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How was Siem Reap changed over the last two decades? Yeoh Siew Hoon casts her mind back.
Dusk in Siem Reap
On my last visit to Siem Reap, a brick fell into place. I realised that my first visit to see the ruins of Angkor Wat was almost 20 years ago, and so I have seen this town evolve over two decades.
Feeling as ancient as the temples, I cast my mind back to the first visit – a time when we had to be careful to walk only on cleared paths for fear of landmines and snakes. It felt very “Raiders of the Lost Ark” - like. The temple was in a real state of ruin – all the restoration work had yet to happen.
I remember going on a flight onboard a Russian helicopter, which looked in about the same state as the temples, to have an aerial view of the Angkor Wat site.
Today, of course, they talk about "Lara Croft and The Tomb Raiders" and at Ta Phrom, the temple where the trees have become one with the stones (pictured left), guides do not stop talking about the movie and tourists pose for photographs at the spot where Angelina Jolie supposedly stood. (Disclaimer: I did not see the movie)
Today, too, they go up in hot air balloons to have aerial views of this ancient temple that has brought in tourists by the millions to this town of Siem Reap.
Much has changed of course. Siem Reap has grown from a little village to a big town. The airport is now equipped to handle millions of travellers who fly in on direct flights. Low cost airlines have made it easier and more affordable for everyone to admire this magnificent treasure that dates back to the 12th century.
Everyone now has to pay an entry fee to enter the site – US$20 for one day. This time round, they even take a photograph of you to stick on the ticket – a good idea. No one wants to throw away a ticket with your own face on it, so it makes a good keepsake.
Consider the amount that’s being collected at the site, year after year, and you wonder why Siem Reap’s still the second or third poorest province in Cambodia (depending who you speak to).
Call it leakage or blockage, but I cannot understand why with the income being earned from tourism, there are still children who do not go to school or women with babies who still have to queue up for free treatment at the Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospital which I was pleased to note is still standing proud and which is still holding its weekend concerts featuring the good Dr Beatocello.
On the evening I arrived, there was a dinner planned for delegates of the meeting I was attending. We were taken by bus to the Bayon temple site and there, cocktails and canapés awaited us on the river bank.
Young Cambodian serving drinks (left) to guests cruising on the river
We were then ushered into ornately-decorated boats and a boatman rowed us gently up and down the river. As we watched the sun set, another boat came up to us, and a young Cambodian boy served us drinks.
He seemed rather nervous. “It’s my first time, I am afraid I fall,” he said.
This new cruise experience by Angkor Wat is being offered by a company called B2B Travel & Tours.
After the cruise, we were treated to a dinner at the temple site. Laser lights and smoke lent an air of drama to the backdrop, although I wasn’t quite sure the temple needed more drama than it already has.
The dinner, for about 60 people, was superb – each dish was beautifully presented and the Khmer flavours were outstanding. And as if feeding us wasn’t enough, we were also entertained to classical Khmer dances and what I liked about them was the fact that they stayed true to tradition and hadn’t been altered to suit foreign tastes.
Classical Khmer dances at Angkor Wat temple
I think often tourism gets a bad rap in places like Siem Reap with a lot of people saying that mass tourism has ruined the destination but it has to be remembered that it’s because of tourism that there has been a revival of, and pride in, Khmer arts and culture.
I remember my early days visiting Phnom Penh which was just waking up from the horrors of the Pol Pot days and young kids were being taught Khmer dancing.
Today, it provides jobs for the young. As do craft making and silk weaving – Artisans d’Angkor is a good example of an initiative to bring back Khmer art and make them commercially accessible to tourists.
Every tourist activity provides jobs – from the tour guide and driver who took us on our half-day tour of the temple to the staff who work at the entry gates – and that’s the biggest difference I have seen in Siem Reap over the last two decades.
Majestic Buddha statue (left) and tourists visiting the temple
Tourism has provided a lot of jobs to a lot of people who would otherwise be unemployed in this province, where there are few alternative sources of income.
Yes, certain things could be done better. There definitely needs to be a better distribution of income to villages outside the main area. The park could be better managed – there could be “licensed” drinks stalls managed by nearby villages so that children do not have to hassle you with bottles of water when you leave the temple.
On the path to Ta Phrom, there was a band of amputees, playing traditional music (see video below). There’s a sign that says, “We stop begging. We want to live with dignity … would you mind contributing money to charity, please?”
Yes, Siem Reap’s come a long way but it still has some ways to go before you can say that tourism has benefitted all who live there.
Today, of course, they talk about "Lara Croft and The Tomb Raiders" and at Ta Phrom, the temple where the trees have become one with the stones (pictured left), guides do not stop talking about the movie and tourists pose for photographs at the spot where Angelina Jolie supposedly stood. (Disclaimer: I did not see the movie)
