TRAVERSE 18
Khmer script, but the welcome was anything but modest. Smiles came easily, laughter even more so. We attempted introductions in halting Khmer; the students countered with confident English. The exchange was equal parts humbling and uplifting, a reminder that travel, at its best, is less about what you see and more about who you meet.
Later, we rode out toward the Prah Ninith waterfalls near the Laos border. The road dissolved into fast open tracks before reemerging with a well used twisting road. The falls themselves were worth every jolt and bump: water fanning over dark rock into clear pools, the surrounding forest alive with insects and birdsong. We swam, ate sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves, and let the cool spray wash away the accumulated dust of the previous days. Those that made the fort were treated with a traditional lunch washed down with the local beer. This was Cambodia at some of its best.
Turning west toward Siem Reap, the journey felt like moving between chapters of different books. The remoteness of the northeast gradually yielded to broader roads and busier towns. Siem Reap announced itself with cafés, galleries, and a hum of international voices as we explored Pub Street and the nightlife that resides.
Early the following morning, when we boarded a flotilla of tuk tuks, we were greeted by the tourist hoards as we made our way to Angkor Thom to witness one of the greatest creations of all humanity, an ancient city complex like no other, before the pièce de résistance; Angkor Wat.
TRAVERSE 18