When we woke our bodies from our slumber, a hard realisation hit many as it was already dawn of day 12 of our 18 day trip. It was an exciting yet saddening truth that we would eventually conclude our amazing trip in only a week’s time. In the morning of the day, we swiftly packed our luggages for our short, yet meaningful flight to our final country, Cambodia. After another feast-like breakfast, we grudgingly moved our tired bodies to the waiting vans and waved goodbye to our comforting hotel. The first leg of our plane trip was roughly 1 hour and 30 minutes to Pakse. After spending approximately 30 minutes in transit, it was an interesting experience which allowed us to fully enjoy the view of the landscape below us. The journey continued on, departing from Pakse to our original destination of Siem Reap, a historically significant and magnificent city in Cambodia. Although our landing was a little rough, we were also overjoyed to finally reach Cambodia.
After travelling across the streets of Cambodia for roughly an hour, we were once again surprised by massive cultural and social differences between neighbouring countries. If Laos was filled with magnificent and magical landscapes, Cambodia appeared to be more developed and Siem Reap was an example of urban sprawl in action. It was slightly overwhelming with the sudden change in the surrounding environment, tiring all of us. Fortunately, our minds were able to relax as we arrived in the Silk Research Centre, an essential time that allowed us to calm our minds. Also, the ice-cream at the end was a terrific surprise which got our taste buds happy as well. After an exhausting day of continuous travelling, we were looking forward to arriving in the hotel, Angkor Holiday Hotel, to unpack and dip our bodies in the cool pool. It was one of the best moments as we enjoyed the splashes to our face.
Evening was approaching as the sun set and the darkness looming over the once bright blue skies. The city lit up in hundreds of different colours. It was actually mystical to watch the night skies being brightly lit by all the artificial light from below. After packing our bags and applying mosquito repellant, we headed off to the streets of Siem Reap. It was a solid 10 minute walk to our restaurant but time seemed to zoom past as we were all stunned by the marvellous beauties and intricate details of the street. Tuk-tuks raced past us with tourists while shops were filled with local goods. The real fun began when we set our sights to the local night market. In the first section of the market, we saw a great variety of food and something I have always wanted to try: bugs. Spiders, crickets, and scorpions were all in the menu, waiting for us to pluck them out and chew them. Unfortunately, time was short and prices were high. After bidding farewell to the food section, we arrived in the actual night market, where goods were sold in extremely cheap prices. Most purchased products at the price we wanted as our bargaining skills reached professional levels. After wrapping up our goods, we went back to the hotel to ready our body for another tiring but exciting day of our Big Experience, a trip that will genuinely be an unforgettable memory in my entire life.
Daniel Kim and Rylan Pease
