Cambodian Countryside
Traditions change slowly.
Driving down a backroad outside of Siem Reap on the way from the Cambodian Landmine Museum we noticed a loud, country wedding spilling out of a large outdoor restaurant. Our guide stopped the car and we got out to watch the festivities. The traditional wedding band played on. The ladies, dressed in their finest silks, sat in small groups discussing everyone while the men drank beer. The wedding couple were going through a part of the ritual where people place cash into their prayerful hands.
I was assured by our guide (who knew the family) that everyone would actually be flattered that a couple of Westerners thought the whole shindig was worth photographing. So we respectfully inserted ourselves in the proceedings.
And then the children took pictures of us with their parents’ phone. And we took pictures of them taking pictures of us. And we were all glad to see pictures of ourselves.
The temple complexes in the countryside are wonderful examples of colorful folk art. We received a blessing from a monk at the temple below and then watched some German backpackers teach English to the children at an outdoor classroom. Our guide was a little upset that the teachers were dressed like they were going to the beach — it didn’t show enough cultural awareness and respect for the temple. He felt the children would grow up normalizing short shorts and tank top at the Buddhist school and was frustrated that Cambodians were still so reliant on the kindness of foreigners for basic education. Ironic since the Germans probably thought they were performing an act of sincere charity for underprivileged children.
One of our greatest experiences in Asia was a dawn meditation at an ancient and mostly abandoned temple outside of Siem Reap. We arrived in the darkness to a crumbling pavilion that had been filled with small candles. During the simple yoga and basic Vipassana meditation session we listened to the awakening of the inside and outside world at the same time - monkeys, roosters, dogs all announcing another day on earth. When we finally opened out eyes, we realized we were on top of a small mountain looking at the rising sun reflected by the rivers and rice paddies. This was a moment of magic and we gained a new appreciation for the Cambodian landscape.
Wandering around a bit more I discovered a tableau of pink monk statues praying to Gautama Buddha hoping to receive the clarity of enlightenment. At the other end of the complex was a barely disguised cell phone tower and I appreciated the unintentional metaphor.
We visited the Angkor Silk Farm and the Siem Reap Workshops run by the Artisans Angkor. The silk scarves were stunningly beautiful and we treasure ours still. The craftsmanship and materials are so far above the night market stalls full of the same regular tourist tat — these handcrafts are well worth the price.