..conquering my Goliath: The Cambodia Travel..

After making through the days of staying under the heat of the sun, travelling hours by land and by water, and the type that which your clothes haven't even dried yet, I'm up again to saunter a different kind of travel.

I have a confession to make.

I have an ostensibly poor sense of direction.

Though I love my solitude most of the time, I'd never went through any travel by myself. It's one of my Goliaths.

This year as I turned to crispy digits of 29, I figured out how it is to get out of my secluded cocoon and experience something I always wanted, but never done before. 

To travel alone.

I ensconced myself in a 10-minute drive Paradise Eco-Resort in Siem Reap, the gate way to the great Angkor Wat.

The lush green veranda welcomed me as I woke up to a fine bed of silk adorned by mosquito net. It seemed like I am existing in the 13th century atmosphere.

{BELOW} 

The incense-filled temple that was once the center of religious activities was invigorating. It swept away the scorching heat of the sun. Momentarily, I close my eyes and venerate the God I believed in.

Striding the insides of the Khmer Empire, the intricate wall carvings, the art that stood the test of time, proud of its existence despite of being ruined is undoubtedly breath-taking.

{BELOW} The mystical faces of Baylon Temple

I've never been to the highest point of my life, literally speaking, until I managed to reach the top of Baylon Temple. It's was Buddhist day, the day of their worship when I stroll around, so some of the peaks were close for foreigners according to tradition. Luckily, I was escorted by a tour guide fluent in English. I questioned my own accent. 

This photo was taken by a Canadian photographer, of whom after taking the picture asked, "did you like it?". 

And I wondered where Starbucks is located at that moment. 

{ABOVE} 

How nature can be as robust as the structures of Ta Prohm, made famous by Angelina Jolie's Tomb Raider.

More than the faces I've seen in the Baylon Temple are the faces of different people. People, whom like me, is on journey. For Service.

For Mystery.

 For Mercy

 For Life's special gifts.

For Dreams yet to fulfill.

 For Love.

As the sun beats down, and the air brushes my hair sweetened with Cambodian breeze, I realized that Time is sometimes a traitor. It slips away undetected. It doesn't wait. It passes away quietly while the world is hurling by so many noises, like it did for how many centuries to the great Angkor Wat, to the Khmer Dynasty. But we are not like these structures. We will decay in no time. We will be ruined by nature. We will be forgotten. We will be ruined by Time. 

And so while life hasn't snap away, while you can play with time, go out and explore both the nonchalant and clandestine corners of the world. Don't be afraid, for help will always come. I've seen it in the face of strangers I met, in the face of Cambodian children selling souvenirs for a living, in my driver, in Soepo, my hostess, even the intangible touches of sun and air. 

I've seen God's different faces. 

And I like it.