Diary Entry: One Last Time Before We Head Back

by Melanie Chalil


The day started slow for most of us, after a very long day to Angkor Wat yesterday. A couple of us, self included, were up early tying up loose ends and meeting up with deadlines. I woke up feeling the aftermath of Angkor - my back and muscles ached from climbing steep stairs and endless walking. This, I will always remind myself, is nothing if compared to the hands that engineered the entire massive structure, pilling on huge blocks of stone on one another with flawless precision in the name of king and religion. Before beginning my writing duty, I stopped by Joe-to-Go, a coffee house that is non-profit.

I instantly discovered that 100% of the proceeds will be donated to The Global Child organization. I find Joe-to-Go’s business concept very fascinating but more importantly, I admire how consumerist conventions are broken here. The money will be used to fund Khmer children’s education as a measure to eradicate poverty. Coffee drinking for me will never be the same again!

At 2 pm, many of us headed back to the guesthouse for our cultural performance. We sat on the floor in the lobby practicing Rasa Sayang and traditional Dikir Barat dance moves. We clapped and sang away while the locals became our audience. After an hour or so, we were done practicing and enjoyed a little R & R.

Rest and relaxation comes in many forms but here, haggling with the locals at the market becomes our form of entertainment. A couple of us visited a stall selling t-shirts. There are two ways to bargain successfully. The first is, quote a price and wait for the seller’s reply. If they refuse to accept your price, walk away. Chances are they will quickly quote you a lower price and you can resume your bargaining session.

Ethan is particularly good at the second method. For lessons, please see him personally or bring him along. You first begin by asking them how much the product costs. Many sellers at the market increase their product’s price when tourists are present. Haggling is a test of one’s patience and endurance. Should the sellers slap you on your arm jokingly when you quote a price less than their expected one, do what Ethan did by telling them: “You hit me one more time, less one dollar.” Purchase more and chances are, the sellers are more willing to reduce the price.

I have also observed the behaviour of certain Cambodians, namely our hotel staff and sellers at the market, during this trip. Often, when a question is asked, they will turn to their fellow local and speak in Khmer leaving you in a state of confusion. They will then turn to you and present their reply. (Ed: An experience of 'Lost in Translation')

The evening was reserved for a ‘thank you’ dinner at the Temple Club. We dedicated the evening to our hospitable hosts and helpful student guides and performed a cultural show. The cultural team quickly made last minute amendments to performance to better suit the stage in the restaurant. Prior to that, we were entertained by Apsara dancers and other traditional performances.

Our rehearsals paid off and as we walked off stage, a tourist told Feeza that our performance was very good. Towards the end of dinner, a signed group photograph was given to each student guide and host as a token of appreciation. The student guides helped each and every one of us to understand the Khmer culture. They were able to provide explanations about many things from the Angkor Wat to Apsara dancing. I believe Cambodia is fortunate to have these students as future historians and we back home can perhaps learn to appreciate our history as well.

It is now 10.16 pm and I will sign off and walk down the streets of Siem Reap one last time before heading home tomorrow morning. Be it the dust, sunburn or aching limbs from visiting the Angkor Wat, I hope each of us will bring home a little bit of Cambodia with us.

His fault we're here =P
And his fault we'll never forget Cambodia