My dear Cambodia

Unless you are a complete piss artist or an Australian, or both, a backpacker's experience in Cambodia is likely to be defined by the country's two contrasting histories.

The ancient glory of the Khmer empire and the shockingly recent murderous regime of Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge government.

The cold hard facts and cold hearted acts of the Khmer Rouge resound in my head as free haunting souvenirs.

Between 1975  and 1979  an estimated 2.5 million people died as the Khmer Rouge sought to degenerate the entire country back to its agrarian roots.

A nationwide massacre was targeted at politicians, teachers and intellectuals - the people most crucial to a country’s development.

Widespread famine and disease ensued as the Khmer Rouge sold food supplies for weapons.

More than a fifth of the population perished. No one was unaffected.

Cambodia today is rife with poverty. 

I arrived after two months in South Thailand. Cambodia’s child street hawkers offered me a culture shock, in addition to their homemade bracelets and photocopied Lonely Planet books.

But there's a charm about Cambodia's friendly people that defies their hardships. In a way, it reminded me of India.

And I fell in love with the place on my first morning.

I started my visit in Siem Reap. Since I was training for a half-marathon, I went for a run. As the heat level hit searing, my hangover intensified and I found myself parched on the outskirts of town.

I gestured at a lady who was sweeping her garden to ask where I could find water. Despite the fact I was a sweaty mess and she spoke no English, she invited me inside for a drink, offered me jam and called in her kids to say hello / laugh at the sweaty white man.

My main reason for being in Siem Reap was to explore the 9^th to 13^th century remains of the capital of the ancient Khmer empire.

I baulked at cycling in the 40 degree heat. Just a single minute out of the shade was enough to turn me into Matt soup. So I hired a motorbike-chariot driver, Kong, to ferry me around for two days.

The ruins of Angkor archeological park are incredible. It’s without doubt the greatest man-made creation I have ever seen, edging out the Taj Mahal, Selhurst Park and the Whitgift Centre.

The scale of the place is mind-blowing. There is so much to see. Inevitably, there were a lot of people there to see it.

The headline act is Angkor Wat, the world’s largest religious building. It makes for a spectacular sunrise silhouette, as long as you don’t mind being elbow-to-elbow with thousands of snap-happy Chinese tourists.

Ta Prom temple is known as the ‘Tomb Raider’ for its supporting role alongside Angelina Jolie’s chest in the console-game-cash-in movie. Here, trees interweave with the masonry to create a unique and beautiful coalition of nature and man.

On my second day, I set out in search of lesser known temples for a break from the crowds.

 I found bliss as I sat undisturbed and sketched in the tranquil shade for two hours before my peace was destroyed.

‘Pants!’

‘Pants, pants, pants!’ was the cry that broke the silence.  As a shouting hawker ran towards me flailing pairs of garish-elephant-motifed pyjama bottoms.

My driver Kong had a funny sense of humour. This may well have been because he was stoned most of the time.

He insisted that I must see his favourite relic, the River of a Thousand Lingas (phalluses) which was a long drive out of town. Compared to the grandeur of some of Angkor’s other sites, it was a bit of an anticlimax, but he wasn’t lying, there really were loads of ancient stumpy cocks crudely carved into the riverbed.

I also visited the National Landmine Museum.  It is focused on the work of Aki Ra, a former Khmer Rouge child soldier who has since spent his life removing 50,000 landmines using a stick and pair of pliers. Most of these mines are now on display at the museum.

As I was leaving, Aki Ra arrived to pick up some TNT to detonate a haul of newly recovered ordinance, so I was pleased to be able to shake his hand and tell him how much I enjoyed the museum.

I am convinced this incredible man’s life story should be told as a movie.

If you are reading this (of course you are) UN ambassador, film director and Cambodiaphile Angelina Jolie, then what are you waiting for!?!

Before departing Siem Reap I took a cooking lesson. It was great fun, but as I enjoyed several draft beers at 50 US cents a glass, I’m glad they have emailed me the recipes.

In Phnom Penh I visited the Killing Fields of the Khmer Rouge. It is an intense experience.

You follow a numbered route around mass graves, execution sites and human remains. An audio tour plumbs into your ears stories of the suffering of the victims. This brings the horrors to life in a vivid and very powerful way.

It was emotional and in the heat of the day it wasn’t clear what were tears and what was sweat on the faces of the visitors.

This was followed by a visit to the S-21 museum at Tuol Sleng. It is a school that was converted by the Khmer Rouge into a torture prison where 20,000 people were killed.

Classrooms were converted to cells and even playground equipment was repurposed for the macabre. I can say without doubt it was the most haunting, harrowing place I have ever been and I didn’t want to stay there very long.

This was humanity at its most barbaric and it maddens me to know that atrocities of this scale were ongoing just 35 years ago. After Armstrong had landed on the moon, Elvis had popped his blue suede clogs and Blue Peter was on to its fourth pet dog.

All in all, it was a very sombre day. Even a super happy pizza didn’t cheer me up very much.

Next day was a bike trip into the countryside where we were welcomed into a temple by friendly monks who spoke some English. I impressed them with a video of me practicing Muay Thai and in return one of them sang me Islands in the Stream by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton.

Before departing Phnom Penh, I visited the National Museum. It was full of ancient treasures of the Khmer Empire. I have never seen so many intact ancient objects in such a small space. My inner Lara Croft was overjoyed.

Perhaps predictably, I sacked off the half-marathon in favour of a week of carefree beach life in Shianoukeville on the South Coast.

After a couple of nights on deserted beautiful beaches on the mainland, I reached Koh Rong, an island home to world-class white sand beaches and a decent backpacker scene.  I did a few scuba dives. Though the visibility was poor, what it lacked in quality was made up for in quantity as our night dive lasted almost two hours.

I’d whole-heartedly recommend a visit to Cambodia. It suits a budget traveler (you can find dorm beds from $1!) the food is good, the beer is cheap, the history is fascinating and the locals are wonderful.