Category Archives: cambodia

Mr. Vey the Tuk-tuk Driver: Khmer Notes no. 8

Posted on
Reply

ladder

It’s been a while since I’ve written anything about my Cambodia trip. It’s been over 6 months now and I still haven’t finished downloading all the pictures from that trip into flickr. I put in another batch tonight and now I’m halfway through. While linking to those pictures, I’ve decided to reprint some parts of my journal from the trip.

In this excerpt, I’ve put together some passages about our tuk-tuk driver, Mr. Vey. A tuk-tuk is a moped-driven carriage. I’ve seen them all over Southeast Asia. I was surprised that T wanted to travel around exclusively in them. They’re open to the wind, dust and exhaust. The ride is bumpy and in the early mornings it’s quite chilly. But T loved them and that’s how we got around. Thankfully, we had the good fortune to have a great, reliable, courteous driver.

Mr. Vey and his tut-tut

Mr. Vey, December 2007
Our driver is a young-looking man named Mr. Vey (pronounced “By”). The hotel referred him to us on the first day, and we’ve been hiring him every day. We like him because he’s not aggressive, pesky or talkative. Most drivers try to arrange other trips or take you to shops where they get a commission. But he’s totally mellow. We like that.

In fact, he seems reluctant to be hired every day. It’s almost comical. Maybe he’s doing pretty well already. Doesn’t need the money. Or maybe he doesn’t want to pick us up at 7:30 am. I know I wouldn’t. But he’s stuck with us. And leaving for the temples at 7:30 is the only way to avoid the heat and the busloads of the tourist hordes.

On the second day, in a hushed tone he asked us to pick us up around the corner because the hotel charges him some amount. I’m not sure what the system is but the hotel staff appear to be very powerful since they can heavily influence where and to whom tourist dollars are spent.

After a few days he warmed up to us and I started asking him questions about him. It turns out that he’s not so young. In fact he’s 38, a little older than me. He shook my hand when I told him my age. It also turns out he has a wife and two daughters, lives in a village near the Central Market, and has been driving for seven years. He couldn’t understand that I didn’t have kids. He asked me several times just to be sure. And then looked on us in pity.

He has an understated sense of humor like when I asked to take a picture with him and he mimicked a street urchin and said, “one dollar, one dollar” with a straight face that broke into a mischievous smile. I get the feeling he’s a pretty sarcastic guy when he’s relaxing with his buddies. But he’s low-key about it.

On the last day, he was supposed to pick us up to go to the airport. But, uncharacteristically, he never showed up. After an hour of waiting we hired another driver to take us there. After over a week of punctuality, we were afraid that maybe he’d gotten into an accident or had some kind of trouble. Hopefully he’s okay.

Thank you Mr. Vey for driving us around safely!

For more posts about Cambodia click here. For the burgeoning photo set click here.

Ta Phrom: Khmer Notes no. 7 /Meditating Wind no. 50

Posted on
Reply

Meditating Wind no. 50

Of all the interesting temples in the Angkor area, Ta Phrom is the coolest. Known for the giant trees that have grown out of the stone ruins, it’s probably one of the most photographed as well. It was built by the prolific Khmer king Jayavarman VII as a Buddhist monastery and university. Since it has been largely left as it was found, with the trees intact, it really does feel like a newly discovered ruins.

At its peak, 80,000 people lived in and around the temple. When we visited, there were just a handful of tourists, lost and wandering around in awe. Because of its ‘natural’ state, there were upturned blocks of stone and protruding tree roots to trip you up. It also kept many tourists out of the maze-like central enclosures. At one point we couldn’t find our way out. But I wouldn’t have minded staying there all day, among the doorways opening into nowhere, and the trees growing high into nothingness.

Tourists Among the Ruins: Khmer Notes no. 6

Posted on
Reply

sunset gawkers

You can tell which country is doing well by the number of tourists that come from within its borders and travel around the world. For instance, during the 80’s when Japan was supposedly poised to overtake the U.S. in wealth and the yen was like gold, there were Japanese tourists everywhere with their Nikons and Minoltas. Then in the 90’s the world was inundated with the newly rich Germans and their camcorders. Of course, Americans have wandered the globe widely since the 50’s. The Brits and the French have also been globe-crawling mainstays. Continue reading →

Angkorian Architectural Elements: Khmer Notes no.5

Posted on
1

In this post I’ll describe some Khmer architectural elements with accompanying photos of mostly Angkor Wat. By no means is this an exhaustive list of the complex, religio-structural elements of Angkorian design. These are just some aspects that I found especially compelling.

The Temple Mountain
The most common type of Angkorian temple is the temple mountain. Angkor Wat is the archetype of this style. The basic form of the whole complex is designed to represent Mt. Meru, the mythical mountain where the Hindu gods reside. It’s like the Greek Mt. Olympus, except no one really knows if a Mt. Meru really exists. The temples are usually oriented to the east, and are stunning at daybreak. Each temple has three layers of enclosures, with the inner one the tallest, jutting dramatically upwards.

angkor wat plan

Continue reading →

Chani the Bookseller: Khmer Notes no.4

Posted on
3

chani the bookseller

Children are everywhere. There are so few old or even middle-aged people. And that’s because of the genocide by the Khmer Rouge during the 70’s as well as the decades of civil war. And I wonder how it could’ve happened to such a gentle people.

Like most developing countries, children have to work to help support their families. These were the ways children made money, that I observed. Selling books, postcards, bracelets, flutes, fabrics and clothes. Peddling drinks. Giving ad hoc tours. Putting a flower ring on tourist hands and asking for a donation. Posing for pictures. Outright begging.flower ring

On the first day of the new year, we went to Sras Srang, a ritual platform overlooking a baray, or reservoir, to watch the sunrise. We were beset by children trying to sell us coffee, postcards and bracelets. The sunrise was lovely despite the commercial atmosphere. We walked along the stone-lined reservoir and sat down at various places, to get away from the crowds and view the sunrise at different angles.

There was one boy who sold books who had a smile like one of my friends. He had an open inquisitive confident expression and I thought at that moment that I should talk to him. His name is Chani. And this is part of what transpired. Continue reading →