What a week. On monday I met my loved friends from Germany. Maximilian, my old travel companion. We bummed 10 years ago through Laos together, down south to the magic 4.000 islands. And unhesitatingly I would share my road again with him. Lina, Maximilian and Elli “the shock of hair”, their son, you made my dinners and of course a drinking night. Strangiley enough that I did my first sightseeing tour since my return, after nearly 5 months, but without the germans. Phnom Kulen again. A venturesome area never gets boring. The waterfall. Well, falling water. A fluorescent green overgrown temple resting at the shoreline of Chup Preah, which I haven´t explored so far. Equipped with my trekking shoes, after 5 months in flip flops, I jumped into the spinney, following kind of a path, missing suddenly a hiking stick, to flush snakes or some other crawling strangers. Embarrased and scared now at the same time my eyes down to the ground investigating the surrounding beneath, my pace and my increasing suspiciousness. I stumbled unwary of the upper-level ahead in a web. And I felt each string sticking unto my face. I took a step back, sort of in panic, suggesting in a second the hugeness of the creator of this rope-thick web. And there it was, “Holy shit! What da ffffff-uuuu-ck!” Its size at first scared the shit out of my the corner of my eyes, gaping wide open, doubtless. Called the Giant Wood Spider. I looked into its eyes! “Calm down! Both of you!” So we did and its Hugeness posed a bit on its web for the camera. But I decided to return, that there is nothing else to see, the web was criss-crossing the path, no humans maybe for the last – I don´t know and I don´t give a shit, let´s take another one. So I went back, making sure nothing is on the hunt and behind me or already on me, on my bag, sneaking inside… it works, you just need a mutable object, stretch it a bit and sketch one of these stories never happened. So calm da fuck down. And I choosed another kind of a path. More calm but now aware, disrupted and stressed on all levels, stickless still but hungry for a discovery. Unbroken. And after crossing a couple of fallen trees I ran into the next “Holy shit! What da ffffff-uuuu-ck!”-Hugeness. Hugeness II. With a fractured leg, appearing less threatening. Red tiny baby hugenesses on it and around. “That´s it. Probably there is nothing to explore anyway.”
Being asked if I mind to be photographed by a group of chinese, one by one. Yes I do, but I tell you what, I shot you before. The teenaging daughter of a chinese couple sitting next to me, waiting for the flash, whispering, “You such a cool guy!”, in a strong american accent. Heading further to the local village nearby to visit the temple Sdach Kum Ling, which was covered by lavafor hundreds of years. Ending up again in the jungle, but this time on a proper path, but without shoes, I took them off at the temple, even though changed my mind and jumped into the green, in search for monks living in caves and hidden whatever enlightens my spirit of adventure. Less spiritual have been the ants, taking over my feet as soon as you slow down, peeing and biting. Little bastards they are. So I searched escape on the tremendous boulders, towering if possible randomly. Some of them are on top of each other, building massive formations, camouflaged with thawing moss. With a handicap of a shoulder and ants by kilo step by step, me and I, Indiana Jones and the Dude, decided to return to the main temple and browsing around the village emerged not to be less adventurous. The kids are always a warmly welcome, being half scared and curious about my appearance, the beard, the size and the pictures on the skin. And the roasted splitted in half monkey, still coated, on the market – as an attraction? Don´t take pictures, don´t inspire their salesmanship. The asian tourists for sure will.
Forgot how fulfilling and beautiful the contryside is, around Siem Reap. And how inspiring. Spent a day, laughed at night – catching up my friends again.
The germans left, with a tear in my eyes but finally you get used of farewells, the australians arrived. Romayne and friends. Romayne and Theresea, two lovely ladies doing an amazing job for the NGO (SOC) since years. This time only Ro with not less lovely friends visit Cambodia. With them Reaghan, a young fellow, 22, but basically a man. So good! After Maximilian left I realized something. I miss some male company, blowing some bullshit testosterones into dawning stars. If there wouldn´t have been this incident. Long story short, because frankly I don´t know who to blame and I don´t feel I have to or anyone should, Reaghan´s mother experienced a harsh ride back to the NGO Guesthouse, out of the center of town. Panic mixed, shaked and loaded with distrust on one side and on the other, a pride sorehead. Explosion. Mayhem. Tears for fears, drama of sorrows. I am lucky to be a man. I only can imagine. So I stay out of, it is a son´s business, and a business of empathy easier to accept from another woman. Unfortunately I was blamed for bringing her to a Tuk Tuk and safeguarding, that the driver really knows where to go. It appeared he didn´t, so she called another driver to explain him, in Khmer, the way. This way is dark and spooky at night, understandable that she didn´t feel very comfortable, misunderstandable if you threaten your driver with calling the police immediatley. So she returned to Soul Train, where we got wasted in the meantime, in pain, in shock. In the end, nothing serious happened and she can be lucky, that the driver really tried to bring her home, like most of them do. Without judging anyone. It´s a crazy world, neither craziness is natural nor controllable. So blaming me, putting another old and personal story on me and on top, shitting in front of my open door, freaked me out. Beside, that in my opinion you blame the present by unburying your past, your fears, your shrapnels still playing with fire. Explosion, the second. This time, I knocked a door, in rage, the door of my bedroom, solid wood. My left punch against a door. Guess who won. – When do I start to knock at the true door! Punishing myself for accepting people shitting in front of my door, MY FUCKIN DOOR, punishing myself to stay at least two weeks longer in Siem Reap than planned so far, because my finger capsule bursted like a bubble-ball. Four to six weeks. Taping and immobilizing. Gorgeous.
Fuck plans. I surrrender. I am stareing at our world, planet earth, its humanized composition, countries and continents, colours and variety. – And I anyway don´t know where to go. Currently I will stay until the end of september. Closing a proper test-run of half a year then. Collecting effectual data to decide, Siem Reap, the world or is home the place called home. An acceptable u-turn of facts. Facts and plans. Who cares?
