Sunday, January 17, 2016

A holiday to Siam Reap, Cambodia

"Err, where did you say you are going for your holiday?". This was the nth time I had heard this line when I mentioned our (A and my) little holiday plan scheduled for the last week of 2015. 

"But why did you choose this place of all the places?" This was the second most common question usually accompanied with furrowed eyebrows

The third question which came as a part of the entire discussion was more exploratory in nature and attempted to show a vague interest in the destination.
"And where did you say Cambodia is, it's in Africa, na?" all this before I could even attempt to answer. In another case it was, "Oh, it's in South East Asia, it sounded like South America."

Hmm, so you get the drift, right.


You very well know by now, we went for our holiday to Siem Reap in Cambodia. And what you read above is the sample of responses we received from many when we "announced" our Cambodia holiday plan to them. 
Probably for most of them, it was the first time this country's name was mentioned to them, in their entire lifetime so far. 
Fair enough! Cambodia does not make as much news as other well-heeled countries do, nor its a typical touristy place known for scenic beauty, shopping or beaches.

But being such a beautiful country with a rich heritage and culture with historical monuments dating more than 1000 years, located just a few hours away (by plane) from India and yet not many of us know anything about its existence. That was a tad disappointing!

A few well-informed did recollect the "Killing Fields", "Khmer Rouge" and "Pol Pot regime," words connected to this country in an extremely significant way, but that's that. 
Largely the reaction was "Huh, Cambodia!"

I don't blame anyone. Cambodia as a country does not have the glamour of it's counterparts in Southeast Asia, not on anyone's must-see destinations and also, it's a poorer and less developed country compared to any of them. 

It's only since the last 20 odd years that this country has seen any peace but before that the country was completely fractured by the Khmer Rouge atrocities and civil wars fought here. 
Even for 'yours truly', besides the fact that it houses the much photographed Angkor Wat - the world's largest single religious monument, not much was known to me too.

And that is precisely why I thought I will write this post which is a small attempt to provide a brief glimpse of this unique and not so familiar country, through my eyes. 
Seen through the eyes of a Mumbaikar, who belonged to the same group of the uninitiated lot, till a couple of weeks ago.
So here I am sharing a few interesting and unique revelations (for me) about the country so that we move from the state of "Huh, Cambodia" to "Oh, Cambodia!"

Fact 1:


For the majority who don't know, Cambodia (Kampuchea for the locals), officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia and once known as the Khmer Empire, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the northeast, Vietnam to the east, and the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest. (Source Wikipedia)


Revelation 1:

As you can see in the image below, it is not far from a country where most globetrotting Indians have been to, for their first international holiday and probably many times over after that.
Map of Southeast Asia

Yes, it's Thailand's neighbor. The same Thailand where Indians flock to, for their many types of holidays, but then are completely clueless about Cambodia. 
This is how far Cambodia is from India!





Fact 2:

Cambodia's ancient name is "Kambuja" (Sanskrit: कंबुज). In 802 AD, Jayavarman II declared himself "King" and marked the beginning of the Khmer Empire which flourished for over 600 years, allowing successive kings to dominate much of Southeast Asia and accumulate immense power and wealth. Yes, there was Hinduism which prevailed here much until 15th century.
But today, with a population of over 15 million, the official religion is Theravada Buddhism, practiced by approximately 95 percent of the people in Cambodia. 

Revelation 2:

Angkor was the capital city of Khmer Empire, which flourished from approximately the 9th to 15th centuries. The word Angkor is derived from the Sanskrit nagara (नगर), meaning "Holy City." During this time, it was ruled mostly by Hindu kings. In fact, during it peak in the 11th to 13th centuries, it was the largest pre-industrial urban center known in the world.

But today, believe it or not, there is absolutely no trace of Hinduism in this country. Nothing among the people here actually connects to Hinduism, it has completely vanished but only for its magnificent historical remnants. They are in the form of many beautiful temples and monuments (now in ruins) built by the kings during the flourishing Angkorian period. 
Angkor Wat - world's biggest single religious monument


Fact 3:

Today, the ruins of Angkor are located amid forests and farmland to the north of the Great Lake (Tonle Sap) and south of the Kulen Hills, near modern-day Siem Reap city in Siem Reap province. Siem Reap, which is where we holidayed for a week, is a popular resort town and is the gateway to Angkor region. 

Traditional Wooden Split Houses of Cambodia

Being the city that is home to the Angkor temples, one needs at least three days just for visiting the iconic temples and knowing interesting facts about them. Among all, the must-see temples according to me are the Angkor Thom, Ta Phrom, Bayon Temples, Bantei Srei, Kbal Spean and, of course, Angkor Wat.



Posing against a temple structure flanked by giant trees in Ta Phrom, the Jungle Temples where the movie, Lara Croft The Tomb Raider was shot
One of the iconic faces of Bayon Temple
Besides being a popular tourist destination known for the temples which are archaeological wonders, it also has many museums, traditional Apsara dance performances, a Cambodian cultural village, souvenir and handicraft shops, silk farms, rice paddies in the countryside, floating villages, etc. 


Figurines being sold in Night Market
Floating village on Ton le Sap Lake

Not just that, almost every second outlet here in Siem Reap is a massage parlor. Extremely tempting to step into especially if you have been walking all day like we used to. These ubiquitous massage parlors offer ridiculously fantastic, relaxing foot massages for a good one hour at just a measly 5 USD (awesome, right!). If I had the time, I would have had these foot massages practically every day.

Then there is the 'Psa Chas' or 'Old Market' and a 'Night Market' that have narrow streets lined up with many tiny shops selling eclectic artifacts, handicrafts, souvenirs, vegetable produce, herbs, spices, local food and condiments, and other interesting stuff your eyes can feast. Interesting to visit and also buy some unique gifts for friends/relatives back home (after much bargaining, of course). 

Restaurants near Psa Chas Market or Old Market
Local fruits in Old Market

A great street to walk on after an early dinner or late evening is the 'Pub Street', which has a line up of tourist-friendly cafes, chic restaurants that put out their chairs and tables lining the footpaths (just like in Europe) and brightly decorated pubs and karaoke bars blaring retro music. Then on street sides, there are these guys (sometimes women) on motorbikes that double up as street shops selling myriad stuff right from alcoholic drinks, cocktails, and mocktails to mouthwatering fried ice creams to… (hold your breath) stomach churning fried spiders, crickets, and snakes. (Eww!).
Motor bikes double up as open road side stalls on Pub Street

Keeping aside these exceptions, I must mention that Khmer recipes left me wanting more. The Khmer food was incredibly mouth watering and healthy at the same time. Among the many restaurants we tried, there are two restaurants that we specifically recommend if you visit Siem Reap. One is Chamkar (a vegetarian restaurant) and the other is  Traditional Khmer Food Restaurant, both located near the Old Market area. Not to forget Blue Pumpkin (popular chain) a place we used to haunt for desserts after dinner.


Yummy desserts at Blue Pumpkin

All these elements truly added to the eclectic charm, culture and made this city a colorful, bustling and fascinating place to holiday.

Revelation 3:

In the flurry of this tourist town, with the many cars, tuk-tuks, bikes and bicycles plying about and plodding on the narrow roads, ill-equipped to handle the seeming high volume, very rarely did I hear anyone honk while driving. It truly seemed like there was a precise method in the madness. Something we could learn.

Sitting in a cafe facing the road, as we quietly observed the goings on the road one evening, it suddenly struck me. 'Pehle Aap,' (meaning You first, please!) a very old and popular tehzeeb (courtesy) originally from Lucknow, has been long forgotten in apna desh. It has been replaced with the diametrically opposite "Me first" culture, which is what we see pervasive across all cities in India today, whether you are in traffic or standing in queues. 
But here in Cambodia, where Lucknow does not even have a semblance or even distant connection, they practice this Lucknowi tehzeeb of 'Pehle Aap' on the road every day in a rather unsaid, informal way. Drivers allow fellow car drivers to go first, they, in turn, get their due turn from another one. Like a "pay it forward" being played out on the road. They don't make a scene and aggravate the situation by squeezing into spaces not meant for them. They have the same problems that we have, many vehicles on the unwieldy roads, sometimes people walking on roads, no well-laid footpaths, but never did anyone honk unless needed (which was seriously rare). Everyone waited for their time to turn, proceed or change lanes or let pedestrians cross. No one here thought that they are entitled to be first or break rules, or simply honk because it's their prerogative, unlike what we find back home, commonly.

Fact 4:

Ever since the fall of Angkor in 1431, the once mighty Khmer Empire has been plundered by all its neighbors. It was colonized by the French in the 19th century, and during the 1970s suffered heavy carpet bombing by the USA. After a false dawn of independence in 1953, Cambodia promptly plunged back into the horrors of civil war in 1970 to suffer the Khmer Rouge's incredibly brutal reign of terror, and only after UN-sponsored elections in 1993 did the country begin to totter back onto its feet.(Source WikiTravel)


Given the country has had a pretty bad run of luck for the last half-millennium or so, it's no surprise that the Cambodians had to start right from scratch in the last twenty odd years to resurrect the economy and put the infrastructure back on its feet. But somehow the people we came across did not seem bitter, angry or aggressive. They were always smiling, genteel and soft-spoken. Well, this may be because we just experienced a thin slice of the entire population of Cambodia and we were after all in Siem Reap, a tourist town. But all said and done, this was the impression that we as tourists took back home about its citizens. Isn't that what every country would love to do!


Revelation 4:
A and I attended a circus one evening that was mentioned as one of the must-see attractions in Siem Reap. Both of us felt like kids that day looking forward to the unique evening as we were to watch a circus after zillion years. But this was not a usual circus. For starters, there were no animals. Only human performers. It is called as Phare The Cambodian Circus where the artists have learned their skills through an association that provides arts education to young people from the streets, orphanages, and struggling families. The children from these underprivileged communities come to the organization to learn, express and heal themselves through the arts. Heal because these children and their parents have been through a lot of turmoil and bad times. Either the parents are victims of war, landmines or the atrocities of Khmer Rouge.
This initiative was started by an art teacher and her students who were the survivors of war (after the collapse of Khmer Rouge) and were empowered by the creative self-expression learned through their art-making. The group wanted to share this gift with their ilk, and that's how the Phare Circus came into being and now travels around the world. 

Phare Circus

Just like the Phare Circus, there is Artisans d'Angkor, a training school, and shop that creates job opportunities for young people living in rural areas, while at the same time reviving traditional Khmer craftsmanship.

Such fantastic creative opportunities being offered to the less privileged and at the same time are proven commercial models. A social disadvantage being converted into an unusual  economic and social advantage at the same time. We could surely use these ideas to revive the innumerable rich traditions that are unfortunately on the fringes of extinction here in India.

Fact 5:
Cambodia is a place to be explored on foot and unlike other tourist destinations, there is not much luxury to be expected. Also, the temples are situated on mountain tops or have steep climbs. So if you are one those who do not mind a lot of walking, climbing narrow and steep steps and even trekking (yes, Kbal Spean is almost 3 km hike on a relatively steep hill) then you have come to the right place. Of course, the massage parlors now make perfect sense in this situation but seriously, I would recommend this place to be visited now in your prime and not later. In older age, you could always holiday in Europe and other comfortable holiday settings.

Revelation 5:
I always used to wonder, why my parents said that they are thankful to have visited the many foreign and local Indian destinations when they were capable and fit enough to enjoy them. Even locations such as Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh requires you to be physically fit to enjoy the diverse experiences.
Now when I am back from Cambodia, there remarks make perfect sense. 
Countries that pamper you and spoil you can always be visited in our later years, but now (when one is physically fit and healthy) is a good time to visit countries that require us to walk for long, test our endurance and stamina and sometimes make us feel uncomfortable. 
And I am glad we visited Cambodia now, for that and may other fascinating revelations. 

Look forward to making many such new discoveries in 2016.


(Last but not the least, thank you to SOTC Kuoni DIY Holidays for the well paced itinerary and superb holiday arrangements)

Monday, January 11, 2016

When a walk in the woods provides a great lesson




I stay in Goregaon, a part of the western suburbs situated just a few kilometers away from Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) aka Borivali National Park. On Sundays, the park seems, even more close, considering there is no traffic on the road (which many Mumbaikars will endorse). But in spite of the small distance, I hate to admit that I have been to the National Park only once before. It is supposed to be the largest park in the world located within city limits and truly a place to be visited many times over. But this Sunday was just my second visit to these sylvan surroundings so far in my life. Such a shame!
“A beautiful walk through the Shilonda Trail” inside the National Park was what the e-brochure of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) enticed me with its foliage of words.

And so here I was, on a chilly morning in January, ready to bathe in the serenity of the green expanse and soak in the knowledge, the birds and the bees (pun unintended) had to offer. The brochure had mentioned that the trail will be about 15 minutes walk from the main gate of the National Park, and so it was. Typically, this trail is out of bounds for regular visitors unless they have permission. It's accessible only through naturist clubs like the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and NIC etc. And that's precisely what excited me even more. I prefer quieter locations such as these where one can enjoy nature at peace, away from the din of the picnickers and the clamor of the motley crowd. It can be so unbelievably peaceful that it's difficult to believe that it is the same noisy Mumbai just a few hundred meters away.
The trail itself runs for about 2 km into the jungle up to a stream. The dense growth of deciduous trees mixed with the bamboo groves provides an elusive tranquil all through the walk in the woods.  The vast variety of birds, insects, butterflies add their beauty to this visual treat and provide a welcome respite. For any Mumbaikar this is truly the right place to relax, find solace and their true self. Neither a biologist, ornithologist nor an entomologist I am but a Sunday ensconced in the lap of mother nature was just the kind of getaway my frayed nerves were seeking.

There was a myriad of tidbits we heard all through this trail. But there was one fascinating fact, Mr. Jagdish Vakale, Naturalist at NIC and our guide recounted to the group that stayed with me.

He told us the intriguing fact about a bird and colony of ants. The ants are popularly called as soldier ants and crematogaster by the entomologists. They use dry leaves, their saliva, and mud to build a robust nest for its colony. This nest resembles a Pagoda and hence it gets its name as Pagoda Ants nest. This nest is almost impregnable to any species as these ants are known to be fierce and of attacking nature. Also, the nest is as hard as a cardboard. However, there is one bird in spite of these challenges considers this nest as its home too and stays inside it along with the entire colony of ants. The bird is known as Rufus Woodpecker. This bird secretes a chemical, pheromone. And this is the same pheromone that the soldier ants also secrete and makes them think that the bird is part of its family. So, in spite of Rufus Woodpecker not being an ant or an insect but an entirely different species, the soldier ant allows it to stay in its well-built nest.
Rufus Woodpecker on the other hand just does not just stay there like a ghar jamai (live-in son-in-law) who hoards for free but it, in turn, provides food to the ants. All the tidbits and insects it collects and hunts for its family does not get consumed entirely. The babies eat a little and litter the nest with crumbs. This leftover food is then eaten by the soldier ants. Thus, saving the ants the energy to go out and hunt for food.


An incredible example of giving and receiving between entirely different species at work here. It shows how two different types, completely unlike each other, by helping one another in a symbiotic relationship can live together peacefully and graciously.

For me it's a beautiful lesson which nature has provided! We as humans and considered as the most evolved species on the face of the earth, can take a big leaf out of the Pagoda Ant's nest. 

I am sure there will always be differences and contrasts between each of us human beings, in the way we think, live, eat, drink, communicate, behave and function. Our culture, perspectives, experiences, memories, etc. sum up who we become as a person. That being said, it's up to us to find out how we can use these differences to learn from one another, accept the differences, respect each other, give and take and live in harmony and peace. At the end, what makes us different from the other species is how we manage relationships with each other and keep them healthy and strong in order to have a happy and productive life.