Known for its economic insurgency of tourists, Siem Reap has certainly learned how to “reap” the benefits. Cambodia is a poor country, probably the poorest I’ve been to, consistently caught in political battles and squeezed between two outside controlling forces of Thailand and Vietnam. And with most poor countries, you still manage to find happy people all around you. Whether it’s due to the cash you’ll be handing over at the end of the day, or the simplicity of livelihood, the people are as expected….amazing.
Not 10 feet off our bus from Vietnam we were pleasantly surprised with English-speaking tuk-tuk hustlers. Not in a bad way, but they certainly hustled for the business. The man who caught us was honest, but still a businessman. We had no idea where we were staying, but with the budget in mind, he brought us to a hotel off the beaten track. I imagine the only people who find it are his exhausted customers stumbling off a bus from their long journey to Cambodia.
The next morning there he was, calmly greeting us to enchant our ideas with tour options for Angkor Wat and surrounding areas. It’s impossible to see all the temples in one day, and actually quite tiring. So with three more days of exploration with our new guide, we learned and felt the ancient beauty and mystery of this incredible place.
Angkor Wat was more than any blog or any written word could ever describe to you. The emotions you feel from crawling about ancient temples are exhilarating! It’s difficult to explain it, and hard to find it, especially when you're surrounded by 10 major bus tours, and hundreds of others rocking the tuk-tuk. Not to mention those who tough out the heat and cycle the entire thing (I wanted to do this, but our wise driver talked us out of it). Every photo, every moment of peace, every time I turned a corner, new history, design, and dedication flashed in front of me. It was holy. True holiness. You could feel it seeping from the stone walls around you.
It was a challenge to close my eyes and imagine these temples being built. Absolutely incredible. Made from the earth, and stories upon stories inscribed on their walls. Etched, by hand, in the cold hard stone the walls bear. It was also nice to be amongst the monks in Angkor Wat. It was even nicer to see them avoiding the tourists, taking the side paths, and acknowledging passing tourists, only when they had no other option. They showed me that they were there for a purpose, a holy one, and not for the mass donations and photobombs. Hundreds of pictures, enchanting moments, and bottles of water later, I experienced Angkor Wat. But not nearly enough. I will journey to this land again (and do several years later)!
From ancient temples to bustling Bangkok. The journey continues.
The border crossing from Cambodia into Thailand was one of the more unique systems I’ve experienced. It works though and apparently has been the way for quite some time. When you buy your ticket to go to Thailand, your bus will randomly stop (most do every couple of hours for pee breaks and grub), at a road stop, this one, an automotive repair shop. After I found the toilet, I stumbled upon my friend, trying to ask the repair shop employee why everyone was lined up in front of the shop. What were they buying? Having a bit more experience in communicating, and being the leader/bossy/ take control kind of person I am, I felt free to join in.
Allow me to veer off the story a bit. When you're traveling, if you know something, help people. If you don’t know, help them figure it out. There’s nothing like being lost or confused in a foreign country. I’ve made it a personal rule to assist fellow travelers, even when I think they’re headed in the right direction but seem unsure.
Okay, back to the program. So after the employee put my friend on the phone with someone who spoke a bit more English, we were still at a loss. The bus driver, after watching this production, decided to finally come and help. He told the woman to give us two black stickers (of course we didn't know what in the world was happening). Apparently, when you buy a ticket to cross the border, you must get one of these stickers to continue to your bus on the other side of the border. Once you cross the border, you find yourself sitting under a tent randomly on the Thai side, with other assortments of travelers. At this point, you're once again left to the wind. Having no idea what this black sticker is going to offer, after about an hour or so we were relieved to hear a man calling for “black stickers”. The system is totally worked! Trust. Go with the flow. From there we were carried away to a local restaurant, where we waited 2 hours for an unbearably tight minibus. I really can't complain since I’m short. But my poor friend! Being 6 ft. something was sacrificing years on his joints, every time we loaded into that minibus.
I had been once before and knew what it was all about. The only thing that changed was the cheap fads being sold up and down the rows of Khaosan Road. Bangkok. We spent a leisurely two days picking up some souvenirs for friends and family. It was something that is inevitable when you visit Khaosan Road. The buses don’t even take you to the bus station. They know you’ll end up staying in a tourist mecca, so you conveniently get left there. The best highlight of Bangkok was a Muay Thai fight my travel companion insisted on attending. I was so glad we did! By far the most fun I've had in a bustling city.
There were 9 fights, all of them of different weights… I enjoyed myself thoroughly. Not only because there were hot sweaty Thai men fulfilling their masculine dream, but the skill involved was unique, as most of us know. My favorite part was the ritual performed before each fight. Each fighter had to “give thanks” by circling the ring and performing prostrations. With a blessed ring and a traditional warm-up dance, the drumming began!
We thought the six hours of fighting was going to be too much, but by midnight, I could have sat for five more hours. Each fight was unique, because of the fighter's weight group and ability. Must like boxing I presume (and know nothing about). The young boys, they couldn’t have been more than 13 or 15, were the lights...I think around 105. The heavys were around 140. Ha! I’m still heavier than the heavy! I was told fighters from all around the world come to train in Thai KickBoxing, it's a skill that's mixed with our boxing back home, such an incredible sport to witness.
Before I could drop money I didn’t have on fake Muay Thai shorts, we were off to Kanchanaburi. When I was in Kanchanaburi last, I was 20 years old and fell in love with the convenient western lifestyle offered in this city. I spent far too long in Kanchanaburi, meeting Canadians, falling in love with Thai motorcyclists, and really wasting my time doing what I already did back home. But this time was different, with my head a bit more on my shoulders, I enjoyed the beauty of Kanchanaburi and learned more about the bridge over river Kwai and the history of this place. It was time to return to the much-wanted beach time before the school called my name back in Malaysia. And off we went to yet another venture whom every foreigner in Thailand will at some point enjoy. Phuket.
Phuket was a place I’d seen once before. But this time, we rented a motorbike, and instead of secluding ourselves on only one beach, we traveled about for three days, hitting up different beaches, seeing the sights, and enjoying the fresh sea air. I love motorbikes by the way. Even though driving one there was terrifying. I absolutely love sitting on the back of the bike, taking it all in. We stayed in a hotel in the middle of Phuket Island. Which at first seemed to be a preventative measure of getting sunburns. But with my insistent love for the beach, we found one every day. Our favorite was on the last day. In between two main beaches, there perched a long stretch of untouched sand. Between a few hidden rock outcroppings, we made our own little heaven. It was beautiful. With crystal clear water, tropical fish, and an excellent tan, I felt that I had gotten my “vacation” and was ready to head back to the real world. Island hoppers alike, aside from the incredible view of saturated glass blue water, Phuket is only as good as the money is, and it was certainly racking up a bill.
The return to Malaysia came without difficulty. I missed my friends and new family in Malaysia and was ready to get back to my footstall and Batik classes. Traveling to Malaysia for a full year changed me. And returning back to the US would be a completely different experience, making me a completely different person from those days forward.
