After travelling for ten hours, we arrived at the hotel in Siem Reap and we were greeted with a gift of traditional Cambodian scarfs, called a Krama (I’m not sure who decided a scarf was a good gift idea when it’s 36 degrees outside). We were also given a ceremonial foot cleaning massage which was just what we needed. (Spoiled? Who? Us?) 

As soon as we had landed at Siem Reap airport it felt completely different to Vietnam. 

As I said in the prologue blog, we had absolutely no idea what to expect, but I had lumped Vietnam & Cambodia together in my head. Similar countries, similar cultures, same people, same customs, divided by the usual river or mountain border.

As usual, I was wrong.

To start with the people look quite different, the customs are different and the history is different. Also I have a horrible feeling that they don’t have coconut coffee 😱!!

The reason that the Cambodians look different is because they are an entirely different race.

The first inhabitants of the Indochina region were the Khmer people who came from Malaysia. They came in the 1st century.  Then the Cham, (Remember the Cham museum we visited on day 8 in Da Nang?), who were also from Malaysia, arrived in the 2nd century. They lived in relative peace together until the 12th century when the Cham attacked the Khmer, lost, and were expelled. 

Add a bit of Indian genetic material and that is the ancestry of today’s Cambodians. Khmers still make up 95% of the 17 million people here.

The Viets, on the other hand, originated in south China before they were kicked out and moved to the area that is now Vietnam from where they expelled the Chams. (I’m using the word ‘expelled’ kindly).

So the reason that they look different, is because they are a completely different race.

About 80% are Buddhist or Hindu and whereas the Vietnamese, who originally spoke mandarin, chose  to use the Latin alphabet, Cambodians chose to use Sanscrit.

So all the street signage and therefore our surroundings also look different.

The Vietnamese greet you with a western hand shake, Cambodians with a hands-together 🙏 bow of the head and, first impressions are that they are more reserved and not as forthcoming to express themselves, but let’s wait and see.

Oh, and it’s much more like the type of Communist state that I was taught about in school.

I’m sure I’ll go into the history more in a later post as it has a huge bearing on Cambodia’s identity but to summarise, although the constitution proclaims itself a liberal, multiparty democracy, and it does have three parties, since 1984 no party, other than the Communist party, has ever won an election. The Cambodian Peoples Party always wins every single seat, the two other parties have been banned and no outside observers are allowed in.

It’s also a Kingdom, so the King gives his power to Parliament to run the country. It’s a bit like the UK, only their King has smaller ears.

Enough politics/history for now.

We were shown to our room and I’d entirely forgotten that, because we were arriving late, I’d booked dinner in the hotel restaurant and yes, they had the silly questionnaire asking if we were celebrating so I had, of course, (truthfully at that time) said ‘Brigitte’s Birthday’.

This was the scene in our room…

We then had dinner and….

Some of you who know that I have a sweet tooth have suggested that I’ve done this deliberately to get free cake. I didn’t, but do I wish I’d thought of it.

I’m starting to feel a bit guilty but free cake? That can never be a bad thing.

Fruit Quiz

The anonymous winner of the fruit quiz from Day 14 has now come forward to claim her prize (It’s just like the National lottery isn’t it?).

Well done Nicky! A few others also got it right but Nicky answered first!

For your prize, I’m sending you a conker when we’re back in England. It looks very similar plus it won’t go off as quickly.

Yesterdays answer:

Not one of you got it!

It was a Thot Not, sometimes also called a Toddy Palm. The name comes from Kymer so it’s topical for today.

It has a chestnut husk, segments of white fleshy fruit and is used as a snack or a beverage.

Todays quiz:

It’s small, it’s green, but what can it be?

រាត្រីសួស្តី។

Siem Reap – 26th November 2024