The guide picked me up at 5 in the morning which was an ungodly hour. As I suspected, it was cloudy so there was no sunrise over Angkor Wat. I felt kind of dumb waiting around with the rest of the tourists waiting for the sun to rise for the perfect shot. It was worth the wait though. Shortly after 6 we headed over to the glorious temple itself but first had to wait in line for about a half hour. The climb was steep but my legs were still fresh and the temperature was quite cool. Later on, was another story. My guide did not enter with me. None of the guides did. I believe it was not allowed. Angkor Wat It was good that visitors were limited to 100 at a time which allowed for a slow and steady examination of the halls, niches, statuary and squares within. Dedicated to the god, Vishnu, this majestic temple was said to involve 300,000 workers (or slaves) and 6000 elephants (definitely slaves). The central tower represents a phallus, Vishnu’s symbol and the outer walls represent the mountains around Mount Meru which was the centre of the universe for the Hindus. The … Continue reading →

The tuk tuk driver showed up promptly at 7:30 a.m. We went to the head office of Asia Van Transfer where a Spanish hippie explained  exactly how it was going to work getting across the border to Laos. He had a binder with photos of the border crossing, the minivans, the rest stop and explained the process in excruciating detail. So much the better. I piled into a minivan with about 8 other people all backpackers and we set forth to the Laotian border. The road was good but it was crowded. I prefer a bus to a minivan, I decided. We  made a rest stop after 3 hours and after another 2 hours stopped for lunch in Stung Treng. Despite the morning briefing, no one remembered every detail of the plan but together we pieced it all together and remained absurdly confident it would all work out. Back in the Day Once upon a time, backpacking was a more convivial experience where you swapped stories shared tips and bragged about how cheap your last hostel was. No more. Now everyone is lost in there own digital world, their heads buried in their smartphones, not talking or interacting with other … Continue reading →