Cambodia: The Land And People That Captured My Heart.

I don't know what I was expecting from Cambodia, but it well and truly blew me away. The people are so friendly, the countryside is beautiful, and there is just a happy vibe that draws you in and leaves fond memories when you leave.

THE WATER FESTIVAL

We were lucky enough to arrive on the first day of the Water Festival, a three day national public holiday celebrating water. So our first impression of Siem Reap was of a festive city, alive with culture. After checking into our hotel we wandered down to the river where there were kilometres of market stalls selling everything from food (unidentifiable meat, butterflied on skewers over a BBQ - the smell, ugh!) to clothes to electronics to shiny new Toyotas. On the river there were rowing races amongst local teenagers, and there were ribbons and bunting all along the banks.

It was also our first taste of crossing the crazy roads of Asia. We walked along until we came to a set of traffic lights, and found a couple of American guys waiting to cross too. We figured it would be easier to cross in a group so we waited a little bit to cross with them. It was definitely a little bit daunting, with the scores of tuk tuks and cars zigzagging across the road in every direction. Technically, you drive on the right here, but in reality it's wherever there is a space or the least pot holes. Just as we were about to cross, one of the American men threw a massive hissy fit, saying "No! I can't do it! I will not end up in hospital. I will just stay on this side of the road", and throwing his hands in the air as if giving up. It was a performance worthy of a toddler, really. Mal and I looked at each other, back at the road, and just walked out. The cars stopped and the tuk tuks just skirted around us with plenty of space to spare. It really wasn't bad at all. Hopefully watching us gave that guy the confidence to try it himself!

NIGHT MARKETS

We caught our first Tuk Tuk to the night markets, and it was a lot of fun! And only $1. It was great to see another part of town, it’s very touristy but Siem Reap is a lot bigger than I thought. We wandered the streets, spending too much money, until we stumbled across Pub Street and then the Night Markets as they were getting started. It was a good time to come, still light and not busy because it hadn’t kicked off fully yet. So many things I loved and wanted to buy.

I have mastered how to say "How much?" and "Thank you", so I can shop politely, and that’s really all that matters right? I inadvertently bartered really well because I literally didn’t have enough money to pay the price the vendor wanted on a silver bangle. But it gave me confidence to keep bartering, and I have bought most things for around half the original price. Not bad! My suitcase is filling up quickly… The stench of the meat stalls was near vomit inducing though – ugh.

HORSE RIDING

 

We had booked a horse riding tour around the Cambodian countryside and temples from New Zealand, so were hoping it would be as great as the website said. It was. My horse was called Delilah, and I walked her around the front paddock while Mallory was introduced to her horse Asterix. Our guide, Kong (like King Kong, he said), was very chatty. His English was really good, and he taught us some Khmer too. Kong would alternately refer to us by our names (Amelia and Mallory, not celery not battery was how he remembered Mal’s name) or our future careers (teacher girl) or even “white skin girl”. He also did a great Aussie impression: “g’day mate, it’s bloody hot maaate”. Spot on. 

We wound our way through rice paddies and fields, past villages and down dirt tracks. Every so often, I would wait behind as Mallory and Kong walked on, and then I gave Delilah free reign to canter or gallop along the tracks to catch up. Oh, how much I have missed horse riding! We passed a lot of different housing, the extremes of corrugated iron walls and thatched roofs to near palaces made of stone. We arrived at the local temple about an hour and a half into the trek, and got off to give the horses a rest. We sat down in the shade and talked about Cambodia and NZ. Kong was saying his dream is to be an Angkor Wat tour guide, earn enough money for a house and family, and to travel. Simple desires, but hard to come by in Cambodia. He said he wished he were white, which I found sad. He had a great sense of humour, joking with locals that we were both his girlfriends. He also thought it was hilarious that we drink cow’s milk "like babies", and told us that western food makes him sick the same way Asian food does for us.

On the way back there were lots of little kids waving and saying hello. It's funny being a minority here. We are clearly a novelty. Little children stop and stare in bewilderment, sometimes waving if they are brave enough, and giggling excitedly when we respond. 

WORLD VISION

After not being able to contact World Vision when I arrived in Cambodia because of the public holidays, I was concerned to awaken to an email from the NZ manager I had been in contact with to say that the local WV staff had called the hotel to ask if we were there and both times the hotel had said no one with that name was staying there, and so the pick up was uncertain. The language barrier is a lot harder here. We caught a public bus a few hours out of Siem Reap to a smaller town near to where the WV branch that Sochea is under is located. It's definitely a lot more rural, and hardly anyone speaks English. Panicking because our phones weren't connected here and we had no email contact, I got in touch with mum and she managed to contact WV Cambodia to let them know that yes, we were in fact at the hotel where they had said we weren't! 

We were picked up bang on time in a very comfortable 4WD, which was good because it was a pretty bumpy road!! Instead of pot holes, there were craters with the odd flat patch in between when we were lucky, and we drove for nearly an hour to get to a small village like Sochea's (we couldn't visit Sochea's village for child safety reasons).

We stopped at a pond beside rice paddies where two teenage boys were fishing. It was pretty cool to watch, and there were people harvesting rice in the background. 

We then came to a school and met a class of students ranging from 6 years old to 13. They taught us the Khmer alphabet, and then taught us some games using Khmer words (thankfully there were pictures!!). We were put on the spot by Sam (our translator and guide) asking us to teach the kids a game or sing them a song. After a total mind blank, we thought of knuckle bones but they already knew that. So we settled on the slimy yuck hand game we played in Primary School. They loved it, although it was hard to explain how it worked without speaking Khmer. Pretty soon all of the girls were playing it and giggling away every time they messed up. In return they taught us some of their hand games, which were largely based on paper scissors rock logic. Khla Si Ko (tiger eats cow) and another one in a circle which had a song. They were a lot of fun once we understood how to play. One thing I found odd was that when you won, you got to ‘hit’ the loser on the hand (softly).

The girls there stole my heart. They all wanted to play with us, and while they were waiting they would sit next to me, put their hand on my leg or touch my hair or hug around my neck. It was so adorable. It was all over too quickly. Before we left, we got all the kids outside to take a group photo, and two girls held my hands and a couple of others clung to my skirt wanting to be next to me in the photo. Their big goodbye hugs and cheerful smiles really captured their beautiful spirits. What a special morning.

We headed further down the 'road' to where the local youth group had set up a chicken farm, and we heard their dreams for the future: growing veges and getting a cricket farm and fish in a pond to sell at markets and make money to help their families and buy school supplies. Simple desires; it really humbles you and brings your own 'problems' back home into perspective. 

Back into the car and we headed to the WV office to meet Sochea and her family. I could barely contain my excitement. After so many months planning, there she finally was in front of me, so tiny and beautiful. Sochea, along with her little brother and grandparents, bowed and said hello and welcome to Cambodia with a big, shy grin on her face. Her brother was all giggles and smiles, a very cheeky and adorable 7 year old. In the car on the way to the restaurant, I saw him staring at me with a big smile, but when I looked at him he would quickly turn his head and pretend he wasn't looking. At a restaurant for lunch, Sochea’s grandmother was very happy and making conversation. It was the first time they had ever been to a restaurant for a meal. How special that we got to share it with them. She kept saying how beautiful we were and asked if we were married. She wanted to know all about us and our jobs and NZ etc. She said she wished we could come to their house but WV won’t allow it. 

After much persuading, Sochea sung me a song saying ‘Welcome to Cambodia, we hope you enjoy your stay and come back again’ that she had learnt at school. Then her brother sung it too. She has the sweetest, softest voice. Usually they call sponsors ‘mother’ but they are mostly over 60 years old, so Sochea called me sister. They loved seeing photos of my family and NZ, and it opened up conversations about the differences in life between our country and theirs. Sochea loved the gifts I brought her, and spent much of the rest of lunch colouring a picture from the book I brought her, which she then gave to me to thank me for bringing presents. She taught me how to write her name and mine in Khmer, although my script was very wobbly and funny looking, resulting in giggles from Sochea. I tried to show them hacky sack with the one I brought them, but I'm no pro! Thankfully they got the idea. 

We played some games together, including hide and seek, and a clapping game from Sochea's school. We also drew each other pictures as gifts. Her brother said he wanted to draw me a flower, so he was given a big piece of paper, and he drew the smallest little flower right in the middle. It was so adorable! Everyone giggled at it because it was so little. Grandma asked if we would come back and visit again, and I said I really hoped so. All too quickly it was time for us to leave. Unfortunately, photos didn't capture Sochea's beautiful smile because when it came out she got really shy. And had I not met her in person, I never would have been able to hear her lovely soft laugh, and see her come out of her shell. We said “chumreap lear” (goodbye) and “orkun” (thank you) and got into the car, waving until they were out of sight.

I can't even describe how emotionally fulfilling yet draining that day was. I wish I could do it over again a hundred times. Even more reason to come back and see her and her lovely family again. I have left a piece of my heart with them in Cambodia.

ANGKOR WAT TEMPLES TOUR

A very early morning pick up (4.50am) by another friendly guide, we were off to the temple complex to see the sunrise. I didn't realised we would have our photo taken for our temple pass, let's just say that that photo is proof of why no one should ever see me at 5am...

Our guide took us to the "best spot" to see the sunrise, along with hundreds of other people with the same idea. Why people feel the need to be super close and pushy when being a tourist is beyond me. We had to fight to keep our lake front viewpoint. After a couple of hours standing in the already hot dawn, we were taken back to our hotel for breakfast before going back to the temples for our tour to really begin. 

We saw so many: Bayon, Angkor Thom, Tanei, Ta Prohm, in an order best designed to avoid the crowds. Ta Prohm is most famous for its use in the Tomb Raider movie with Angelina Jolie. It was bizarre to see trees literally growing from the top of a temple down in between the stones to the ground. There is so much history here. The entire Angkor complex dates from the same medieval period that I study, so I found it fascinating to learn about another part of the world during that period. Particularly when Asia began trading with Europe and the two cultures started to blend and influence each other. The complexes themselves were around 3km by 3km (there were multiple), so there was lots of walking and driving and dying from the 40 degree heat. Our wonderful driver had cold water and a cool face cloth waiting for us whenever it was needed. Bliss. 

 

They took us to a restaurant for lunch, and it was pretty expensive but nice food (some deal with friends who own it, no doubt). Then back into the car to go to Angkor Wat, the biggest and most famous temple/city complex. Our guide knew when the Japanese and Chinese bus tours were arriving so he took us to the main places first to avoid the crowds. The temple is split into three levels representing Heaven, Earth and Hell. The steps to reach each level are so steep and precarious because their religion believed you had to work hard to reach the gods. The carvings were incredible, and tell the Khmer history much like the Bayeux Tapestry except carved in stone on the walls for centuries. 

One of the 6 ancient libraries in Angkor Wat alone

Everything here has been amazing.

Although fainting at the airport was not the note I wanted to end my time here on, what a magical place. I will definitely be back.