Cambodia : Angkor Watt at a glance



I asked the driver to drop me at Istanbul Guesthouse. I’m not making a formal booking for this since I have sent an email to the Owner, Mr Shu; a couchsurfing member who just opened his own guesthouse and restaurant. A Turkish that married to local, built his  family and live happily in Siam Reap. He’s not providing couch for free like another host, but based on review from some travelers, he is very helpful and thoughtful about our trip plan. With Shu’s help, I’ve booked my daytrip to Angkor Watt with the same Tuk-Tuk’s driver that brought me to his place. I picked a single room with an air conditioner since I want to totally recharge my energy and sometimes its just to please my body for stay healthy all the time. Especially after so many overnight stay on the bus since I departed from Jakarta.

What I love about him is about how he tells some story about his dream and the other is how he treats others. He left Turkey and traveled around the world to find the best place to build his dream. Stay at one place, and then run the guesthouse with a small restaurant. He’s been in Indonesia and Malaysia but it’s a bit difficult for him to build his dream in a Muslim country. He has traveled a lot until he stay in Siam Reap and make his own kingdom, a family.

Siam Reap’s people lives happily with what they have. There’s no big industry and company that absorbed most of the labor. They lived on what Angkor Watt preserve as the world international heritage, tourism. And this is the one that Shu’s choose for his life, live in peace. This short story reminds me a lot to The Lucky One, a books and movie presenting that the main actor traveled along the way after his duty as an army and become a dog practitioner for the sake of peace.

The driver took me at 10 AM to start our trip around Angkor Watt. Since the area is very very huge, the entrance ticket offered in one, two, three till a week day pass. The ticket will have our picture on it since they took our picture at the ticketing office. I choose one day pass since I am not a huge fans of artificial thing and history. And trust me, I have no time and don't think that I can afford a long walk for a couple days.

Since I only took one day pass, the driver suggested me to visit the main temple which is the biggest one. I spent like two and half hours for the first temple, and one hour each for the remaining. And surely, it was a big area. Other than the one that mostly presented in the media as representatives of the Angkor Watt, I’ve visited one temple with many big trees inside. The trees crush and blend with the temple’s building. And this one, is the place where Tomb Raider ( a movie starring by Angelina Jolie) was taken. The driver asked me whether I want to have lunch, but I told him that I just have some fruits and water. Sorry sir, I am a damn picky eater!! I finished all the package at 4 or 5 PM and heading back to the guesthouse. Yeah, I am totally tired and it’s time to sleep.

Its interesting to met some souvenir seller during temple hoping. Some kids will pass through the temple and strolling around the visitor to offer souvenirs like magnet, mini bracelet and some small souvenir that easier for them to bring inside. At the hub some clothes stall get ready with their unique  Cambodian style. Most of them fabricated with an Elephant or flowery style, just like the one we've got in Thailand. The price? that's what make me more surprise. For one fridge magnet, it can be started at USD 10 for 3 and went down as low as USD 1 per pcs. The same thing happened for the elephant hippie trousers, from USD 5 per pcs into USD 5 for 2.

After have some rest, I went down and meet the other guest, a young lady ( I forgot her name, sorry) from Taiwan. She will stay at Shu’s place for 3 months and love to explore Cambodia by motorbike and by herself. Amazing right? I told her to join couchsurfing for her next travel and she loves the idea. She looks pity on me since I only enjoy some banana while she have a huge bowl of warm soup with rice. She just got surprised when I told her that I’m leaving tomorrow morning to Bangkok and told me to wake her up before I left but I don’t. She stay up until night and still on her bed when I leave. Good luck girl, till we meet again.

So after have a morning chit chat with Shu and Family, someone come and pick my stuff to board into the bus. Anyway, goodbye Shu and Siam Reap, Its nice to know you. Another surprise, there’s a minivan that picked me up instead of the bus. The driver told me that we will change the ride when we reach the main street. But it never happened. We do change the ride, but its just a higher minivan and not the bus. A disappointment gesture show up among the passengers, including me of course since it’s gonna be a long long ride.
 

It seems not enough with one surprise in the morning, just after 2 hours ride, the tire is broken. We was in the middle of nowhere, even no place for just to hide our skin from burning. And the crazy me just can’t tell how happy I am (I am a truly crazy girl). Even I have some pics taken.
 

After that, a countless inconvenient things happened. A long walk to the border without any guidance, 2 hours waiting out of the border (Thailand base) just to wait another passenger from another Cambodian’s bus provider to join us, plus one hour another waiting in rest area for the same reason.

Its 2 PM already and I’m started worrying about my next schedule. Yeah, I have to reach Bangkok, especially train station at 7 PM. I have to buy sleeper train to Nongkhai and enter Laos from Thanaleg. And the driver told me that it still needs 3 hours to go and reach the Khaosan Road (Backpacker area in Bangkok). Crossing finger.

The bus dropped me at Khaosan around 6 PM, after bought some meals and took money from ATM, I run into motorbike driver and ask him to take me to Hualamphong train station. Arrived safely, I got the ticket and still have a chance the famous and halal tom yum cup noodle in supermarket.

So its not about the destination, but the journey that matters. Happy traveling guys!!!