A Stranger's Musings

Everyone marvels at the majesty of Angkor Wat when they visit Siem Reap, but what stood out most in my Cambodian journey was a bit of ham and cheese.
Like most visitors, we purchased the 3-day pass to the temple complex and spent the first day with a tour, receiving a brief overview of the main temples’ history and highlights. That night, we downloaded an e-guide of the archeological park, mapped out our route, and picked out the places we wanted to see or bypass. We decided we were going to rent bicycles and ride around with the wind in our faces, rather than take an overpriced tuk-tuk like all the other tourists.
Let’s just say, there wasn’t so much as a breeze in the 35 Celsius+ weather.
Six liters of water and a coconut later, the heat was still making what would have been an easy ride utterly horrid. Every breath I took was dry and dusty. Sweat poured down my face, soaking through my clothes. I’m sure the temples were marvelous, especially overgrown Ta Prohm and ornate Bayon, but in my heated daze I was more focused on surviving the day than ancient craftsmanship.
Several hours went by. We managed to complete the big circuit and back to the intersection leading to town. We only had 7km to go before we hit Siem Reap again, but I was spent. Heedless of the strange looks from smart tourists in cars and tuk-tuks, I dumped my bike on a patch of brown grass by the junction and collapsed. Were these my legs? They felt numb and detached from my body.
Somehow I got on the bike again and eventually made it back to our hotel. None of the splendor of Angkor Wat stuck with me; I was just grumpy, whiny, and miserable.
I would have happily fallen asleep after my shower but my boyfriend dragged me out. He was taking me to the little Italian restaurant in town to make up for such a hard day.
Now, Cambodia does not strike me as a place for great Italian food. But, I was too tired to argue, and kept expectations low. We started with an order that sounded safe: “Fior di latte en prosciutto”.
The dish came, we took a bite, and touched heaven. I had NEVER tasted anything that good. The salty cured meat was mediated by the mozzarella-like white cheese, and it was soft and chewy all at once and every bite was flavorful and delightful and how have we eaten the entire plate already?
Memories of the heat, fatigue, sweat, and mental anguish disappeared, replaced by the sensations on my tongue. It’s amazing how a tiny morsel of joy can save one’s impression of Siem Reap.