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Arunsuasdey bong paoun,

Part deux of "Where was Phatry?" picks off where I last left, Battambong en route to Siem Reap/Angkor. The trip marks my second visit in a yay over one month but this time around without the jaws of life that is family holding me down, suppressing my every movement. You know what I mean right, my fellow Khmerikans?!?

Bare with me now. So your parent's decide to take a family road trip to the summer vacation hotspot-- Canada. When you are a young kid any news where you get to leave your small town is exciting and even better when the opportunity is to travel to the cosmopolitan city that is Vancouver, British Columbia. But the sh*t gets old and boring.

Khmer parents do the same old same old routine. Leave right after the country rooster makes its voice known; jam pack the old school Cressida or some hideous Scooby Doo looking van bumping Sissamouth tunes for 5 hrs to the border. When you pass customs, the fogies change their currency. The next two hours or so, they go berserk in Chinatown buying everything: roast duck, stinky durians and other tropical fruits, bbq pork, pastries, soups; basically enough to feed a whole Cambodian village. No need to purchase rice as Khmer folks always is rolling in style with their industrial size rice cookers.

Guess where next? Yes, you are correct -- the park! Until I had the freedom to explore the city at the youthful age of 18, I thought Vancouver had only one park, the overly popular and much abused Khmer hotspot, Queen Elizabeth Park. Now bust out three or four of those colorful Khmer rugs (ka'thayal). For the next two hours, stuff yourself as much food as your body can take. Don't forget to take breaks by walking around the dome covered greenhouse and kill time by eavesdropping to watch newlyweds or take cheesy pics around the flower garden. This same old routine gets boring fast. Usually a nap for parents while the kids run around doing the earlier mentioned activities for a couple hours. Its around 5 or 6 pm now, just enough light for the road trip back home. But wait one more thing. Because parents tend to overestimate their food purchases and because you can't bring fruits across the border, it would be a waste to dispose such pricey delicatessens so the family enjoys (tries at least) one last meal together, usually at another park just meters before the border crossing. For a city of over 2 million inhabitants, it’s quite pathetic that Khmer parents can only fill the agenda with outings at the park and eating!

Enough of this typical Khmerikan experience tradition by Northwesters let us move forward with the trip to Siem Reap (SR).

Thursday. 9/29. So a friend and I got thrifty and dared to bus to SR for $5 a person instead of $15 under the "express" boat as the other two friends wisely opt for. Boy, I regret it. A word for future travelers: Do not, I repeat, do not take the bus! For more than 5.5 hours, you will be traveling in 10 mph on one of Cambodia's worst roads! We got there around 330 PM completely exhausted.

We checked in at the dirt cheap $4 a day double bed Naga Guesthouse. Um, why haven't our travel companions called us as we agreed before our split in Battambong? Apparently, they experienced mechanical problems on the boat and too arrived in SR much later than plan. I ran into them while walking around downtown to purchase The Cambodia Daily.

We decided with the couple hours left before sunset to go to Angkor Wat. But through what means? The typical boring Khmer style in air conditioned cars/SUVs or the true adventurous backpacker style, a bicycle? Shoo, you know what we chose!

Damn, I was rusty on the Schwinn. The peddle to Angkor Wat from our guesthouse was not too bad, about 10 km or more, I think. "Hey, are you Khmer?" a uniformed worker at the Angkor Archaeological Park entrance yells at me. "How dare you ask me such a question? Mok mot jea koun Khmer." I calmly responded and smiled. The two others had to pay 45 dead prez for a three-day pass, while we two Khmerikans got in free!

The second time at Angkor sure had its moments. The beautiful orange reddish tint filled the horizon. We could not wait to see the view on top. But as we arrived at the foot of one of the five towers, security guards prevented us from going up. Hundreds of tourists have already begun to make their descent down the railed steps. I tried to use my charm (or lack of it) by talking to one of the older female guards but no luck. All of them rejected us. So instead, we decided to continue walking around the massive complex observing the detailed carvings on the walls. Pitch darkness swallows the area within minutes. But instead of walking back out, we broke the rules by quietly climbing up the steps. The guards are nowhere in sight. We had to be extra careful; as one experience climber knows, the steps are ridiculously thin and steep. It was well worth the risk though, because we did catch one minute of whatever light of the sun that was visible at this time. We rushed down, jetted out the complex to the sounds of crickets and croaking frogs.

Friday. 9/30. Day two began with a good breakfast at the super sleek Blue Pumpkin. With satisfied tummies, it was back to our peddling feet to our first temple, the Bayon. Here, I was in awe all over again staring at the four-sided faces of what some scholars believe of Jayavarman VII, the greatest of all Angkorean kings. I lit some incenses at the foot of a sacred well where water still mysteriously makes route to. I washed my face with the water, donated some riels and explored the outer wall carvings that decorate the complex.

I know we visited another temple or two after this, but my memory is a blur right now. However, I do recall the next hour of unforgettable fight with mother nature.

At around 1 pm or so, the clouds began to darken up. But instead of taking the advice of one of the stall vendors to rest under the covered tarp, the four of us dared to duke it out. Fifteen minutes into our ride, the rain came, and it came down hard! (I’ll save a blog entry that I’ll talk specifically on "Cambodia rain"). At first we peddled and peddled hoping to find cover. But no luck where we were at. "Let's stay under one of the tall trees and wait for the rain to die down," suggests one of us. Well, we do so for 10 minutes but the rain had no mercy. We peddled back for about 30 minutes passed the previous vendor. They got a good kick out of seeing four foreigners peddling in the rain as we smiled passed them to a farther spot for refuge. Eventually, we found cover but after being pruned up in pounds of rain. Completely shivered, we tried to enjoy a hot bowl of noodles.

The rain did not let out after we finished our lunch. But the warrior spirit in us was determined to peddle back into town even though the ride back was about 35-40 minutes. Exhausted we were when we arrived to our guesthouses. I showered then napped. At 7 PM, we decided to visit the Cambodian Cultural Village, a must visited place for all travelers to Siem Reap!

Saturday. 10/1. Let's cross our fingers that mother nature doesn't ruin our plans today.

We had really good cheap pho at Dragon House for breakfast, and then off we left to Preah Khan. This complex is quite enormous. There, a very helpful and knowledgeable temple guard slash tour guide gave us a run around. If my memory serves me correct, and someone correct me if I am wrong, the complex is dedicated to the father of one of the Angkorean kings. Check out the garudas carvings, a mythical character that is half human and bird that guards the wall entrance. I remember eating good guava while observing one of my friends spit game to the local girl tourists. Haha.

Next, was the connected complexes of the Marching Elephant and Leper King. The former was where large gatherings of Angkoreans would come to listen to speeches from the king. On the peak of the latter, a sexless statue sits on the ground. Not too far was Srass Srong, a place where the king would do his medication. Light drizzle started to fall and immediately, flashbacks of yesterday clouded our thoughts. Luckily, it died out within 10 minutes or so. We enjoyed some ice cold freshly squeezed sugarcane juice while young local girls aggressively tried to persuade us in buying their products.

Ta Prohm complex ranks in my top three of the Angkorean temples (Angkor Wat and first, Banteay Srey). This temple is one of the main attractions due to the magnificent and fairytale like tree roots that devours many of the temple ruins. I paid my respects to Lok Ta there, a caretaker of the place and who covers in the Lonely Planet Cambodia book. I chatted with an African Norwegian man and his wife who purchased one of his musical instrument for only $10.

The way to Angkor Wat for lunch found us making an unexpected visit to Ta Keo. This place reminds me of Pre Rup because of the high stairs one climb to reach the peak.

The four of us split after our late lunch, but ultimately, aimed to meet up with each other on top of Phnom Bakheng for the unforgettable sunset. My first time here, I swore on my life that I reached a place where earth and heaven meets. Easily, over a thousand jammed the peak, snapping pictures, smiling and hugging love ones; sharing this special moment. I rather not put words to describe something as magical as the sunset on top of Bakheng, but bless everyone reading for an opportunity to witness the phenomenon. Ever heard stories of a group of thousands giving a standing ovation in appreciation of a sunset? Only on Bakheng! Pictures will be posted on my blog soon!

Our day was not over yet. Already satisfied from a full day of sightseeing, we closed the night with an entertaining and moving cello concert and lecture by Dr. Beat Richter. Dinner ended and I said my goodbyes to the two friends as tomorrow we go our separate paths.

Sunday. 10/2. With only 2000 riels left in my pockets, I fought starvation on the bus ride back to Phnom Penh. We arrived a little after noon time at the posh Sisowath Quay, where I withdrew some loot from the ANZ Royal Bank, the only bank in Cambodia that I trust. I ate well that day ;)

My second trip to Siem Reap/Angkor was equally fulfilling due to the fact that I had the freedom to explore as contrasted to the limitations I have with going with family/elders. Instead of exploring the temple by foot, we trek by peddling in our sore feet. Instead of eating at the same old restaurants, we dared to dine out at not just spots common for foreigners but locals. Instead of visiting just the main temples, we ventured into more remote areas such as Ta Keo, Srass Srong, etc.

This second trip will not serve as my last to Angkor. Surely, I hope to visit again in the coming months. What I look forward most on my third trip is visiting a small temple that bears my name. Really, no joke. If my name is unique as it is, it was a pleasant surprise to make the discovery on the map. I wonder what the history behind Prasat Patri is. Does anyone know?

It’s another farewell for now, but do visit my blog regularly as I have resumed with the writings. In the coming days, I will share my thoughts on the current political tension that has engulfed Phnom Penh, the big craze for Cambodia's first "internationally standard" blockbuster film, The Crocodile (I saw it twice, back-to-back), and other random musings of Khmer society.

Do write back, as I love receiving your e-mails and thoughts about the content of my writings.

And lastly, to those inquiring minds out there. Mother knows all but this time, her assumption is wrong. The baby boy of the family has not found love in Cambodia, even though already seven weeks into my stay, I have been proposed three times by three different families.

And on that note, I say my peace and blessings.

Sam ma sam puth toe, Phatry
-P-