Which way to Cambodia?

As with the beginning of every trip I am faced with the same old dilemma: What do I wear? When I signed up to join Asia Society Philippine’s first ever group trip to Cambodia, I couldn’t help but feel the pangs of both anxiety and excitement. I packed my bags with my schizophrenic wardrobe (half of which remained folded and untouched during the trip) and dreamed of photo ops in fab Angkor Wat. We arrived at Phnom Penh, the capital, at around half-past-seven and immediately, I noticed that the temperature was warmer than Manila’s. Drat! Already a fourth of my wardrobe is vetoed. We cruised our way to the Raffles Le Grand hotel, a colonial structure erected in the ’20s that housed explorers, royalty and served as a venue for Roosevelt’s wedding. Upon arrival, I was escorted to my room followed by my hot pink eye sore of a suitcase on the brink of puking out all the excess clothes I packed.

I quickly found a place to sink in on my bed and forgot all thoughts regarding temples and kings. I was so beat and watched a Cambodian variety show to entertain myself. Dinner started fairly late that night as all of us were still very much knotted up in our backs. I dragged myself to the pool area where our first dinner in Cambodia was being held. As the itinerary of the trip suggested, Doris Magsaysay Ho, Asia Society’s chairman, made sure that every moment of the trip would be unforgettable and majestic. The dinner setting was certainly a preview of the wonderful surprises to come. I was even more pleased to see we had a very hot F (food and beverage) guy (the first of many) making sure we had all the carbs we could swallow in forms of tasty noodle soups, Hainanese chicken with ginger rice, rice cakes and dim sum, dim sum, dim sum. I was immediately rejuvenated despite being turned down by the hotel spa for an impromptu back rub.

The night glistened with chilled wine glasses, candles and the sound of my friend Patrick Reyno’s crisp laughter. The scene sort of reminded me of a high school party. You had the popular girl Doris mingling among the guests. The Sex and the City girls Roberta Feliciano, Lisa Bayot, Marissa Grassi and Maricar Romulo holding fort by the cocktail area. The cozy couples (the Ocampos and the Rufinos) beaming to be on vacation. On the side opposite the Sex and the City girls, was the Boy’s Club laughing it up with their inside scoop of things that we, the baby crew (me, Patrick Reyno, Chut Cuerva and Asia Society’s Ines Delgado), were dying to know. We ended the night fairly early because the next day we would be clinking flutes of champagne with the king of Cambodia, His Majesty Sihanouk.

I asked for a wake-up call at the ungodly hour of 6 a.m. so I could stuff myself with eggs for breakfast and join the group for a market tour. The phone rang, much to my dismay, far too soon (or so I thought) to rouse me for the day’s activities. I bolted out of bed to take my wake-up call and as I took the phone out of its cradle — click! — I pinched a nerve and remained paralyzed head up with a stiff neck. I stayed in and missed my eggs and the market for I did not want to push it for my meeting with the King. So I proceeded to have the longest and hottest shower of my life followed by some acrobatics as I got into my clothes. We left for the palace at around 11 a.m. and were seated at 11:30, wherein the King was already present to receive us; he was no diva at all.

For someone with royal blood, he spoke in a charming and candid manner about life in Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge regime, his experiences with Philippine presidents and his sister with whom he argued with a lot. I was dying of hunger and eyed the canapés in front of me with rabid desire. But I stopped myself; I was not about to be branded as resident swine.

The King had his issues with the parliament and was being questioned for his sudden sleet of sweeping statements. However, I had to wonder that through, as my initial research merely gave me an anemic knowledge of Cambodia. The country had been deeply wounded by the awful Khmer Rouge regime led by Pol Pot. It lost two million (almost a third) of its citizens, and is still struggling to get past its sorrowful history since the nightmare ended in 1979. I could just surmise from the words of the kind King that the heartbreak was far from over. The genocide happened not too long ago that everyone you meet in the street is still streaked with the tragedy. Our tour guide lost half of his family in the killing fields, the King himself lost some of his children and his relatives. There is a poignant and tragic quality in the silent and reserved people of Cambodia, which gives a certain depth into their beings.

At the end of our meeting with the king, who won our hearts with his unexpected warmth and extraordinary hospitality, we left with little tokens in the form of an intricately-carved silver box with the emblem of the royal palace sewn on its silkened purple casing. I cursed my stiff neck for it cramped my royal protocol by giving me an awkward bow and forcing me to chug my champagne in a very poor angle. It was the end of glam for me.

Activity number two was a tres chic river boat ride in which lunch would be served on board with a Ralph Fiennes look-alike F boy in tow. Though we were melting in the heat of the noontime sun we had fun alternating from chowing, taking a peek of the local villagers’ daily routine as they fished on the river and posing for pictures. After lunch, it was the elimination round of the fittest as the group divided into two: Those who would go and visit HRH Princess Marie’s silk factory and those who would relax and tan by the pool. I’m not telling who went in which bus but I’m proud to say that I was still in fighting form and joined the silk factory trip.

Princess Marie was an elegant and very chic lady who had a soft voice and saucer-wide eyes that perhaps came from her French mother. We saw a demonstration of both basket- and silk-weaving and had a taste of some palm sugar candy which was melt-in-your-mouth heavenly. We refreshed ourselves with sugar palm juice and shopped away for finely woven silks that the Sex and the City girls went gaga over. I stepped out of the store and walked around a bit. The city is far from cosmo but has a distinct character and a profound soul. The buildings, though badly battered, are still aesthetically pleasing as they retained their classical colonial elements. The city’s metropolitan landscape was quite simple with clean roads and groomed public parks unmarred by unsightly billboards and signages; it wafted of charm and quaintness.

We headed back to the hotel where I relaxed at the spa and got ready for our dinner with HRH Prince Norodom Ranariddh for some authentic Khmer cuisine. The Prince was much like his father as he warmly greeted us and kept stiff protocols to a minimum. I proceeded to slurp down a bowl of pumpkin soup with gold leaf as the prince exhibited his singing prowess. He told us that musicians from the Philippines were considered the best in his country and sang to us Manille style! Anton San Diego, Patrick Reyno and Doris Ho sang solos which ended up being punctuated as the prince joined each one to form a duet. This comes as no surprise because apparently, the King and Queen have both appeared in films as well. This showbiz twist was getting interesting. (To be continued)