2017-10 Insects and floating villages

Tarantula anyone?

Today was a travel day from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. Yet, traveling doesn't have to be all bad. Along the way, we stopped at a food market famous for its' insects: Skuon. As soon as we disembarked the bus, there were kids surrounding us trying to sell us pineapple and other fruit. There was also a girl wearing a tarantula on her t-shirt. After our tour guide assured us that Cambodian tarantulas aren't poisonous, some in our group took turns hold the tarantula and posing for photos.

So many fried insect options!

There were so many insects to try: tarantulas, scorpions, crickets, grasshoppers, worms and water beetles (known in Texas as cockroaches). I tried everything except the cockroaches. Even I have my limits. Everything was delicious since all were deep fried in vegetable oil. Like popcorn with a little extra crunch.

One of the restaurant's cabanas

Fish amok

Our next stop was for lunch. Our restaurant, Prey Pros Rest Area, stretched out over the river on stilts. There were several thatched cabanas that were accessed by wooden panel walkways. We were lucky enough to sit on one of these and have our own private cabana. This was my first chance to try the Cambodian traditional dish of amok, a curry cooked in a banana leaf. It was delicious!

Floating village

Dragon boat racers in front of the main square of Khampong Khleang

Our group unanimously decided to follow our guide's recommendation and stop at a floating village before we arrived at Siem Reap. This was the village of Kampong Khleang. Here, floating village meant that people generally have to get around by boat. Some people do live on houseboats. However, the majority live on houses on stilts in the river. During dry season, the water recedes enough to have dry ground between homes. However now, just after monsoon season, the water is still high; and, boats are needed to get around. While we were there, we saw some teams practicing in their dragon boats for the upcoming water festival. Our boat took us all the way out to Cambodia's largest lake, Tonle Sap.

Houseboat

On the last leg of our journey to Siem Reap, suddenly our bus pulled off on the side of the highway; and, our guide jumped out talking about stuffed frogs, Curious, I and a couple others followed him outside to a roadside stand selling grilled frogs and stuffed frogs. I tried them both; but, the stuffed ones were the best. Definitely a great food day!

2017-10 National Museum of Cambodia

5th century AD stelae carved in Sanskrit and Old Khmer

The National Museum in Phnom Penh has quite a variety of artifacts on display. Even better, it has great informational cards in English with lots of background. Our guide kept telling us that the Khmer people had an empire long before the Thais or Laos, an empire that stretched from Burma to China. The pieces in the museum dated from the 5th century AD, including an stelae inscribed in both Sanskrit and Old Khmer languages.

Vishnu sculpture from 6th century AD, pre-Angkorian period

Reclining Vishnu from the 11th century (Angkorian period)

Which brings us to an interesting point: the Khmer (or, at least their kings) followed Hinduism. Thus the use of Sanskrit on inscriptions and the plethora of Hindu gods in their art. However, at the same time, the Khmer people (and their kings) also followed Buddhism. I’m not well-versed in either; however, sufficeth to say, there are also lots of Buddhas in their sculpture and art.

Buddha seated on naga, the seven-headed snake, 11th century

At the museum, the sculptures that caught my eye were those of Vishnu (Hindu) and the Buddha on “naga”, the seven-headed snake. There was also a very human statue of Jayarvanam VII, who embraced Buddhism completely. Instead of looking like a stylized or perfect royalty, this sculpture looks like an actual person.  We would visit two of his temples in Siem Reap: Ta Prohm (the Tomb Raider temple) and Angkor Thom.

Jayarvanam VII, Angkorian period, turn of century (12th-13th)

In another room, there were detailed paintings of the Hindu Ramayana story. These intricately detailed panels tell the story that the Khmer call Reamker. Another room held an an entire collection of wooden Buddhas. (We were not allowed to photograph this room). There were also pottery and bronze items in other rooms and halls. Plus, there are some items from the previous Cambodia royalty, such as palanquins used to carry royalty. All in all, a very interesting museum.

Panel from Reamker, early 1900s

2017-10 S-21 prison or Tuol Sleong Genocide Museum (Cambodia)

My previous post was on the atrocities of the killing field of Cheoung Ek. This post continues on the brutality of the Khmer Rouge from 1975-1979 in Phnom Penh. S-21 was a former highschool in Phnom Penh. However, after the Khmer Rouge forced everyone to leave Phnom Penh, it was used as a top secret Khmer Rouge prison. We were able to walk in the four main buildings from the highschool.

A form of torture: tying the prisoners hands behind his/her back and then stringing the prisoner up by the wrists. After the prisoner would pass out, dunking them in the large pots of water below to revive 

During the four years, 17,000 total prisoners passed through S-21 and only a very few survived until Vietnam Invaded/Liberated Cambodia. The first building was for more important prisoners, prisoners who would have had larger connections or more powerful networks. Each prisoner here had an entire classroom to himself. Two of the other buildings were for general prisoners. Classrooms were divided up into tiny cells. The cells were 5 tiles wide by 11 tiles long, or approximately 3.5 feet by 7 feet. Each cell had a munitions box to be used as a toilet.

Men's cells

Men and women were on separate floors. In the men's section, the walls were made of brick and mortar and only 6 feet high. There were no doors. In the women's section, the walls were made of wood; and, each cell had a door for more privacy, as all the guards were male. According to our guide, there was no sexual violation of women here, as one guard who did was swiftly executed.

Women's cells

Any communication was strictly forbidden. The prisoners didn't escape their cells because each was shackled in irons around their ankles. Prisoners would be taken out from the cells for interrogation and then returned afterward. Interrogation would require that people sign false confessions and provide lists of other names who were involved. While interrogation started without any brutality, as the interrogations progressed, torture was applied in increasing ferocity. During the entire time, systematic records were taken of every prisoner who ever entered the prison, even to the point of sometimes photographing before and after torture. Guards became especially skilled at keeping their prisoners alive through interrogation, because accidentally killing a prisoner could mean the killing of the guard, as this was seen as the guard killing someone to hide secrets. After no more information could be obtained from the prisoners, at night, they would be trucked in a covered truck to the killing field of Cheoung Ek for execution.

Barbed wire installed along the face of the buildings after one female prisoner broke away from the guards and jumped to her death over the railing

Throughout all the buildings, there were walls and panels with the photos of all the victims with their prisoner number. It was a sight too sad for me to photograph. However, in the last building, there were survivor stories posted. Not many survived; and several of them were children, who were carried out of the building. There is often a survivor onsite to talk about their experiences. The day we visited, Bou Meng was onsite; but, what does one ask someone who has lived such an experience?