Pickup at 5 a.m.??? Yup, if you want to get a good 'seat' for the highly-promoted sunrise at Angkor Wat, that's when we need to leave our guesthouse. Tim checks the local data and learns that sunrise is actually at 6:20 so we must be one of many (thousands??) as the drive to AW only takes about 15-20". Not our idea of a time to get up (actually getting up is at 4:30) but when in Siem Reap . . .
We've already made plans to go to the Phare Cambodian Circus tonight so we'll just have to suck it up for tomorrow morning. The Circus turns out to be a delightful and totally unexpected surprise. It is a group of young acrobats who enact the story of Sorkhla (sp?) who as an old woman remembers the traumatic events of her life - especially the horrors of the Khmer Rouge years - and ultimately affirms the power of life and love over death and evil.
The Circus originated in Battambang as part of a healing effort to help children who'd been traumatized by the Khmer Rouge years. Many were orphans and had witnessed unbelievable horror. For some of the children, the traditional healing therapies were not working, and someone had the brilliant idea to begin doing acrobatics with them and the rest is history . . . now many years on, this troupe not only helps children, it supports schools, and helps their families who benefit from the children's success. In addition to acrobatics (which they call a circus), there is a painting program, and a music program.
This troupe (I think there are several performing troupes) consisted on 7 young people - 6 men and a woman. Using a minimum of props, a small orchestra, and the incredible athleticism of their bodies, they dramatized the major eras of this woman's life and contemporary Cambodia. Each era was preceded by a poster-sized drawing - made on the spot - of the defining elements of the time, starting with a Buddha, moving to the bombing in the late 60's (thank you US), to the Khmer Rouge era, and ending with a tranquil landscape - modern-day Cambodia.
Photographs were prohibited during the performance but I did take one of the banner outside the tent. It was a full house and a very enthusiastic audience - lovely evening!!
We've already made plans to go to the Phare Cambodian Circus tonight so we'll just have to suck it up for tomorrow morning. The Circus turns out to be a delightful and totally unexpected surprise. It is a group of young acrobats who enact the story of Sorkhla (sp?) who as an old woman remembers the traumatic events of her life - especially the horrors of the Khmer Rouge years - and ultimately affirms the power of life and love over death and evil.
The Circus originated in Battambang as part of a healing effort to help children who'd been traumatized by the Khmer Rouge years. Many were orphans and had witnessed unbelievable horror. For some of the children, the traditional healing therapies were not working, and someone had the brilliant idea to begin doing acrobatics with them and the rest is history . . . now many years on, this troupe not only helps children, it supports schools, and helps their families who benefit from the children's success. In addition to acrobatics (which they call a circus), there is a painting program, and a music program.
This troupe (I think there are several performing troupes) consisted on 7 young people - 6 men and a woman. Using a minimum of props, a small orchestra, and the incredible athleticism of their bodies, they dramatized the major eras of this woman's life and contemporary Cambodia. Each era was preceded by a poster-sized drawing - made on the spot - of the defining elements of the time, starting with a Buddha, moving to the bombing in the late 60's (thank you US), to the Khmer Rouge era, and ending with a tranquil landscape - modern-day Cambodia.
Photographs were prohibited during the performance but I did take one of the banner outside the tent. It was a full house and a very enthusiastic audience - lovely evening!!
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