I wrote during the nights of our Cambodia trip and I thought it would be nice to share it here. At my raw state, where everything is felt. Some photos are funny but inside, all I feel is, and I hope you feel it in a way too -- compassion. Hope you enjoy. Official photo post to be released soon.
And please, I beg you to go to Cambodia. It's life-changing.
***
june 14, friday
Our tour guide, Sony |
today, we woke up to high school musical's right here, right now. it was gloomy outside but our kid hearts are ready as we danced and hoped for sunshine. we ate breakfast and met our awesome tour guide Sony, who is very kind and accommodating. with our bags and cameras, we rode our tuktuk with a smiling Dano driving. the weather was cool and we were gifted with sunshine for most of the day. we went to the farthest temples, met more kindhearted and simple people, saw palm trees in their own habitat, and learned a value from the famous tomb raider tree, spreading its roots but not digging deep enough. it broke my heart to see what i've got, what so much excess i've got, when in an undeserved return a kind child who has nothing but 'lady, 3 for 1 dollar' in her lips gave me a letter with pretty flowers and a bracelet. i felt greedy. and i felt for the girl that she was the richest person i've ever met. cambodia has my heart.
june 15, saturday
Temple run! |
today, we woke up at 4:30am to see the sunrise at angkor wat. we were fetched an hour later. it was raining, but you know rain, it makes you appreciate that even though it's gloomy and clammy cold, the beautiful and majestic will always bebeautiful and majestic. we shared stories all throughout the day, the puzzles in the minds of the kings, the worlds of hinduism and buddhism. we met young monks along the way. we ate and fell sleepy. we saw the happy faces of the buddha, etched for time, but not forever. i lost my headband and found it on another tour guide's (male) head and we laughed and i gained it back. we entered 30+ door posts in one of the temples. we had jump shots with our guide and tuktuk driver. we swam and anna taught me how to tread. we hung out in the water while eating chips. lastly, we decided to skip the pub scene and opted to be "happy" doing our own little (life checklist) thing. now, we're watching a young tom cruise and getting giddy every time. we are twentysomethings having the time of our lives. we dream, we do, we live.
june 16, sunday
A blessing given by a 74 year old Cambodian monk. She has no family. |
Greeted my dad happy father's day |
Apparently, it's spicy |
Our tuktuk driver Dano getting some bug in his helmet |
The Little Prince in French found in a bookstore at the Siem Reap Airport |
today, we woke up without a schedule and ate our breakfast at our own leisure. i ate four croissants because it's abundant here and i love bread. we met our tuktuk driver Dano afterwards and we drove to the Old Market to buy souvenirs. webought a lot and the girl in the store was very happy. she said it's lucky, it's low season and there are a few tourists who buy. seeing that smile makes me want to buy more but i really can't. we tried a traveler's choice restaurant and finally ate non-Cambodian food. we went to a Buddhist monastery and tried to figure out the story on the walls. after, we went to a private art gallery and met Sokha who is married to a french man whose photos touched my heart. they have a daughter who is 10 whose face is printed on lots of postcards. i wondered, if the photographer's life is that simple, marrying and then settling after all his travels, and sharing his art in his own home that is open to everyone, i wish it will be me too in the future. we visited a famous art gallery and bought Dano a yogurt and strawberry ice cream. we hunted for a minimart and after two stops, we bought cup noodles that are not spicy. now we're resting and Arthur is on the tv. we will leave Siem Reap tonight, but i will leave my heart here, to its history, its sunset, and its people. i will go back.
june 17, monday
i thought Cambodia was over but then today, our tour guide Sony emailed us:
Dear Anna,
How are you?
Do everything ok?
Hope you and ira enjoyed trip in siem reap with temples.
Thanks,
Sony
and it's just so warm. we wanted to go back. i wanted to go back. i told him to take care, him, his wife, and his daughter Apple.
today was just weird. we went straight to our workplace to sleep and just worked all throughout the day. there's no break, no time to muni-muni. it's just. weird.