Hotel and Angkor Wat

Our little hotel includes free breakfast on the patio by the pool that looks like a reflecting pond with Buddha’s head overlooking at one end. The simple room for $25 a night includes bottled water and little one inch square sized soap. One of oddest things I have been seeing in all the bathrooms is their version of a bidet, which is a long hose attached to the side of the toilet with a spray handle like the one we use in our kitchen sink at home. At the end of the day we ordered an in-room massage for $10, with oil it was an extra dollar. 

Our tuk tuk drivers (we need two for our group) are with us the whole time and charge $15 a day, plus a tip and a meal of course.  Kaent is our driver and he is very kind and helpful. He has three children, and at night after their homework is done they may go up on their roof together and watch their small TV. The only way to learn English is to take lessons at a private school or to become a monk and many parents who cannot afford school send their children to the monastery. Our other driver was a monk. When I first met Kaent he said I was very lucky. He said there are many Cambodian people would like to go to Ankor Wat that cannot  because they cannot afford the travel or ticket costs. A three day ticket is $40. We’re finding that most places prefer USD, rather than the local currency which equals ~4,000 to $1.

Angkor Wat is a very large complex and we visited threesites today. It is full of monkeys and cats. It was built in the 700’s by the Khmer and the beauty of the stone work is indescribable. I was amazed at how the image of Goddess is present in all ancient religions and focused on those carvings. In the middle of one of the buildings was a fifteen year old boy painting stunning watercolors.  He was soft spoken and gentle and he told us that he had learned how to paint from his brother and then from his classes at the orphanage. We each bought one for $10 as a policeman sat by conspicuously present and relaxed. Maybe he was taking a cut of the profits.  As we left to meet our drivers  for lunch the sky broke open and in about a minute started to drench us. We scurried into our waiting tuk tuks, grateful for the perfect timing.

We had lunch at a restaurant whose sides were open to let the air move through. I realized the people working there lived in the back when I saw young people washing up in the sinks next to the toilets. Keant helped me choose the local dish, Amok, and a papaya smoothie.  The flavorful Amok was served with fish in a larger soup bowl with a cup of white rice on the side that you scoop in to soak up its rich blend of coconut milk, basil and vegetables. I want to eat Amok everyday while I'm here.

I am quoting prices because I am amazed at how inexpensive and materially poor it is here. One of the most haunting images today was of a little three year old girl who was trying to sell postcards as the deluge started. Her entire body was getting soaked including her diaper, and she keep singing over and over that something was, “One dah-ler." She gave us the most heartbreaking look when we didn’t need what she had. Yet on the other side of coin is a profound gentleness of spirit, a rich softness, an embrace from the Buddha in the Cambodian people which is completely invaluable.