All watted out at Angkor Wat

  We've all heard about it, seen the pictures. One of the wonders of the world. A source of dispute between Cambodia and Thailand for ages. A touristic en-masse draw and probably the single largest source of such income in Cambodia. A huge complex of ancient ruins, surrounded by stately trees and an encroaching jungle, and crowned by the temple of all temples – the Angkor Wat.

  The four of us spent two days exploring the ruins, although people say you need at least a week to go beyond the vague understanding. The sun rise at Angkor Wat was surprisingly underwhelming, as large tour groups disrupted the quiet contemplation and the morning rose hazy and undramatic. Each entrance was besieged by implacable vendors – sadly, mostly working children selling a multitude of trivial trinkets. 

Break time

 But Sopheap, our experienced tuk tuk driver, ensured we had some smaller ruins to ourselves, breaking out of the standard route and providing some much appreciated solitude. Those first few places were thus peaceful, the quiet interrupted only by random chirping of birds and the hum of cicadas. We sought out undisturbed nooks, a bit lost in our thoughts. Whose footsteps were we following and what was their purpose? 

What do you preserve: nature or history?

 The large ruins were impressive, but almost spoiled by our expectations and the rowdy crowds. Bayon stood out among these, the giant stone faces gazing down with curiosity or insolence.

  The nearby town of Siem Reap has become a circus, catering to every tourist wish. We've come to detest such places, as they exhibit none of the authentic culture and view every foreigner as a walking wallet. 

  We've seen, we've conquered (as they say), time to move on. After saying goodbye to Natalia and Liz, bound for Burma, we headed back to SW Thailand for some luxury on the island of Phuket, courtesy of our friends from back home, Diana and Andrew.

Practicing their ABCs, I think