Siem Reap, Cambodia

Angkor Wat rising into a sky threatening rain.

Joy here…Back when The Man and I first had our great idea to relocate from Canada to Malaysia for the 2013-2014 academic year, I looked around to find some fitness goals for us to sign up for.  One of our friends (Lulu, who gave us a guest post here about learning how to run) told me about this amazing half marathon through the UNESCO protected heritage site of Angkor Wat, an amazing Khmer empire temple just outside of Siem Reap, Cambodia.  So I looked online for this race, and I was happy to discover that they offer a 10km version, not just the half marathon.  I wasn't sure what my fitness would be like by early December, and I just didn't think I could commit to 1/2 marathon training at the moment.

Turns out I was right.

Our glorious hotel pool, as photographed from our equally
glorious hotel pool-side bar!

I've barely hit any of my running workouts, and have been hanging on to my fitness by the skin of my teeth.

But December approached, our tickets were booked, our race registered, and our hotel reserved, so off to Cambodia we went.

We stayed at an amazing hotel - The Shinta Mani, which I would highly recommend - and in between touring some of the amazing temple sites (with our own English-speaking guide and driver), sampling unbelievable cuisine, and generally relaxing in the beautiful setting, we also headed out the door one day to do a little run, figuring that we should at least loosen up our legs a little bit before the big race day!

Out for an early morning jog by the canal.

A canal wends its way through the tree-lined streets of Siem Reap where bicycles, motorcycles, and tuk tuks outnumber cars, and where cafes and shops open up to offer busy passersby anything from textiles to wood carvings to jewelry to food.  The air is scented with spice and lemongrass and sometimes something that I can only describe as the wetness of the jungle, this latter scent arises especially in the quiet of the dawn hour.

As we ran along the canal, making our way between the massive tree roots that dislodge and disgorge the stones from the pathway, much like at Angkor Wat and the other temples that lie in different states of ruin amidst the jungle that has grown up and around them over the centuries since their abandonment, people stared at us and watched us unashamed of the obviousness of their gaze.

A view of Ankgor Wat from the other side, as the rain
clouds blow away to reveal a brilliant blue sky.

Our run was around 30 minutes:  We weren't in shape; we weren't running fast; we weren't even conscious of training; we were just soaking up the beauty of this town that boasts some of the most amazing archaeological and architectural marvels that the world has to offer.

The view of the canal (and across) from the colonial terrace
of the FCC (Foreign Correspondents Club), which was once
the French governor's mansion.

It's hard to resist the temptation to wax philosophical about the tragic history of Cambodia - not just its colonialization by the Thais and French and its genocidal suffering under Pol Pot's regime, but also its current under-development, sex-trafficking, and exploitation - or to pontificate as an essentialist on the resilience and optimism of the Cambodian people, but I generally tend to loathe people who travel to other places and then write about their experiences as though their few days somewhere have made them deep and insightful experts about the plight or experiences of people undeniably "other," so I won't claim to have any new or important insights about Cambodia, although, you can be sure my mind is bubbling over with my own reflections on visiting Siem Reap.

I will, however, urge you to get yourself there to develop your own thoughts and feelings.

And if it takes something like a running race to get you there, well, then all the better for it.

Over and out,
Joy