Don’t go changing

There were dark, dusty village streets to be navigated in order to find your way to the Night Markets the first time I visited Siem Reap in 2008.

I remember distinctly that my friend and I relied on a local colleague to help us find our way from the restaurant in Pub Street to the collection of thatched huts that house the markets.

If anything captures for me the rate of change in Cambodia in recent years, it’s the way all of this has been transformed.

Today, visitors will find an explosion of neon signs, market stalls, massage places and feet-cleaning fish ponds which extend from the bar and restaurant strip across town to the original markets.

Market stalls that once sold mostly quality hand-made local arts and crafts now sell mass-produced, machine-made merchandise as well. Some of it is imported from nearby countries.

Have you ever found somewhere you love and urged others to try it, ‘before it’s ruined?’

I have to confess that I said that to some friends after a holiday in Cambodia in June last year.

I felt confronted by the transformation of parts of Siem Reap into a gawdy nightclub district and bazaar.

These thoughts reflect a natural human aversion to change and a concern that in the rush to develop and seize an opportunity, places may destroy some of the unspoiled charm that attracted visitors in the first place.

But this fifth visit to Cambodia as a volunteer rather than a tourist and my own changed personal circumstances, have brought deeper reflections.

I suppose I’m thinking less about what Cambodia does for visitors and more about what we can do for Cambodia.

For better or worse, local businesses seek to provide what tourists are buying – which includes access to the magnificent ancient temple ruins of the Angkor region near Siem Reap, along with a bountiful supply of cheap trinkets and the flourishing nightlife.

Amid all of this, there are some dedicated local enterprises that seek to teach and maintain the traditional artisanship in things such as silk production, wood and stone carving and silver work.

There’s also a more seedy side where vulnerable people, often children and women, are exploited by begging rings and prostitution.

Sadly organised crime follows the money trail in tourist hot spots – as I’m learning in horrific detail through the volunteer work I’ve been doing while I’m here this time.

Putting that dark underbelly to one side, tourism is a big opportunity for this country as it seeks to develop and lift itself out of poverty.

It’s a sector that has grown and become more sophisticated. Access to the ancient attractions is better managed, supported by bigger, more modern airports and a wider range of hotels.

The rate of progress in this country has been huge, as witnessed by a lovely New Zealand couple I met in Phnom Penh this week.

When they started coming here as tourists 11 years ago, the roads in the capital were not sealed and there were no traffic lights.

The tuk tuks that are now ubiquitous were nowhere to be seen and nor were the four-wheel-drives that dominate the roads today. The only transportation was from motos (motorbikes) and cyclos (bicycles with a passenger seat in the front).

A trip from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap involved a slow boat ride down the river, not the half hour flight most people take these days.

Like me, these grandparents were drawn back year after year for holidays, before they eventually moved here, initially as volunteers. They’ve witnessed a massive influx of tourists and expats, and with them a proliferation of coffee shops, restaurants, day spas and boutiques.

It would be hypocritical to enjoy all of that while decrying progress in this country as it hopefully delivers a better standard of living for its people.

However, there is obviously much that can be done to ensure that progress takes place in a way that respects and protects people, as well as the country’s historic and natural assets.

As much as we sometimes want them to, places don’t remain frozen in time. Nor do people.

I’m doing something really different with my life this year and it feels inevitable that these experiences are going to change me. They probably already have.

I’m grateful to the friends and family who have encouraged me to explore the world and myself this year, and see where it all takes me.

I have the same wish for Cambodia.

That people seek to understand not judge it, and that it gets the opportunities and support it needs to grow into the best possible version of its modern self.

M

Pub Street in Siem Reap. As the name suggests, it’s a street full of pubs and restaurants. Sadly, the lure of tourists with pockets of cash means that this area is also a hot spot for a seedy underbelly.

Once dark local streets, the path from Pub Street to the Night Market in Siem Reap is now an unbroken series of stalls and neon lights.

Once a simple collection of thatched huts, the Night Market in Siem Reap is now better recognised for its neon lights.

Many aspects of life for the local people go on as they have for centuries. These women are walking near the wall of Angkor Thom, the last capital city of the ancient Khmer Empire.

The Angkor Thom complex is famous for its carved stone faces.

This warrior is one of a number who have stood guard for centuries across the bridges at the entrances to Angkor Thom.

There’s something quite magical about the whole Angkor historic site. No matter how many times you see them, these huge monuments have the power to give you goose bumps.

Tourists explore the East Mebon temple ruins.

The East Mebon temple ruin is famous for its life-sized elephant statues.

These two boys were herding their water buffalo in the grounds of the Prea Rup temple ruin. We first spotted them from high on the temple, where we could see the water buffalo enjoying a refreshing dip in the deep pools of water created by the wet season.

Can you spot the frog in this picture? My friend and I had encountered a snake about 1.5 metres long at one of the temples in the half an hour before I took this photo. As we walked, I felt something slimy touch my foot and we were both startled, until we realised it was a harmless frog and not another snake!

No magnifying glass required to see this colourful beauty, perched on the steps at one of the temple ruins. When it flew off, it had multiple layers of colourful wings.

The majestic Prea Rup temple ruins.

The view across the Prea Rup temple complex from the top of the structure.

Loved the way this ray of light seemed to pick out one of the lions guarding the entrance to this part of the Prea Rup temple ruin.

There are dedicated enterprises that seek to teach and preserve the traditional methods for arts and crafts, including the production of silk as being practiced here.

Rice continues to be grown using very traditional hand sewing methods by subsistence farmers. There are bundles of rice shoots waiting to be sewn at the end of this paddock.

Neak Pean is an ancient bathing area which remains remarkably intact to this day.

New boardwalks and walkways like this one at Neak Pean have become more common around the Angkor complex as authorities seek to enable access through the wet season and to protect the ancient stones from wear.

Wetlands around the ancient Neak Pean bathing pools.

This marks the highest point in Phnom Penh and the location where, according to legend, the city was founded in the 14th Century.

Inside Wat Phnom, the place of worship on top of the hill which marks the site where Phnom Penh was founded.

A giant naga (cobra) winds its way down the hill at Wat Phnom in Phnom Penh. The site is a focal point for Khmer New Year’s Eve celebrations.

These three-metre tall copper statues are a new addition to the Phnom Penh riverfront. Officially launched in August 2012, the statues commemorate the lives of former commanders in chief from the 16th and 17th century.