Diary Entry: Paddle for a Change

by Max Tan


To those who say that Siem Reap could offer more, perhaps they have not tried cycling.

I spent an afternoon with Sin Chew Daily's representative in Siem Reap, Wang Ping. Sin Chew Media Group is a large Chinese media group in Malaysia and being a Malaysian, I was surprised and proud to find the existence of a Malaysian media corporation in Cambodia. Annually, Sin Chew Malaysia raises funds for Cambodian children. Initially, I wanted to show how Malaysian funds raised by Sin Chew helped Cambodian children in their studies. I was hoping to meet the children and I thought it would be nice if Sin Chew Siem Reap could arrange a time where I could interview the children.

Sin Chew Siem Reap's office is 10 kilometres away from Popular Guest House where we stay. Getting there by tuk-tuk costs about USD 10. For a change, I decided to cycle today. Despite cycling regularly in Malaysia, 10 kilometres seemed more difficult than I had expected. As I attempted to cross the street, vehicles were coming from different directions. Although some of the motorists would stop for me to cross the street, there were truck drivers who bombarded me with their honks.

As you may have noticed, most motorcyclists here do not wear helmets which may endanger their lives. There are no traffic lights in Siem Reap except on the main road to Siem Reap Airport. When vehicles arrive at the junction, drivers seem to know the way to maneuver their vehicles. It is interesting to see how one respects another on the road.

Truck drivers honk cars before they overtake; cars switch on their signals before turning into another road; while motorcyclists slow down when they are overtaking cyclists. These are not commonly seen on busy roads in Malaysia. I hope rude drivers in Malaysia could learn from the Cambodians to respect other road users.

The streets are quite narrow as vehicles are parked at both sides. I was cautious not to run into any pedestrians. I noticed that one of the streets was dustier, but I guess that's what that makes Siem Reap mysteriously beautiful. Everyone along the street seemed to be preoccupied with their own activities. Young children played youthfully by the busy roads and tuk-tuk drivers eagerly offered tourists rides to scenic spots.

In the background, political activists liberally practiced freedom of speech as they drove through heavy traffic with announcements on loud speakers. Life is really beautiful when each of us has an aim of living and people live harmoniously with one another. Locals greeted me with friendly looks and smiles. Cycling in Siem Reap town actually made me feel at home.



Upon talking to Wang at his office, I was told that people in Siem Reap are rather wealthy and that I had to go to rural areas if I were to interview the kids. Seeing that the sun was about to set and I did not want to get lost in the dark, I knew that the trip to the rural areas would not be viable with the time and resources left. Therefore, I decided to write about other interesting events in Siem Reap.

I reached the guest house just as the sun was about to set. I did not notice how tanned and dusty I was until Aron commented that I looked 'roasted'. Oh, which reminded me of the roasted-chicken sold by vendors down the street and that made my stomach growl even louder.