The Mother of them All

The final stop on this day (which has lasted forever) was Angkor Wat. This is the flagship amongst a fleet of temples--every one unlike anything I'd seen. The sheer size of this place is staggering. It is one of the most famous ancient wonders of the world, and for very good reason. I very easily could've spent an entire day here, but as said before I had too much to see and too little time. Ironic, that I went back to the guest house after this, but one can only take so much of the heat. This picture I took is a familiar image in Cambodia, as it's printed on beer bottles, postcards, advertisements, in restaurants, in bars, and everywhere you might go.

This is one of two pictures I was in out of 400 plus. The other was taken in this same spot. I swapped cameras with a Korean tourist (funny how I gravitate toward Koreans in other countries) and we took each other's pictures. I was reticent to ask locals to take my picture, and if anyone had read the previous entries they'd know why. It's unfortunate again how I felt it necessary to avoid eye contact and conversation with the locals. I would've loved to have met some Khmers on a personal level and exchanged cultural information, but they're too desperate for money to think about that.

Like I said in another post, it's cool the way that tourists can climb and roam around these ancient historic artifacts. It's rather dangerous also. I walked clear around the temple on this ledge forty or fifty feet up, and never came across any kinds of barriers. The ledge was quite thick, and not so dangerous, but the stairs up were a different matter. I wanted to include a picture, but I had to be picky in choosing six out of seventy pictures. The staircase I climbed had a rope attached to the top that was used for safety. I opted to climb up and down the steep, narrow, and tall steps on my own, which was quite precarious. The Korean tourists were looking at me like I was crazy... which I probably was.
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I spent an ample amount of time sitting on this ledge, gazing into the jungle. I found a quiet, shady corner on the far end where I could sit and contemplate my time in Cambodia. I actually picked up a mild breeze at this spot, and would've had a picnic here had I been prepared. As for the structure in front of the jungle, it is an intricate maze of halls each laden with ornate carvings and statues. There's one wall in particular that is fifteen feet high and somewhere around 50 meters long that is engraved from top to bottom of an ancient battle scene involving chariots, swords, shields, and warriors. I had intended on showing pictures of it, but would've had to post another entry. Let's face it, I'm running out of steam on this Cambodia trip and need to get back to Korea.
I intend to do one final entry and am working on posting pictures online for all to enjoy. However, it won't happen this week as I have another vacation starting tomorrow. Nothing like the last Friday before a vacation! This vacation won't be too exotic, but I will see parts of Korea that I haven't seen before. It'll be reminiscent of the vacation I took last summer, where I went to Jeonju, Busan, Geojedo, Jinju, Haeinsa, Daegu, and then home. I have a pretty good idea of where I want to go, but it could change. Sometimes it's fun to go to a bus station and pick the coolest destination in the guidebook. We'll see what happens... I'm certainly excited.

Here's one last shot from the front ledge looking out. I don't really know why I chose this shot, as there are much better pictures. I don't always make the best decisions, though. The decision to visit Cambodia is not one that I'll ever regret, however. I will post some final thoughts and pictures soon and then tell all about my next trip.

Ta Prohm

It's raining outside... blah. I can't complain too much, as there have been some nice days intermittently between the gloomy ones. However, this is the raining season in full effect, and it's not a lot of fun. It wasn't raining on this day. After the magnificent Bayon I ventured to the ruins of Ta Prohm. This temple is famous for the trees that have grown around the ruins, and it wasn't a letdown. Something that had impressed me in my previous ventures had been the sheer size of the trees. By my estimation, some of these trees are 100 feet tall if they're a meter. Seeing the massive trees that have grown around the temple made me appreciate the age of the ruins.
While I'm in the process of finishing this vacation, I'm simultaneously planning my next one. In two weeks the hogwan is closed for a week. I wanted to go to Japan, but it's peak season and the fares are ridiculously expensive right now. So like my vacation last summer, I've opted to travel around Korea. Also, like last year, I've opted to start my travels in Jeonju. Jeonju is famous for being the birthplace of bibimbap, which is something I eat all of the time. It's a dish consisting of rice, various vegetables, chili paste, and topped with a sunny side up egg. I was disappointed that I went to Jeonju last summer and didn't eat bibimbap, so I will rectify this mistake in two weeks. From Jeonju, I'll go wherever the guidebooks and buses, trains, or ferries take me... should be interesting.





I do have some rough ideas involving islands and mountains, but I don't want to give anything away. For now, the plan is to finish Cambodia, then get back to normal life in Korea. There hasn't been too much activity to report lately. Since I've come back from Cambodia it's been a period of starting over. There have been many changes in my life besides the discovery of Rome, and I'm now in the process of beginning a new chapter in my life... which is great! The saddest news is that my good friend Sacha left Korea. It's happy in that he left to marry his long time girlfriend and friend to me in her own right Shannon.
He is now in the United States and the couple will move to Australia (where Sacha is from) in October. I'm very happy for both of them and looking forward to visiting in Australia. Other than that, I also broke ties with my Uzbekistan soccer team. They just failed to pass the ball too often, and it was more frustrating to play than fun. So I joined with the local Suwon international team, who had been trying to recruit me for a while. I've not been disappointed in the least. They're a superior team and everyone speaks English as their first language. They're also a fun bunch of guys whom I'll be spending a weekend with in August for an out of town friendly.
By the way, that last picture is famous for being in the movie Tomb Raider, which was a deep and interesting epic based on the best-selling historical saga. Okay, it's a movie based on a video game, but the Cambodians will take what they can get. Look at the size of the roots! These trees were truly magnificent. I'm glad this isn't in America, because it would have been turned into a lumberyard a long time ago. Anyway, back to life in Korea. My good friend Pam had been gone for seven weeks and just came back to Seoul. I had the pleasure of hanging out with her and dining on Indian food Tuesday.
Aside from Pam, there's another key addition to Korea. My old friend Brett has decided to take the plunge and move from Missouri to Korea. He'll arrive today, I believe. Some old ties have been cut, some old ones have been re-united, and life in Korea carries on. As it rains continuously, I'm left to look forward to the next month where I'll have a vacation, a weekend with my new teammates, and old friends to share new experiences with. In the meantime, I'll continue to chip away at my Cambodia pictures. I'm thinking there will be two or three more entries, and then back to Korea. I hope everyone takes the time to enjoy the pictures throughout the unrelated text. This temple was truly fabulous, but there's not much of a story outside of walking around and taking pictures. Just to give an idea, however, the base of this tree (you can't tell from the picture) is easily 30 feet wide. Trees like this were everywhere around this temple. It's a real honor to have been able to see these temples in my lifetime, and I hope to see much more in the future.

The Bayon and my Pathos.

On day 4... is it really only day 4? I've been trying to get through Cambodia, but the amount of pictures has been overwhelming. And, I've also been a bit lazy too. Actualally, I have something I have to admit as to why I haven't been writing as much as I should have. I've been involved with something that has taken over my life. I've been hooked and have shut everything else out of my life lately... and I'm not proud of it. Sometimes we let these things consume our thoughts, and it's hard to move on. In the meantime... here are the glorious temples of Angkor Thom. Pictured to the left is the gateway to the city, and it's pretty darned impressive.

The first stop through the gate of Angkor Thom was the temple Bayon. Oh...my...dear...Lord!! This temple was amazing beyond belief! I probably took seventy pictures of this temple. The pictures can not possibly do it justice, but you might get the idea. Bayon is famous for the mysterious faces that are carved into the massive temple. Trying to count the faces in the few pictures I'm posting is like trying to count the ... sorry, no simile. It is very cool, however. Anyway, back to the beast that's taken over my thoughts and free time lately. I think I may need help.

This was a sweltering day, and there isn't much to say other than the fact that I meandered around this tremendous temple in the jungle. Having seen the extreme poverty and desperation of Phnom Penh, it was amazing to see the absolutely incredible achievements of this culture's past. Take this hand-engraved picture, for instance. Images like this were on every post in every room in this massive, massive temple. I've never seen the pyramids (but, you all know I will some time), but this struck me as the most incredible achievement in architecture and artistry that I've ever seen. The scope and scale of this project is mind-boggling.
Try to count the faces in the picture on the left, just for fun. I could have easily spent the entire day here, but there was just too many other places to see. This may have been my favorite, but it's hard to discount the granddaddy of them all, being Angkor Wat of course. I really like that I got the sky in the background. I rarely get to see a blue sky in Korea, and this was a real treat to see this sky for a week. That being said, it was ridiculously hot. Having spent my younger years in Texas and having been through Missouri summers (it's gotten as hot in Missouri as any other place I've been), it was no big deal. I actually quite enjoyed the heat with the exception of the market in Phnom Penh. Anyway, back to the beast... a friend of mine introduced me to this thing a couple of weeks back and I've been able to do nothing but abuse it and think about it ever since. It's practically taken over my life, but it won't last forever.



The addiction I speak of is the series "Rome". A friend by the name of Andrew lent me season 1 a couple of weeks back and I haven't been able to quit watching it. I've been going back over it and watching the extra features, and I'm anxiously awaiting the release of season 2 (I've seen the first half of it via a Seoul street bootleg copy.), which I'll certainly buy. Not since the first two seasons of The Sopranos have I been so hooked by a show. This one might even top that. I've been so intrigued by it that I'm now going back and re-reading Julius Caesar and Anthony and Cleopatra. The historical aspect of the show is fascinating and accurate, while it also happens to be entertaining with great characters. It might take about 2 episodes to get into it, but once you do, you're hooked. I wouldn't watch it with the children, however. I'll leave this entry with one last picture. It was difficult to choose which ones to use, but I'll post them all online sometime soon and be sure to give the url to whomever wants to see them. I've got several drafts going now, so expect alot of action on the blog this week... and then I'll finally get back to life in Korea. Next up: Ta Prohm.