Narrative and photographs by Suzanne Kamata
I was sitting by myself in a vast auditorium in Phnom Penh, while Yoko, my travel companion, hunted for an outlet so that she could recharge her phone. I was attending the opening ceremony for an international conference on teaching English to speakers of other languages. It was my first time in Cambodia, but for Yoko it was the third or fourth. She had seen it all before.
After several speeches by conference organisers and invited dignitaries, the special entertainment segment of the ceremony began. A troupe of traditional Cambodian dancers in sparkly golden costumes took to the stage. Their faces were serene but unsmiling as they balanced pagoda-like headwear on their heads and dipped their knees. I marveled at the intricate hand movements of the dancers. How did they get their fingers to bend back like that? Was it an ability that you had to be born with, like being double-jointed or being able to roll your tongue? At any rate, I was deeply impressed by the grace and beauty of the young women.
The following day, after attending conference presentations, Yoko and I decided to visit the Royal Palace, which was just down the street from our hotel. It was late afternoon, but according to online information, the grounds were still open to visitors.
Yoko, who is single and childfree, and accustomed to traveling by herself, strode ahead purposefully, while I hung back, taking photos of street vendors and ornate gates. Would-be guides with tuk-tuks called out to us, telling us that the palace was closed due to a visit from the President of Laos, but they would take us somewhere else. They shoved laminated flyers our way.
We arrived an hour before closing time. The grounds were virtually abandoned, but the sunstruck golden roofs were dazzling.
Before coming to Cambodia, I had re-read the picture book Little Sap and Monsieur Rodin by Michelle Lord, with illustrations by Felicia Hoshino. From the book I had learned that the palace was built by King Norodom in 1866. At one time, the compound was home to the court dance troupe, musicians, and elephants. Young girls were trained as dancers to entertain royalty, appeal to the gods, and seek blessings for their people. They only left the palace to accompany the king on his travels. On a trip to France, the dancers attracted the attention of Auguste Rodin. The king allowed Rodin to sketch three of his favorite dancers. My daughter and I had admired some of the Danseuse Cambodgienne drawings on our visit to the Rodin Museum in Paris a few years previously.
Flowering trees and statues of mythical creatures decorated the gardens. Lotus blossoms bloomed in a pool. Several cats wandered about freely, one sitting on the balustrade of a structure that was off-limits to tourists. A weathered mural of the history of Cambodia ran along one wall. Palanquins used by royals were displayed in another area.
I tried to imagine the girls dancing in one of these buildings on the palace grounds. I tried to imagine their lives within the compound’s walls. Perhaps it was like living in the Garden of Eden; they had been surrounded by beauty and riches but were unable to leave. Yoko and I had our fill of bling and departed just before closing time. We could hear traditional music coming from somewhere, but we couldn’t see who was performing. Perhaps someone was dancing, too.
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Suzanne Kamata was born and raised in Grand Haven, Michigan. She now lives in Japan with her husband and two children. Her short stories, essays, articles and book reviews have appeared in over 100 publications. Her work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize five times, and received a Special Mention in 2006. She is also a two-time winner of the All Nippon Airways/Wingspan Fiction Contest, winner of the Paris Book Festival, and winner of a SCBWI Magazine Merit Award.
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