as some of you would have know, hubbi and me went for a short 4D3N trip to siem reap the last few days.
what was meant as a simple visit-THE-angkor-wat trip turns out to be more humbling than expected.
im really a mother now, for i see things with a newfound perspective which is that of a mummy.
the living conditions there made me think twice of how lucky baby yz is to be living in singapore.
the way the children are left to roam by themselves, sometimes clothless, made me feel so sad.
seeing those kids barely 1-2 years older than my baby, balancing themselves on boats and coming by to ask for some money made my heart heavy.
and the boy selling me stuff around the temples at angkor wat saying he has no money for school if i dont buy from him!
we tried to give some tips here and there or buy things without bargaining too much, but there are simply too many of them.
and those landmine victims playing music for some donations outside some temples.
those parents and children camping overnight outside the hospital for free vaccines.
i mean, i can go on and on about how fortunate we are compared to the average cambodians.
around 70% of the population in siem reap depends on tourism for earnings. with the tension mounting at the borders with the thai, tourism takes a dip and i wonder how they are coping with it.
i mean, i think there are less than 30 rooms occupied in my hotel! most hotels along the street were dark with little inhabitants when we drove past them at night.
and government is not doing much to restore angkor wat, despite it being the sole reason why visitors are even in siem reap.
more than half of the people are not educated and staying at villages with kampong style huts.
they have no public transport like bus or taxis but only tuk-tuk, similar to those found in thailand, being the main source of transport for tourists.
really, i cant imagine myself living in that kind of conditions.
and so tourism turnout is so bad till we have our own driver and tour guide! and so for the period there, we were driven in a camry and lunch/dine at expensive restaurants (part of the package). basically, living like a king. but feeling none of one.
how could you when you are greeted with the sights every turn the car took. :(
as the husband said, he much rather squeeze in the subway in europe/states than touring luxuriously over here.
oh, and we seldom able to know whats going on in the world. the tv is not showing much news and the newspapers focusing on local news.
so imagine our horror when our tour guide said to us on our 2nd day there that thailand has threatened to wage war on cambodia to claim back the temple at the borders together with 3 provinces, siem reap being 1 of them!
part of us was skeptical about the dubious source, the other half was scared.
i remember playing all the worst case scenarios in my mind and getting upset. getting stranded in cambodia and not being able to see my baby! *gasp*
was on teeters till the plane took off yesterday evening. @_@
so mixed feelings from this trip, perhaps due to the fact that siem reap is the poorest place ive been to in my life. still, visiting angkor wat is truly enjoyable and i enjoyed some really good hospitality from the locals.
ok some photos:
a boat tour @ tonle sap river. quite a handful of people live on the lake on such houses. saw many children just hanging ard the platform without any adult supervision!
@ their "downtown" area. yup, no shopping malls.
1 of the temples at angkor area.
@ ta prohm! where tomb raider is flimed!
@the famous angkor wat
waiting for sunset @ bahkeng hill
our hotel - city angkor hotel
a typical meal there completed with tom yam soup - yummy!
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