Backpacker Fiction: What We See or How We See It

Thursday, November 13, 2008

What We See or How We See It

Independent travelers have long appreciated the purpose of 'the journey' - not only as self-inflicted test of will, skin thickness, or soul-analyzing fortitude, but also as a means of heightening the pleasure of the destination. But when it comes to Siem Reap, does it really matter?

Something I never understood about the streams of taxis, vans, and buses leaving the Siem Reap airport in Cambodia was how on earth those travelers would be able to connect with the magnificent ruins they were about to experience. Wouldn't they feel like just another stop on a packed itinerary full of other 'attractions'? I've discovered that people are as defensive about their preferred modes of travel as they are if you suddenly accused them of being an alcoholic. The backpackers fiercely defend their naturalism and spontaneity while those in the tour groups walk away with many of the same photos, half the headache, and an overall more worry-free experience.

Siem Reap is the most poignant example from all my travels because the town itself is home to the tourist hoards of Angkor Wat. It is one of the only places that erases anyone's ability to classify themselves either as backpacker or "tourist". Everyone must pay their theme-park entry of 20$ per day. Everyone comes armed with a camera. Everyone tires quickly of the children with stunningly persistent entrepreneurial skills. Everyone in Siem reap is a tourist, like it or not, and there are few ways to escape it.

Methods of Arrival: Compare and Contrast

Ye Olde Hairy Backpacker

The backpackers arrive late at night from the border town of Poi Pet after seven hours of hellish, pot-holed roads, cramped buses sans suspension, and that sneaking suspicion of having been ripped off somewhere along the way. The journey from Bangkok on the Thai side is as simple as a bus ride, but then one must negotiate a tuk-tuk fare the remaining 5 kilometers to the actual border crossing.

Once past the rollercoaster-esque queues packed with travelers ages 18 to 25 and your newly bribed visa in hand, there's the matter of getting from the border area into Poipet-proper for another round of spot-the-scam for your ticket to Siem Reap. Even if you do all this independently, you'll find yourself lost in the busload swarms from the Khao San who have been promised swift cheap-and-cheerful transfer - all marked with their pretty coloured stickers that mark them as "taken". And then once a price is fixed, you still have to endure the seven hour ride to Siem Reap across roads kept in permanent disrepair by the air companies in order to encourage flying.

Oh yes, and if you haven't booked ahead, you still get to do the hostel-crawl at 11pm at night.

The Fresh-Faced Flyer

Those who can afford it catch quick 40 minute flights from Bangkok, are picked up by taxi and whisked away to five star resorts that have turned the highway leading into Siem Reap into something of a Las Vegas strip. They miss the journey through the country on the Thai side, the hustled experience of fragrant Poipet and are saved the bruises on their sit bones, not to mention arrive rested enough to wake up on time for a mandatory sunrise over Angkor.

I think the experience of getting to Siem Reap illustrates better than any other the two distinct schools of traveling. While those sweating it out on the independent route claim more spiritual or hands-on adventurous results from their experience of Cambodia, those in air-conditioned luxury can claim the same, simply without the hassle.

Regardless of how you arrive, you still must fight with the crowds for a piece of the Angkor of your dreams - those tall stone temples towered with smiling faces, dripped with jungle vines. You still must find a way to politely deal with the incessant souvenir sellers that haunt the base of every ruin. You still must find a way to make the trip uniquely your own in spite of the sinking feeling that Walmart has become a staffing agency for the touts.

Cost is cited as one of the biggest reasons backpackers choose the overland route. The independent way cost me $37 from Bangkok. A cheap flight at the right time of year might cost you $160. Considering that at $20 a day - plus transportation - Angkor is one on the most expensive "must sees" in South East Asia and for the budget backpacker, every cent counts. (For a fictional comment on Cambodia - see my story "Les 3 Chevaliers" in the August post)

Having done it once, I'd be happy to declare the journey to Siem Reap was part of my overall amazing experience of Cambodia. But if it were ever in the cards again to visit Angkor, I might be tempted to forgo the hoards of Poipet for the hoards of the airport. If you're looking for some place that will allow you to don your backpack with all the grit, tears and smelly pride it's earned, Angkor Wat in all its truly spectacular glory is simply no longer the place.