Cambodia, Land of Smiles, Dusty Lanes and Authentic Connections.

Cambodia faces. I keep thinking about the people of Cambodia. Visiting the country was a deeply intense experience. The people, the landscape, the resources and the kindness.

Our experience was intense because it was at the end part of our South East Asian time and we were starting to feel a bit weary on the road. We had been in Asia for nearly four months. We had battled some illnesses, sorted our daily plans and generally negotiated most of our purchases. I read once that you shouldn’t go to the hardest place of travel at the end of your journey because you’ll be too tired. Well, we didn’t know how tired we had become.

When we traveled for 27 hours on an overnight train from Northern Thailand and then a long border crossing day bus into Cambodia we discoved that we were a bit fatigued.

Kelvin was very sick and it was just about the hardest thing to do for him to be bounced around for hours on the road. We proped him with bottles of water and a promise of a clean, soft bed in the near future.

The border crossing was hard. Really hard for our youngest boy Oakley.  Poi Pot is a notorious border town and it knows it. When you cross the border from Thailand you have to go through three check points. Leaving Thailand, getting the visa for Cambodia and finally, passport control into Cambodia.

In between these stops one has to walk through what can only be described as throngs of people vying for your attention, your cash and your business. There are also beggars, ogglers and whatever you-havers. It can be pretty intense, especially if you are just over four feet tall and don’t look like a local.

The other factor of intensity has to do with how much poverty we experienced. This is a country that was at war not that long ago. There has been a lot of recovery but, there is still a lot to happen to convey consistency and stability.

We noticed that there are not the local systems set for gathering rubbish, consistent power and even noise ordinances. We can handle this but, it does feel rather tense when you combine all three, especially after a number of days.

Our first stay was at a farm outside Siem Reap and it was beautiful. It was also a journey to get there by tuk tuk. A bounce on bumpy dirt roads avoiding chickens, cows, roadside fires and potholes. An adventure in the journey.

From time to time, someone might blast out some music for a bit. It plays as your background music. On our last couple days at the farm there was a celebration at the neighbors. They started the music around 5:30am. For the next 12 hours, they continued to play the music so loudly that we had to stay in our room or wear ear plugs.

It was distorted over a speaker and was very intense. Our hosts said, it was a celebration for ‘old people’. I hope I get celebrated like that when I am old!

We were impressed by Angor Wat which is more than 17 miles around the perimeter of the main area. Maybe the words are ‘blown away’. I never realized how incredibly huge these ancient yet, active temples are. It was truly an awesome experience in every sense of the word.

We rode an overnight bus to Sihanoukville to stay in a place run by Russian women who have picked up and started over in Cambodia. It was clean and comfortable but, there was the undercurrent of the sex trade there. Women around for the ‘weekend girlfriend experience’ with Chinese and Indian businessmen.

Paying attention to the talk and transactions it was apparent and it was a bit depressing. These men were on a business trip having the ‘bonus’ of the company of local women. It is hard to wrestle with as I can only imagine this transaction might benefit their family but, it was hard to blithely witness.

The Cambodian coast is full of people trying to make a living. Wanting to fulfill your every need. Do you need your nails trimmed? Do you need your legs shaved? Do you need a snack? Do you need a drink? Do you need a new wrap for the sun? Any of these issues or perhaps something you had no idea you were in need of. It is hard to say no but, also hard if you say yes as all others will think you are game for trade.

We then traveled to a nearby island. Our boat left from the Royal Pier. While waiting for our boat we saw the most basic toilet and an ice man the likes of Hans from Frozen loading ice blocks for the food establishments tourists would frequent. On our island that has no roads only scooters, wagons or good ol’ elbow grease carry your bags, supplies and goods.

Our experience was on the Island of Koh Rong. We stayed in a bungalow on a beach. You could walk to a nearby village but, the beaches were cleanest at our place where locals would comb the sand twice a day to pick up stray litter that washed ashore. I became even more aware of how important it is to recycle in our everyday life as plastics showed up on the hour. It is hard to imagine what an impact we might have on the environment when you are picking through plastic pieces while walking into the water.

The most magical experience was going out on a fishing boat to fish with tin cans and fishing twine and drinking beer while the sun is setting. Then speeding toward the starry darkness in the early night to nearly pitch black spot and encouraged to jump off the end of that boat into the inky, warm waters. The second you apprehensively splash into the water you see sparks that rival any telling of Peter Pan you have experienced in your lifetime.

Small sparks of light explode around your fingers and they comb through the warm water. It is magic. It is mind-blowing. Activation of phosphorus plankton is the scientific explanation but, I still call it magic. Because the secondary light is so minimal it is stunning. This close to the equator the sun sets so quickly too. You are in darkness in less time than it takes to drain a local can of beer.

These sparks of beauty are quite possibility one of the most amazing, organic experiences I have ever had in my life. It is like creating magic with your limbs as they comb through the warm waters.

Our youngest son Oakley was not a fan of not being able to see or hear us except for the gasps of amazement. He was unsure of our safety (it was fine) and our whereabouts, off in the dark waters off the end of a wooden fishing boat. I tried very hard to imprint that experience in my mind. It as truly magical. One of the top experiences in my life.

The rest of the days on the island were restful yet, imprinted with the awareness that so many locals nearby were living on so little. It is an odd equation. Do you help by being a tourist?

We returned to Sihanoukville and spent four days soaking up the hospitality of a clean, comfortable hotel. Ending our time in South East Asia taught me that I am a creature that seeks comfort of what many westerners seek. Continuity of accessibility of water, cleanliness and comfort. I had a topsy belly for many a day and it wasn’t until our trip around to Western Europe that I settled again.

We took another 24 hours to take two long buses back to Bangkok to prepare for the long journey to Western Europe. That is the subject of another story. Six countries in six days but, for now I give gratitude.

I am incredibly grateful for this amazing experience. I am so curious to see what our boys will recall from these colorful, intense, filled days and nights.

I thank Cambodia for its friendliness, authentic willingness to support and care for its visitors and for all their resilience to the cost of war. The echos of which still can be heard as we wandered these dusty, beautiful lanes. Thank you Cambodia.