With the fragile ceasefire in Iran taking place this week, I thought of the aftermath of another war I witnessed in Cambodia – almost forgotten now but the pain echoes still
There is something eerie about the beauty of an old bomb crater at 20 000 feet. I tell myself it’s a trick of the light, but I still can’t help marvelling when plane banks and the muddy water fills with the reflection of the blue sky, and for a fleeting moment it is a glittering, sapphire jewel set deep in an emerald jungle.
Then it is gone, already somewhere far behind us, and there are the miles of rice paddies and the villages spread out across the flood plains of the Mekong. The plane is bouncing on the monsoon thermals and suddenly we’re down on the ground at Pochentong airport, in Phnom Penh.
Hong Kheang is at the airport to meet us. He is a handsome man in his early forties who says little, but is welcoming. He helps us back our bags into his car. We drive out onto the main road into town, and the splendor of Indo-China overwhelms us. The spacious boulevards are lined with trees dripping in red and white blossoms. The giant, ornate stupas are gold against the wide sky. The crumbling French buildings with bougainvillea climbing the yellow walls and their rusting corrugated iron roofs are as exquisite as the ornate Buddhist and ancient Hindu statues that are hidden in the gardens and museums. The rubbish-strewn alleyways lined with shanties contrast with the neatly-trimmed lawns of the public squares. Everywhere in war-shattered Phnom Penh, the buildings are being repaired. Despite the destruction caused by mortars and rocket-grenades, it remains a beautiful city with its barefoot children running along the red dust edges of the roads, the grandfathers on their motor-scooters, the women in their colourful wraps balancing enormous plates of tropical fruit on their heads. Everybody is busy, everybody has somewhere to go, but everybody, just like Hong, takes the time to smile and be friendly . . .
hamilton wende
Hamilton Wende is an author, journalist and TV producer. He has worked all over the world, covering historical events and some 17 different wars and conflicts. He is based in Johannesburg and travels from there. He has worked for a number of international networks including BBC, CNN, and Al Jazeera. He has also reported on events in South Africa for the last three decades. He has published many articles in newspapers, magazines and websites around the world. He is the author of 9 books. House of War, Only the Dead and The King’s Shilling are thrillers based on his travels around the world as a journalist. His latest book Red Air is based on his experiences filming with the US Marines in Afghanistan. He has a master’s degree in Creative Writing from Wits University.
He is also the author of the popular children’s books: Arabella, the Moon and the Magic Mongongo Nut and Arabella the Secret King and the Amulet from Timbuktu which are set in Johannesburg and Knysna. He is working on the third volume in the series.
