Cambodia was what I thought Thailand was going to be: Real. Insanely friendly and accommodating locals with genuine smiles and curiosity. It was like stepping into the past. And maybe all of that would have worn off if, like Thailand, I lived there. Or maybe the Cambodians were more over-accommodating since I was travelling on a broken ankle. Or maybe it was really genuine. I don't know. All I know is that those four days in Siem Reap were enough to make me fall in love...and I've been dying of a broken heart, aching to go back to feel what I first felt when I laid my eyes upon Angkor Wat for the first time: Joy.
I was so overcome with emotion when I saw that spectacular silhouette that I started crying. To see, in person, this ancient civilization and feel the spirit of an ancient culture, every part of me was grateful and blessed to be there. Even while fighting the throngs of tourists.
All over the ruins of Angkor are children...running, chasing your tuk tuk, begging you to buy something from their basket of souvenirs - be it postcards, bracelets, candy - their big, sad eyes pulling at your heart strings. The worst part is knowing your money doesn't go to them, that it more than likely goes to their owner or whoever gives them a bed and food. Those kids broke my heart, and put into perspective the privilege, that even I growing up poor in the US still had more than they do.
When we entered Angkor Wat, I saw this little guy, minding his own business and eating his bag of fruit and rice. He was adorable. Dwarfed by the masonry that his ancestors built centuries before, it gives perspective at the enormity and beauty that Angkor is.
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I'm looking forward to the day I travel back to Cambodia and feel their culture and kindness once again...all while enjoying a coconut shake and spicy noodles, of course!
Happy Trails!
