Siem Reap

Vic, Dani and I left Phnom Penh early the following morning to catch the only boat that day that was travelling to Siem Reap in north west Cambodia. We arrived at the jetty at around 7am, with about 10 minutes to spare and since we had had no breakfast, I impulse bought some food from a lady at a mobile stall, stationed there for 'farang' such as myself. The 100-foot long boat seemed over-sold since almost all of the roof was taken up with people. We never found out whether there was room inside or not, as we stayed on the top to take in the fantastic views, the sea air and of course, the sun.

Shortly before leaving port, teams of dragon boat riders were training on the lake...they're all obsessed with training so early in the morning out here!! The first part of the boat trip took us past the outskirts of Phnom Penh, and as the houses and temples became less frequent, the arms of the lake opened up into a huge expanse of water as far as the eye could see. Reminiscent of scenes from the Hollywood-flop, 'Waterworld', at times there were only the tops of trees poking out, from flooding and the aftermath of the rainy season.

Progressing further along the lake, I was surprised to see the existence of towns on the lake itself. These simple house structures were maintained above the water level by a stilt foundation, giving clearence of about one metre at most to the lake. I was at the back of the boat, listening to my iPod and looking in awe at the houses and even schools present, which offered the residents a somewhat 'normal' lifestyle, given the conditions. The children's smiles were contagious as they waved enthusuastically toward our boat, never failing to make me smile in return.

Travelling on the lake was perhaps the most peaceful I had been for the entirity of my journey so far. I had time to reflect on the horror of the Vietnam / American War, the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge, which was still vividly clear in my mind. Yet the Cambodian people showed a resilience of spirit which shone above all that had clouded their very recent past. Gazing back to the waters, I saw men in fishing boats teaching their sons to fish. Lying back, I looked up into the cloudless sky, sun still beating down and drifted peacefully off to sleep.

I awoke a couple of hours later, iPod still playing, but this time very near the port of Siem Reap. We had a tuk tuk driver waiting for us at the dock (more of a mud bank), arranged by our man back in Phnom Penh. After collecting our back packs from storage, we spotted the driver, holding up a placard displaying our names. On walking to the tuk tuk, we were greeted by the locals, begging and asking for money. Emotional blackmail is not nice, but when you can clearly see the poverty of the area, previous conceptions of a contented people are placed sharply into focus. One man was speaking in Cambodian to me, slurring his words and his breath was a dead giveaway; he was drunk. "How can people live like this and still afford to get drunk?" I remarked. He can probably get his booze cheap, but he obviously is not content with his life of 'blissful ignorance'.

The thirty minute ride into Siem Reap was a bit uncomfortable but our accommodation was reasonably cheap. After getting settled and eating a delicious local specialty meal, 'Luk Lak' (beef chunks served in gravy topped with a fried egg and served with steamed rice), the other trekking girls had arrived. We stayed there for the duration of our time in Siem Reap, using it as a base to visit the ancient temples of Angkor Wat.

Vic, the girls and I all stayed at the same hotel, which was a bit expensive for what you got there. The fan just about managed to keep us cool enough, the noise from which we managed to become accustomed to at night.

When going out in Siem Reap for a few beers and a meal, it was only a five minute walk to the town centre. Upon entering the tourist part of town, police sometimes guard the end of the streets, preventing the children who are begging from pestering the tourists too much. Begging is rife in these parts, many of whom have lost limbs and they hold babies in their arms. It is easy to become cynical in a relatively wealthy position but at times I felt pretty awful for them.

Imagine you are sitting outside a bar / restaurant in the warm evening Siem Reap air, relaxing with some friends, drinking a whisky and coke. You have ordered some pizza between you and are enjoying each others company talking about the sites you have visited that day. Then at the front of the restaurant, a small boy and girl, no more than six stand wide-eyed, staring at your food. More kids begging, spoiling the view, right? A little later, more join them and the restaurant will soon close. The owner then brings out rice dishes for the twenty or so young children now standing outside, bought with the money a tourist has donated. Upon asking the owner of their situation, it turns out most of these children are homeless and they use the shop entrances for somewhere to sleep. In the shop entrance next to the restaurant, I saw a girl of about four, feeding a child of about two years old the rice dish it wasn't eating properly. Alarm bells begin ringing in my head exclaiming this is wrong, but it is part of the wider problem, and how can I, how can anyone fix that?

Sieam Reap was a strange town, enough to satisfy a tourist for their time whilst they see Angkor but not really much more.