The Temples of Angkor Wat and Angkor Tom, Episode III

I'm going to try and make this my last post, so I'm just cutting to some of my favorite pictures from the trip. The rest will be in my forthcoming book "I'm Okay, Euro-k: Travels".

This is my favorite picture from the trip because it makes me think I could one day quit my job and become a National Geographic photographer. Seated there is one of the monks praying in another of the temples we visited. I couldn't understand her but I think she was trying to tell me she had been there since the temple opened in 1163, or asking if I knew whether or not the Stones were still touring. It was hot, and I don't speak Khmer. Regardless, I thought it was a good picture.

Come on- tell me that's not cool.

As I approached this temple I was worried I was going to have to do more climbing; Buddha smiled upon me and made sure it was closed for tourists.

I wasn't sure if it was there, but I was ready to stay all day to find the Khmer treasure.

Boy was I surprised when Sara and Addie showed up! On the tuk tuk ride between temples, there was a clearing where monkeys could be fed. I almost jumped out of the tuk tuk to go do it. I fed a monkey one banana- that little monkey took it right out of my hand.

That's Angkor Wat proper- it was as crowded as the mall on the day after Thanksgiving. After spending the majority of the day at quieter spots, this one was kind of ruined by the fact that there were a gajillion people there. It was still cool to see but it would have been much more impressive before/after the crowds.

One thing I've learned living in the Philippines and traveling in SE Asia is that Asians really like to pose for pictures- as if they're all sitting for fashion shoots. Rarely do I see a "Say Cheese" type picture; it's more synchronized jumps and Blue Steel or Le Tigre. Maybe it was the heat, but we felt like we needed to join in.

This is a little more our speed:

All in all, it was a trip well worth taking. Good food, friends, and culture can't be beat.

That being said, I've got a trip I'm looking forward to far more than my journey to Angkor Wat- the one that'll get me back to this: