• By: Riyanka
• May 03, 2019
• (1) Comments

Exploring Angkor Wat In A Saree: An Experience To Remember

As clichéd as it may sound, like any other Bengali girl, I, too, have a fascination for the 9 yards, but to be honest, I was pretty sceptical of backpacking in a saree! Until recently, when I thought to try it, I packed one of my favorites (from Mom’s collection) during my trip to Cambodia.

I was still in a dilemma about whether to wear it, but I could imagine myself posing in front of Angkor Wat in a saree!

Here’s My Experience Of Exploring Angkor Wat In A Saree!

Our tuk-tuk driver had told me to be ready by 4 AM if I wished to catch the sunrise, so I had to wake by 3 AM to drape the saree and get ready before he arrived! Sunly, my tuk-tuk driver, who was also my new friend in Siem Reap, smiled as he saw me struggling a bit to get on the tuk-tuk, but his compliment did make my day! “You look so Indian,” he said, as we started moving toward the temple complex.

I was a little conscious, thinking about how I would manage walking so much for the whole day and climb the stairs…etc., etc!

But I was equally excited! Till now, all my saree scenes were confined to family gatherings, weddings of friends, and office occasions – this surely was a pleasant change of scenario! I still didn’t know that the fun was about to begin!

“Indian woman always good in saree,” Sunly kept mumbling in his broken English, “You look like them in movies, television!” I was feeling a little awkward by then!

The lady at the ticket counter also beamed looking at me, “Nice, Indian?”

I smiled at her, nodding my head.

Then, it was my guide, Ki, who enthusiastically introduced himself as a Hindu, figured out easily that I’m an Indian and then built a relationship between the Indians and the Cambodians, saying that we are all brothers and sisters as we are all Hindus! I enjoyed the conversation as he showed me the carvings of Ramayana & Mahabharata on the walls of Angkor and, in between, linked how Draupadi wore a saree and also Sita wore a saree! (Probably, I would have missed out on such detailed explanations if I was there in jeans & tee!)

My guide asked me (rather, instructed me!) to stop at places and pose. He was quite sure of his photographic skills and I absolutely followed wherever he asked me to pause & smile! In the meanwhile, I also gathered the attraction of several other tourists, who wanted to come and click a photo with me!

For a while, I felt like a celebrity! There was this Chinese lady who approached me and said something like “Photo, Photo”.  For a moment, my friend thought that she wanted us to click her picture, so he tried taking her phone but then she started saying something more which made no sense to us.

After a conversation of about 30 seconds, where she didn’t understand us, neither did we understand her – I figured out that she wanted a picture with me! “Hindu. Indian. Saree. Bollywood” – amidst all Mandarin, these are the 4 English words she used and was happily posing for the picture!

A few steps ahead stood her friend. She pulled her as well, and then we had a group photo together! Some other Chinese uncles and aunties also joined in, and I was the center of attraction there!

Once this whole chaos ended, my guide said that he also wanted a photo with me, to show his family. I was thrilled with whatever was happening!

As I walked further, there was this man and five beautiful girls, dressed as apsaras. They were charging USD 1 from people who wished to click a photograph with the apsaras. This man called me, “Photo with apsaras?”

I was about to say “No”, but before I could say anything, “One dollar for all, free for you!”, is what he said! I wanted to laugh out loud but controlled my emotions and walked up to the apsaras. Of course, I did want a photograph with them! They showed me how to pose, and then I got a shot with them.

“This is like Bollywood”, the apsaras giggled amongst themselves, and I was thinking how deep an impact the Hindi-film industry has made on the world! While I stood there, some other people also stopped by to click our photo! By then, the celebrity-ish feeling had sunk within me!

My eyes started looking for another Indian woman, and I wished I would find someone to give me company!

But I didn’t! Nonetheless, it was quite an adventure for me to explore the Angkor Wat in a saree!

Amidst all that was happening to me, I was in awe of the eclectic beauty of the temples that date back more than 1000 years, yet stand with all its glory and grandeur. I was thrilled at every step, wondering how beautifully the craftsmen had worked at a time when resources were minimal.

Check Out The 3-Day Travel Guide for exploring the Angkor Temple Complex, Here!

Traversing across the ruins of Angkor would be a special journey, and that day, painted with all shades of fun and amusement, made everything even more special!

I’m sure many other female travelers out there must have explored abroad in a saree, and I would also like to hear their stories (the unusual, funny encounters) from the roads! Do share your stories if you have any – I’m all ears!