I’ve arrived in Siem Reap, the Queenstown/Rotorua of Cambodia. This is Temple City, the ace in their deck, the place the brochures sing about.
I’ve checked in at the ‘Chilled Backpackers’ in Wat Bo district. There’s a swimming pool – Yuss! and a french couple whispering sweet nothings to each in the next bunk. They seem to like each a lot and I wonder how much sleep we’ll get tonight. There’s 10 of us in this dorm. Reminds me of school camp, both when I was student and teacher … the latter to keep an eye on the boy’s and make sure they sit out their hormones at least till camps over and I’m off duty. Not on duty tonight thank god, but I am old enough to be the dorm dad – wonder what they make of me.
Shared sleeping arrangements cost me NZ$10/night. Score.
The bar by the pool is pumping techno, and my dorm is right next to it, so it should at least give the french couple something to work with.
Already I have a hostel homie, Parwel (the w sounds as a v). He’s polish, maybe in his 30’s and has made Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand his home. He’s a digital nomad, meaning he can live anywhere and earn $ working on his laptop as a programmer. But every 6 mths or so he has to leave Thailand then re-enter with a new visa, hence he’s holed up here waiting on the man to come through. ‘Good wifi’ he tells me, lifeblood in his gig, all of us for that matter.
I did the same years ago at Heathrow, pretend you’re a tourist when actually you’re working or intending to.
Leave, apply for another visitor visa and try your luck with whoevers at the border. He’s not happy cos there’s still nothing in his inbox. Parwel is selling me on Chiang Mai, “gotta go, flights are cheap”, can I fit it in…
Didn’t mention the drive here from Stung Treng in the north. Pretty similar to the one mentioned in earlier blog, as many as poss crammed into a van, this time with big lumps of teak in the back. Such a tight squeeze in fact that the smallest guy – baggage handler and general apprentice had to for half the leg, sit on his bosses lap. He shared the steering so his boss could focus on phone calls while operating the pedals. They made a good team, young fulla’s moves were bang-on, a whole new meaning of sharing the driving, new one on me, but it’s been a week of new ones. ‘Buddhānubhāvena’ – We’re in the hands of the gods anyway.
No-one on my lap, I’m guessing cos I paid special foreigner price, US$12, a seat to myself, just enough room to pull out my ukelele and play along to their ringtones. Weirdo foreigner.
Him (Heeem)at reception rents me a scooter for a couple of days. The temples are spread far and wide and I’ve passed my learners in small town Stung Treng. Not sure I’m scooter ready for Phnom Penh yet, but first impression here and the tide looks swimable.
I’m keen to suss at least a veneer of buddhism, if such a thing is possible. Angkor Wat just one of hundreds of temples here on the trail – the biggest. Word is that buddhism in Cambodia is heavily tinged with hinduism. Explains why the cows are free range – I’ve yet to see a driver not brake with reverence and give these moo’s a wide berth. In NZ cows are produce and dogs are pets, could be the other way round here, will have to research more. Crates of small dogs on the back of scooters heading to market is a bit of a give-away.
Nearing the temple entrance and there’s a jam of tourists and tuktuks – seems like a busy day on the prayer mat, tourism with a capital T at Angkor Wat. I make a snap decision to U-turn and bounce off down a side road, track really, 500 mtrs back.
For the next 4 hrs I have the time of my life navigating the shantytowns of Siem Reap that tourists mostly don’t see – ripped tarpaulin and rusted iron shacks, the temples of poverty. Some lower-end tuktuk’s parked up. In the city I’ve seen tuktuks pimped as Lamborghini’s, dragons, a space shuttle, John Travolta, but out here it’s function over form. A monk throws buckets of water over one, giving it good juju, the drivers on his knees praying. Lots of happy children playing in the dirt.
I come in the side-door on a bunch of temples where there are no tourists but plenty of monks banging gongs wailing, smoking durries and touching up the gold paintwork on a concrete snake.
More dirt tracks and i pass a small shanty shop blasting out music. It’s hot, I’m thirsty. Bong Channa is an ice cream salesman into techno. By the time I’d flipped the scooter stand into the dirt, he had a beer in my hand. Half an hr later we’re mates on WhatsApp and via his quieter older mate, he gets I’m from NZ and would like to marry his sister. The next bit I so wish I’d video’d or at least got a pic … he kicks in his best spotify, tries a Snoop Dog routine only to be upstaged by 3 young girls who roll out of a hammock, jump onto the giant red chilli bin that every roadside stand has, and sing word perfect in khmer with a dance routine to match. Everyday here has a magic moment and this is it. As I bump my way off down the track, I’m thinking it’s only a matter of time b4 hiphop Bong and his sister arrive on my Waiheke doorstep. So long as he brings his dancing hammock girls we’ll be sweet. I’ll have them gigging in no time.
Back at the hostel I realise I’ve overlooked a music shop next door selling guitars and used casiotones. Gold ! Most of the casios have missing knobs and/or broken keys, andthey’d be on the inorganic pile in my hometown, but here, if they still make a noise they have value.
I think about the sheets of used roofing iron we put out the front of our place for the inorganic, and wish I could magic them here to helpout with someones shelter in the shantytowns out the back of Angkor Wat. They’d b class A building materials.
It’s wickedly humid, we’re on the cusp of the monsoon and downpours intersperse with bleaching sunlight.
I had the sleep of the dead last night, needed it, feel now like I’ve landed, starting to find my feet.
Siem Reap, what I’ve seen of it so far has beautiful french quarter streets and lanes with overhanging tree’s with that westerner must-have, ample pockets of shade.
Whizzing round here on my scooter is some of the best fun I’ve ever had.
Till next time :)