Take-Aways

I feel I have been here a long time even if I haven’t. It’s the wealth and depth of the experience that makes it so. After Siem Reap and Angkor I took a boat to Battambag along what is supposed to be one of Cambodia’s most scenic routes. This time of year, because the river is low, it is in fact an endless 9 hour journey along destitute floating villages, the Tonle Sap which is a huge lake that floods over every year irrigating the rice paddies as far as the eyes can see and further and a tiny sliver of a river after that where the boat got stuck in reeds and logs. Next to me was an elderly woman whose lifetime of chewing betel leaves had left her with a very typical set of dentures. Basically these leaves are supposed to protect the teeth from decay and other diseases. However, you really cannot tell as it leaves the teeth absolutely black with cheerful shades of vampire red. In some cases, the lips also look like a child applied some gaudy, dripping lipstick. I saw her prepare the treat on the boat. She took out the green betel leaves added some bright pink sticky powder wrapped the whole thing and stuck it up her gums. She then took bits of what looked like dried tobacco and sent it to join the other bits on the right hand corner of her mouth. Although the tobacco bits she kept going back and forth with. Chewing for a bit then spitting out for a bit then back to chewing the same pinch again. She annoyed me first as she wedged right against me even though there was more room but after a while it felt ok. We just ended up propping up each other, in the same boat as it were. After a while she sat on the floor, slept and ate there, a tub of fried fish that she chewed on and threw the debris of, aiming for the river but ending up piling up on the boat. It was a long journey but Battambang was worth it. Battambang is the second largest city in Cambodia. It’s elegant. Particularly along the riverside and it was Sunday. Finally I see Cambodians enjoying themselves en masse. Chilling out, strolling, doing exercise in the park. I am not staying long here as I am heading back to Phnom Penh tomorrow to get my flight back to China, but I could have. I miss China. I am happy I am going back and I am very curious about Beijing. It is one thing visiting and quite another living there even if only for six weeks. Cambodia has been intense. I have laughed at the Alain Delon cigarettes amazed by his enduring advertising power. I loved Phnom Penh. I am still in awe of the temple of Angkor and I remember the shivers down my back when I first saw it. I have felt like a walking dollar and an uncaring hag. I felt blessed to see the river dolphins and content to have planted rice. I have seen people eat crickets and spiders like they were the ultimate delicacy. It’s a beautiful place but an also emotionally draining one. I don’t want to feel guilty about eating what I want when I want. I don’t want to keep saying no to people who are in need and I don’t want to be asked every second whether I want a tuk tuk or a motorbike. I don’t want anyone to spot me or pay too much attention. I just want to blend in. Funny as it sounds, in China this is possible.