Yesterday I woke up at O-dark-thirty (specifically around 4 a.m.) to go out to the Angkor temples by sunrise.  It’s said to be a peaceful, magical time there, the world’s largest religious site, and I can confirm that as true.

I hired “Jake,” my monk-turned-tuk-tuk driver (who’d taken me to the Landmines Museum the night before), as my tour guide.  At one point, he sent me off on my own and I later found him sleeping in a hammock.  Still, I enjoyed the alone time in a few of the sacred spots he’d pointed out to me.  I climbed a lot of steps, ran into a lot of hidden (and dressed!) Buddhas, and even encountered a few schools of bats, who were not happy with my camara flash.  Afterwards, Jake took me to feed little monkeys in a separate garden, which more than made up for his sleeping breaks.

I ended the afternoon flying from Siem Reap into Laos, destination Luang Prabang, where I am now this morning having French pastry and very, very good coffee (arguably one of the few plus sides to the French invasion of the past),  Soon, I’ll be off to see more temples, practice bargaining at the main street market, and walk without purpose, Laos-style.

At Angkor Wat