The Ubiquitous Water Buffalo

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animals, Around the World, asian water buffalo, cambodia, cattle, domestic asian water buffalo, domestic water buffalo, exotic animals, farm life, India, nature, outdoors, Southeast Asia, Thailand, Travel, Travel Blog, travelling around the world, vacation, Vietnam, water buffalo, water buffaloes, world travel

I became obsessed with water buffalo on our trip around the world.

Mind you, I’ve got more than a slight case of “OCD” to begin with. I only eat candies (or anything that comes in multiples) in sets of even numbers; I have to hit the crosswalk button four times; if I scratch something on one side of my body, I have to scratch the exact same spot on the other side of my body. (You know, the typical crazies displayed by nervous wrecks.)

But, my obsession with water buffalo really came out of nowhere. It was as if the minute I stepped off the plane in Hanoi, I had water buffalo on the brain.

My first foray into water buffalo mania took place on our way out to Halong Bay. Yes, the limestone mountains and the bay were all very impressive. But, I couldn’t keep my eyes off of the lumbering beasts of burden, like little chocolate flecks in the lime green shimmer of the rice paddies.

The following day, we went to the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre back in Hanoi. While there were many amusing and even dramatic vignettes during the performance, the water buffalo puppets, and their much chagrined owners, definitely stole the show.

Little by little, as we traveled through Southeast Asia and India, I started to put the pieces together as to why I had fallen in love with the ubiquitous water buffalo.

EXOTIC COUSINS

Coming from the U.S., particularly from two extended families that live in or very close to large agricultural communities, I’ve always been very familiar with cattle.

When kids grow up in America, one of the first animals they learn of is “cow”. Not only is it because it’s an easy word without any funky, English spelling tricks, but it’s because it’s so prevalent in our society.

Beef, leather, cowboys, and just plain fevers with the only prescription being more cowbell, cattle are as American as Mom’s hot dog apple pie recipe. (Hey, Mom tried her best, folks.)

The water buffalo then seems so exotic, yet so recognizable at the same time. It’s like the cow, but not a cow. Watching them invoked both feelings of familiarity and foreignness. It made me feel far away from home, and yet comforted me in that it really wasn’t so different from what we’d see driving up the 5 North through the San Joaquin Valley.

But, unlike in the States where agriculture is far outside the norms of city life, there is no escaping the presence of water buffaloes in this part of the world.

THEY’RE EVERYWHERE!!!

No, seriously, they’re EVERYWHERE.

They’re in the fields. They’re in the houses. They’re in the streets. They’re in the temples. They’re in the rivers, the garbage heaps, the schools, and the restaurants.

Occasionally, they’re right beside you on your current form of transportation. (No sudden movements, people!)

Water buffaloes are as common to everyday life in Southeast Asia and India as dogs, cats, and parakeets are in America. It’s amazing how something so huge can just be hanging around with the rest of the family. But, water buffaloes do, and they’ve been doing so for the last 5,000 years of their domestication.

After spending several weeks around water buffaloes, I must say I wouldn’t mind having a few of them close to me… well, other than that pesky “stepping in buffalo poo on the way to the kitchen” problem.

PERSONALITY PLUS

I don’t know why water buffalo are so much cheekier than their American and African cousins, but man they are! Maybe hanging out with humans for thousands of years has caused them to adopt some of our mannerisms – or visa versa.

I know what some of you are thinking: “Oh, poor, simple-minded Elizabeth. She’s falling into the old trap of anthropomorphism.”

I assure you I am NOT! These water buffaloes are full-on sassy britches, and they don’t give a fudge who knows it! *sashays with a flick of its tail out of the room*

Take, for example, this photo I took of a water buffalo at the Ganges River in Varanasi. Anyone who has ever traveled to Varanasi recognizes this look. Why? Because it’s the exact look that every person has on their face traveling through Varanasi: a combination of, “Ewwwwww…” and, “Hmmm… I sense something suspicious going on here.”

Honey badger don’t care, and water buffalo don’t fall for your shady Varanasi scams. Oh, and stop dumping your dead goats in the river. Water buffalo is not amused.

Yes, the water buffalo is not afraid to show its displeasure, its disdain, or its bum. But, this personality plus is a big part of its charm. You never have to guess what a water buffalo is feeling.

ALWAYS SOMETHING THERE TO REMIND ME

Now, I’m back home, in a house bereft of water buffaloes. They don’t greet me on my drives around town any more. I don’t see them swimming around the local San Diego River, or scaring away the dogs at the beach with a low bellow and a charge.

All I have are my memories of their deep lowing, their spirited ways, and the days when I’d walk among the ubiquitous water buffaloes like I would any other human neighbor.

But, I did manage to buy these groovy coasters in Vietnam to bring a little of the spirit of the water buffalo home with me. (Thanks in advance for not judging my jacked up coffee table. Traveling doesn’t leave a lot of time – or budget – for outstanding home design.)

Cheers,
E

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Too Long in Siem Reap?

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angkor wat, cambodia, siem reap, Travel, Travel Blog

All throughout the early part of our trip, we met fellow travelers who were planning their routes throughout Southeast Asia.

Every time we mentioned Siem Reap, people asked how long we were staying there. “Six days,” we’d reply.

“Wow! That’s a long time in Siem Reap. You’re going to get bored in six days there,” everyone would reply (or at least some variation thereof).

We started to get worried about what we could do for six days in Siem Reap. We knew we were going to get the three day pass for Angkor Wat ($40 for three non-consecutive days in a week, for the record); so, at least we had three days taken care of. But, what about the other three days?

I am happy to report, as is more common than not on this trip, people had no idea what they were talking about when giving us that advice.

Not only did we blow through those six days with plenty to do, we left with at least another week’s worth of activities that we wanted to do, but couldn’t because we didn’t have the time.

For anyone interested in going to Siem Reap (which I highly recommend, as it was my favorite city in all of Southeast Asia), here are reviews of three of our favorite things that did that had nothing to do with Angkor Wat.

SITE #1: Happy Ranch

Quit yer snickerin’, you dirty birdies! 😉

On our first day into Siem Reap, we got into town at an awkward time. It was too late in the day to waste one of our three days from our pass at Angkor Wat; but, it was too early for us to just eat dinner and go to bed.
After looking at the bulletin board at our lovely guest house (Happy Guest House), we saw an advertisement for horseback riding at the Happy Ranch.

We decided to head on over for an impromptu horseback ride through the Cambodian countryside.

It’s been one of the best split-second decisions we made on our trip thus far. Upon arriving at the beautiful and tranquil Happy Ranch, we were greeted by its interesting and very hospitable owner, Mr. Sary Pann.

Sary has lived a remarkable life. He was working at the US Embassy when the Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia. As a result, he was able to flee the country, and was granted refugee status in the US.

In 1975, he came to California, and lived there for over 30 years. But, as much as he loved the US and California, he decided it was time to come home to Cambodia.

He came back, and began collecting horses as a hobby. He fell in love with the equestrian life, and opened what he’s fairly certain is the only fully functioning, horseback riding ranch in the country.

We booked a 2-hour tour on the spot, and off we went into the countryside with our very competent guide, Jain. We rode through the farmlands and the rice paddies, passing villages, temples, and homes along the way.

At several points, children would run out of their homes and schools to wave, yell “Hello”, and try out their English on us. Dogs, chickens, and water buffaloes happily joined the melee as a light drizzle fell on the green rice paddies all around us.

It was a veritable Shangri-la, and my only regret is that my butt was too sore to hold up and book another two hours on the spot.

If anyone wants to do something in Siem Reap other that visit Angkor Wat, this is a fantastic choice. They offer everything from 1-hour to full day rides. For those not so confident with their horseback riding skills, they have an option to be pulled along in an ox cart, and they also offer private horseback riding lessons.

Prices are very reasonable, with horseback riding in the country at the time we went being about $19/hr per person. Our round-trip tuk-tuk ride was $12 (inclusive of tip).

SITE #2: Dinner and a Show

I’m not sure how anyone can come to Cambodia and not see a traditional Khmer dance. It’s like going to New York City and not seeing the Statue of Liberty – you have to make a concerted, planned effort in order to not do so.

Yet, apparently, people still don’t do this, as we heard over and over again, “Oh, six days is too long in Siem Reap. You’ll get bored.”

Again, thanks to the bulletin board at Happy Guesthouse, we found an ad for an evening tour down to a local restaurant. $10 included roundtrip transportation, all-you-can-eat buffet, and an hour-long, traditional Khmer dancing performance.

I wish I had remembered to write down the name of the restaurant, but I did not, unfortunately. Like I said, the “dinner & dancing” shows are a dime a dozen in Siem Reap. The one we went to had a really nice buffet with Khmer, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Western food available. (Drinks cost extra.)

And, it really is “all-you-can-eat”. They just take your plate, and you can go back as often as you want. (Although, a local gave me a good tip – he said go and get several plates at once before the show, so you don’t have to keep getting up in the middle of the performance. It was good advice, as we saw plenty of people having to do just that!)

After a good hour of eating, they start the performance. The dancing is broken up into four parts. The performance we went to had a traditional coconut dance, a piece of from the Ramayana (the most famous epic poem in the area), a fishing village dance (complete with some romance – oooooh!), and the beautiful Apsara dance (which the image above is from).

If you’re into eating, dancing, and/or stunning costumes (or women for that matter), then definitely put this on your itinerary.

SITE #3: Floating Villages

On our final day in Siem Reap, we still had a list of things that we wanted to do. But, seeing as it was our last day, and having only enough time to do one more activity, we made the choice to go out to the Floating Village of Kamphong Pluk. (The cost for everything, including the tuk-tuk ride and the boat, was $19/each. Tips are extra.)

We took an hour-long tuk tuk ride through Siem Reap and the surrounding countryside to a small harbor in the middle of the forest. We met up with a driver who took us out on his boat on a private tour.

After going through the water forest on the way out to the village, where trees seemed to grow right from the middle of the river, we finally saw the houses and buildings that make up Kamphong Pluk. Given the particularly heavy rainfall of that monsoon season, the water was right up under the buildings of the floating village.

It just so happened that the day we were there was a local festival (Pchum Ben). Our driver parked in front of his house, and said to us, “Need to make a stop – two minutes!”

As Scott and I tried not to grow paranoid, the driver’s family congregated around our boat, imploring us to come in. They proceeded to feed us all sorts of Cambodian dishes, as well as giving my husband plenty of beer. =)

Not everyone could speak English, but everyone knew how to “Cheers!” So, every time there was a five second pause, someone would yell out “CHEERS,” and laughter and beer can clinking would commence once again.

What started out as “two minutes” ended up being an hour long detour. But, it’s that sort of hospitality and unexpected kindness that helped us fall in love with Siem Reap.

Despite what others may say, there is plenty to do in Siem Reap to warrant a week-long trip there, or more. We had to leave without going to the Silk Farm, the “Senteurs d’Angkor” exhibit (which showcases the different scents and flavors you experience in different items in Cambodia), Tonle Sap Lake excursions, and any host of off-roading activities (motorbike rentals, quad biking, sky diving, etc.)

I would highly recommend anyone interested in a beautiful, friendly city where tourism from Westerners hasn’t yet completely ruined the local culture to give serious thought to time in Siem Reap.

Oh, and Angkor Wat isn’t half bad, either! 😉

Cheers,
E