Cambodia

12 August 2017

Phnom Penh > Siem Reap > Sihanoukville > Koah Rung > Coconut Beach > Koh Rong Samlon

Cambodia removed me from my usual environment which offered the opportunity to step outside, clear my mind and view things in a different light.

Be grateful each and every day for the travel experiences you’ve had and you’ll be proud of yourself for making them happen. You may have to defend your decision to travel the world solo but every day you wake up and do exactly what you want to do. You make friends, you can start afresh and you are free.

All these beautiful places made me feel so small beneath trees, minuscule before oceans, and insignificant beneath an infinite expanse of space that my mind is not capable of fully visualising. This is one scary and amazing thought and one I only came across in southern Cambodia when I stopped teaching, volunteering and exploring and just relaxed and soaked up where I truly was in the world. And that happened to be around 6200 miles from what I called 'home'.

Koah Rung

If you happen to find yourself in Koah Rung then I would definitely recommend the UFO rave. This picture was taken afterwards at sunrise.

Koah Rung

Coconut Beach

Fishing Trip

Koh Rong Samlon

Appreciate your insignificance

Whenever I travel by plane or have a few minutes spare to people watch, I get lost in my own gaze, staring into the oasis of land below, or the cluster of busy people and I realise how just huge our planet is and how many people really live on it. I realise how “insignificant” each and everyone’s existence is. When I write “insignificant” I feel like it its viewed negatively but it somewhat seems encouraging. I mean, you can only imagine how tiny us humans are in proportion to the size of this planet and the multitude of opportunities that lie out there. This thought makes me realise that whatever worries, doubts or insecurities are going on in my own head are also happening inside everybody else’s as well. If I delve deeper into my thoughts I think that nothing I ever do will really and truly matter and that, in some opinion, can be beautiful, freeing from pressure.

If I fail I could move to a different city, a different country or a different continent. I could find anonymity in the endlessness of opportunities on this planet. The thought of the fact, that there is SO MUCH more out there than the problems we tend to create in our heads, is something that really helps to put things into perspective.

Although at first this is a terrifying thought and maybe a negative one, but by having a positive outlook and understanding of the vastness of nature, comfort can be found within this. The fear of powerlessness and insignificance will fade as you can gaze inward to find the universe’s worth, believing it has a plan for you. The universe always finds a way, find peace within divine timing, believing that maybe the infinity of what lies within is far grander than that outside.

Cambodia

1 August 2017

Phnom Penh > Siem Reap > Sihanoukville > Koah Rung > Coconut Beach > Koh Rong Samlon

Whilst Traveling there will be things that you’ll witness that you will not understand. Ask questions. Don’t be judgmental about things that are outside of your own cultural norms, however horrifying, remember it is their culture. Just because something seems unfortunate, dire, or distributing to you does not mean that another person from the other side of the world will view it in the same way. I admit, I found it hard not to impose my opinions where they are not justified. Instead, I tried to be honored that I got to witness so many cultures around the globe, gather the good, and remember the bad as you create your own cultural views.

My journey started in the buzzing city of Phnom Penh. The mixture of modern and traditional elements of the city allows for an eclectic mix of experiences. From here I took a night bus to Siem Reap where I taught English in four amazing schools which was a truly unique and rewarding experience. Siem Reap is also the home of Angkor Wat, one of the seven wonders of the world where the 4am wake up was worthwhile to see this amazing sunrise over such an important part of history. I also visited a waterfall which is pictured above and an elephant sanctuary which is although one of the highlights of the trip for me it also taught me a lot and opened my eyes to the cruelty which these beautiful animals face.

Although appreciating Asian culture the one thing that is completely unjust and unexceptionable is the riding of elephants which happens on any given day throughout south east Asia. Tourists pay to climb on top on these animals who have previously been tortured by a human being. Their subjugation is secured through beatings, stabbings with hooks and tight captivity, this gory process works best on baby elephants separated from their mothers. These poor elephants are forced to bear tourists on their backs all day where although they are big animals they are not built for riding so the process is extremely painful on top of the fact they are frequently deprived of rest and water breaks. It is not the fault of the tourists and I am in no way blaming them for their innocents towards the horror, but instead glossy holiday brochures and websites who glamorize riding pachyderms for the benefit of their own pocket.

But beyond ethics, there are safety considerations that should compel travelers to rethink elephant rides. Elephants that harm or even kill are often resold to new owners and renamed to obscure their identities, this recycling process back into the tourist trade is so new handlers can keep collecting cash from visitors — who are often more concerned with Facebook “likes” than animal abuse.

These photos were taken at the Save the Elephants organisation. This amazing foundation is a non-profit organisation which is dedicated to providing care and assistance to the captive elephant population. Through sponsorship they are able to rescue and rehabilitate the elephants where they can live a life free from suffering.