Life's Curvy Road: Cambodia.. "The comeback kid of SE Asia"

I wrote this during my time in Cambodia.. All the remarkable photographs were taken by Mr. Curtis Joyce... His pictures can tell a thousand words.

I saw a man wearing a shirt today, it read “War is costly, peace is priceless”. Those words spoke an indefinable truth to me today as I was walking through Siem Reap, Cambodia. This country, these people, all they have overcome, inspiring me to tell part of their story. Seeing their quiet demeanor with their gentle humor makes me have a constant smile on my face, and as I walk I notice so does everyone else.

They call Cambodia “The comeback kid of SE Asia” and after my first few days of visiting this awesome country my hope is this prophecy is correct. Cambodia when you look around seems to be alive in every way. The people are happy and lively, they have a sparkle in their eye and always a joke to make you laugh. The landscape is beautiful and the awe inspiring Angkor Wat draws thousands and thousands of eager tourists to Siem Reap, the quaint city that surrounds this unique and powerful wonders.

The powerful sights of Angkor Wat

Since the 1970s Cambodia has endured heartache after heartache through genocide, war, landmines, and the hands of individuals plagued with the wrong idea of what is right and what is so obviously wrong, the Khmer Rouge. To this day Cambodia is still dealing with landmines that are yet to be exploded and over 40,000 Cambodians have suffered amputations as a result of landmines. At the rate of cleanup for these landmines it is said it will take 100 years to rid this country of the landmines that are still in existence.

Photos taken at the Landmine museum in Siem Reap

As so many countries have seen in the past, the many years of war and killing haunt the now peaceful land. You can sense a quiet shadow as if the land and the people are in waiting, waiting for it to start a new. Holding their breath and slowly releasing while looking around to see if the peace is still here, and for now it seems it is.

Being here, seeing the land and seeing the beautiful faces, you can’t help but cry out with remorse over wrongs done to them. Cry out with pain when you see children with no parents, and cry out with anguish when you see the land mine victims still overcoming, continuing on with a gentle grace. There is hope here and it is growing daily. Hope that harmony will be a constant and lives will be rebuilt. Hope that they will always remember “war is costly, peace is priceless”.

A group of landmine victims playing music and raising money

Angkor Wat and Siem Reap are slowly taking advantage of its newfound status as “Asia’s historic hot spot”. This of course drawing more and more backpackers and travelers from all over the world, we included. Our time here is almost indescribable. We watched the sunrise over Angkor Wat, and watched it set from the top of the temple Pre up in Angkor Wat.

Sunrise over Angkor Wat on Curt's Birthday

Watching the sunset on top of the temple Pre Up

We visited a land mine museum, became educated on the calamity of landmines. We walked the markets of Siem Reap and bought beautiful scarves. We rode our bikes mile after mile in the glowing sun to see the amazing sights of Angkor and all the temples with their intricate carvings and large scale depictions of story lines being played out. We fell in love with the people through conversations had and hearts being shared.

Massive tree roots engulfing many of the structures in Ta Prohm.. amazing.

I now have a small piece of Cambodia etched into my memories and my heart. I will forever remember our time here and the impression it made on me. Looking forward I believe they will continue to build up and rise from the grief of the past. They will have the strength of overcoming the wreckage with them as they pull forward and continue on to the next chapter. Cambodia “The comeback kid of SE Asia”.