Before anything else, I must say it has been a while since
I’ve written anything on this journal. I have been away for quite some time but
I have to say that so far everything has been great for me as far as my life is
concerned. Over the past year I’ve been to places I’ve never been in before and
each one has proven to be such an unforgettable adventure for me. Add to that,
I have someone else in my life I’ve been sharing a majority of my time with
(read: girlfriend). Suffice it to say she’s been adding that extra awesome kick
to my otherwise reclusive but unpredictable day to day mundane world. In short…
I’m happy.
On to the topic at hand: well I know I have a half-a-year’s
worth of backlog but allow me to start in reverse. Last week I went to Siem
Reap, Cambodia as part of my month long plan of making March extra happy, fun
and memorable. I went with my usual group of friends who never hesitate to hit
that “book” button whenever a P1 seat sale appears on the Cebu Pacific website.
I have to say I’m quite blessed to have them as officemates; they are an
awesome bunch of people.
Siem Reap as I would describe it would be a city with an
identity crisis. It’s a frozen time capsule with all the huge and vast temples
scattered all over as if the city is one big exhibit of ancient civilization.
Finding yourself exploring the temples is just sublime as you can’t quite grasp
the enormity of the structures coupled with the intricacies of the design even
to the very minute details.
Come night time, the streets light up on the stretch of Pub
Street where all the tourists spend their post-temple escapades; They wind down
with a massage (either by human hands or by fishes eating your dead skin) or satisfy
their hunger and thirst with a healthy serving of tasty Khmer food with a few
bottles of beer in the chic bars and restaurants lined up.
Suffice it to say the people are still coming to grips with
the situation, at least from my point of view. The city relies heavily on
tourism so much so that day to day life revolves around it. You would be
surprised to know that most of the population can speak English with a very
western accent. The most common English phrase uttered has something to do with
selling souvenirs: “ for one dollah” followed by a barrage
of a well made spiel aimed to persuade the tourist to buy the stuff offered.
I’m pleased to announce though that the city is still pretty much provincial.
Common mode of transportation is the bicycle (I am in love with them I want to
visit every bicycle city in the world) and the tuktuk. Cruising your way on to
the temples you would notice the countryside with the alternating expanse of
rice paddies, forests, and small houses. The urbanization is concentrated in
the centre of the city.
If I there’s one thing I would come back for in Siem Reap
(besides for the temples I wasn’t able to visit and the temples my camera
battery died in haha), it would be the people. They were infinitely warm,
accommodating and sometimes funny. I almost felt like they were all my friends.
I could easily talk to them. They are worlds different from other Asians and
European snobs who are rude. They never hesitate to smile when I pointed my
camera at them. They were always ready to assist us and we never felt like we
were being scammed (at least in our experience). Honestly, I felt like I had connection with
these people. Despite their surroundings pushing them into the world of
exploitative tourism they are still able to share the charm that is in temples
which the city is famous for. And if anything, it is them I miss the most from
this trip. It is nice to come across things/people which are very foreign to
you but bring out a certain familiarity which connects to deepest recesses of your
being.
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