Although some corners of Cambodia are untouched by the excesses of mass tourism, it’s quite clear that this country is being influenced by neighbouring Thailand. Massage parlours, western-style bars and discos have mushroomed in every little town. Our solo traveller continues his exploration of Cambodia Naturally Angkor Wat, the largest religious structure in the world, was the high point of my visit to Cambodia recently. But there’s more to this little country than the ruins of Angkor in the north west upon which French naturalist Henre Mouhat stumbled, half-submerged in a jungle in the mid-19th century. Although some corners of Cambodia are untouched by the excesses of mass tourism, it’s quite clear this country (pop.16 million) is being influenced by neighbouring Thailand. Massage parlours, Western-style bars and discos have mushroomed in every little town and taxi drivers are quick to offer call-girls and even child prostitutes. Heroin, hashish and marijuana — mostly home-grown, are rampant and easily available. Swarms of sex tourists drift around languidly and stay on for months leading lotus-eating lives. Having ensconced myself in a cozy homestay in Siem Reap — the base point for visitors to the Angkor National Park — for a paltry US$7 (₹582 per night), I was tempted to stay on for a few days after completing the mandatory temple circuit. Siem Reap is calm and unhurried, and its few sights are all accessible on foot. One of the highlights is the sprawling Crocodile farm, where these long-snouted, saber-toothed reptiles laze in the tropical sun, piled on top of each other like bizarre trapeze artists, sniping inter se often leaving gaping, bloody wounds of which they are supremely unmindful. Yet this farm isn’t a centre for the protection of this endangered species. Crocodile meat is a rare culinary delicacy in Cambodia (aka Kampuchea) and is supplied from here to up-market restaurants catering to western visitors on the look-out for the exotic. The farm’s shop also sells crocodile blood in little glass phials. According to local connoisseurs, crocodile blood and rice wine make an excellent cocktail with aphrodisiac properties. These unfortunate amphibians also serve other commercial purposes — the heads of baby crocodiles are turned into key chains, their paws into pen heads, and their rough, wrinkled skins into wallets and belts. In the heart of Siem Reap there’s also a delightful souvenier market, where the true flavor of Cambodian urban and rural life can be experienced. Cambodian handicrafts are wonderful works of art, and the astonishing variety of stuff on sale at the market is incredibly cheap — copper Buddhist and Hindu icons; watercolor paintings splashed on handmade rice paper depicting Angkor temples and rustic scenes; wooden masks; puppets; exquisite silver daggers and bowls, and intricately woven silk sarongs. Fortune tellers sporting lampshade hats sit alongside ancient rustics with more than a touch of the exotic, vending bottled snakes and scorpions. Next door, women offer fish massage, which requires you to insert your feet into knee-high aquariums for them to be tickled by…
