Lost in translation
(I haven’t seen the movie, so, if you have, this has nothing to do with it.) Day 12: Battambang, Cambodia After a bit more than 5 hours in a bus, I arrived in Battambang, the second biggest city in Cambodia according to my guide. Before the bus has even stopped, tuk-tuk drivers wave placards with…
More temples than I can remember
Day 7 – Siem Reap, Cambodia After this morning’s switch of hotel, my tuk-tuk driver took me to see several, smaller temples -but some of them are not less impressive! Many of the pictures I took yesterday were hard to exploit because of the sun’s orientation, so I was more careful today. The first temple…
Water management
You know they tell you not to drink any water that doesn’t come from a sealed bottle in Asia. That makes for a costly thirst in weather that makes you sweat buckets and leaves a heavy ecological footprint. Is there an answer to that problem? Patience and purifying tablets. You can’t escape having to buy…
Sunrise at Angkor Wat
The call comes early in the morning, while the night still holds sway. I take the road northwards. More and more people appear, all going in the same direction. Finally, I am almost in a throng of pilgrims, torch in hand, crossing the causeway, in the pre-light of dawn. I chose to go without a…
Angkor Thom
Day 6 – Siem Reap, Cambodia – Part 2 So, Angkor Thom. Today, the best-known ruins in this site are the Bayon temple, the Baphuon temple, the Terrace of Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King. The towers in the Bayon Temple are carved with the giant faces of Avalokiteshvara, giving you the impression…
Unpleasant night visit
Due to a, shall we say, misunderstanding -I certainly wasn’t expecting the drunk hostel’s owner to slip into my bed at 3 in the morning-, and the proof of the lack of efficiency of the lock on my door, I switched hotel this morning. I’m going to pay twice as much for a door with…
Angkor Wat
Day 6 – Siem Reap, Cambodia – Part 1 Among world-famed historical sites, Angkor Wat evokes exoticism, mystery, adventure… the temple lost to the jungle and rediscovered, symbol of an entire nation, once capital of an entire empire, and so much more! I had so many expectations, and I wasn’t disappointed. So… today, my dream…
Welcome to Cambodia
Day 5 – Siem Reap, Cambodia Today was busy, full of “hurry up and wait”. I had a plane to catch, and, afraid to get lost in the way to the airport, I basically arrived everywhere early and waited. The hostel had recommanded a certain bus shuttle service, but upon looking the schedule, I saw…
Lunch by the river
Most of my meals in Bangkok consist in browsing street stall offerings and buying here a meat skewer (10 baht), there a slice of watermelon (20 baht). But today I decided to have a sit-down lunch overlooking the river. Pad Thai and mango smoothie on the menu.
The night market
At night, a truck full of what looks like cabbages parks across the street from my window. A light is strung across the top, allowing workers to see and do their work. Two workers stand on the back, strip the cabbage from their outside leaves, and drop it in a huge basket. Other workers make…