Adventures of a Wandering Thirtysomething

It was 5:15 a.m. when our tuk tuk pulled out into the cool darkness of the morning to take us to Angkor Wat. A motorcade of fellow tourists, all in their tuk tuks and on motorbikes, whizzed through town and up to the national park in a quest to snap the perfect sunrise photo of the ancient jungle temple.

As our parade made its way out of town, we motored past a children’s hospital that had a line extending far down the block from it. Our guide explained that it was a free hospital and the people in line were trying to get the medicine they needed for their children before work. As I shook my head in disbelief, our guide pointed out the new five-star Le Meridien Hotel next door. The contrast of extreme poverty and extreme wealth literally right next door to each other is a shocking sight, especially when you realize that your own wealth is the reason you have the means to visit this otherwise poverty-stricken country.

When we arrived at Angkor Wat, a crowd had already begun to form on the banks of the pond in front of it and we jockeyed for position to get the best possible photograph when the sun would eventually rise an hour later.

Similar to the more modern temples in Bangkok, the ancient temples of Angkor Wat, Bayon and Ta Prohm created an almost spiritual experience despite my not being Buddhist. I felt myself wanting to shush everyone within earshot just so I could relish in the peace, tranquility and power of an ancient place of worship. It didn’t help that we got stuck near some obnoxiously loud Americans. Seriously Americans, stop embarrassing your fellow citizens and shut the f*&# up! But I digress…

From the moment the sun slowly rose over the temple I was mesmerized, and I found myself increasingly mesmerized as the day wore on. From the towering spires and massive size of Angkor Wat to the Indiana Jones-like qualities of the Buddha-faced Bayon to the almost-magical wonder of the tree-covered Ta Prohm (where Tomb Raider was filmed), every temple offered something uniquely breathtaking.

Pictures can hardly do these temples justice, but we gave it a shot. Experiencing them yourself is highly recommended.

After many sweaty hours of hiking through temple ruins, we grabbed a quick nap before heading out to a handicraft market where only certified, locally-made handicrafts are sold to directly support local artisans.

We stopped at an ATM to get some extra cash and when Matt went inside, our tuk tuk driver hopped off his motorbike and came around to talk to me. A bit uneasy about what he was going to say, he surprised me by pulling a booklet out from under the seat and asking, “Do you know this?” It was a red bible study book. One of those cheaply pulled together, stapled down the middle, pamphlet-like books that most Christians get sometime in grade school to learn the basics of the faith. I told him that yes, I did know about Christianity and the stories in the booklet. He said, “This is how I learn English.”

As I leafed through the book, I saw his notations in the margins defining words and explaining the meanings of sentences. He said, “It’s different from our local beliefs. Some are the same as Buddhist, some are much harder to believe.” I chuckled and nodded in agreement. After a day of touring Buddhist and Hindu temples where carvings depicting gods and eastern religious stories were hard for my westernized mind to believe, it was refreshing to be reminded that the stories of the bible are pretty unbelievable too.

He went on to explain that when he was in school, the country didn’t teach English as a language. He listed several languages they did teach including Russian, which he explained was taught because they were a communist country. Today, they do teach English and western languages, and with so many English-speaking tourists needing tuk tuk rides, he wanted to learn it so he could communicate with his passengers better. He felt he didn’t know the language very well, but since he was one of the best English speakers we had encountered on our trip, we encouraged him and told him he was doing a great job.

Travel is an art of enlightenment. In addition to experiencing some of the biggest, most incredible sights in the world, you encounter some of the tiniest, most everyday interactions. But big or small, both are prone to change your life in a profound way. Cambodia offered the gift of both.