Travel is enlightening

As we sit on a bus that has seen better days, bumping down a dirt road on an extremely hot, sticky February morning, karaoke music blares from the T.V in front of us, perched on a small piece of styrofoam, squeaking ear piercingly with each bump down the road, I wonder what on earth made us come to Cambodia. We were lucky enough to score the seats in front of the toilet, door bursting open, the disturbing odour pungent in our nostrils. We are on our way north west, from Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital, to Siem Reap, the number one reason we decided to venture to this up and coming travel destination, to see Angkor Wat and the surrounding temple ruins. We opted for the ‘local bus’ for a more genuine experience. I’m not sure whether that was a good idea or not.

Very few Cambodian’s crowd the bus, the few that are on there are mesmerised by the music video’s that play on the T.V, they know all the words. About halfway into the trip we come to a small town and pull over to the side of the road, locals board the bus with food and drinks to sell. The aroma of rice with chicken, fresh mango and pineapple take over the bus, the smell from the toilet slowly subsiding. We buy a bag a fresh chopped up pineapple and mango cheeks on a stick, both are sweet, sticky and delicious. We are happily distracted for the next 20 minutes eating the fruit, spirits uplifted. Loving the convenience of having our food bought to us, I wonder why westerners don’t revert to this type of travel.

I start to relax and settle in for the remainder of the trip, staring out of the bus window. I realise how beautiful the country we are slowly travelling through is. We wind up and down the dirt roads, past small villages, rice laid out on mats in the sun, small children playing happily in the street, small but sufficient huts that are pitch black inside, I realise they don’t have electricity. This makes me wonder how life would be living like that. Thinking of home and how important it is to have the most popular and up to date ‘toys’ such as an iPad and Wii. Things seem more in perspective here.

After nearly 9 hours travelling, we arrive at Siem Riep, my outlook and attitude completely changed from just 9 hours earlier. I realise this is the real reason we came to Cambodia. To experience the beauty of another country, their culture, a different way of living life, something unlike the every day we live at home. This is still an up and coming tourist destination, there is still evidence of how they have always lived, the tourist crowd not yet aware of this countries beauty, history and culture. That one bus trip has opened my eyes to what this country really is. I think myself lucky. This is why we came to Cambodia.