04/10/08
Well folks I finally got around to doing the tourist bit here in Siem Reap. The other day during the religious festival of Phchom Ben (ancestor worship) myself and Erica went to see the temples at Angkor Wat. If Cambodian families don't make an offering to the Buddha during Pchuom Ben, it is believed the souls of the dead relatives will return to haunt their descendents. It is a large festival here lasting two to three days. It is a time for family and many of the bars and shops in Siem Reap close for two days. As a result our school was closed too and we decided to avail of the time off by going to see the temples.
Of course every Cambodian in Siem Reap decided to go to the temples that day too. The main temple at Angkor Wat was thronged with local folk. Families sat on blankets on the many acres of grassland, eating picnics as children ran about the place having fun. In the distance could be seen a hot air balloon rising about 200 metres in the air. A great vantage point from which one can view the temples apparently. The main temple of Angkor Wat is huge. Incredibly huge, I mean it is really big; vast even. I can’t really explain to you in words how big it is. All I can say to you is it is huge. It was built centuries ago and I still can’t fathom how they managed to do it without the aid of cranes, lorries, diggers and all the other paraphernalia one would associate with a major building project of today. Angkor Wat is not listed as one of the modern seven wonders of the world but this I believe is because the modern seven wonders were based on a voting poll. Most Cambodians don’t have access to the internet and therefore I’m sure were not even aware of the existence of a poll. Angkor Wat definitely should be listed as one of the seven wonders. Everywhere you look faces and figures are carved into the large stones that make up each chamber or passageway.
After spending time at Angkor Wat our tuk-tuk driver brought us on to the next temple called Angkor Thom. It is surrounded by a large wall that is roughly 3kms square. We entered by the south gate which is served by a bridge with statues lined up on either side. The gate itself is relatively small and we had to queue on the bridge with everyone else and wait our turn to gain access. When we arrived at the temple we could see that elephant rides were available for 10 dollars. It had crossed my mind to experience the temples by going around on an elephant but when I saw these beasts up close and looked at their eyes I imagined I could see infinite sadness therein. I am fully aware I am guilty of anthropomorphism but they looked so old and sad that I didn’t want to play a part in what to them must be a prison sentence of some sort. We walked around the temple and took photos. As usual, they can be seen on my photo website.
Next we went to Ta Prohm. Now this was proper Tomb Raider territory. This temple was the location for one of the Lara Croft movies. The temples here are very old, dating from the 12th century. Trees are growing up through and on top of the ruins. At every turn I was expecting to meet Angelina Jolie in her tight tee-shirt and shorts inviting me to help her search for some ancient mystical treasure. It wasn’t to be so instead I took some more photos and soaked up the ambience.
After just four hours of touring the ruins we were pretty much templed out and returned to the Globalteer guesthouse. This coming Tuesday I will have finished my voluntary work, it is hard to believe that four weeks has gone by so quickly. On the other hand four weeks is a long time to stay in Siem Reap. It is a small town and can soon get boring. If it wasn’t for the work I was doing I would have been gone from here after one week. While all the volunteers are to varying degrees ‘nice’ people I couldn’t shake off a feeling of being lonely. After some reflection I realised that I missed Chaan Sras. The language barrier is ever present and therefore it is hard to gauge the level of sincerity at times but my gut feeling was that I wanted to see her again. She was delighted to receive my phone call and invitation to come back up to Siem Reap. She arrived yesterday evening after travelling 500kms to see me again. Although there is nothing to do in Siem Reap besides eat and drink we are getting on fine and enjoy each other’s company. I’m not in love I hasten to add but I have grown accustomed to her face. When I have finished here we will travel together to Phnom Penh and spend some time there again.
The date of my flight home is growing ever closer. I have mixed feelings about it. I am looking forward to being at home again amongst family and friends but on the other hand I don’t want my journey to end. The money has nearly dried up and I have investigated the possibility of working here. The pay is not great and the hours are pretty lousy. I would be expected to teach at inconvenient hours such as 7.30am to 9.30am and then again later that day at 8.30pm to 10.30pm. While I have enjoyed my experiences of teaching I don’t see myself doing it on a regular basis and being content with that. Planning lessons is a pain in the arse and I am just not motivated enough to go looking for work here. The nearest I have come to work is when a woman offered me a blow job last week. Seriously though folks, I have loved being here but staying long term I don’t believe would be agreeable to me. I am not cut out for the heat and I am walking around with constant mosquito bites, none of the sprays or creams seem to work. Those little bastards just love my blood. Being on holiday somewhere is not the same as actually living there.
As a result of my travels, my perspective on life has definitely changed for the better. I can now see a bigger picture and some things that stressed me before now appear inconsequential. Other things that I believed to be important I now regard as facile. I don’t know what the future holds for me but it isn’t half as daunting anymore.
Well folks I finally got around to doing the tourist bit here in Siem Reap. The other day during the religious festival of Phchom Ben (ancestor worship) myself and Erica went to see the temples at Angkor Wat. If Cambodian families don't make an offering to the Buddha during Pchuom Ben, it is believed the souls of the dead relatives will return to haunt their descendents. It is a large festival here lasting two to three days. It is a time for family and many of the bars and shops in Siem Reap close for two days. As a result our school was closed too and we decided to avail of the time off by going to see the temples.
Of course every Cambodian in Siem Reap decided to go to the temples that day too. The main temple at Angkor Wat was thronged with local folk. Families sat on blankets on the many acres of grassland, eating picnics as children ran about the place having fun. In the distance could be seen a hot air balloon rising about 200 metres in the air. A great vantage point from which one can view the temples apparently. The main temple of Angkor Wat is huge. Incredibly huge, I mean it is really big; vast even. I can’t really explain to you in words how big it is. All I can say to you is it is huge. It was built centuries ago and I still can’t fathom how they managed to do it without the aid of cranes, lorries, diggers and all the other paraphernalia one would associate with a major building project of today. Angkor Wat is not listed as one of the modern seven wonders of the world but this I believe is because the modern seven wonders were based on a voting poll. Most Cambodians don’t have access to the internet and therefore I’m sure were not even aware of the existence of a poll. Angkor Wat definitely should be listed as one of the seven wonders. Everywhere you look faces and figures are carved into the large stones that make up each chamber or passageway.
After spending time at Angkor Wat our tuk-tuk driver brought us on to the next temple called Angkor Thom. It is surrounded by a large wall that is roughly 3kms square. We entered by the south gate which is served by a bridge with statues lined up on either side. The gate itself is relatively small and we had to queue on the bridge with everyone else and wait our turn to gain access. When we arrived at the temple we could see that elephant rides were available for 10 dollars. It had crossed my mind to experience the temples by going around on an elephant but when I saw these beasts up close and looked at their eyes I imagined I could see infinite sadness therein. I am fully aware I am guilty of anthropomorphism but they looked so old and sad that I didn’t want to play a part in what to them must be a prison sentence of some sort. We walked around the temple and took photos. As usual, they can be seen on my photo website.
Next we went to Ta Prohm. Now this was proper Tomb Raider territory. This temple was the location for one of the Lara Croft movies. The temples here are very old, dating from the 12th century. Trees are growing up through and on top of the ruins. At every turn I was expecting to meet Angelina Jolie in her tight tee-shirt and shorts inviting me to help her search for some ancient mystical treasure. It wasn’t to be so instead I took some more photos and soaked up the ambience.
After just four hours of touring the ruins we were pretty much templed out and returned to the Globalteer guesthouse. This coming Tuesday I will have finished my voluntary work, it is hard to believe that four weeks has gone by so quickly. On the other hand four weeks is a long time to stay in Siem Reap. It is a small town and can soon get boring. If it wasn’t for the work I was doing I would have been gone from here after one week. While all the volunteers are to varying degrees ‘nice’ people I couldn’t shake off a feeling of being lonely. After some reflection I realised that I missed Chaan Sras. The language barrier is ever present and therefore it is hard to gauge the level of sincerity at times but my gut feeling was that I wanted to see her again. She was delighted to receive my phone call and invitation to come back up to Siem Reap. She arrived yesterday evening after travelling 500kms to see me again. Although there is nothing to do in Siem Reap besides eat and drink we are getting on fine and enjoy each other’s company. I’m not in love I hasten to add but I have grown accustomed to her face. When I have finished here we will travel together to Phnom Penh and spend some time there again.
The date of my flight home is growing ever closer. I have mixed feelings about it. I am looking forward to being at home again amongst family and friends but on the other hand I don’t want my journey to end. The money has nearly dried up and I have investigated the possibility of working here. The pay is not great and the hours are pretty lousy. I would be expected to teach at inconvenient hours such as 7.30am to 9.30am and then again later that day at 8.30pm to 10.30pm. While I have enjoyed my experiences of teaching I don’t see myself doing it on a regular basis and being content with that. Planning lessons is a pain in the arse and I am just not motivated enough to go looking for work here. The nearest I have come to work is when a woman offered me a blow job last week. Seriously though folks, I have loved being here but staying long term I don’t believe would be agreeable to me. I am not cut out for the heat and I am walking around with constant mosquito bites, none of the sprays or creams seem to work. Those little bastards just love my blood. Being on holiday somewhere is not the same as actually living there.
As a result of my travels, my perspective on life has definitely changed for the better. I can now see a bigger picture and some things that stressed me before now appear inconsequential. Other things that I believed to be important I now regard as facile. I don’t know what the future holds for me but it isn’t half as daunting anymore.
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