Cambodia: Day 2

 The undisputed highlight of our honeymoon over Christmas and New Year's was a tour of a local Fijian village, inland on the island of Viti Levu. We initially viewed this Sigatoka River Safari excursion as an unwelcome respite from reading paperbacks, applying sunscreen and sipping cocktails in one of the most beautiful locations in the south Pacific- something to do just to say we did it. However, immersing ourselves in the culture of the local villagers and seeing the simple way they lived and loved  and welcomed us into their home had a lasting impact on us. From now on, whenever we traveled, we would search for this feeling of authenticity. We would do our best to learn more about the world we live in through the places we visit.

So with this in mind we eagerly anticipated the countryside quad riding tour Sami had planned for our second full day in Cambodia.

A rooster in the alleyway on the other side of our hotel room wall woke us before our alarm did. The folks at the Kazna were kind enough to serve us our breakfast a little before the official restaurant opening. My potato omelette was good. I never asked, but I imagine Sami's eggs and toast tasted the same as they did the morning before.

This was a half day tour, and I was happy that we were going in the morning. The afternoon heat was brutal. I wore jeans and a long sleeve shirt to shield my translucent skin from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays.

We arrived at the house that served as a business office for the tour guide, loaded up with water, mounted our four-wheelers and were briefed. Turn the handle toward you to accelerate and keep a safe distance.

We safely navigated between hordes of kamikaze beat up trucks and motor scooters through the busiest intersection on the edge of town. The pavement turned to gravel, which turned to red dirt. All of the fields next to the road were perfectly flat with worn grass and weeds. Palm and coconut trees jotted through the landscape along with simple, beat up houses (many on stilts to protect from flooding) which contained private vegetable gardens.

I was immediately drawn to the animals. The white cows interspersed throughout the meager fields were much thinner and taller than the beefy, corn-fed variety I've grown so accustomed to in eastern Oregon. There were also pigs, dirty, skinny dogs and oxen. The most curious creatures to me were the horrendous looking chickens that roamed the land freely with their chicks. They were comically skinny with wart covered faces.

The children also made an impression. The sound of our motoring ATVs acted as siren calls to the kids and they would come sprinting to greet us- some of them clothed, some nude. Every time we passed a youngster they waved excitedly and shouted "hello!" They were almost as happy to see us as our Korean students are every day at school. Almost.

The fact that these kids were at home waving at us and not in school was not lost on us. Later in the week, while we were visiting temples we were constantly bombarded by local children to purchase souvenirs. We were certain that there must be some adult somewhere putting these cute kids up to it, but what can you do? Since the last of the Khmer Rouge was defeated 10 years ago, the tourism industry has boomed in Cambodia. In a country where the average family lives on $2 USD a day, of course it makes sense to capitalize on the boom.

We had the privilege of visiting an orphanage along the way and got to meet a couple of the orphans who live in the quarters set up there. When I asked one of the boys what he wants to be when he grows up, he did not hesitate.


"A tour guide," he said.

That told me all I need to know. Not a doctor. Not a professional athlete. A tour guide. At this point in time a tour guide is the most prestigious position in Cambodia.

After our trip, we spent a good portion of the afternoon visiting the Angkor National Museum. Being in the presence of sandstone Buddhas carved nearly 800 years before the U.S as we know it was even established was mind blowing. It is also unfathomable to imagine how a dynasty so primitive to ours can have the foresight to organize hundreds of thousands of people to move rock hundreds of miles away over 30 years to create Angkor Wat. Absolutely incredible.

Back on Bar street that evening, Sami and I decided to stop by one of the fish foot massage pools on the street. These are pretty popular in Korea too, but in all of the pictures I have seen, they don't have nearly as many fish as these on the street in Siem Reap. The little guys were hungry and aggressive and absolutely pulverized the dead skin on our feet. My girlish screams, a result of the torturous tickling, turned heads from all passers-by.

Finally, on our walk back to the Kazna, I stepped in to a barbershop for a quick buzz. As the skilled and confident barber whacked away, undeterred by the language barrier, I couldn't help but think how fortunate I was to experience something so completely different than anything I had ever been exposed to before. This, combined with my time spent the Fijian village, had strengthened my resolve to see as much of the world, and as many different cultures as I can. My life, as I knew it less than a year ago had completely changed. I wanted more.

But first, it was back to the Kazna to order the next morning's breakfast. While I am on the authentic kick, why not order the traditional Khmer breakfast- rice porridge, dried, salted fish, dried, salted egg and fruit.

Coming in Part 5: Lake Tonle Sap