All the major sites, plus many surprises
Most tourists come to see Angkor Wat, but don’t expect to be tempted by deep-fried rat
Special to The Okanagan Weekend
I have seen the sunrise at Angkor Wat. Marvelled at the sparkling bioluminescence of plankton at Koh Rong. And was entranced by the high-pitched harmony of cicadas in dense forest next to a cashew plantation.
These are the distinctive sights and sounds of the Ultimate Cambodian Adventure. Yet they are only a fraction of what can be experienced, thanks to this unusual G Adventures tour.
As our 14-day marathon wound down, the 16 former strangers were asked to list their personal highlight and explain why that was their choice. Many chose Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world. In fact, that’s the main reason most tourists visit Cambodia each year.
There were other highlights, but I took a different tack in my response: the expected and the unexpected.
G Adventures promises “all of the highlights, culture, access and Ican’t-believe-we-did-that moments.”
So our group expected to be wowed by Angkor Wat; to marvel at the Angkor temple Ta Prohm, famous for the large vines that strangle the ruins and used as the set for the hit Angela Jolie movie Tomb Raider; and to shed tears while touring the killing fields and nearby prison.
We got what we expected in that regard. But there were so many other unexpected treats that will make this a favourite memory for all of us.
The No. 1 unexpected bonus was G Adventures CEO (chief experience officer) Kimhoun ‘Kim’ Phauk. After experiencing numerous excursions, you recognize that you have no control over who will serve as your guide; some of them are certainly duds. In this case, Phauk is apparently one of the top 10 guides in this worldwide company.
What made him different from anyone else who has ever served as a guide on my trips is his spontaneity. When driving between two cities, he would see a rice field harvest underway, workers throwing large white squares off a truck at a rubber plantation or a roadside stand with deep-fried rats and watersnake, tarantula legs, crickets and cocoons. Pull over, he would tell the bus driver.
We would all get out, meet the workers, see how rubber is collected from trees and could sample whatever he bought for us. He even showed us how to cut a stalk at the rice field and use it as a musical instrument. I mean, who does that?
After seven years with G Adventures, he knows where to go to fill a morning: to a family rice wine plant, a noodle maker, fish paste processor (you never forget the smell), rice paper producer and sticky rice stand.
When he smiles, it’s not just with his mouth but his whole face. When the guide and the guests are having fun, it’s a lasting memory.
He also shared personal stories on what it was like to grow up in a poor family living in a small Cambodian village. Only a few times has he made a quick sidestop to show tour guests his family home, and meet his sister, her husband, children and niece. I mean, who does that? We all felt privileged.
No. 2 treat: Like having a guide chosen for you, tour participants have no control and are stuck with whoever paid the tour fee and shows up. There are plenty of duds who don’t contribute to the atmosphere, who don’t smile at others’ jokes and make it uncomfortable.
This particular group was an unusual mix, mostly young people but some older, let’s call them mature adults. They came from Canada, England, Ireland, Germany and Mexico, sharing their own stories of their homeland and travels. They all made it special in their own way.
As for the tour, we met two families living on conjoined houseboats in a floating village, jumped to our feet and tried to photograph rare irrawaddy dolphins which only come to the surface for air for a few seconds, watched up to a million bats leave their cave at sunset, applauded a Thai circus featuring underprivileged students, visited G Adventures-supported New Hope school where I told students how important it is to learn to speak and write English, ate a traditional Thai meal at a local guide’s home, visited a silk farm, saw a Kampot pepper plantation, scared the hell out of a water buffalo, and stopped at innumerable markets where Phauk showed us how to peel local fruit, and we chose seafood like crabs, stingray and shrimp, which were immediately cooked for us.
Looking back, it was intense but immensely satisfying. And hoping Phauk is available for another tour, sooner than later.
By the way, the male cicada makes a loud shrill droning noise by vibrating two membranes on its abdomen. When hundreds are droning in unison, the sound is eerie, like a scene from the TV show Twilight Zone. When perceiving a threat like a hand moving through water, certain plankton emit light in the hope of attracting a larger predator which will attack the threat, nature’s most unusual defence mechanism.