My roommates had done practically the same SE Asia route that I was on (just about a year earlier) and had told me about the poverty in Cambodia. Although I thought I was mentally prepared, my first contact with it was emotionally overwhelming. We were sitting on our bus coming in from Vietnam, waiting in a line to board a ferry in order to cross a river. Looking out the window I could see the filthy, dusty sidewalks and streets lined with children of all ages. Some were completely naked. Some were just missing a shirt. Some were only missing pants and most didn’t have any form of shoes or sandals. They all came up close to our windows holding their hands up in desperation. Their little faces were so innocent and beautiful yet here these kids were trapped in the vicious cycle of poverty. One even held his naked brother, lying lifeless, in his arms offering him up to anyone who might take him to a better place. I was deeply conflicted when a Spaniard kept taking photo after photo of the kids as if we were on an African safari. It’s important to show the world what it’s like here but something just didn’t feel right about the way he was taking his photos. My heart just sank; it is one thing to see commercials’ asking for donations to help these poor kids, but to come face to face with it was emotionally hard. Here I had a grocery bag full of food for lunch and pockets that had more money than these kids had probably ever seen in their short lifetime. Yet how was I to help them? I knew giving food would simply prolong the inevitable and there was nothing I could do in the short period of time I would be in contact with them. The feeling of helplessness weighs deep but I hope to someday return with the ability to do more.
It honestly took a couple hours to shake the funk that that experience had put me in. What partly helped was our bus’s mechanical failure. The sun was setting when we pulled over for what we all thought was just another routine stop. But then when we saw some guy elbow deep in gasoline and oil come from behind our bus, we knew something was up. All of us tourists sort of bonded while sitting around this little shop eating whatever we could find for dinner. The night grew darker and fortunately myself and another tourist carried flashlights that the guy now needed to fix the bus. He was most grateful to have them and I think we saved his butt. We finally got it started and were back on the rode after the mild two hour delay. We got in late, but better late than never. I found a cheap place to lay my head and made arrangements to visit the famous city of Angkor the next day.
Siem Reap is a cool little town with a welcome tourist scene. The main tourist road, Pub Street, hosts numerous western restaurants and glasses of beer for 50 cents; genius. But the main attraction lies a few miles north of town. The following day I rented a nice beach cruiser to ride around Angkor since the temples are widely spread. On the way there I met a nice German guy who was all too willing to share the history of the place as we rode. It was nice to get a little inside scoop since he’d been there the previous four days but after awhile he got on my nerves. I decided to ride the ‘short’ route since I had plans to return the next morning to the rest of it. The first few Wats on my route were spectacular! I didn’t really know what to expect; I’d seen numerous temples before but nothing like these. The first thing that came to mind was Walt Disney’s ‘The Jungle Book’. I swore Mowgli and Baloo were going to pop out and start singing ‘Bare Necessities’ at any moment. The beautiful stone structures are unlike anything else in the world but are slowly crumbling. Presently, anyone can walk through the temples but I predict the sites will soon become like Stonehenge. Where people could once roam through the historical site, they will be roped off to observe the sites from a distance.
Continuing on the cirque, I came to Angkor Thom. Angkor Thom was once the film set of Tomb Raider. It is an incredible temple for the surrounding trees have slowly started taking back over their territory. Pictures are worth a thousand words for this one…
http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/2688277/1/Siem%20Reap?h=f5e9e5
It was pretty spectacular to see these enormous trees spurting up out of nowhere only to work themselves around stone walls. Roots everywhere shot down through any small crack that they could find in search for soil. This would make a great paintball location but I don’t think the historians would go for it. The most famous of all the Wats is the great Angkor Wat which is the largest religious structure in the world. It was built in the early 12th century and is the best preserved of all the temples. After spending all day cruising through the small loop, I ended up back here for the sunset which was a most special treat. The figures on the walls come to life as the sun casts detailed shadows all over. Tourists are allowed to climb to the top of Angkor Wat to peer out among its courtyards. However, the top is considered holy and therefore requires proper attire. Flip-flops, board shorts, and a T-shirt will get you by but I had a sleeveless shirt on. The lady didn’t want to let me go to the top so I convinced her to let me borrow her shawl to cover my shoulders. She did and so I gave her my Dos Equis hat as collateral which was rather hilarious. I was one of the last ones through Angkor Wat that day and it was special being on such ancient, magnificent, spiritual grounds during the sunset.
I was glowing as I rode back into town. I just took my time without a care in the world thinking of all the desk jobs I was avoiding. I know I’ll end up there someday but for now I’m so fortunate and grateful to be doing what I’m doing. I only regret not having all of my closest friends out here with me.
Stoked on the day I grabbed an awesome dinner and a few beers with a nice guy from Canada. I love sharing my experiences and thoughts with like-minded people who see life the way I do. After dinner he went with his tour group off to some club while I just soaked in the night life on Pub Street. I decided to try a fish foot massage which looked just ridiculous but was actually really awesome. There’s a certain type of guppy that eats your dead skin, so for three bucks I dunked my toes into a fish tank while a bunch of guppies went to town on my feet and lower legs (I hope you’re not eating food while reading this). I giggled for probably a good 10 minutes straight since the experience tickles like none-other. Finally use to it, I just relaxed and had a beer while the lady working there gave me a nice back massage. I highly recommend the fish foot massage to anyone who comes across it!
Afterwards my feet and legs were smooth as silk and I couldn’t believe how feminine I felt. So naturally I did what any manly man would do and ordered up a few rounds of beer to bring back my mojo. While enjoying a few glasses, I noticed a girl not far from where I was sitting who was drinking alone. I asked if she wanted to join (since it seemed no one was coming to join her) but she politely declined. She was a Cambodian girl who spoke very little English but we ended up talking for quite some time about Jesus since she had noticed my cross necklace. She was going through some tough times since her French boyfriend had just broken up with her. It’s funny how God will put you in certain places that are right where you need to be when you least expect it. She eventually opened up a lot to me and I helped her cry and simply listened to her vent. This is exactly why foreigners shouldn’t mess with the local people romantically. She had hopes of marrying this guy and moving out of Cambodia (like a lot of people from third world countries hope for) and was just crushed by the break-up. She was a believer in Jesus and so I tried to shed some positive light into her world but it was very difficult. I at least convinced her to stop drinking her sorrows away and to simply trust that the Lord had a plan for her life. We talked a bit and I tried my best to encourage her. It was getting late (11:30 is late for me) so I parted with the distraught girl but not before making her smile. I hope I was able to bring some inspiration and positive energy into her hopeless, depressed state but God only knows. The lesson learned - you never know when or where you’ll be required to minister or help a stranger in need. And although neither of us spoke each others language (very well at least), we still had a connection through Jesus and were able to communicate on that level. I pray that she’s doing better.
Having seen everything I had wanted to see, I decided to leave the following day without returning to Angkor. Although my time in Cambodia was brief, it was most spectacular. The next time I visit, I hope to be on a more philanthropic adventure where I can visit an orphanage and spend some time with the kids!
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