After more than 270 days teaching English in Korea, I did the unthinkable:
I TOOK A VACATION!
*cue the hallelujah chorus*
Korean people-watching in the airport. I missed the memo
about wearing my orange vest. Darn it!
It seems as though vacations, week-long vacations at that, are almost unheard of in Korean culture. It's not a lack of a vacation days available to employees, but rather a lack of desire to leave the job for fear of seeming lazy or lacking devotion. Pffftttttt. After nine months of five or six days straight work, I happily booked my flight and turned a blind, vacation-hungry eye to anyone who cast judgement.
After a little research and a lot of persuasion from fellow waygooken, I decided to travel to Cambodia, the southeast asian country nestled between Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand. To accompany me on my journey was Kingesleah, an Australian engineer who seems to spend as much time traveling as he does working for Hyundai. With vacations days to spare, Kings happily obliged and we roughly planned our one-week destination, my first time outside of central Asia.
Our first tuk tuk ride in Phnom Pehn.
After arriving in the capitol city of Phnom Pehn, Kingesleah and I met our tuk tuk driver who transported us to the hostel, only after urinating within 10 feet of us first. Riding in a tuk tuk must be similar to riding in a horse-drawn carriage. You are painfully aware of every bump in the road, smell every foul smell imaginable, but you feel like royalty. The sensation of humid air blowing across my face and through my hair was magical after 12 hours of airport travel.
We awoke bright and early, as Korea is two hours ahead of Cambodia, and I felt rejuvenated after that "I finally made it, I don't have to worry anymore" hostel slumber. With one day of Phnom Pehn at our disposal, Kingesleah and I felt that educating ourselves on the reality of Cambodia's recent past was a must. Our first stop: the Teol Sleng Genocide Museum.
Rules of the S-21 prison:
"You must immediately answer my questions without time to reflect.
If you don't follow the above rules, you shall get many lashes of the electric wire."
The S-21 prison camp was one of the largest camps led by Pol Pot, the leader of the Khmer Rouge Communist Party of Cambodia. Enslaving, torturing, and executing the educated, "Western" citizens of the country was Khmer Rouge's goal in order to restore a classless, agrarian society. Anyone classified as intellectual elite was killed to make way for the agricultural communism Pol Pot envisioned. Everyone in the country was forced onto farm labor camps away from family and friends, while their currency, books, banks, and other services were destroyed. As if that weren't horrifying enough, this all occurred less than fifty years ago, from 1975 to 1979, in the very spot where I took the photograph above.
Barbed wire ensured that prisoners could not
jump to their death.
Prisoners were shackled to beds and tortured until admitting their
wrongdoings, most of which were untrue.
In many rooms, the blood of victims still stained the floor.
Only one location promised a more brutal fate for prisoners than S-21, and that was the Killing Fields in the village of Choeung Ek. Perhaps some victims were relieved to discover the end of their Khmer Rouge nightmare, but for most the Killing Fields offered a death that was just as ghastly, impersonal, and inhumane as life had become. More than one-fourth of the Cambodian population was executed and disposed of in mass graves, many of which prisoners dug themselves before executioners killed them with spades or sharpened bamboo or wooden sticks. Those executed were of all ages, and most spent their last moments alone with only their memories of family and loved ones.
The contour of mass graves sites still stipple the ground.
Clothing and bone fragments have yet to be unearthed.
Colorful bracelets surround the mass graves at the Killing Fields.
Buddhist memorial
Victims' skulls and bones are honored on display at the Buddhist memorial.
The afternoon was an educational and eye-opening experience. It became clear to me that Cambodia is a transitioning, adolescent country, still gaining its footing after years of injustice. With a greater understanding of Cambodia's past, I felt a much deeper admiration for the country and its people.
Tourism is growing rapidly, and with beautiful weather, history and adventure, and lush, inexpensive accommodations, it is easy to see why! For only 15 dollars Kingesleah and I were able to book a sleeper bus that allowed us to travel the seven hours from Phnom Pehn to Siem Reap overnight and in comfort (for the most part). Our hostel owner warned us not to let the bus's flashy exterior fool us into believing the bus was well-maintained and properly cared for, as it seems much of Cambodia is pretty on the outside but still a bit dodgy on the in! Regardless, after a long, emotional day in Phnom Pehn, Kingesleah and I quickly settled into our bus bed and let the bumpy dirt road lull us to sleep.
Our bed for the night.
Seven and a half hours and one flat tire later, we finally arrived in Siem Reap! The tuk tuk ride to our hostel proved that this city had a much different feel than Phnom Pehn. Siem Reap looked more exotic and heavy foliage lined the dusty streets. Phnom Pehn was a city, whereas Siem Reap was a hideaway. A bungalow of small buildings and bustle. It was a warm, uplifting welcome to our vacation, and our hostel was probably the greatest place I'll ever stay for less than 10 dollars a night. (I KNOW, RIGHT?)
Everything in Cambodia is indoor/outdoor,
including our hostel's bar.
AND pool.
The best sight to see in Siem Reap was my friend and running partner Lauren! Lauren left Korea in August and volunteered as a youth sports coach in Cambodia for six weeks. Having a reunion with Lauren was definitely a highlight of my vacation, and she was such an expert travel guide for Kingesleah and I while we spent three days in Siem Reap.
Three amigos with a backdrop of Cambodian rainy season.
As groggy hostel guests quietly consumed their hangover breakfast, Kingesleah, Lauren, and I were already biking to the outskirts of Siem Reap to relax in hammocks and climb a mountain. Elevated houses lined the dirt road. Most were without doors, all were without electricity, and people sat outside looking surprisingly content. Even happy. Kids ran alongside our bikes or played some mysterious game which involved kicking a flip-flop, and adults idled in the shade next to their fruit stands, checking their pre-paid cell phones and swatting mosquitoes.
Cell phones aside, Cambodia is an underdeveloped country. Most places have running water and electricity, so Kingesleah and I decided it's a two and a half world country, but it's certainly the poorest country I've ever visited. This brought two things to this privileged white girl's attention. First, it is a privilege to choose my outfits each day. It's a privilege to choose my shoes, whether I want to wear makeup, choose my job. It's a privilege to have a chair to sit on and a lock on my door. Throughout the day I may complain about inconveniences, but I'm ridiculously fortunate to wake up in a warm bed and use my indoor plumbing! Secondly, I was reminded that happiness does not come from things, but rather experiences and the people we share them with. In Korea, money is power and power is happiness, but the Khmer children who swam in the creek beneath their stilted home did not have much and they looked pretty damn happy. In addition, I don't really need much in life. This is especially true when traveling. The less baggage, the happier the traveler! That's my new motto. We'll see if I can stick to it...
Lauren is truly a tanned Cambodian goddess. In running shorts.
Traditional, simple Khmer food.
Kings and Lauren made a new frenemy on the mountain.
The rest of the day was spent wandering the tiny city center, getting $8 hour-long massages, and lounging by Lauren's pool. Life could not have been better. I loved every single minute of it!
Not even real life.
That night, after one of the greatest days of my life, I had the best sleep of my life, only to awake and begin what would become an even greater day, because it was ANGKOR WAT DAY! Seeing the ancient ruins was on my absolute to-do list in Siem Reap, as virtually all tourism centers around the temples. Our tuk tuk driver, Sahet, was waiting for us outside the hostel wearing a long-sleeve plaid shirt, jeans, and flat billed hat in what felt like humid, 95 degree weather. On bumpy, unpaved roads one must choose either to be hot or be dusty. Kings and I chose dusty, and we were off on our day of magical adventure times!
Tuk tuk take-away pizza :)
Sahet, Sarah, tuk tuk, Angkor Wat
The first of the three temples we explored was Ta Keo, a magnificent sight to behold. Ta Keo was build in the 2nd century AD, but it was never actually completed (could have fooled me). To not only able to witness such an awesome structure, but to also be allowed to climb in and around the maze of stone, statues, and carvings was THE COOLEST. The ascent to the top was quite steep, but the view and scenery made it well worth it.
Next up was the temple that served as Angelina Jolie's kickin' ass arena in Tomb Raider. I can't remember the actual name of it because everyone just calls it the Tomb Raider temple, but this was definitely my favorite of all we saw that day. Partially deconstructed and overgrown with nature, this temple was mossy and funky, just like you'd imagine an ancient temple to appear. The wonderful thing about the temples is there is really no tour guide, red ropes, or "KEEP OUT" signs. You can explore hidden alcoves, climb trees, take photos as you wish. Other than a few "No climbing" signs, the temple is yours to uncover. For example, I uncovered a fire ants' nest while taking a photo below a gigantic, gnarly tree. Surprise to me!
Ahhh, fire ants!
As if Mother Nature melted.
My kind of geometry.
Lastly was the big kahuna, Angkor Wat! The name directly translates to "City Temple" because it was just that, the largest temple in the city. Angkor Wat occupies an enormous 500 acres of land and the central tower is almost 700 feet in the air! Originally a Hindu temple, the architecture and carvings tell tales of Hindu epics. However, after the fall of the Khmer empire in 15th century, Angkor Wat became, and still remains, a Buddhist shrine.
Throughout the day, Kingesleah and I repeatedly imagined what it would be like to approach these temples as an outsider. Each daydream brought us to the same conclusion: Really freaking scary. Approaching Angkor Wat was definitely the most intimidating because the monstrous structure looms in the distance and is only visited by way of a long, stone pathway. The path seemed to take forever, and once we arrived at the entrance I felt like a tiny, little ant standing in the shadows.
A panoramic shot leading up to the main gate of Angkor Wat.
Once inside, we gawked at the intricate carvings along the walls and got lost in the high tower. We frolicked along the grass between the exterior and interior of the temple. We people watched, daydreamed, and laughed at the awesomeness of this miraculous sight. The pictures don't come close to what I experienced this day.
Later that evening, Kingesleah, Lauren, and I had the great pleasure of indulging in one food genre you never knew you'd miss until it was gone. That is Mexican food. Now sure, Korea has a lot of rice and vegetables, but it doesn't have Mexican rice or Mexican vegetables. And, unfortunately for all of the sorry Koreans who don't know what they're missing, Korea doesn't have the master herb of Mexican cuisine. CILANTRO. The sad excuse for Mexican food in Korea never, ever comes complete with cilantro.
I'm not even lying when I say this is what my dreams look like in Korea:
If only Chipotle delivered internationally. And Leo circa 99 was the delivery boy.
I digress. Anyway, after many long months in Korea we were all able to enjoy some proper Mexican food for under $6. We were way too happy about this.
Lauren's death stare, only moments before yelling, "IS THAT GUAC?"
Our drink menu in US dollars.
Cheap food and drinks was really the icing on the Cambodian cake, as the real value came from visiting my friends, exploring new locations, and, as always, learning. As I continue to branch out and expand my travel map, I continue to educate myself about new cultures and histories. In doing so, I also take time to reflect on my own history. My experiences over the past year have changed my outlook and attitude on life. I no longer sweat the small stuff, and I live each day knowing that I can only control my own actions, not the actions of others. (Perhaps my decision to order so many inexpensive cocktails was not the best action, however.) I hope this trip to Cambodia was only the first and not the last. More temples, markets, and Mexican food await me, as well as you other hungry travels with an insatiable appetite for all life has to offer.
Additional things we did, told in pictures:
Watched a group of drunk foreigners do the YMCA on Pub Street.
Went to the Cambodian Circus.
Fell in love with Cambodian circus performers.
Explored the bowels of Phnom Pehn's Russian market.
