Thursday, May 06, 2004
Au revoir to Phnom Penh . . .
When I last left off, we were in Cambodia’s southern beach resort of Sihanoukville. In light of our harrowing nighttime drive down to Sihanoukville, we decided to have Matty drive us back to Phnom Penh during daylight hours, figuring it would be safer. Traffic was heavier during the daytime. In addition to the pedestrians, bicycles and ox-carts that we had already encountered, we also had to contend with herds of cows and water buffalo that wandered nonchalantly onto the highway, seemingly oblivious to the vehicles that might hit them. In order to make good time, Matty must have spent half the trip driving on the wrong side of the highway, passing slow moving vehicles, ox-carts etc. and swerving back into the right lane just in time, it seemed, to avoid a head-on collision (or a collision with a water buffalo). At least in the daylight, we were able to see the many villages along the way, with residents' houses built on stilts to avoid the floods of the rainy season. We arrived safely in Phnom Penh.
The next morning, we awoke at 4:45 a.m. to catch our flight to the northern city of Siem Reap. During the drive to the airport, we observed something that stood out because of its normalcy and familiarity. People were jogging in the latest running gear and riding their modern bicycles for exercise, much as you would see back home early in the morning. We also saw many large groups of people all over town doing calisthenics.
Normally along the Phnom Penh waterfront, you would see all sorts of interesting characters milling about, such as women selling fruit or bags of potato chips that are laid out evenly on a platter balanced on their heads. There are also some people selling caged pigeons. When you purchase a pigeon, it is set free, along with your sins. Alternatively, you can purchase some incense or flowers to offer before the large statue of Buddha in a small open sided temple located on the waterfront boardwalk. It is also common to see orange-robed monks going for a leisurely walk. On the other side of the waterfront street, known as Sisowath Quay, tourists and expatriate residents are having a drink at one of the fancier cafes.
Phnom Penh actually has many foreign residents, mainly employees of charitable endeavours, United Nations agencies and various non-governmental agencies (NGO’s). In fact, instead of being asked where I am from, I am often asked what NGO I work for. Cambodia is a more attractive place to do foreign aid work than, say, Iraq or some isolated country in Africa. Foreign aid workers here are appreciated (as our warm welcome at the law school and the judges' school attests), rather than being kidnapped. Ex-pats can live in high quality villas or hotels and can eat in good restaurants. They can also be in a modern city like Bangkok in just over one hour.
Moreover, it is not controversial for westerners to help Cambodians. Cambodia is now a democracy (albeit not an entirely perfect one) and the right to free enterprise is enshrined in the Cambodian constitution (in contrast to neighbouring countries like Communist Vietnam).
Besides the lawyers' training program in which we participated, which is sponsored by the Canadian Bar Association and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), we were exposed to a couple of other worthy endeavours during our stay. For instance, we had a wonderful supper in a restaurant called Friends, where all the waiters and cooks are former street kids who are being given training in useful job skills. There are many orphans in this country as a result of its turbulent history and the high rate of HIV/AIDS.
We also spent one morning at Digital Divide Data (DDD), which was founded by my friend’s brother, Jeremy Hockenstein, an American (and former Montrealer), and some associates of his. Jeremy travels to Cambodia a couple of times a year and the rest of the time communicates with the on-site managers by e-mail and instant messenger.
By coincidence, I had actually done some pro bono legal work for a Canadian charity that supports DDD at Jeremy’s request. I therefore had read and written about DDD and it was exciting to finally have the opportunity to see DDD’s operations in person.
DDD employs over 100 underprivileged youth, including orphans, physically challenged people (Cambodia has the highest number of land mine victims per capita in the world) and former sex trade workers (Poor Cambodian families sometimes sell their young daughters into slavery). DDD does data entry work that is mainly outsourced from North America. For example, its employees are typing the last 100 years' worth of the Harvard Crimson newspaper into electronic format in order to create a database of that newspaper’s archives.
DDD employees gain job skills in the high tech area and are provided with scholarships to pay for their education. A doctor is on site on a regular basis, and workers are taken on outings, such as to the beach.
Although outsourcing of this sort looks to be an issue in the upcoming US presidential elections, there is no way that American workers can compete with wages that start at only $65 per month (that’s a good wage in Cambodia). Instead, American voters should be happy that the global community is increasing in size and scope. Someday DDD’s employees will be consumers of US goods and Cambodia’s grunt work will be outsourced to some even poorer country. America’s strength is its ability to innovate and to do high value-added work; not its ability to re-type old issues of the Harvard Crimson.
DDD is located in a large villa and is equipped with the latest computer technology. I got a kick out of seeing a photograph posted on the wall of Jeremy standing next to King Sihanouk at a recent ceremony.
Speaking of King Sihanouk, we had the opportunity to visit his palace (and the adjacent pagodas). The king was not at home, as he has been away at his country villa in North Korea (If I were a king, I’m not sure I’d choose to locate my country house in North Korea, but then again, North Korea has always been a friend of Cambodia). In a large front-page headline last week, a local newspaper emphasized that, although he is away, King Sihanouk has been thinking of his subjects (I am so reassured!).
King Sihanouk is over 80 years old and has alternately been prince, king, dictator, prime minister and deposed/exiled leader of Cambodia since 1941. Now, he is more a symbolic head of state like Canada’s Governor General (although he receives a higher level of respect). Sihanouk has also been a movie star and a film director. In fact, in the 1960’s, he created an annual film festival at which, purely by coincidence, one of his films always won the prize for best picture! If you’re interested, you can check out his website on which his handwritten notes are posted on a regular basis.
Anyhow, after a 45-minute flight during which smoke filled the cabin prior to takeoff (the flight attendants didn’t seem too concerned, so neither was I; it was merely condensation created by the extreme outdoor heat meeting the air-conditioned cabin air), we arrived in the jungle town of Siem Reap. There are nearly 100 ancient Hindu and Buddhist temples in the vicinity of Siem Reap, of which one can visit approximately 40. The rest are still surrounded by land mines.
Upon our arrival, we hired a guide named Long Vudthy, whose name we had been given by one of the directors at the Lawyers' Training Center. Vudthy normally trains other guides and gives tours only to dignitaries (Last week, he served as tour guide to movie star and UN anti-land mine ambassador, Jackie Chan), but he said he would be “honoured" to be our guide since we were friends of his friend at the law school.
Vudthy is 46 years old. He began by telling us of his torture at the hands of the Khmer Rouge and showed us his various scars (such as holes in his lower leg that resulted from his being a bit too close to an exploding land mine while he ran from his Khmer Rouge captors)
While driving to the temples, we passed the usual cows, pedestrians and ox-carts, plus, being the jungle, we also saw monkeys (who had the sense to stay on the side of the road) and elephants (admittedly, they are not wild; they are used to ferry tourists between temples).
The temples in the Siem Reap area were constructed by Khmer kings between the 9th and 13th centuries. The largest and best known is Angkor Wat, reputed to be the largest religious monument in the world. It measures 1.5 kilometres by 1.3 kilometres and is surrounded by a huge moat. It was quite spectacular to see, and I very much enjoyed climbing the five levels of the central part of the temple. The steps are extremely steep, but the view is worth it. There are all sorts of nooks and crannies in the temple and you never know when you might come upon a small shrine to Buddha with an old monk or Buddhist nun attending to it. There are also intricate carvings in the stone of the temple.
Of the nine or ten temples we visited, the temple of Ta Prohm (aka the "Jungle Temple") stands out. This temple has been overtaken by the jungle. Huge trees are growing out of and through the walls, lending the place an eerie feeling. In fact, Angelina Jolie filmed Lara Croft: Tomb Raider at the Jungle Temple. It was fun to climb through the temple; it was like a jungle gym for adults (no pun intended).
One day in Siem Reap, we decided to eat lunch in a Korean restaurant, which is a normal thing one might do back home - except that this particular restaurant was NORTH Korean. It was called Pyongyang (actual motto: “Our Specialty: Cold Noodles"). When I asked one of the 4 identically dressed waitresses how North Korean food differs from South Korean cuisine, she replied, “same", to which Stefan replied under his breath, “sauf que les portions sont plus petites." The food was, indeed, like South Korean food.
I asked the waitress whether she was actually from North Korea. She said yes. I presumed that she had escaped from North Korea, one of the most repressive closed societies in the world, where food shortages are common. However, she indicated in her extremely broken English (which, believe it or not, was better than her Khmer) that she was on a one-year contract and looked forward to returning to Pyongyang, which, she informed us, is a lovely place. As that comment, as well as her innocent angelic smile indicated, she was a true believer in the North Korean system. When I asked what her father did, she saluted. I asked, “general?" She replied by drawing a star in the air and putting up one finger. I guessed, “one-star general?" She smiled. It seems that, like in many Communist countries, those in North Korea who are well connected get to travel abroad. Anyhow, it’s not everyday that I get to play charades with a North Korean!
Across the street is another restaurant called "Seoul." Vudthy told us that, once, a waitress from the Pyongyang had an affair with a waiter from the Seoul. It was so controversial that it nearly caused an international incident!
Yesterday, we returned to Phnom Penh. There is a conference of ministers of all member countries of the ASEAN countries at our hotel. The place is teeming with security guards. There is even a secret service guy posted in the hallway outside my room. I suppose I should feel safe.
This morning, I visited the Killing Fields at Choeng Ek where somewhere in the vicinity of 20,000 people were killed by the Khmer Rouge in the late 1970’s. There were numerous similar killing fields throughout Cambodia. The drive to Chong Ek took us to the countryside outside Phnom Penh along dirt roads with huge potholes. Upon arrival, I hired a guide who took me to the main memorial, which contains the skulls of 9,000 individuals on 17 shelves reaching up to the sky. He matter-of-factly took several skulls in his hand and showed me how each person had been killed (bayonet, cracked against a tree, bullet to the head). Nearby, there were bones protruding up through the ground, as well as shards of clothing that had been worn by victims buried alive. It was not the most pleasant visit, but was nonetheless important to see in order to understand this country’s tumultuous history.
In the afternoon, I lounged by the pool at the hotel and later visited the very basic National Museum (which is badly in need of a paint job).
Tomorrow, I must bid adieu to Cambodia, as I begin my slow journey back home with stops in Bangkok and Paris. Cambodia has been fun and very interesting. The people have been extremely polite and welcoming. Finally, for the first time in many years, there is peace here, and with its young population that seems to be stressing education and betterment of itself, Cambodia has a promising future, although it does have a long way to go.
Regards,
--Larry
