It came at point where I was dying for a break from everything that is, Bangladesh. I had been treading in Asian seas of film, and wasn’t sure how long I could endure. I was tired of holding my head just above water, racing to people, asking them to believe in me, hoping someone would pull me out of the bay and give me a gig. Writing scripts, pitching to clients and getting them tossed into the trash bin. It’s a place where we’ve all been as filmmakers, artists, and dreamers- chasers. A place where you throw yourself down every street and knock on every door, only to get each one slammed in your face. But what Cambodia taught me- “take time for yourself, and you’ll accomplish more later”.
That is the thing- I seem to never let myself take a break in Bangladesh, which is probably why I love my time here so much as well- inspiration around every corner and within every person I meet, never lets me slow down. After a 9-5 work day, I’m off meeting potential clients, having dinner with fellow filmmakers, spending weekend afternoons learning the art of color correction or the technicalities’ of the top digital film cameras this will soon take over for 35mm- or shooting yet another short film. Even when I decided to take a yoga retreat to Cambodia, I found myself thinking “what could I make a movie about in Cambodia?” Man, I need to stop for a breather! My cinematographer recently told me “this is the easiest job to get burned out on”. I don’t want to forget about filmmaking by next year because I am too tired, so off to Cambodia for some fresh-no-film-ness.
We went to the heart of historical Cambodia in the North, Siem Reap, to jaunt between temples, lay in old courtyards, get lost in the wide miles between Angkor Wat and gaze over a glorious South East Asian countryside by sunset. Not only were our days backed with lovely rides around a beautiful sleepy city, but we came home to a comfy bed draped with king and queen canopies and rose petals draped in sunshine peeking through our balcony to a lovely outside world (oh, and massage all for a mere 10 dollars a night, doesn’t get any better than this folks!).
Crazy markets kept us entertained for hours, followed by wine and tasty food- it’s the simple things really that made me smile. One of the most unique and beautiful “finds” were these vintage opium pipes. Lined up in antique stores, they looked like little hand painted ceramic bowls, you know the kind you can find at Pier One for 10 bucks. But these were the real hand painted deal! Immediately I knew I had to have it, not even knowing what it was. Yes, my favorite find in Cambodia, ancient opium pipes and I’m stickin to it!
We had a hilarious bus ride across the country to the capital city of Phnom Penh with a bunch of loud Australians. They seemed to be on a kind of family reunion vacation, and were not the types that you would expect to be trekking across South East Asia- complaining about a shortage of toilet paper and such- but it was some fine entertainment and a good laugh!
Upon arriving in PP, we made our way over to reunite with our friends Chris and Para, who have also been living in Bangladesh for the past 2 years. A lovely reunion with old friends, a scooter rides around the city, lit up temples at night, no honking, people obeying traffic rules, book shops, beer, shopping, peace… just some of my favorite things about this city on the first night. After a wonderful visit with old friends, and exploring a beautiful city that has a wonderful charm, just the right amount of people, and just the right amount of things to do. After an afternoon filled with shopping, exploring and a “ladies lunch” filled with lovely salads and white wine, we joined the local community in an exercise around the park before moving down to the south of Cambodia to a city called “Kep” to stay on an organic farm and eco cottage for a 4 day yoga retreat. It was just what we needed after a week of indulging in great food, wine and shopping- time to refresh, relax, read and dream in a simple and quiet place. Greeted with the most wonderful green tea with ginger that I have ever tasted in my entire life, I took one look out over the hills and thought, “I don’t ever want to leave this place”. I finally was getting that rest that I needed. Morning medication at 5:30, power yoga, afternoons at the seaside and fresh air, organic vegetables, kom pot pepper and fabulously home grown vegetarian dishes.
If you are close, don’t ever miss the beautiful Cambodia. And if you don’t know- go read about some of the tragic history of Cambodia, there are other’s out there who can write about it better than I can.
