“The meaning of life is to give life meaning.”
– Haven Training Restaurant website
In my last post, I talked about my first impressions of Cambodian people, places, food, and things after exploring Siem Reap for a couple of days. Today, I’m going to be a bit more introspective and talk about my experiences traveling solo thus far. Disclaimer: this will expose me for the super wimp that I am.
Let’s just say that within five hours of landing in Siem Reap, I was ready to throw in the towel. You have made a grave mistake, Mendi. Doing this. Coming here. Why did you decide to travel alone? Do you think you’re brave or something?
My text chain with my sister at that point in time went something like this:
Haidee: What happened?
Me: I got lost in the midst of a legitimate storm. Without an umbrella or any rain gear. It took me two hours to find my way back to the hotel. I had to wring my hair and shirt out when I got back.
Haidee: Don’t get sick!
Me: I know. I do not like this at all. I’m so afraid to eat everything, so I haven’t eaten today. And it’s even hard to find mini marts around here with bottled water that isn’t grimy-looking. Holy crap, these next ten days are gonna be rough.
Haidee: Well, third world country, what did you expect?
Me: Yeah, shoot, we are so damn lucky to live in the States. In one of the most developed countries in the world. If I ever travel alone again I have to go somewhere developed. I think I jumped into the deep end too quickly…
You can tell from this exchange – I hated it. Why did I come to a place where I have to brush my teeth with boiled/bottled water? Where tuk-tuk drivers legitimately have no idea where anything is (so every time it’s a crap-shoot trying to get back to my hotel)? Where Google maps is so outdated/incorrect I can’t even use it practically?
… In retrospect, I know now that these feelings of regret and dismay were compounded by my utter exhaustion and jet lag after that 30-hour transit time.
How do I know this? Because… whatd’ya know… it got better. It always gets better.
The more I walk the streets of Cambodia, the more it somehow reminds me of Taiwan. The rural parts of it, at least. Outside of Taiwan’s capital Taipei, are towns much less developed but equally as populated. The mom-and-pop shops, the dirt roads, even the uninvited smells of Siem Reap slowly transformed in my mind into a certain nostalgia for Taiwan. I’ve learned to cherish it.
For the entire time I’ve been here, unless completely unrealistic, I’ve elected to walk everywhere. This has done wonders for me: for my mood and for my confidence. Back home, I take walks everyday. Around three to five miles, depending on how much I’ve exercised that day. Walking is a way for me to introspect – my own personal therapy. To reflect on things like work that day, the big picture, personal issues, problems I’m facing, anything. I really do think that walking in Siem Reap has given me that centered mind. It works wonders. It’s also helped me build confidence in something I’ve been wanting to work on forever: navigation. Being in a completely foreign country without GPS has been really tough. I’ve had my fair share of frustrations here. However, I’ve become to believe that getting lost… is actually a gift. Because it’s only when you get truly lost that you are forced to find your way. And it’s through these experiences that you really learn the most.
The quote at the beginning of this post is one I saw on the website of a restaurant I ate at in Siem Reap called the Haven Training Restaurant. “The meaning of life is to give life meaning.”This quote really hit home for me, especially amidst this solo trip experience and the prospect of checking more items off my ever-growing bucket list. At times, we all fall victim to thinking “oh, life is so dull and boring” and wallow in puddles of self-pity. But the reality is that it is actually our own responsibility to, like this quote says, “give life meaning”. So next time you feel like you’re in a rut, be sure to do something about it. Make your own hope. Make your own future.
Okay, sorry, went off on a tangent. But anyways, to keep on this wavelength, I did eat at the Haven Training Restaurant yesterday. This restaurant has an awesome premise; they’re devoted to teaching and training disadvantaged Cambodian young adults about the restaurant/service industry so they can learn to be independent and break out of the poverty cycle.
… Also, they have some mighty tasty food.
Fresh-pressed Pineapple, Orange, Ginger Juice:
Fried corn (popular Cambodian appetizer).
Okay, so borderline inappropriate side-story: As I was eating my fried corn appetizer, this nerdy Harry-Potter-glasses-wearing cutie sits down at the next table facing me. OH HAYYYY….*takes creeper photo*
Back to food. Green curry with Shrimp, Salad, Potato/Bacon Croquette.
And fresh coconut juice to finish it off!
Enough about food (ugh how my life revolves around food). Let me get to the meat of the post. So you might be baffled by the title of this post: What’s a “local Khmai”? Well, a “Khmai” is a person of Cambodian descent. I just made you more confused now. Mendi’s not Cambodian… Okay, no, no I’m not, but I am a true believer that when traveling, if ever given the opportunity, you should step away from tourist attractions and truly see life as a local.
Well guess what?!?! GUYS, I have a super duper surprise for all of you: WE HAVE A SPECIAL GUEST IN TODAY’S POST!!!
Say hello to Jeff! (P.S. We are in a tuk-tuk going to a mystery location.)
These are Jeff’s awesome friends: Tiri (a local Siem Reap-er) and Joel (also a Peace Corps volunteer).
Jeff is of my best friends from middle school/high school. He’s the bee’s knees. He currently works in the Peace Corps and is stationed in Cambodia. During the week, Jeff teaches English to students in a rural village a few dozen miles away from Siem Reap. On weekends, he has free time to himself; this weekend, I was lucky enough to meet up with him in Siem Reap, where he showed me some of the things that locals do here for fun! What a treat 🙂
Okay, fine, I won’t leave you hanging. The “mystery location” I was referring to above is the Baray. The Baray is a huge man-made reservoir about 10 miles away from Siem Reap, and it is used to irrigate crops during the dry season. Why did we go to the Baray, you ask? Well it also serves as an awesome hangout spot for locals! You can rent out stalls along the shore, equipped with hammocks for maximum chillout purposes. Eat food. Drink beer. Be Jolly. You can also swim in the Baray itself! (Or… float… on a huge inner tube, if that’s your cup of tea.) Altogether a great way to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life.
Jeff & Joel lounging around.
Jeff decides to take a dip:
Hi, Jeff!!!
Just me in my hammock…. THE LIFE!
Anyways, after the Baray, we decided to eat traditional Cambodian BBQ! My very first time. It’s basically this domed metal contraption for the BBQ grill and then there’s a soup “moat” surrounding it to boil food in as well. Man, this description sucks. I give up – just look at the pictures.
Buffet style – pick up whatever you want. I was a little iffy on the fact that so many raw meats/seafood were just lying out in like 90 degree weather unchilled……….. Best not think about it. (Ignorance is bliss.)
Then, after our tummies were happy… time to hit the bars! We went bar hopping on Pub Street (okay, okay, this IS a tourist spot… but hey! Locals do it too…?!?! I think?!?!) We went to three places: Under Construction (it actually got renamed, but I like this name better, so I’m gonna keep calling it that), Miss Wong, Rock Bar. Selfie stick photos ensued…..
The Rock Bar was the coolest. A Filipino cover band played all these rock hits and it was seriously the best. Super exciting. SO MUCH SO THAT WE WENT UP THERE TO TAKE A SELFIE WITH THEM (literally no shame, whatsoever). I will kindly direct you to the bassist at the top left corner. He wins.
Jeff’s & Joel’s other Peace Corps friends met up with us at the Rock Bar!
It was seriously such an awesome time hanging out with Jeff again and meeting all his new friends. Through this, I was able to see Cambodia more through a “local’s” lens. Thanks so much, Jeff!
Oh, also with all that bar hopping, I was able to try all three of the local Cambodian beers: Angkor Beer, Cambodia (the brand) Beer, and Anchor Beer. Consider this a public service announcement: They all taste like water.
Okay now for some other miscellaneous things I’ve done. *Rolls eyes* Back to the touristy stuff….
I went to the Angkor National Museum. They wouldn’t let me take photos inside the exhibits. Here’s what I thought about that rule:
The entire reason I went to the museum was because I saw they had an exhibit called “Room of a Thousand Buddhas”. No need to imagine anything here: it literally is a room of a thousand Buddha sculptures. And it actually was really amazing! If only I could take photos *cries in anguish*.
Oh yeah, I probably left out a huge detail up until now: I’m no longer in Siem Reap. I’ve since flown to city número dos: Sihanoukville.
Going to be honest here, I was initially super nervous flying a domestic Cambodia airline (called Cambodia Angkor Air)… Excuse my ignorance here, but I don’t have the best impression of Southeast Asian airlines nowadays (read: Malaysia Air). That said, I was completely flabbergasted at how modern the plane was!
Okay, the process of getting onto the plane was kind of sketchy, though… They never actually checked my passport at the airport…WTF?! And everything, including check-in and boarding, was kind of a clusterf—. Oh yeah, and the take-off was so bizarre! The pilot was literally making a 90-degree turn and went straight into lift-off. He didn’t stop. Is that supposed to happen!? Okay I really need to stop writing about this. The more I write about everything that went wrong, the more I’m worried about how okay I felt about it at the time. Once again, ignorance is bliss.
Oh yeah, this was my first time entering a plane from the tarmac!
I whip my hair back and forth, I whip my hair back and forth (but actually not really, it was just really freaking windy.)
Sihanoukville, here I come! AARRGGHHRHGHGH.
After I touched down in Sihanoukville, I had to take a shuttle to my hotel. It was a full shuttle with patrons going to different hotels. Okay folks…I’m going to go on a rant now. You can’t stop me.
So I’m not one to preach (EVER) but today I will make an exception. Guys. Please don’t ever… EVER… disrespect or insult someone who is doing you a service. I don’t care what it is: I’m talking giving you a ride, serving you food, cleaning your room, ANYTHING. Because what if that person reacts negatively towards your criticism? Like, what if the housekeeper decides to use the towel used for the toilet to wipe that rinse cup of yours? What if that server you were catty towards adds “something special” to your main dish? Use your imagination. Chances are, you do not want it. Well… let’s just say… the girl sitting next to me on the shuttle didn’t get it. We were waiting there for a little while before heading out, and she said in the most annoyed voice ever: “Any time now?! Can we go? It’s a full shuttle what the hell are we waiting for?!” Our driver would turn back nervously (he didn’t speak English); you could tell he was really uncomfortable. That added to her fire: she wouldn’t stop giving him flak about it. I seriously wanted to tell her to calm the eff down. GIRL, IF YOU KEEP THIS UP, HE COULD TOTALLY DRIVE US OFF A CLIFF. It was upsetting. I was curious where she was from: She must be from some foreign land where they don’t teach manners. So I asked her. GUYS, SHE’S FROM SAN FRANCISCO. I literally wanted to faint then and there. Good god, glad people like her are giving us a great name abroad! *collapse on floor*
So Sihanoukville is a coastal town known for it’s beautiful beaches and resort-feel. I got to my hotel around 4PM, so didn’t actually have much time to explore. I did walk the two blocks down to Serendipity Beach, though. Gah, it’s so gorgeous! And the sun was about to set!
I hope you enjoyed my glamour (and non-glamour) shots :).
Lastly, an addendum to my previous posts’ Sh*t I See in Cambodia:
For my Cisco peeps: I’ve located the enemy. PREPARE TO DESTROYYYYY (jk).
Interesting names for food places I’ve seen in Sihanoukville so far… I mean… really…? These kebabs must be McDelicious.
WHY.
Okay, UNTIL NEXT TIME!
With love,
Mendi
P.S. Yes, it’s official: As I mentioned in my last post, there definitely is a Facebook subculture in Cambodia. Confirmed. I received yet ANOTHER Facebook friend request from a receptionist of my last hotel -_-….
the wanderlust is real. 