Cambodia blooms in May

Author: Carmen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-03-01
Features: When we think of Cambodia, a series of keywords flash in our minds: poverty, landmines, Sihanouk, Angkor. They act like a multifaceted mirror, reflecting the country's past glory and pain. Indeed, it is still chaotic, rough, and thin. The only thing clear is that the author has deeply fallen in love with this country. With her utmost effort, she presents Cambodia to us in as three-dimensional a way as possible, hoping that through this uneven mirror, we can take a closer look at this country that is beginning to "bloom," read it, step into it, and fall in love with it. Station after station, arriving in Cambodia, deep into the jungle, into the temples with no one, onto these stone steps etched with war and peace, gods and living beings. A is amazed, B is stunned, C is taking photos, D is taking a nap here—this is Cambodia. Travel is joy, solitude, our backpacks. The colors and faces in the photos, the scenery and experiences described in language are secondary, additional. The vivid faces of the children are always intertwined with the profound ruins. Behind the Buddha niches, at the ends of the corridors, there are always their figures. They are the spirits of the temples. It is hard to imagine that the world's greatest "Hindu architecture" is outside India. Regarding war, they choose not to mention it, just as Russians avoid political systems, but they also choose not to forget it. Only landmines make these already remote places even more distant. In May, Cambodia, the land where the phoenix trees are in full bloom, is as brilliant as fire in both cities and villages. At last, under the sky of this country, there is peace, and the people of this country have finally smiled. The author Carmen stepped onto this land that had just begun to awaken at this very moment. She was like a flower about to bloom, with—previously blooming hope. As a tourist, she hurriedly traversed this country with her own feet, wide-eyed, taking in everything within "sight," her mind, which had only stored a few empty words about war or Angkor, now filled with the heavy, rich, dazzling Cambodia. Ruins, rainforests, beaches, faces, sunrises and sunsets, phoenix trees in full bloom Carmen was like a dry sponge covered in dust, soaked and washed by the scenery along the way, drenched and dazed—unable to speak for a moment. It took her fifteen months to squeeze the "sponge" dry, dripping—extracting the words and images for the book. With her utmost effort, the author presents Cambodia to us in as three-dimensional a way as possible, hoping that through this uneven mirror, we can take a closer look at this country that is beginning to "bloom." Every word in the book encourages you to set off, and the itemized list in the travel tips section seems tedious, but it becomes particularly important when traveling to a third-world country where the local language is not English. Although it is considered the most practical self-guided travel guide to Cambodia, the book is filled with a strong humanistic and artistic color and a rich historical and cultural heritage. The exquisite illustrations and stylish cover design make the book both practical and aesthetically valuable, as well as highly collectible.