We have had four pretty full days in Siem Reap, the city closest to the amazing wonder that is the collection of Angkor temples. The temples themselves are amazing, even after more than 800 years many of them have survived in some semblance of stability and solidity despite invasions from Thai and Vietnamese armies, French colonists, The Khmer Rouge and now millions of tourists. If the main temple builder, King Jayawarman VII were to see the results of his thousands of sculptors today I am sure that his feelings about the current state of the temples would be a mixture of slight disappointment at the historical looting but wonder that so many people are drawn to the place year on year. He would probably be pleased that the visitors who come to the place also support huge numbers of Cambodians' livelihoods too.
We have only seen a very small part of the country so far on this trip but from my limited observations Cambodia does appear to be a fragile, yet very optimistic country. The lengths to which our tour guide had to go to get himself educated are staggering. Back in the late 1980s he raised the tuition fees for his private school English lessons by digging out and delivering ten cubic metres of sand from rivers for builders. He then went on to study history and law at university and is now leading tours in a place that he still describes as a wonder because the money he earns from tourists is, in his words "clean."
Our tuk tuk driver for the three days bought his own secondhand motorbike and rents his tuk tuk trailer from the owner of the hotel that we stayed in for US$30 per month. We were the first foreign tourists that he had driven this month so he wasn't just glad of the work, he was delighted. He was also a nice guy too. He couldn't work out a way to buy the tuk tuk trailer, at nearly $800, so, for the moment, he does the best he can for his wife and two children.
Then there is the childrens' hospital in Siem Reap. 90% funded by private donations from overseas the hospital management have stamped out all corruption and admit all children who need treatment free of charge. As well as needing funds they always need blood, so it was a small duty that Lexi and I did this afternoon to roll up our sleeves and lie down for twenty minutes. As this is Cambodia there were no tea and biscuits afterwards. Instead we were offered a cold can of fanta and given a thank you bag including iron and vitamin tablets, information about the hospital and a t-shirt with slogans to encourage others to give blood. We passed ours on to our driver, along with a tip, in the hope that by him wearing it he will help persuade others to call in for their can of fanta and do a good deed.
And then there are constructive and reconstructive projects and activities to help those affected by the 1970 to 1975 Khmer Rouge atrocities. While 70% of the landlines that were laid in the country have been cleared there are plenty of people who are living with the affects of them. But it is living with the effects. At many of Angkor temples there were bands of amputee, sometimes double amputee, musicians playing traditional Cambodian instruments and music. One drum player did not seem to let the loss of both hands and his sight stop him from playing well.
Despite the very many difficulties that continue to face the country there still appears to be a desire to work hard and develop. But a note to the tourists in our hotel lobby this evening who were trying to avoid paying their tuk tuk driver for their journey: it is a very fragile existence here. The $1 commission that our driver received for helping us to book our bus tickets to Phnom Penh is a very important $1 to him. I hope the words that I whispered in the arguing tourist's ear had the desired effect.