Phnom Penh: Golf and Good Friends
A few years ago, one of my longtime college buddies turned colleague moved to Cambodia to support his wife with a career move. When he told me that he was moving to South East Asia, and offered me a place to stay whenever I had the chance to visit, I never thought that I’d actually get the opportunity to do so. But here we are, half way across the world; there is no excuse not to stop in Phnom Penh. And man, I was really looking forward to seeing J, K, and his two grown-up little girls. So what’s the first thing that I do when having the opportunity to see a friend that I’ve known for half my lifetime? Ditch the wife and kids and head to the golf course! I played well, and J shot in the 70s. Hanging out, catching up as we sat at Tea Stands throughout the golf course to let the passing showers ease up, was just the best. Golf is a little different in these parts. Caddies are mandatory. Only a handful of golfers are enjoying the course. It’s a time to take it slow and feel like a king.
The next day we got to meet J’s girls. It was the perfect setting, we enjoyed watching his daughter play in basketball tourney. It was fitting because back in the day J would wax poetically about how he got to defend Brian Scalabrine during his high school basketball career; J would try to emulate “Larry Legend’s” stroke on many a basketball scrimmage.
It was so good to hang out with old friends. And, the kids got some parental relief as they were able to socialize with other littles closer to their age. We were welcomed as a family into J’s home with open arms. K, J’s wife, made us a home cooked meal, and we were able to chat with them about their worldly travels. What a blessing to be able to have this time and be served, thank you both! J and K also had the Peapod Squad over for an evening while Mamma and Daddy Pea enjoyed a date night. It was nice to break away, even only for a few hours. It’s moments like these that make me miss home. Being able to interact with community, having a date night, even talking shop with a friend. It’s a good reminder, and certainly a factor in figuring out what we’re going to do next as a family, once this trip of a lifetime is over.
Phnom Penh: The City, Bats, Temples, and Monks
As we walk around the Phnom Penh you definitely feel like it’s a foreign land, especially if you’re an American. We’ve become a walking family on this trip, not a lot of locals do the same. It’s so cheap to rent a tuk tuk taxi, why would anyone want to endure the heat? The tuk tuk drivers are a little pushy, some not taking no for an answer without a formal conversation. We found if you replied “next time” that you would get a more favorable response, or a couple of chuckles. We visited temples within the city, the most famous being Phnom Wat, meaning temple on a hill (the hill that the city is named after). It was elaborate and the area was beautiful.
As we were leaving we decided to, you guessed it, walk to our next destination. The city streets are busy, but not as busy as some of the wildlife that surrounded us. In particular, it looked like one of the trees was actually alive!
Upon further inspection, it seemed like we were the ones encroaching on their home. I couldn’t believe the amount of bats in this one tree! And the size of them!?!?
On our walk we stumbled upon a temple right smack in the middle of the city. We found ourselves in their transition to lunch, with the monks finding their way to get a bite to eat and placing phone calls. One of the monks was particularly interested in talking to us. Having a chat he explained to us that they were getting ready for the highest of holy Buddhist days beginning the following week. He was interested in our kids schooling, where we were from, so we told him a little bit about our trip. There was a group of monks waiting patiently for him to finish up his conversation. One of those nagging taxi drivers was standing near us, he informed us that we had just spoken with the head monk. You never know who you are going to meet while on a stroll in the city!
Siem Reap: Cambodia City Living and Comfort
As we entered into Siem Reap, I get the same feeling I get when we roll into any new town on this adventure: skepticism. What is happening on the streets? Where are we going to shop for our groceries? Is the street food OK to consume? What’s that funky smell? Why does this hotel look empty? And, what’s with the furniture? I was excited at the prospect of out apartment having a couch, until I realized that the living room furniture was made from oak (possibly teak). I used to complain about our couch at home and how we sacrificed comfort to increase the sitting capacity, little did I know what true discomfort really was. I took a nap on the couch one afternoon while imagining that this is what a prison nap must feel like.
Like most of the stops in our journey thus far, once I got over the initial negative uncertainty, the city’s comfort and charm would soon expose itself. The hotel staff was super nice, always offering to help fill our water bottles and call a tuk tuk for us. Come to find out, the people in Cambodia are all just genuinely nice. It must be a cultural thing, it definitely stands out. The surrounding area of the town was perfect for us. We would frequent the Asian Market daily, this was another one of those western style grocery stores designed for tourists and ex-Pats who were too timid to shop the same markets as the locals. There were a stretch of establishments geared towards young evening-galivanting tourists, which provided some Asian food relief when we needed it (before the night life awoke).
Siem Reap: The Sights
One of the really cool things that we did was visit a silk farm called Artisans Angkor. Back in the day I remember learning about the silk road, and although I’ve never been motivated enough to understand what that meant, in this moment I found myself fascinated that we were actually seeing how silk is produced. I mean, who wouldn’t want to understand how worm spit makes the finest clothing you can wear? The process, in a nutshell, or silk shell if you will, is all within the worm’s lifecycle. The worm hatches from its egg, lives a short life of eating, then makes a cocoon for itself to eventually become a moth. The cocoon is bright yellow in color, and it’s this material that is used to produce the silk thread. Some of the cocoons are left to hatch so that the moths can reproduce and lay eggs, allowing the cycle to start over again. However most cocoons are harvested for their silk before the moth as a chance to hatch.
The cocoons are then boiled, which kills the moth inside but keeps the silk material intact. They collect together multiple cocoons in the hot water, grab onto the threads of the pods, and spin up the resulting silk thread. There are multiple processes that convert the material of the cocoon into fine and raw thread, each type used to make different types of cloth material. After a series of dying and pattern making, that material is finally produced.
It is experiences like this that you can’t get in the states. Where you can actually reach out and touch the process as it is occurring. Amazing.
One side note, Middle Pea had to use the WC while there. He came out of the bathroom saying not to go in, that a huge spiker was hanging out in the corner of the room. I peaked in and saw a Daddy Longlegs hang out, nothing to be too worried about.
But Middle Pea informed me to look in the opposite corner. I’m not sure that I’ll ever get used to seeing creatures like this, but I guess when you’re in the jungle they cannot be avoided.
The main event in Siem Reap was Angkor Wat. The entire area called Angkor, but Angkor Wat is the main temple. It’s what visitors think of if you’ve ever heard of Siem Reap. This place is amazing, being over 1000 years old! It’s under constant restoration, as you can imagine, since its placed in the middle of a jungle and experiences extensive rain. There are only a few “No Entry” signs scattered around the property. You can reach out and touch the artwork on the sides of the buildings if you so choose, however we were careful not to since tourism is a key factor in the structure’s receding integrity.
An Ode to Angkor Wat
I’ll describe our experience through a series of pictures, as I do not believe that my fingers can do justice to the beauty of our experience. (Although my phone camera is average at best).
A walk in the dark of the morning
The glow of the sunrise illuminates the profile of Angkor Wat, as curious littles watch on
An adventure through the long halls and empty baths of the temple
The steep climb up to the main towers of the wat
Statues disfigured headless from ruthless looters of the past
Once a shrine to the Hindu gods, now Buddha reside within
Intricate carvings on the walls exposed to all who pass
The Bayon Temple and Angkor Thom turned playground
Dry structures form elephants, rock lifters, and meditators
Trees overpower human ingenuity at Ta Prohm
Carvings seem like they smile back at you
A scavenger hunt for a prehistoric figure
Exercise via natural step-masters throughout the temples
Feeding the temple monkeys, not advised!
Mahob: The Local Cuisine
As our travels have continued, we have moved away from eating the street food as much as we had in Vietnam. Don’t get me wrong, when you’re looking for some quick nourishment and are on a budget, street food is where it’s at. Although, you may run into a grilled snake or some dried insects if you really want to enjoy the local cuisine.
We have enjoyed eating the Khmer food, such as amok, lok lak, and nom banh chok. It’s a pleasantly weird mix of spices that I’ve not remembered having before, with the obvious influence of curry and noodles mixed in. Middle Pea has been forcing it down, while the other two littles have really expanded their pallets and have been brave enough to try mostly everything. One special treat was served to us during a lunch at a Khmer restaurant, mango stinky rice! Now most of you may have tried this once or twice before in your lives, and maybe it’s even a staple dessert when going to your favorite local Asian restaurant. However, have you ever tied it with a durian fruit glaze? Durian fruit is the pungent smell that smacks you in the face when you enter into an outdoor market. You really have to experience for yourself in order to get the full flavor of what I’m talking about. The locals in South East Asia love the fruit, or at least some of them do; it’s an acquired taste for sure. As we bite into the dessert, I think the kids are wondering why the restaurant would ruin such a sweet dish with the putrid glaze.
Siem Reap: Community and Children Refuge
We spend our Sunday in Siem Reap serving at a local outreach campus called ICF https://www.icf-siemreap.com/. Every Sunday the volunteers head out on trucks where the bed of the truck is fitted with seats and a protective cage in order to help maximize the amount of children that can be picked up. Some of the outlaying houses are built on stilts, helping with flood control. One impressionable moment was experienced during Daddy and Middle Pea’s pick up route. A little girl, aged 7, was holding her 1 year old sister in her arms. Her mother had already went out to earn the day’s wages. The “big” sister was waiting anxiously for us to pick her up. It’s amazing to me how one could completely trust strangers to pick up and care for their children, without even seeing them off for the day before leaving for work.
Once we got back to the campus we played with the kids: ring toss, soccer, and arts and crafts activities. Next, were able to view an adult service, where the volunteers and available parents were able to attend. Then we moved into the children’s service. spoken in the local language. It was easy enough for the littles to understand the day’s teaching of the good Sarmatian. Before the service was dismissed, we exited out into the courtyard in preparation to serve the kids lunch. After spending some time with our guide to review the outreach program that ICF is supporting, we helped to wash the dishes left over from lunch service. We were not able to attend a formal church service that day, however the kids got to experience firsthand how to serve others, emulating the teachings of Jesus. What an experience!
Time to Go
Our time in Cambodia was short, about a week in Phnom Penh and a week in Siem Reap. Time to hop on another bus and make our way into another South East Asian country. You can probably guess which one. Each one of these countries offers their own unique flavors, twist on culture, and differing jungle landscapes. I’m looking forward to it all as we head out for another extended stay, and a new land for the Peapod Squad to visit.
Peapod on Purpose 