Sunday, October 15, 2017 5:51 pm – Siem Reap, Cambodia – watching the sun set and sipping a complimentary bottle of Australian wine
So I have taken a few days off from writing, partially because I have been busy and partially because I have been lacking inspiration about what to write next. The last couple of days have had some unique travel experiences. For instance on Friday morning, my co-work Jason and I woke up in Hangzhou, China and had a sketchy hotel breakfast. We somehow managed to get to the airport on our own for a domestic flight. Whenever, someone asks me if I know what it feels like to a be a minority, I simply respond with a question, “have you ever taken a domestic flight in China?” Not only were Jason and I the only white people on the flight, we were the only white people in the entire Domestic Flight Terminal in Hangzhou (a massive airport by American standards). A pause in the story here, I have never, and I mean never been treated rudely as a traveler anywhere in the world. This is especially true in China, our sworn Communist enemy according to what the talking heads on the tv tell me. I have certainly been looked at as a curiosity, had the hair on my arm pulled, my skin rubbed to see if I was a ghost, stares, laughter, been told I am HUGE, but never treated rudely. The hardest part of traveling in China is dealing with the sheer numbers of people and their overwhelming desire to get everywhere, in a hurry. Case in point, people started standing not ten seconds after our flight touches down. It is almost comical to see the isles swell, people grabbing their bags as the plane is still moving, tossing them around. Me being on an isle seat is clearly pissing off the passengers in seats A and B in my row and their desire to move can be felt by the stares I am getting. The Chinese equivalent of the FAA must simply not care about such trivial matters.
Upon arrival in Guangzhou we were confronted with transitioning to the International Departure area and had our fingers crossed that our bags were checked all the way to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Starving for something to eat, having passed on the China Southern Airlines in-flight meal, we settled for Chinese McDonald’s. I am still on the fence if the McDonald’s on the lower level of the Guangzhou airport is legit or not. I have seen fake Starbucks, fake Hilton’s, fake Nike Stores, and fake Apple stores in China, so a fake McDonald’s isn’t impossible, hell their was a fake Burger King in the Southside under everyone’s nose. What makes me question the legitimacy of this McDonald’s is that it offered essentially two choices, a Spicy Fried Chicken sandwich or barbecued grilled chicken sandwich (which from the picture looked terrible). At this McDonald’s there were no French Fries, no Big Mac’s, no burgers at all, the only extra one could get was to add on chicken wings or chicken nuggets. I wish I would have taken a photo, just one of the bizarre things you experience in China.
After successfully navigating Chinese TSA (got the full pat down from a female Chinese TSA agent), emigration and the remainder of the Guangzhou Airport exit process, we found ourselves bound for Cambodia. On this flight, I took the meal. It was chicken (in a mystery sauce) with rice and veggies, a bun, slices of turkey, a banana, and a bowl of minced carrots and celery. Honestly, in the way of airplane food, it wasn’t bad. Upon landing in Siem Reap, more lines and more confusing tasks to complete. Purchased a tourist visa, $30. Waited through a ridiculously long emigration line, given how small of an airport it was…and then the moment of truth, baggage claim, and boom, our bags had made the 12 hour trip. One final walk through customs and out into the steamy 90 degree+ Kingdom of Cambodia evening…it hit’s like a punch in gut, the heat, coupled with the humidity of the jungle, is unrelenting. Secured a ride to our hotel and wolfed a solid meal that included my favorite, pomelo salad and sleep at last. Travel like that is overwhelmingly stressful to me. And I am quite proud that we did it on our own, through two foreign countries, and without incident.
Angkor What?
This part of the trip is a chance at redemption for me. This is my second rodeo in Cambodia. The first time was in 2008. I was here on a similar weekend in-between work weeks, trying to catch some R&R with my boss and another co-worker. Young and naive I set off into the jungle to see Angkor Wat with no bottled water and no idea what I was getting into. The heat was oppressive. Between all of the walking, climbing, and unrelenting sun and sweltering humidity, by 2:00 pm, I was done, literally. I was back at the hotel, laid up in bed, dehydrated to the point of exhaustion. Unable to get out of bed, for two days, I missed the best parts of the tour. So nine years later, I started preparing in Hong Kong, saving up extra bottles of water along this trip, determined to not have a repeat of 2008. This is definitely one place that you do not want to stay thirsty my friends.
Saturday morning was game day! Started with a larger than usual breakfast of eggs, bacon, hash browns, fresh papaya, mango, dragon fruit, and my all time favorite, passion fruit. I also started crushing water out of the gate. By the time we got to Angkor Wat, it was hot and sticky, probably upper 80’s but the sun was brutal. I made one crucial mistake on this trip and decided to wear a shirt that was moisture resistant but felt more like wearing a plastic bag. By the end of the day, I had finished off 4.5 liters of water and was showing zero signs of dehydration, but I was a sweaty mess (what else is new).
The biggest difference I noticed in Cambodia between 2008 and 2017 was the astonishing number of tourists. In 2008 we practically had run of the place, quite the opposite was true this year. The vast majority of tourists appeared to be from mainland China and according to our guide, they don’t have the best reputation as tourists. This massive influx of tourism has been a double edge sword for Siem Reap. The local economy has received a massive injection of cash, jobs, and everything that goes with that, but human impact on the temples is palatable. Most of the surface rocks are sandstone and are starting to show extreme wear, the noise, aggressive hawking of wears, and carnival like atmosphere that now surrounds a once sacred place is upsetting to say the least. I can only image what another ten years will do to the place.
Here are a couple of my favorite pictures from two days of touring.
An Asymmetrical Life 