去年十二月，我們全家一起去柬埔寨旅遊。爸爸二十幾年前就想去柬埔寨了，所以當年我大部分的同學們都還沒聽過柬埔寨時，我就已經知道中南半島有這麼一個國家，坐擁舉世聞名的吳哥窟。後來因為種種原因一直沒有成行，直到去年全家一起去京都，我下定決心以後要多和爸爸一起造訪他想去但還沒有機會去的地方，再加上去年的天時地利人和，終於有了我們一家的柬埔寨之行。此行之前，我對柬埔寨所知甚少，這趟旅程令我大開眼界、回味無窮，在此我記錄了幾處令我印象最深刻的地方。
造訪柬埔寨，必遊吳哥窟。吳哥窟又稱小吳哥，是吳哥遺址中最重要、保存最完好的神廟，是東南亞最著名的文化遺產，也是飄揚在柬埔寨國旗上高棉民族的榮光。為了確保此行能有所收穫、能更深入地了解吳哥窟，啟程之前我特意惡補了柬埔寨的歷史，卻發現柬埔寨的歷史紀錄十分有限（最詳盡的《真臘風土記》不到一萬字，還是中國人寫的），連吳哥王朝沒落的原因都未有定論，為遺址更添神秘色彩。於是我索性放鬆心情，單純欣賞吳哥窟的美，而不再糾結於印證歷史了。
為了欣賞吳哥窟的日出，我們凌晨四點半就從暹粒市區出發，五點多到達吳哥窟，跟著疏疏落落的人群摸黑走過近半公里的引道，搶下蓮花池畔最後一點空位等待日出。當我在夜色中瞇著雙眼、努力辨別出吳哥窟標誌性的五塔輪廓時，心中還是覺得十分不真實，不敢相信在爸爸惦念了這麼多年後，我們終於一起來到了這個名聞遐邇的歷史遺跡。以吳哥窟世界遺產的地位來說，看日出的人並沒有想像中的多，大家都很安靜，所以雖然身處人群之中，我卻有一種遠離塵囂的錯覺。當我看著須彌寶塔背後的夜空從黢黑、寶藍、灰藍、粉藍，再到粉紅，一點一點亮起來時，心中充滿了平靜與祥和。我平常工作生活總是爭分奪秒，但在如此神性的日出面前，我彷彿擁有了無限的時間，毋需擔心任何的計畫和行程，只要全心全意地投入眼前的美景。
看完日出後，我們匆匆吃了事先打包的早餐，開始參觀吳哥窟。吳哥窟是印度教寺廟。我對印度教的神祇和史詩不甚熟悉，雖然事先做了功課，還配了語音導覽，很多地方卻還是有看沒有懂，但是這不影響它在我心中激起無比的敬畏和讚嘆——吳哥窟有一種原始而巨大的力量，能讓任何文化背景的人都肅然起敬。動輒百米的巨幅壁畫、莊嚴的迴廊與殿堂、雄偉的寶塔、無處不在的精緻浮雕（即使最不起眼的角落裡的石塊，也往往有美麗的仙女或花紋）、令人嘆為觀止的建築和工藝，都令我印象深刻。我也十分好奇：當年全盛時期的吳哥王朝究竟有多繁榮富強，才能撐起如此震古鑠今的建築（還有整個吳哥遺址大大小小的寺廟）？當年高棉人的日常生活究竟如何？如此輝煌的帝國，為什麼會沒落得悄無聲息？當年的吳哥城據說有全世界 0.1%的人口，放在今天，就是紐約倫敦的人口級別，這麼大的一座城市，究竟是如何成為如今熱帶森林中的神秘遺址？偶爾我看累了想累了就會回頭看看爸爸，掛念了吳哥窟二十幾年後終於如願以償，他彷彿是一個在地道裡挖寶的小矮人，幹勁十足，一會兒拍照，一會兒聽導覽，一會兒看浮雕壁畫看得津津有味，一會兒又不知道鑽到那個犄角旮旯。我總是看著看著就笑了——對我來說，爸爸快樂滿足的身影大概就是吳哥窟裡最鮮活亮麗的風景了。
除了小吳哥，柏威夏在柬埔寨人心中也擁有神聖崇高的地位。柏威夏位於扁擔山脈的崖頂，是高棉人建過海拔最高的山頂神廟。或許因為距離暹粒市區遙遠，柏威夏雖然和小吳哥一樣同屬世界文化遺產，遊客卻遠遠比小吳哥少得多，可以按照自己的步調慢慢觀賞（我們一趟下來，看到不超過十個其他遊客。）上山之後，宮崎駿《天空之城》的主題曲在我腦海中響起：一碧如洗的晴空、四周的層巒疊翠、神秘的古寺遺跡，再加上四下無人的靜謐氛圍，彷彿身處古老的傳說。另外，柏威夏位於泰柬邊境，在崖頂可以眺望兩國的土地（我下山時還差一點下錯階梯跑到泰國去了）。柬埔寨和泰國曾因為柏威夏的主權歸屬衝突不斷，2008年和2011年還爆發過大規模的軍事衝突，直到2013年聯合國國際法庭把柏威夏寺周圍的土地判給柬埔寨，才為多年的紛爭劃下句點。在山頂時，有位柬埔寨軍人用兩三個英文單字和豐富的肢體語言，長篇大論地向我們講述柬埔寨是如何擊退泰國、守護柏威夏的光榮歷史。看著他自豪的笑容，我突然覺得半天的舟車勞頓都值得了——柏威夏真的是一個很特別、很值得拜訪的地方。
吳哥遺址中的塔布蘢寺古樹纏繞，因為《古墓奇兵》在此取景而聲名大噪，是小圈內最受歡迎的景點之一。相較於塔布蘢寺，我更喜歡位於外圈的崩密列。崩密列在高棉語中是「荷花池塘」的意思，除此之外，它的歷史處於不明狀態，當局也沒有計畫進行調查或修復，而是直接保留它被叢林吞噬、原始森林與崩毀古蹟和諧共存的樣貌。（雖然讓我想到《天空之城》的是柏威夏，但是據說宮崎駿製作這部動畫時，參考的原型其實是深藏於熱帶雨林中、更為神秘的崩密列。）因為崩密列的歷史不明，所以我參觀起來毫無壓力，權當是探險。崩密列的規模與小吳哥近乎相當，叢林和寺廟遺跡幾乎融為一體，彷彿是森林中的亞特蘭提斯：夢幻中摻雜著頹敗、神秘中夾帶著驚奇。
在柬埔寨的最後一個傍晚，我們從空邦魯搭小船到洞里薩湖看夕陽。空邦魯是洞里薩湖畔的一個浮村，保留了當地原始的風貌。建築多為高腳屋，旱季時和一般村落沒有兩樣，雨季時，洞里薩湖面積暴漲，淹沒房屋的吊腳，不論是買菜、上學，還是找鄰居串門，都只能依靠船隻。在往洞里薩湖的河道上，除了高腳屋之外，我們還看見了正在收漁網的漁民、划著澡盆玩耍的孩子、被淹到只露出樹冠的紅樹林。我想到了以前看過的一本小說中有洞里薩湖和浮村的場景，當時光看文字描述很難想像當地人的生活風貌，現在小說裡的文字似乎突然跳脫了紙張，在我眼前變成了一個個鮮活的人、一艘艘晃蕩的船、一幢幢高高架起的高腳屋。進入洞里薩湖後，我們到一家水上餐廳等待日落（餐廳裡養了好幾條大大小小的暹羅鱷）。因為到得早，我們佔據了最高層甲板上視野最好的座位，享受著涼風習習，欣賞著湖面上的漁船點點、波光粼粼，我彷彿重回小吳哥的日出：不必擔心時間，只需專心融入眼前的美景。洞里薩湖的夕陽，為我們滿滿當當的柬埔寨行程，劃下一個平靜又色彩繽紛的句點。
去年去了坦尚尼亞之後，我旅遊時，特別喜歡在跑行程的間隙觀察當地人的生活，有機會的話，我也喜歡聽當地人的故事。柬埔寨在七十年代末經過赤柬的蹂躪後，陷入了二十多年的動盪和內戰，直到1998年內戰結束後，才得以修生養息、發展經濟。柬埔寨目前依然屬於低度開發國家，2023年全國 GDP 約310億美金，比我公司2023年的營業額還少。他們的觀光業也還在發展中，我們碰到的許多柬埔寨人似乎對接待觀光客還有些生澀，但是他們都開心又充滿活力，盡力地讓我們對柬埔寨留下良好的印象。舉例來說，我們民宿的前台接待員遠遠看見我們走來就會立馬站起，對我們露出燦爛的笑容，用著不太標準的英語跟我們打招呼，在我們需要凌晨出門、來不及吃自助早餐的幾天，主動提供打包早餐的服務。有一次前台的兩位女孩一時找不到我們需要的資料，於是她們一邊在櫃檯後手忙腳亂地翻找，一邊咭咭咯咯笑成一團。要是我在歐美國家或是日本，肯定會嫌棄她們不專業，但是在柬埔寨，我感到莫名地輕鬆、站在那裡跟她們一塊兒傻笑——我平時做事雷厲風行，但是柬埔寨彷彿有種魔力，讓我在不知不覺間就放慢了腳步。
我們有一位司機叫 Chiva，應該有五六十歲了，童年極有可能經歷惡名昭彰的「紅色高棉」，前半生在戰亂中度過。他告訴我他出生在沿海的城市貢布，為了謀生，去了首都金邊的夜店工作。後來夜店老闆指派他去暹粒展店，他一開始很抗拒，因為暹粒幾乎所有的商店都是為了外國觀光客服務，但是他不會說英文。折騰了半天之後，老闆同意讓他只去三個月，新店面的營運穩定下來之後就可以回金邊。沒想到他在暹粒遇到了此生摯愛，為了留在暹粒，他開始努力學習英文。結婚後，他太太擔心在夜店工作風險太高，於是他攢錢買了一台車，當起了往返暹粒和曼谷的長途計程車司機。後來投身觀光業，行車範圍才慢慢縮小到暹粒一代，多了些時間陪伴家人。新冠疫情期間，柬埔寨觀光業遭受重創，他改在暹粒送外賣，直到解封後才重回觀光業，轉眼間在暹粒已經待了二十幾年了（難怪他不管載我們去哪裡都不需要導航）。他說暹粒這幾年進步很大，政府趁著疫情期間沒有觀光客時，在中國大陸的投資下建了新機場、修了新的高速公路、補強了暹粒市區和主要景點的許多基礎設施。我問他暹粒和柬埔寨的未來發展會如何，他堅定地對我說：「會一年比一年好。」他在洞里薩湖的夕陽下跟我說這句話時，彷彿全身都在發光。他的英文不流利，我又聽不懂高棉語，所以這段故事講得磕磕絆絆，他時不時比手畫腳，偶爾還需要借助谷歌翻譯，但我依然聽得津津有味，在對自己擁有的一切滿懷感恩之餘，也對柬埔寨人堅韌的生命力肅然起敬。
如同去年的京都，這次去柬埔寨既是圓了爸爸多年的心願，也是十分難得的全家旅遊。隨著我年歲漸長，和家人相處的時光越來越寶貴。看著爸爸在吳哥窟裡尋寶似地上竄下跳、和全家人一起在柬埔寨吃路邊攤、在超市買零食、在夜市做「魚療」，甚至在胡志明市的新山一機場風馳電掣地趕轉機，許多看似微不足道的細節密密交織成了暖洋洋的回憶，讓我在回想時，嘴角邊總是漾著微笑。未來的每一年，希望我都能有機會和爸爸一起一樣一樣地實現他的願望清單，繼續和家人們一起創造美好的回憶。
Last December, my family visited Cambodia together. My dad has been wanting to go to Cambodia for over 20 years. Therefore, when most of my classmates back then had not even heard of Cambodia, I already knew of the Southeast Asian country with the world-famous Angkor Wat. In the past 20 years, we couldn’t make the trip happen for various reasons. However, after my family went to Kyoto together in 2023, I wanted to create more opportunities to visit places my dad wants to go with him. In 2024, we decided to make Cambodia happen. Before this trip, I knew very little about Cambodia and its history. This trip was truly eye-opening and unforgettable, and I would like to highlight a few places that impressed me the most.
When visiting Cambodia, one must visit Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat is the most important and best-preserved temple in Angkor, capital of the ancient Khmer Empire. It is the most famous cultural heritage in Southeast Asia and the Khmer people’s glory flying on the Cambodian flag. In order to make the most of this trip and gain a deeper understanding of Angkor Wat, I deliberately studied Cambodian history before our departure, only to find out that the historical records of Cambodia were, unfortunately, very limited. (The most detailed documentation, “The Customs of Cambodia,” has less than 10,000 words, and was written by a Chinese.) Even the reason for the decline of the Khmer Empire has not been fully determined, adding to the mystery of the Angkor ruins. Since there was not that much history to worry about, I decided to take it easy and simply appreciated the beauty of Angkor Wat.
To see the sunrise at Angkor Wat, we left downtown Siem Reap at 4:30am and arrived at Angkor Wat at around 5am. We followed the sparse groups of people and walked along the half-kilometer causeway in the dark. We were able to grab the last few spots right by the lotus pond. As I squinted my eyes in the dark trying to discern the silhouette of the iconic quincunx of towers, I felt surreal — I still couldn’t believe that we finally made it here together after all these years. Angkor Wat was not as crowded as I thought given it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While we were waiting for the sunrise, everyone was in silence, so even though I was among the crowd, I had the illusion of being in a remote and isolated corner of the world, far away from the hustle and bustle. As I watched the night sky behind the towers slowly light up from pitch black, dark blue, grayish blue, light blue, and then pink, my heart was filled with tranquility and peace. In my daily life, I am always racing against time, but in front of such a divine sunrise, I felt as if I had an unlimited amount of time. I didn’t have to worry about any plans or schedules. I just needed to devote myself to the beauty before my eyes.
After watching the sunrise, we quickly ate our packed breakfast and started to tour Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat is a Hindu temple. I am not very familiar with the Hindu gods and epics. Although I did my homework in advance and had an audio guide, there were still many things I did not understand. However, this did not affect the awe and admiration Angkor Wat inspired in me — Angkor Wat has a strong and mysterious power that can inspire reverence in people of any cultural background, whether they are Hindu or not. I was extremely impressed with the meter-long bas-reliefs, the solemn corridors and halls, the majestic towers, the exquisite patterns everywhere (even the stones in the most inconspicuous corners often have beautiful apsara depictions), and the breathtaking architecture and craftsmanship. I am also very curious about how prosperous and powerful the Khmer Empire must have been during its heyday to support such astonishing constructions (as well as all the large and small temples scattered throughout the Angkor ruins). What was the Khmer people’s daily life like back then? Why did such a powerful empire fall so quietly? It is believed that Angkor once had 0.1% of the world’s population. Put it in today’s terms, Angkor would be of the same caliber as New York and London. How did such a large city turn into a mysterious ruin in the tropical forest? Sometimes when I got tired from looking at the ruins, I would turn around and look at my dad. After being obsessed with Angkor Wat for over 20 years, his wish finally came true. He was like a dwarf hunting for treasures in the tunnels — full of energy, looking around, taking pictures, listening to the audio guide, and trying to get to every hidden corner. Watching him always made me smile — to me, my dad’s happy and excited figure is probably the most lively and beautiful scenery in Angkor Wat.
In addition to Angkor Wat, Preah Vihear is also sacred to the Cambodians. Preah Vihear is located on the top of a cliff in the Dângrêk Mountains. It is the highest mountaintop temple ever built by the Khmer people. Perhaps because it is far away from Siem Reap, Preah Vihear has way fewer tourists than Angkor Wat even though it is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We could tour it at our own pace (we saw less than 10 other tourists while we were there). As we hiked up the mountain, the theme song from Miyazaki’s animation “Castle in the Sky” played in my head: the clear blue sky, the surrounding green mountains, the mysterious ruins, and the deserted atmosphere made me feel like I was in an ancient legend. Preah Vihear is located on the Thai-Cambodian border. I could see the land of both countries from the top of the cliff, and when we were going back down the mountain, I almost took the wrong stairs that would lead me to Thailand. Cambodia and Thailand had constant conflicts over the ownership of Preah Vihear, and military clashes broke out in 2008 and 2011. It was not until 2013 that the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled that the temple and surrounding land belonged to Cambodia, ending the prolonged dispute. At the top of the mountain, a Cambodian soldier used a few English words and rich body language to tell us a long story about how Cambodia fought Thailand bravely and protected the glorious history of Preah Vihear. Seeing his proud smile, I suddenly felt that the half-day car ride was worth it – Preah Vihear is truly a unique place worth visiting.
The Ta Prohm Temple in Angkor is surrounded by jungles, and giant trees grew out from the ruins. It is famous for being a filming location for “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” and is one of the most popular attractions in the Small Circuit. Compared to Ta Prohm, I actually like Beng Mealea in the Outer Circuit more. Beng Mealea means “lotus pond” in Khmer. Beyond that, its history is unclear and the Cambodian government has no plan to investigate or restore it. Instead, the authorities are leaving it to be swallowed by the jungle, with the ancient ruins coexisting with the primitive forest in harmony. (Although Preah Vihear was the one that reminded me of “Castle in the Sky,” when Miyazaki made the animation, he was actually inspired by the more mysterious Beng Mealea hidden in the tropical rainforest.) Since the history of Beng Mealea is unknown, I took it easy when I visited and just treated it as an adventure to the unknown. The scale of Beng Mealea is almost equivalent to that of Angkor Wat. The jungle and temple ruins are mostly integrated into one, just like Atlantis but in the tropical forest: fantasies mixed with dissipation, mysteries with hidden surprises.
On our last evening in Cambodia, we took a boat from Kampong Phluk to Tonlé Sap Lake to see the sunset. Kampong Phluk is a floating village on the shores of Tonlé Sap. Most of the buildings are stilt houses. During the dry season, it is not that different from any other ordinary village in Cambodia. During the wet season, the area of Tonlé Sap increases dramatically, submerging the stilts of the houses. People can only rely on boats to shop for groceries, go to school, or visit their neighbors. On the river leading to Tonlé Sap, in addition to the stilt houses standing in the water, we also saw fishermen collecting their fishing nets, children playing in floating bathtubs, and mangroves whose roots and trunks were submerged, with only the canopies exposed. I remembered reading a novel with settings in Tonlé Sap and a floating village. At that time, it was difficult for me to imagine what the life of the locals was like just by reading the text descriptions. When I was on the lake, the words in the novel suddenly came to life and turned into lively people, swaying boats, and stilt houses before my eyes. After entering Tonlé Sap, we went to a floating restaurant to wait for the sunset (there were several Siamese crocodiles of all sizes in the restaurant). Since we arrived early, we got seats with the best view on the top deck. When I was enjoying the cool breeze and the view of fishing boats and sparkling water on the lake, I felt as if I was watching the sunrise in Angkor Wat again: no need to worry about time or schedule, just focus on taking in the beauty in front of my eyes. The sunset over Tonlé Sap brought a peaceful and colorful end to our packed trip to Cambodia.
After I went to Tanzania last August, I started to spend more time observing the lives of locals when I travel. Whenever I have the opportunity, I try to talk to the local people and listen to their stories. After being ravaged by Khmer Rouge in the late 1970s, Cambodia fell into over two decades of turmoil and civil war. It was not until 1998, when the civil war ended, that Cambodia was able to start recovering and developing its economy. According to the UN, Cambodia is among the least developed countries. Its GDP in 2023 is just under 32 billion US dollars, less than my company’s revenue in the same year, which blew my mind when I put it into context. Their tourism industry is still developing. Many Cambodians we met seemed quite new to tourism, sometimes not quite sure what they were supposed to do. Nevertheless, they were always cheerful and energetic, trying their best to help us and give us a good impression of Cambodia. For example, the receptionists at our resort always stood up immediately with a big bright smile whenever they saw us approaching, and greeted us in slightly unfluent English. On the days when we had to leave early and miss the buffet breakfast, they proactively offered to pack breakfast for us to pick up before our departure. There was once when the two girls at the front desk couldn’t find the information we asked for, so they frantically searched behind the counter while giggling a lot. If I had been in Europe, America or Japan, I would definitely have thought of them as being unprofessional, but in Cambodia, I somehow just felt relaxed, standing there and laughing with them. I am usually all about efficiency and professionalism, but Cambodia has some sort of magic that slowed down my pace before I even realized it.
On our trip, we had a driver named Chiva He is probably in his 50s or early 60s, and likely experienced the notorious Khmer Rouge as a child. In the first half of his life, Cambodia was torn by the civil war. He told me that he was born in the coastal city of Kampot. In order to make a living, he moved to Phnom Penh (the capital) to work in a nightclub. Later on, the nightclub owner tasked him with expanding the business to Siem Reap. At first, he was very resistant because almost all businesses in Siem Reap serve foreign tourists, but he could not speak English. After much negotiation, his boss agreed to make him stay for only three months. Once the new store could operate smoothly, he could return to Phnom Penh. Much to his surprise, he met the love of his life in Siem Reap. In order to stay in Siem Reap, he began to teach himself English as an adult. After getting married, his wife was worried about the high risk of working in a nightclub, so he saved up enough money to buy a car and became a long-distance taxi driver traveling between Siem Reap and Bangkok. Later on, he entered the tourism industry, and his driving range was gradually narrowed down to Siem Reap and the surrounding areas, allowing him to spend more time with his family. During COVID-19, Cambodia’s tourism industry took a huge hit. Without any tourists, he switched to food delivery in Siem Reap and did not return to the tourism industry until after the lockdown ended. In the blink of an eye, he has been in Siem Reap for over 20 years (no wonder he never needed GPS wherever we went). He said Siem Reap has made great progress in recent years. The government took advantage of the COVID shutdown and built a new airport, a new highway, and upgraded infrastructure in Siem Reap and major attractions with investments from China. I asked him what he thinks of the future of Siem Reap and Cambodia. He said firmly, “It will get better every year.” When he said this to me under the sunset on Tonlé Sap, it seemed as if he was glowing. His English was not fluent, and I could not understand Khmer, so when he told me his story, he sometimes had to rely on body language and occasional help from Google Translate, but I enjoyed listening to his story a lot. It filled me with gratitude for everything I have in my life, and inspired great respect for Cambodians’ grit and energy.
Just like our family trip to Kyoto last year, our trip to Cambodia not only fulfilled my dad’s long-time wish, but was also a precious family trip. The older I get, the more I cherish the time I spend with my family. Watching my dad hopping around Angkor Wat like a treasure hunter, eating street food together, buying snacks at the supermarket, having a “fish spa” at the night market, and even sprinting across the Tan Son Nhat Airport to catch a connecting flight, the small details are all woven into memories that warm my heart when I think of them. In every year to come, I hope I can keep checking off my dad’s bucket list with him and continue to create beautiful memories with my family.
