In January 2018 I marked another continent off my list. I packed a single carry-on backpack and spent nearly one month traveling in Southeast Asia with my dear friend Peter. While there, I visited Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar. This trip changed both the perspective and direction of my life.
I flew from Austin, Texas to Cambodia. I was greeted at the Siem Reap airport by Peter with whom I would be spending the next 25 days. He had arranged a tuk-tuk for us and we were quickly whisked away to our hotel. We stayed at the Belmond La Résidence D’Angkor. The flight to Cambodia was the longest one I had ever taken, and I knew I would want to rest in a comfortable setting. The hotel did not disappoint. To this day it is one of the most magical hotels I have ever visited. Upon arrival, we were greeted with a welcome drink that was my first introduction to passion fruit juice. It is something I have certainly not lost my taste for and should I ever again live outside of Southeast Asia I imagine it is the taste I will miss the most. Our room was well appointed and had a balcony overlooking the palm tree-lined pool. It can only be described as next level.
Peter had arrived in Siem Reap a couple of days before me and befriended the tuk-tuk driver. They had gone fishing together the day before. The driver even invited Peter to eat with his family in their home. Peter met me at the airport with the man and his tuk-tuk. From the moment I arrived, it felt like a different world. Peter asked the driver to give us a little time after dropping us at the hotel and return later in the afternoon to help us find a spot for dinner. After dropping my bags and freshening up the last thing I wanted to do was rest. I was in Asia for the first time. I wanted to explore and the driver did not disappoint! Being a constant planner, I had a few locations to visit in mind. I pulled up my desired destination on my phone and presented it to him. He shook his head. I tried again to no avail. Peter suggested just going with it. The driver either didn’t understand or had his own ideas in mind.
It was at this moment that I wrote my first Southeast Asia travel rule — protest twice, then just go with it. The language barrier sometimes makes it difficult to communicate intentions or desires. When describing a location for a tuk-tuk driver or a dinner choice at a restaurant, it can feel redundant and rude to continue to press to be understood. I find it best to state your needs/desire/intent then search the face of the other person and attempt to understand their response. If my statement is met with resistance, I again re-state my needs, protest 1, and continue on with the process through protest 2. At this point, if I still do not seem to be understood I just go with it. I commit to being all in for the experience that the local person wants to take me on, with a healthy dose of awareness, of course. I have been spoiled by my life in the US where at dinner I can order my vegetables steamed with no butter, salad dressing on the side and steak medium-rare. In Asia, I consider it winning if I am able to order the protein I prefer without a second thought about how it is cooked.
On this first afternoon, just going with the flow resulted in a trip to visit the rice paddies on the outskirts of Siem Reap. Here I experienced the vast expanse of the most vibrant green I had ever laid eyes on and an unforgettable sunset. My first of what would prove to be many amazing sunsets on the other side of the world. It was an unbelievable welcome to Asia.
The next day we visited the Angkor National Museum. I arrived in Cambodia knowing little about the history of Angkor Wat and the Khmer people. I wanted some background before visiting the temples. The museum was very helpful and informative before visiting the ancient site. I highly recommend spending some time there before exploring the temple complex.
At the museum, I was introduced to fortune sticks for the first time. When visiting a temple or in this case the museum, you will often find a can or jar of numbered sticks. These sticks are usually accompanied by the clinking sound of locals shaking up them up in the can and pouring them out. A stick is then chosen at random to determine your fate. Once you have your numbered destiny, you choose a slip of paper from the corresponding numbered hook or clip. It is like a fortune cookie without the calories.
Being someone who is determined to make her own destiny I never rely on the fortune sticks and instead choose a number that speaks to me and then the aligning fortune. On that day I chose number 23 — the number of days I had remaining in Southeast Asia. My paper fortune made it through all my remaining days of travel and back home. It currently lives on my bathroom mirror reminding me daily of the experience. Throughout my trip I would continue to test my fate at every provided opportunity, choosing the number and corresponding fortune that spoke to me. Making my own way has served me well so far.
The next day we experienced the magnificence of Angkor Wat. The temple does not find itself on the UNESCO World Heritage listing by chance. The one day we spent touring Angkor Wat and neighboring temples only provided a tiny glimpse into the broad history and magnitude of the site. Hiring a professional local tour guide is a must to truly understand the rich history of the temple, but even with the help of an English speaking guide, it would take days, weeks, possibly years, to fully grasp the significance of all that the temple has seen.
