New Hiking Book

Ben, looking appropriately intrepid for the author of a book about hiking

All those Cambodia pics reminded me of our awesome travel companions Ali and Ben. Which reminded me that Ben will soon be a published author with the guide Best Hikes Near New York City. I can’t wait to try one or two of these when we’re back in New York in May – it’s just what I need to prepare for trekking in Nepal (I hope).

Angkor Wat pics (I had to do it)

Despite my previous proclamations about not boring you with Angkor Wat pics, I’ve decided to do it anyway. What can I say? We had a lot of fun during our three days of temples, animal sanctuaries, and tourist traps.

It's all downhill after this picture

Loved the carved animals

More elephants

A bug to break up the temple monotony

One of many big, silvery trees

Trees and temples have been merging for centuries

Fish!

Awesome range of colors on the ceiling

Water picture 1

Inside Angkor Wat

Another cool detail

Water picture 2

Classic temple shot

I snuck a picture of a tourist into this post

Water picture 3

Buddhist University

And back to Siem Reap

Assorted Cambodia Pics

Before I do a post where I backtrack on my promise not to post boring Angkor Wat pics, I thought I’d share a random assortment of other Cambodia pics (and maybe slip in one or two temple pics for good measure).

Just over the boarder in Cambodia

Not sure what this is but it's cool. Another bug picture my brother insisted on taking.

Visiting an animal sanctuary

Oh, look. Another bug.

JP and Dan walking off into the sunset

Temple

Pictures of Tourists

I have so many random pictures from the past four months that I’m having a hard time organizing them. (I don’t want you to be bored to tears with the same photos of Angkor Wat that everyone takes.) Fortunately, I’ve stumbled on one theme that’ll serve me well for this post: tourists. I know that I’m one of them and that I’ve perhaps fallen into some tourist traps in my time (see fish eating dead skin off my feet below). But I do love how tacky and excited tourists can be so this post is devoted to not feeling like a jerk just because you want to take a picture of yourself in front of a thousand year-old temple.

Taking pictures with an expensive gadget like tourists do

In Siem Reap, Cambodia, you get a free beer when you sign up to get the dead skin eaten off your feet by fish. You need one.

Now that I've tried it, I don't need to do it again.

Posing with hats (Angkor Wat)

Sometimes you just have to appreciate the swarm, the colors, and the vignettes

Tour guides taking a much-needed break from tourists

Break's over! I'm trying to remember the name for girls who pose while making numbers with their hands but I can't recall. It's a thing, though.

Victory!

We had a really interesting conversation with one of the tour guides who was upset that so many people failed to show Angkor Wat the proper respect. He probably wouldn't have been happy with a couple of the people in this picture. (Not you, Ben.)

We were the kind of tourists who always wore our seat-belts. Even when there were only two belts for four people on our two-hour drive to the Cambodia/Thailand border.

Not Packing But Should Be

Kuala Lumpur looking moody

Instead of packing for what feels like the millionth time in the past month, I am cleaning up the desktop on my computer. In doing so, I’ve come across a random assortment of Kuala Lumpur pics that I’m going to upload before I forget all about them. I also have a ridiculous number of Mt. Kinabalu, Bangkok, Angkor Wat, and Chiang Mai pics but that’s a whole other can of worms. Hopefully I get to those before the new crop of Southern Africa pics starts rolling in. Which reminds me, I never did a very good job of sharing the first batch from 2009. One of these days….

Waiting for the monorail

Visiting an artist's studio

Lush garden just off the artist's studio

Vanilla beans

Christmas decorations in KL were pretty ridiculous. Not only that, the worst Christmas music ever was piped through speakers in Bukit Bintang.

Our room at the YWCA was VERY bright. No sleeping in allowed.

Storm watching

Central Market in KL. The light and architecture reminded me of LA.

Walking down Jalan Hang Jebat

Loved the skyline in KL

Cambodia Pictures

Well, drawings. I did finally upload the pictures to my computer but I’m not ready to sort through them yet. The first I drew at Angkor Wat and the second I started drawing in our hotel in Siem Riep then finished up near the train station in Bangkok and on the night train to Chiang Mai. Enjoy.

Angkor Wat

Siem Reap, JP's haircut in Bangkok, Night Train