Cambodia
My incredible journey to Cambodia took me through the ancient Angkor Wat temple, past homes on stilts and traditional rice farms, to a fascinating floating village.
GETTING THERE
I focused on Siem Reap Province, the location of Angkor Wat. There were direct flights from Bangkok BKK to Siem Reap SAI, and also flights from the capital of Phnom Penh KTI. I took a taxi from the airport to my hotel, and I asked my driver if I could hire him for my whole trip. He was happy with the idea, and he picked me up each morning.
I stayed at an historic hotel, which was perfectly restored, even its elevator from the early 1900's worked. I ate Khmer Cuisine which was light and subtle, deliciously seasoned with lemongrass, lime, coconut and more, no flavor overbearing another.
AMAZING EXCURSIONS
The people in town were friendly and many spoke good English. I was told to be careful where I walked in the outdoors because there could still be landmines hidden beneath the dirt. Animals walked around, pigs, cows, water buffalo, and there were lively markets selling everything from local food to t-shirts for tourists.
I went to Angkor Wat, and watched the sun go down over the Hindu temple complex. My driver said it was one of the largest religious structures in the world. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site with five towers. The temple represented the mountains where the God lived, it was surrounded by a large mote representing the ocean, and there was a bridge over the water representing a rainbow to God.
While it was a remarkable sight from a distance, when I got closer it was sobering to see bullet holes all over the facade, the remnants of the Cambodian Civil War. Once inside, there were huge artistic reliefs carved into the flat rock hallway walls, some as long as football fields, which showed battle scenes between good and evil. I hiked up to the top temple and lit incense, burned candles, gave lotus flowers, and banged a gong. I went back to Angkor Wat several more times, because there was so much to see.
I heard about floating villages miles out of town and asked my driver to take me. I noticed the farms were irregular shaped, and barren because everyone was waiting for the rainy season to plant rice. Also many of the homes were on stilts, since flooding was extensive in rainy season. '
At one point the dirt road went through muddy creeks, and it got so deep that I told my driver to stop and turn back. Then I noticed some guys in a 4x4 and asked them 'how much?' It was only a few dollars to get from that muddy point to the floating village, so I jumped in the 4x4. It was a wild, bumpy ride, but completely worth it once I arrived.
The floating village actually moved along Tonle Sap Lake, connected to the Mekong River. Sometimes the village was 2kms south, sometimes it's 10kms north. People in the village lived in tiny shacks, attached to strips of bamboo to float. The shacks had no electricity, no water, no bathrooms, no windows. Inside they only had a hammock, a clothes line, and a wood burning stove. I was the only westerner for miles and miles, but I didn't feel unsafe at all. People were curious and approachable. Since I had come so far I decided to hire a boat to look around. The first thing I noticed was some of the other boats had weapons on them which looked like machine guns! It made me raise an eyebrow but still I didn't feel unsafe. We buzzed through the water, getting a closer look at life in the floating village. People used the water for everything! They went to the bathroom in it, they bathed in it, they washed clothes in it, and they used it for their small fish farms attached to the bamboo. Fish was their major source of income, trade, and of course food.
On the way out on the 4x4, I witnessed a funeral ceremony. A person on a loudspeaker was wailing about the deceased person, others were chanting, and the smell of incense was wafting lightly through the air, then I saw the body in a hut wrapped loosely in cloth, ready for cremation.
My trip to Cambodia has been etched in my mind forever, for the elaborate architecture of Angkor Wat, the remote floating village, and the kind people who crossed my path.
