This was an article I wrote for an online publication that I just found out has since been disbanded so now I’m sharing it with all of you. A more personal blog will follow soon about my time in Cambodia.
A neon sign bathes my face in a reddish-purple glow advertising Budweiser and the promise of a good time. American pop and dub-step emanate from all directions creating a clatter of noise that sounds like a fork in a garbage disposal. A tuk-tuk driver taps my arm hurriedly asking, “Taxi? Taxi? Taxi? Cheap!” An American couple stumbles from one bar to the next. Accents from France, Germany, Switzerland, and countless other places punctuate the already crowded air. This is Cambodia; or rather the tourist area of Cambodia; Bar Street in Siem Reap. The bars. The loud. The fake. But for many tourists it’ll be one of the few places they’ll ever see. They won’t experience the real beauty of this land and the people who live here. Just the superficial.
This is the truth for many tourists who travel to foreign and exotic lands. I know that a lot of articles and even books have been written about heading off the beaten path when traveling but since not much is changing it can’t hurt to have one more article on it.
I am on month 3 of my 11 month around the world journey called the World Race. My team and I spent our first month in China befriending and loving college students and teaching them English, our second month in Thailand we spent building a safe house and school for hill-tribe children who are at high risk of being trafficked for sex, and now our third month in Cambodia we’re teaching children English. I could spend blog after blog chronicling the adventures I’ve had, the people I’ve met, and the miracles I’ve seen happen but that’ll have to do for another time.
Previous to this journey I too traveled and did the “tourist” thing. I went to Rome and fought a sea of people looking at the Coliseum and walking the Roman Forum. I went to Paris and climbed the Eiffel Tower; waiting 2 hours to take the incredibly packed elevator to the top. Hawaii and I lay on the beach. England and I looked at the many wonders of The British Museum. They were all amazing vacations but what I missed out on was seeing the true heart of those lands. I missed meeting the people living their real lives away from all the hustle and bustle and façade of the resorts and tourist traps.
In Cambodia, my team and I are staying with our incredibly gracious hosts, Umong and Nari. We’re 3 hours away from any big city. The roads are dirt and so marked with pot holes that we find it hard to not be airborne the entire tuk-tuk ride. The wooden houses are all on stilts to combat the floods of the rainy season. There are no Wal-marts, only a small market with local vendors trying to make a living. Green sugarcane fields and endless rice paddies surround the village as far the eye can see. The only internet to be found is in a dark, creepy little building called “We Can Internet.” This is real Cambodia.
It’s in the smiles and waves of the children as they pass us on their way to their school; a former killing field, signaling a generation eager to move on and conquer a terrible past. It’s in the generosity of Umong as he and his wife spend most of their day cooking delicious meats and white rice for us. It’s in the bowed heads of those who pray for their village to find the love of Jesus. It’s in the laughter of our young friend Paleon who runs into our house every morning at 5:30 A.M. to wake us up by touching our feet through mosquito nets and a whispered, “Good afternoon.”
I’ll admit I went to Angkor Wat and did the tourist thing and I don’t regret it. Seeing the almost thousand year old temples was one of the most awe-inspiring sites I’ll ever lay my eyes on. And since it isn’t the U.S.A. you’re allowed to climb all over it and go wherever you please. If you fall; well buddy, that’s on you. I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything.
The trick is finding the balance between seeing the touristy areas of a country and experiencing the parts that truly matter. When you look back on your trip, of course you’ll remember the cool things you saw, but what’ll matter most are the little moments off the beaten path. The friendships you made, the people’s lives you touch, the children you love on, and the joy of knowing you experienced the very heart of the beautiful land you were blessed to set foot in.
