Smile and the World Smiles With You

Cambodia. I've been here five days now. Today I'm wandering around Phnom Penh, slowly making my way to see the S21 prison and the "killing fields." I am interested to see it, because I've studied the history, but I'm dragging my feet a little because places like this tend to drag me down. (I guess if they didn't, you'd have to wonder a bit...) I'm of a couple minds when it comes to places like this. I encountered them in Vietnam as well. Places where, in the recent past the earth has run with so much blood and tragedy. And yet, today the local population derives a profit from showing it to tourists. The western mindset tends to see this as a kind of sacriledge, a capitalization on the blood of your ancestors. But the local mindset seems more to be that they suffered from these things, and yes, they should be allowed to make money from it now. In a place like Cambodia, that is still one of the poorest countries in the world, that makes some sense to me. Same in Vietnam. To be certain, if you veer from the beaten path here (the one beaten by busloads of tourists, that is) you will see just how destitute too many people still live here.

But enough of the depressing stuff. Let me back up over the week a little. I've only been in Phnom Penh since taking a six hour boat ride down the Tonle Sap River from Siem Reap yesterday morning. I spent my first three days there with my friend David (he's now returned to KL, and I'm hanging out with a friend from Michigan who lives here). David also lives in KL, so was also free for the Chinese New Year holidays. We flew in on Monday, midday, and for the next three days explored the temples of Siem Reap like Indiana Jones. Except we didn't call each other Indiana, and Sean Connery wasn't there either.... ( "Indiana was the dog's name...") Sorry, my minds wandering a bit...

Anyway, first day we found a tuk-tuk driver and went to see Angkor Wat... the mother of them all. I was truly surprised at the way people are allowed to climb all over the old temples like a big jungle gym. Certainly in the west it's different. But at the same time, it's quite cool because you really begin to get a feel for these old places, and it really makes the experience. So, we followed the massive crowd as far as the first gate into the complex. Being of the same mind about not enjoying following "the group"like a bunch of ants, or sheep, we immediately looked to head in the direction that everyone else was not. This is where the ability to walk just about anywhere in thse complexes really worked to our advantage. We slowly took in some of the old smaller buildings outside of the large building at the center, watched the buddhist monks in their bright orang garb, watched the local people interacting with the tourists, and also, completely ignoring the throng of tourists and going about their daily offerings that they still perform daily inside these ancient buildings. We meandered around slowly, often going off in separate directions without a word when something caught our interest. We'd eventually wander back into the same area, and tell each other about the cool things we'd just seen. We found our way into the main building of Angkor Wat via some broken down steps at the back of the complex. Here is where I began my love affair with the windows of Siem Reap. All of the old temples have big windows built along them, usually right up to the top of the structure. One of the most enjoyable things I found about exploring the old temples, was finding myself a quiet corner window, where I could just sit and take in the sounds of the jungle, and look at my surroundings. When I'd get tired I'd leave David to do his exploring and find another window to sit and watch, and sometimes read my book for a bit. Thats the amazing thing about the whole SR experience. Despite the throngs of tourists, it is amazingly easy to find yourself completely alone among the ruins, and only heár the sounds of the monkeys and the birds in the jungle around you...

We found our way to the top of Angkor Wat via some very steep steps, that were to become a normal sight in the three days there. At the top we took in the view of the surrounding area, which is largely flat. And we stayed up there for the sunset. Sunrise and sunset, in my mind have a transformative ability, in the way the light changes. It changes the appearance of the structures around you, which in a place like Angkor can be dramatic, and it can also change the structure of your thinking. It makes one more pensive, more peaceful and kind. And the most amazing thing about it is that we get two chances for that everyday of our lives. And so we watched the light changing on the walls of Angkor. Streaming through columns and windows, leaving long shadows in chambers where people knelt with their offerings, where tourists leaned in windows, lost in their own thoughts... Here I started taking more pictures of people, amazed at how their presence affected the sight of this ancient structure. A couple of Asian girls, sitting giggling in the window as the waning light streamed through, an old couple having their picture taken in front of the temple... Life in an ancient place.

As the sunset on our first day in Angkor, we moved along in the throng of people to find our tuk-tuk driver, who waited amongst the chaos. We rode back along the dusty road amidst the bicycles, motorbikes, tuk-tuks, and cars and trucks, watching the small town of Siem Reap in growing darkness. Around us, night markets were springing up, people were returning from their daily slog of selling sodas and souvenirs to the fat western tourists. We were dropped at the door of our hotel where we promptly jumped in the pool to cool off from the afternoon in the dirt and sun. Then we found our way to a little restaurant where we could sit at a table under a tree, open a bottle of wine, and mull over the day... And what a day it was...

So theres more to tell, but for now, I think I've talked plenty, and I have places to go... :-) The title of the blog entry, by the way, is something I was thinking of as I was wandering around today. I love this part of the world, for the smiles. Not just when people want to sell you something, but all the time. Smile, and you are rewarded with the most beautiful radient smiles. From the school kids making their way home from school, to the toothless old man sitting on his stoop watching the world go by. I've been smiling a lot lately.