16th
January 17 - Thoroughly ruined
Each day Mr Sokhoeun picks us up in his tuk-tuk and drives us wherever we want to go. It’s most comfortable, padded seat and covered roof, yet open air sides let us see the country we are passing. The last couple days we visited a couple fascinating sites - Ta Prohm was the setting for the TombRaider movie, and remote Bang Maelea is even more unrestored. There is an ongoing debate - should monumental ruins be allowed to crumble, maintained as is, or restored to what they must have looked like originally. Here at Angkor there is some of each, the restored ruins allowing masses of tourists to envision life 800 years ago. Most are being allowed to erode away. Tourists can climb on fragile carvings, or sit on Naga balustrades. The delicate sandstone carvings lose definition with each monsoon season. Trees start as seedlings on the top of walls, and eventually grow cascading roots that displace the stones into piles of rubble, or in some cases help hold the stones in their original positions.
Bang Maelea turn out to be our favorite ruin. Few tourists bother with the 90 minute ride into the country when so many major ruins are closer to town, so we almost had the place to ourselves. Bang Maelea is a fallen down shambles, built originally by the same king and at the same time as Angkor Wat. Alan had heard that the Khmer Rouge may have blown it up, or it may be that nature took over. In any case, it is a lot of fun to explore. We spent a happy morning climbing up and under and over masses of fallen stones, some with exquisite carving, aided by a local guide who led up deep into the crumbled labyrinth. The libraries and moats and walkways and galleries were originally in a similar layout to that of Angkor Wat, though on a smaller scale. Having been to Angkor first, we could figure out what was what.
Mr. Sokhoeun started the long drive back into Siem Reap, then made a surprise stop for us at what had been his Grandmother’s house, now occupied by his maternal aunt and her family. We had been fascinated by the typical Cambodian home, and he answered a lot of our questions. The 60 year old house is in need of some repair. Wood is stacked below and will be used “when the family has money to make the repairs”. The Cambodian country house is one floor on stilts. Beneath the enclosed upper level is where the family spends their days, as it is cooler. There is a cooking fire, hammocks, chicken pen with 2 chickens, and room for storage of fishnet, shrimp trap baskets, mats for drying rice. Monsoon rain water from the roof is collected in huge open jars, and used for cooking and bathing. There is a well and handpump for the dry season, but water must be boiled. Behind the house was a mud-wattle shed for storing rice, mango and banana trees, a pigpen with one pig, an ox-cart, the family cow, a pond, a rice paddy and vegetable garden. The house has no plumbing or electricity. Cooking is done with wood fire, as cooking gas costs money. The family sells a little rice and corn if they have surplus. 3 generations live in the house.
The family has almost no cash income. We were impressed that the small farm can produce such a variety of foods. Our driver knocked down a couple coconuts and opened them for us to enjoy a drink. Cambodians have little, but know how to be content. Another lesson for us.
Cambodians get around by bicycle, or if they have income, moto (small motorcycle). Almost anything can be transported by moto, stacks of mattresses, piles of lumber, bicycles, and entire families (7 is the max we’ve seen). Our favorite was 3 large live pigs headed to market, upside down with trotters waving, lashed athwart the moto seat behind the driver.
