August 22, 2007

Siem Reap (CAMBODIA)

Walking Tour of Siem Reap: Miniature Angkor Wat and Finding the Khmer Pulse

Despite the late night partying downtown, I was up fairly early this morning and shared breakfast with Jo. All of her friends were still sleeping, so we had plenty of time to chat before heading off on a walking tour of Siem Reap. This is hardly the kind of activity most people do here because Angkor Wat is primarily a stop-over on the Southeast Asian backpacker's route from Saigon (Vietnam) to Bangkok (Thailand). Nevertheless, we were both up for a little variety and a break from the norm. The first place on our agenda was a scaled down version of Angkor Wat built by a local artisan in town. We weren't really sure what to expect, but the walk took us well away from the touristy section of town and into what can only be described as the residential district. We were half hoping the miniature version of the temples would look authentic so we could tell people we rode a hot air balloon, but as the pictures show such hopes were impossible - the leaves, grass, and small plants made it obvious that the temples are fake.

After we exhausted ourselves with laughter at the absurdity of what we were looking at (we actually had to pay $1 to get in) we continued our walking tour down the quiet lanes of Siem Reap. It wasn't long before the small roads gave way to small paths, and when we finally hit a dead end we began wondering what on earth we were doing out this far. Our fortune improved shortly thereafter when we exchanged smiles with a family eating lunch together., and we were subsequently invited to join them for their afternoon meal. The family consisted of six people, and they were eating dried fish, white rice, mixed vegetables, several steamy soups, fried bananas and ice cold tea to stay cool. They offered us everything that was laid out on the small hut that served as the dining area, and despite our shy smiles they insisted we eat. The run away favorite dish was bowl of fried bananas, and they were far more filling than one might imagine. I was particularly impressed when Jo didn't shy away from drinking the tea offered to us as it would have been impolite to refuse and yet we weren't sure about the quality of the water. Most girls I know (and guys, for that matter) always refuse to drink the same things as the locals. The tea was perfectly refreshing and the best way to cool off in the afternoon heat of Siem Reap.

We eventually said goodbye to the family and took several pictures together before heading off toward town. We were in high spirits after the kind of experience that no tour book or travel agency can arrange. Our floating spirits must have been contagious because we exchanged smiles with everyone we passed on the way back into town.

As we neared the center of town we came across a small waterway and decided to go down for a closer look. There were a group of shanty buildings lining the water, and a local Khmer man was wading into the water to go fishing midstream. I climbed atop a small tunnel spewing sewage for a few shots while Jo covered her face in apparent disgust at the fetid water. I have a sneaky suspicion that if I had fallen into the water our friendship would have been over right then and there, but my legs did not betray me.

As we continued on we were both somewhat weary of where we stepped as earlier in the morning a snake slithered by the two of us as we relaxed reading in hammocks. We were having a great day though and we saw hardly any tourists (other than the few who rode past on their way to the temples) and most of the locals we passed looked at us with the same curious look we gave them.

The last bits of excitement for the afternoon came when we stopped by a small Buddhist shrine where we took off our shoes and quietly observed the locals bending over in obeisance. As we quietly observed the Buddhist rituals a local man took a liking to us and led us around to the golden Buddha dominating the room. He instructed us to touch the foot of the Buddha, then our head, before finally resting our hand in the Buddha's for good fortune. We donated several thousand riel to the temple and continued ambling along the peaceful sidewalks.

We next came across a group of local vendors selling flowers and fruits, and also a woman with caged pigeons and a collection of turtles in a red plastic bucket. Neither Jo nor I are new to Asia and we both knew better than to pay for the release of a pigeon (supposedly a harbinger of good luck) as they are all homing pigeons that return upon release. As for the turtles, well, common sense says they will not be able to get very far to begin with...

What we did get suckered into was a palm reading. I offered my hand to the Khmer man who grasped it with a benign smile and began making a series of calculations on a tiny pad. He was chatting away in the Khmer language - apparently oblivious to the fact we did not understand a word he was saying. The only thing I got out of the palm reading was a stream of amused smiles from passerby's and and a look of approval from the palm-reader himself. Once more, I parted with a thousand more riel, but it was all in good fun; I already know my future holds nothing but the best of fortune.

Jo and I finally arrived back at the hostel in the late afternoon, and we settled back in the hammocks while drinking draught Angkor beer and reading our books. When Jo's friends returned from their day of touring the temples (my pass had already expired) we sat together sharing stories before heading down to Bar Street for dinner. Jo and I continued our habit of walking everywhere, and en route we sampled a tasty local dish served from a cheap stall on the side of the road. It was a 10inch roll stuffed with a cucumber-like concoction of mixed vegetables, a smothered meat that resembled spam, and enough Italian dressing to scare away the swarming flies.

After eating dinner with Jenny, Jemma, and Mark, Jo and I walked to a local market where we got lost in a maze of stalls. It is strange that the market was only several blocks from Bar Street - the foreigner night spot - and yet most people never made it out this far. Although we were not looking to buy anything, we also came across a terrific art gallery tucked away on a small side street. We spent a long time browsing through a variety of photos of Angkor Wat, Buddhist monks, the Cambodian landscape, and local Khmer people captured in charming ways.

Although this wasn't a day I had planned for (my schedule called for me to leave Siem Reap this morning) I had a great time doing very little. I have more than a sneaky suspicion it had to do with the company I was in for the day.