Phnom Penh and the cleanliness greatly surpassed that of the capital city. I understand my bias, for I was on vacation in Siem Reap and I work in PP and consequently my associations of what the city can offer may be skewed. Nevertheless, I defend my claim that it is an incredible city to visit. I look forward to returning in late November/early December to visit with some former EPA colleagues who will be there for an environmental conference. While I am there this second time around I hope to check out the Cambodia Landmine Museum and other hidden treasures located in and around Siem Reap.

Place #2: Downtown Phnom Penh (PP)

What is commonly referred to as the "White Building"

The noteworthy dichotomy that exists between rural and urban Cambodia is a topic I have drawn attention to before. However, I also desperately want to highlight and expose to others how people can lead drastically different lives right across the street from each other in this nation's capital city. On Thursday morning I was invited into the home of a couple who is doing great work with many NGOs in the community. I initially did not know where the apartment was precisely located, but I knew it was in a posh area of PP. Upon arrival I was exceedingly shocked at how gorgeous and newly constructed the building is. I was enamored by this place--cozy, modern, sheik and functional--and consequently only took a quick sideways glance at the decrepit building located diagonally across from this complex, which I soon would learn this couple and a fellow colleague utilize to educate local Khmer students.

The infamous stairwells from the
German film "Same Same But Different"

Later on that same day that I had the chance to actually walk through this run-down housing project. Since I was unable to take any photos during the night, I can say this: it is reminiscent of the type of project development you'd see during the hard knock days in Harlem, Queens or the Bronx...except 10x worse. The history behind this place is still a little foggy to me, but I am hoping to learn more. I want to know: Who owns it? How much is the average rent? Is it going to be knocked down and cause a significant displacement of persons? etc. What I do know as fact is that there are many sex workers loitering outside,waiting for business. I also know that inside there is an apartment that houses 6 people, yet is only 6' x 5' in size and costs $35/month. One of the occupants is an an off-duty sex worker who ignoring her half-German child because she is high on Meth. And have I mentioned that the place looks as though it may collapse at any moment in time?

The source of electricity for the building

Yet tucked along the South side of the building there is a sanctuary for diligent students. An American man (who the couple living in the upscale apartment complex across the way introduced me to) has bought out a few units in this building and modestly transformed them into a school for both girls and boys. It is not much, and is lacking many of the resources that Harpswell has been able to provide for its selected students. But what is important is that it functions as a school and a community center, both of which are places that many of these students had not been to before. He has taken what others would deem a waste of space and made it into positive environment. I have decided to sparingly volunteer for him while I am living here because I have been truly impressed by his work and more importantly because I want these students to have the vision of some day being able to live in the type of apartment that is built across the street from their present-day school.

There are obviously so many more locations throughout Cambodia that are worthwhile for visitors, expatriates and locals to see, but I have chosen these two locations for one main reason. Siem Reap and this ramshackle apartment building unveil the best and worst of past and present-day Cambodia. And what I would hope for those who do get to see both of these places is that they can walk away fully understanding the potential that this country and its people have to create another Angkorian Era for themselves. Through education and exposure for the general populace I whole-heartedly believe that Cambodia will become something great once again.