Page 11 - issue_9-vol_9-Mexican-Gastronomy

5. The Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda - The Royal Palace
and Silver Pagoda compounds sit together behind the cren-
ellated yellow walls of the royal compound on the riverfront,
and are usually seen in a combined visit. Set aside 1-2 hours
to see both. Tour guides are available at the gate, and though
they charge a fee, are still recommended.
Within the Palace grounds the Royal buildings sit like
ornate islands rising from the manicured gardens.
The Palace serves as the King’s residence, a venue for
court ceremony and as a symbol of the Kingdom. It
was established at this location when the capital was
moved to Phnom Penh in 1866. Khmer and European
elements as well as
echoes of the palace
in Bangkok are pres-
ent in the design of
the buildings.
Attached to the Pal-
ace compound, is the
Silver Pagodas. So
named for its silver
tiled floor, it is where
the King meets with
monks and holds Roy-
al ceremonies.
6. Khmer Massage. I highly recommend their mas-
sages. They don’t use oil; they just use their strength.
They stretch you and pull you in all sorts of directions,
so it’s pretty strong, but once you’re done you feel
completely relaxed. You can get a massage in your ho-
tel or on the city streets for around US$10-$20.
7. Final Suggestions - Definitely bring mosquito repel-
lent, sunscreen and a hat. Money wise, tourists use US
dollars; I didn’t even see the local currency. You don’t
need much as it’s pretty cheap: around $2 for a tuk tuk,
$6-7 to have a great meal, and a beer is just $1-2.
The True Heart of Cambodia
My trip to Cambodia was a combination of both edu-
cational and cultural, but mostly, it was meeting the
local people. Despite their recent history, they are so
friendly and open. Even if they don’t speak English,
they’ll look at you and smile. You learn to communi-
cate through body language.
Every day in Cambodia I was constantly reminded
that while there’s a lot of pain and trauma in the
country, there’s also a lot of resilience, strength and
love. I finally realized that the true heart of Cambo-
dia does not lie in its killing fields, its temples or its
bloody history; yes, these things are an undeniable
part of the country, but they do not define it. The true
heart of Cambodia lies in its people.
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Chum Mey with Wayne Hansen
S-21 and The Killing Fields
S-21 aka The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, Phnom Penh; Pol Pot,
the Hitler of Cambodia, and his minions, the Khmer Rouge were
responsible for the deaths of nearly three million Cambodians be-
tween 1975 and 1979. Everyone who visits Phnom Penh needs to
visit this museum. Once a peaceful High School, S-21, became a tor-
ture-interrogation centre from which just a handful survived. Intel-
lectuals, clergy, doctors, professors were rounded up and shackled,
electrified, dismembered and beaten to death. Those who survived
were taken to the killing fields for final extermination. S-21 is now
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, in memory of those tortured here. It
is a difficult place to visit, but, like other Holocaust Museums one
must visit and learn about this evil part of the world’s history.
One of the very few survivors of S-21 was Mr. Chum Mey who
we found sitting by a table before we exited. He has written a
book “Survivor” and most of us purchased his book while he au-
tographed it and posed for a picture with each one of us. He is a
Director of Victims Association of Democratic Kampuchea and their
whole purpose is to educate the young Cambodian children and
everyone who visits to ensure that this never happens again.
The Killing Fields, 15 kilometres from Phnom Penh, is a monument
unlike any in the world - crammed with skulls and other bones un-
earthed from just one of the hundreds of Cambodian Killing Fields.
The government chose to leave most mass graves alone, so this is
both cemetery and hallowed ground.
The state religion of Theravada Buddhism was first introduced to
Cambodia during the days of the great Angkor kingdom and pros-
pered. For centuries, monks were the only literate people residing in
rural communities, and filled the important role of teachers. However,
in 1975, the Khmer Rouge massacred the majority of them and de-
stroyed most of their temples and it was not until after the Vietnam-
ese invasion that Buddhism was once again openly practised.
The Khmer Rouge were driven from power in 1979 by the Viet-
namese, who occupied the country until 1989. Cambodia then
regained control of its own affairs and began its long recovery.
It is now a constitutional monarchy.
Thinking about it now, I get goosebumps. It was a very intense
experience, but I think it’s important and good to understand
the local history and to remind yourself what humans are ca-
pable of doing to other humans.