Diary Entry: Start of The Journey

by Mohd. Khairie


It was... no, it is difficult to recapture what I felt just this morning in the chilly halls of the LCCT, just before checking into the flight to Cambodia. On one hand, I was apprehensive at the thought of being outside my comfort zone, away from the pleasures of having my laundry done for me, to enjoy the luxury of familiar foods, but most of all, being in complete control of what I wished to do and when I chose to do it. And yet, on the other hand, there is this overpowering appeal in the mysterious, the danger, the risk, the sense of adventure in all of it.

The conflicting emotions came to a decisive end when the plane emerged from the clouds, revealing the terrain of what is presently known as Cambodia. The stark difference between its terrain’s and Sabah’s, (my hometown which I’m used to seeing from a plane) sparked a thirst for adventure within me that stifled all reservations within me and urged me to continue. Suffice to say, I didn’t look back.

The writer and fellow travellers awaiting adventure.

To be completely honest, there is something familiar about Cambodia that reminds me of home. The fields of undeveloped land, the torturous humid heat, but most importantly the people who walk the streets and drive the motors and cars on the road have a familiar similarity to Malaysians back home, especially the ones in my hometown. Nevertheless, while I found myself amused at the similarities between Malaysians and Cambodians, I reminded myself that there is a world of difference between Malaysia and Cambodia, historically as well as economically.

A country torn by its ideological divide, complemented by the civil war that plagued Cambodia’s development – all served to remind me that while there is much to be thankful for in Malaysia, there is also much to be worried about. The danger of being overly complacent and ignorant in Malaysia’s welfare and government could materialize to present day Cambodia - A country rife with corruption and plagued with underdevelopment.

Nevertheless, there is some profound wisdom that I have gained in just a mere day of being in this country. I’ve learnt the value of respect; appreciating the fact that there are other people in the world who are largely different from us, and that the world stretches further than what is merely familiar to us. A visit to the Siem Reap library in the Center of Khmer Studies revealed to me that there are people who hunger for knowledge and who earnestly seek to learn more about the world. I’ve never seen such earnest readers anywhere in Malaysia than I have in that humble library in Siem Reap; and I shall never again underestimate a fellow human being who is honestly curious and wishes to seek knowledge regardless of their origin.

Indeed, my first day was a day full of profound revelations that will be impossible to forget.


Click here to see the first day of our journey in Siem Reap.