Life in the Lane-way

Last night I arrived in Siem Reap with my family as we continue to travel through South East Asia.
It’s almost New Years and so we had to spend the night right in the heart of the old city in a hotel located on one of the restored Parisian lane-ways as the main hotel we’re staying at had no rooms available.

At times I’ve struggled over the last three weeks about what it means to be a “tourist” in our various locations. I’ve seen cultures impacted, people selling t-shirts and items for tourists brought in from China. But that’s a question that’s complexity still plays out in my mind. However, tonight we’re staying right in the heart of tourism central.

After briefly exploring the area, I go to a Mini Mart to get everyone some drinks and they continue walking to the hotel. As I return I see a teenage boy sitting against a wall in the tiled lane-way, eating chicken and rice from two opened polystyrene boxes which appear to be someone elses left-overs.

Its now 6:30am and I’m sitting at a table in the lane-way writing this blog and suddenly I notice a body near where the young man was eating late last night. Its covered in a thin blanket and so despite my attempts at exploration, the blanket masks the person’s identity.

As the town comes to life, the blanket begins to stir and its inhabitant is revealed as the teen.
The boy dressed in an old blue “I Love Cambodia” t-shirt quickly places his blanket into a plastic bag which I assume contains his possessions and heads into the day.

The juxtaposition of the boys “tourist” t-shirt and his own personal circumstances permeates both heart and mind.

I’m back in Cambodia, with all her heartbreak and hope.