This day’s itinerary was to visit some temples outside the Ankgor Wat region, and board Vietnam Airlines for Hanoi. Slept in that morning because I’ve been getting up before sunrise for the past couple days. The temple I was visiting was situated roughly two hours out from Siem Reap by tuk-tuk. In my opinion this was the best choice of transportation because it gave me more of an opportunity to interact with the rural part of Cambodia. The trip was long but enjoyable nonetheless. I was able to hang out the side to smile and wave to the locals and the response was always positive, although there were a couple of strange looks and odd faces. I passed by so many schools and orphanages, but had no time to visit them because I was running late already. Travel time, breaks, and temple viewing had already consumed 5 hours of the day.

Beng Mealea, meaning “flower in water,” meant exactly that when referencing its design. The temple was constructed over a bed of water, and was one of the first structures built for the sovereign about a century before Angkor Wat. A lot of structures within resemble the early evolution of Angkor art and etching designs. The temple felt a little like Ta Prohm, with the forest was fusing with the temple and trees pushing out the stones and vines, engulfing any bit of sun the structure had left. Projects to restore the structure were not as in full swing as they were at Angkor Wat. It was situated too far away for tourists and just 10 years ago, the Cambodian government was able to drive off the Khmer Rouge from the temple. The Khmer Rouge was a gang in Cambodia that tortured and killed anyone who opposed or disagreed with their actions. The temple at the time was their home, but by 1998 they were driven off by the government and the area was cleared of all land mines. It was nice to see a temple which had not undergone a full salon treatment yet. One of the photos was taken in a dark cave and I got my guide to stand in the light.

It was back to the Siem Reap Airport at which point I also had say my goodbyes to Sokea. The sun was setting over the horizon as the plane was calling for boarding passes to Hanoi, Vietnam. Not a long flight at all, but the weather dramatically changed from warm and sunny in Siem Reap to cold and rainy in Hanoi. On arrival, the dark and quiet airport was a little out of the norm for me. I’d never seen an empty airport before. As I walked out onto the arrival strip, I scanned the scene for my name. A crowd of old taxi drivers lined up with all sorts of names written on paper. From the distance I saw a head bobbing in and out of sight and dashing ever so closer. From beyond the crowd a cheerful young fellow jumped into view with blue jeans, a grey shirt and some new bright white Adidas sneakers. I smiled back, we exchanged nods, and I followed him out.

As I was waiting for him to get his car, a girl beside me was sitting on a luggage cart and across from her was a huge stuffed bear! I was waiting for her to face the bear, but just before I took the picture she turned towards me, saw that I took a photo and let out a blushing smile. In the meantime, the driver pulled up in a Toyota Echo absolutely pounding some sort of Vietnamese house pop! As I stepped in and we drove off I couldn’t help but tap my foot to the beat. He lifted his hand to adjust the rear view mirror. His eyes focused on me, at which point he asked me a question in his broken English: “Where are you from?”. I didn’t understand him at first, but thought he asked me where I was from. “Canada,” I answered back. There was a nod, followed by a quick rummage through his CD collection. He inserted one, and I anticipated something awesome! The song started playing, and I got this blank stare in my face. Great, so for the rest of my 30 minute ride I’m stuck listening to classic adult contemporary. Can I please have the Vietnamese pop back? I posted a photo of our driver, it was shot on film and it turned out a little blurry.

I heard India has the worst driving habits, but I’m pretty sure Vietnam finishes as a close second. The driver practically had his right hand on the wheel and left on the horn. He’d drive right up to a car, flash his lights and honk his horn. At one point of another during the ride, we were able to fit two cars and a bike on the shoulder next to each other in the same lane. I have a photograph of our driver, but it was taken with my film camera. I’ll have to post it later when I get back, unless I find a development lab in Hong Kong. The hotel I was staying at was situated right next to a club, and seeing as it was Friday night, they were pounding some heavy house music. Who needs an iPod when your floors are shaking with Paul Van Dyk and other assorted tracks. The gentle pounding of bass running up the wall was enough to put me asleep.

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