Off the Beaten Track

After a week of traveling around Cambodia and beyond, I have had so many adventures I could write a novel! Luckily for me, my experiences surpassed that of your average tourist or backpacker, as I I had the pleasure of traveling with John, who spoiled me like a daughter the whole trip and went above and beyond to show me the true heart of Cambodia and its people.

Dr. John and his driver Yut picked me up early Monday morning to head for the Thai border. The motive behind my going to Thailand was so that I could buy a new Cambodian visa. My visa was only valid for four weeks and it was actually cheaper to buy a new visa ($20) then to renew ($35). Yut dropped us off at the northwestern border point of Poipet. After filling out a departure form we crossed into the "no-man's land" - a 200 meter stretch of land between Cambodia and Thailand that houses two huge casino/hotels. Rain started to fall, a drizzle that would later turn into a torrential downpour that left me soaking wet for the remainder of the journey! John wisely reminded me that luckily, we humans will not melt from a little bit of water. Had I not been with such a seasoned traveler, I probably would have wandered aimlessly wondering what it was one had to do to actually cross into Thailand- there is little signage and it seemed really unclear as to where to proceed- perhaps a tactic by the casinos to draw in confused lost souls?

Once John and I made it through the discreet administrative offices to actually end up in Thailand, we needed to find transport into the town of Aranyaprathet, which is where we stayed the night. Most people would be duped into paying 5 to 10 dollars for a private taxi/ tuk tuk, but John just happened to know that there used to be a man with a "bus" who would take people into town for about 50 cents. We waited under a covered walkway for a while to see if he would show up, and low and behold about 15 minutes later he came- not in a bus but with a military-style truck with benches in the bed. We clambered aboard among the other locals, including two Cambodian mom's with a brood of the most well-behaved small children I have ever encountered. While the bus ride was crowded and involved a search by two intimidating policemen along the way, it certainly was more entertaining and less expensive than taking a private means of transport. Aranyaprathet is a pleasant, sleepy little town with what I thought were jovial people and most delicious pad thai. We returned on the same bus the following morning after running into the driver at the market.

John had a meeting in Sisophan, another small city between Poipet and Siem Reap, so that was our destination for Tuesday. John's wife Thearry always has the inside scoop on the best places to stay as well as where to eat, so we called her up and found a lovely guest house (only $12 for my own air-con room with cable T.V. and a refrigerator!) as well as a tucked-away restaurant that was so tasty and reasonably-priced that we ended up returning the next day for breakfast and lunch! While in Sisophan, I had the opportunity to visit a French cultural school and watch some young students perform the traditional Cambodian dance as well as listen to the boys play a wonderful set of music for us visitors. We also ventured 60 kilometers to the north along a dirt road to the Bantey Chmar temple. After about two hours of brain-scrambling bumps, we arrived to find a beautiful village surrounding the ancient ruins. To my disbelief, we were the only tourists there, and I got to get out and explore to my heart's content like a child on the playground among the crumbling stone structures set in an enchanting jungle-gym of trees.

I spent Wednesday and Thursday in Siem Reap, with a full day on Thursday exploring Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples of Bayon, Ta Prohm (a scene location of Tomb Raider), Ta Keo, and Bantey Srei. The monstrosity of these temples is literally mind-boggling. "Temples" is an understatement- they are more like walled cities with thousands of detailed sculptures and carvings along their walls and pillars, as well as multiple levels that are accessed by terrifyingly steep sets of stone stairs. Each temple had its own personality and I truly enjoyed climbing around them, all the while gaping with my mouth half-open in disbelief at the logistical and architectural wonder of it all. As John had meetings in Siem Reap, Yut was my faithful temple buddy, which made for an amusing time for the both of us considering he speaks little English and I speak hardly any Khmer!

I returned to Phnom Penh Friday feeling incredible sore from the "temple hopping" but also enlightened to the amazing features and qualities that Cambodia holds outside the hustle and bustle of the capital city. I could not be more thankful to John, who not only restructured his work/meeting schedule to take me on this trip, but also generously paid for most of my meals and lodging! In the car, John explained to me that what he is doing for me relates quite well to the Burmese phrase "sei tana" - which means helping someone without expecting anything in return. John stated that many people have helped him in his lifetime and now he is helping me with the knowledge that I will in turn aid someone else in the future when I am able. I hope that some day I will be able to continue this incredible chain of altruism that has helped me have a truly incredible experience during my time here.

Unfortunately, over the weekend I experienced another bout of food poisoning but am feeling better now after a full day of misery. Tomorrow I will head to the South coast to see Kampot, which is Thearry's home and is located near the ocean. Should be a fun-filled week and I will report back as soon as I can!