Land O' Lakes

Land O' Lakes - a company from Minnesota that makes some damn good butter, and an appropriate name for Sumatra as well.

Janelle and I left Bukit Lawang this morning on the bus and headed on down south. Our destination was a place called Danau Toba ('Danau' means 'lake' in Indonesian) and our journey there was not all that excrutiating...well, not all of it anyway. We had to travel back down those same bad roads from BL to Medan, but they didn't seem quite as bumpy this time around. And then, of course, we had to pass through that awful urban hellhole of Medan (someone needs to do that city a favour and drop the bomb!) and then just kept on going south. I had to pee like a mother at this point and seriously it was so bad it felt like my back teeth were floating. Mere seconds before passing out/peeing my pants the driver FINALLY stopped for a toilet break and I made a mad dash. Ahhhhh...relief... Back on the bus after that and the roads from then on were actually quiet smooth. (Never understimate the pleasure-inducing powers of smooth ashphalt!)

We arrived in Lake Toba in late afternoon and our bus let out a collective 'wow' upon first seeing the lake. Lake Toba is the largest lake in Southeast Asia (when Cambodia's Tonle Sap isn't flooded) and has a very unique location - it's inside an ancient volcanic crater. About 100,000 years ago the grand-daddy of all volcanoes blew it's top in Sumatra and then collapsed in on itself, its huge crater filling up with water over the years. About 75,000 years ago the volcano re-erupted, forming an island in the middle of the lake about the size of Singapore. The volcano in the last few dozen millennia has been dead and quiet and today the area is calm, tranquil, and completely stunning. Upon arriving at the lake you have to descend on a narrow highway clinging to the crater walls to reach the town of Parapat. The massive lake spreads out like a glistening arm of the sea, wrapping around the island, and walled in by the crater's enormous rim. We took the ferry across to the touristy town of Tuk Tuk, centred on the island's shores. What a beautiful place!

We stayed at this great little resort called Bagus Bay that was right on the water, and spent the next few days relaxing and exploring the island. We rented bikes and went for a ride along the shore, did some hiking, and caught up a lot on sleeping and eating. We were the only guests at the hotel for most of our stay, and with the water and greenery it actually felt like we were back in Canada. What an amazing place! It was just so beautiful, every time we turned another corner, we couldn't help commenting to each other about how inspiring the landscapes were. Gorgeous! This place should be crawling with tourists, but like the most of Indonesia right now, it's nearly completely empty.

Indonesia, in particular Sumatra, has taken quite a beating in the last few years, and consequently there are almost no tourists here at all. Us Westerners only hear about Indonesia in the news when something bad happens, and between the various rounds of bombings in Bali and Jakarta, fires and plane crashes this summer, and of course last year's earthquakes and tsunami, it's no wonder that many people have no inclination to visit this country. However, they are sadly misinformed. Yes, Indonesia has suffered more than its fair share of calamaties in recent times, but it still remains a truly beautiful, unspoilt tropical paradise. The scenery is some of the most jaw-dropping that I've seen anywhere on my trip and there's tons of activities and sights to do and see. And, like the rest of Southeast Asia, it's all available for a fraction of the price for things we pay for at home.

And it really is perfectly safe. The odds of being here when a bombing/earthquake/plane crash strikes is tiny when you compare it to the risks of being run over by a car while crossing the street in Bangkok, or our own hometowns for that matter. Terrorists are NOT blowing up everything here all the time, the military rebels are not taking tourists hostage or throwing bombs at buses, crime in the cities is no worse (or less) than any Western city, and unless you're visiting the hard-hit Aceh province on the northern tip of Sumatra, you'll see no evidence at all of the tsunami. This country is an incredible place, and desperately needs the tourism to help it's faltering economy get back on track.

After Lake Toba Janelle and I had the marathon of all bus rides. Ugh...I cringe just remembering it! It was a 17-hour overnight ride down to Bukittinggi, and was not a comfortable ride at all. I can handle the bumpiness of the roads and the constant whiplash-inducing hair-pin turns. I can handle the gross men sitting behind me smoking like chimneys, even though it's a non-smoking bus. I can even handle the annoying Indonesian music blasted over the speakers for almost the whole night. But what I could not handle was the fact that the driver had the aircon on full-blast for the entire ride, keeping us frozen as if he were transporting beef steaks, not human passengers. It was SO COLD that everyone on the bus had to be all bundled up. People honestly were wearing winter jackets, scarves, and touques and hiding under blankets! Janelle and I unfortunately left all our winter ski gear back in Canada (silly us for not bringing it with us on our trip through THE TROPICS!) and froze all night. I barely slept a wink for all my shivering and couldn't wait to get off that ride. Funny thing is, most bus rides in Southeast Asia are like this and I'm always left wondering what it is with them and the arctic air conditioning.

Close to the end of our bus ride we passed over The Equator (a white line painted across the highway that I sadly missed) and Janelle and I entered the Southern Hemisphere for the first time in our lives. We rolled into Bukittinggi around 8:30 and checked into a hotel. We tried to have a nap that morning to catch up with our lost sleep but it was difficult with the mosque blaring it's call to prayer just up the road. Later on we went for food and it took a bit of searching to find a place to eat as so many restaurants are closed right now for Ramadhan (an annual Muslim ritual where everyone abstains from food and drink during daylight to show their faith, and this lasts for a full month.)

We had planned to do some touring in the Bukittinggi area, which is famous for its plethora of volcanoes, valleys, and forests, but with the lack of tourists there didn't seem to be many tours going on, and the ones that were running were just too expensive for our tastes. So, after just a day there Nellie and I decided to jump to our next Sumatran destination - Danau Maninjau.

Lake Maninjau, like it's cousin Mr. Toba to the north, is a beautiful lake inside a volcanic crater. However, it's much smaller than Toba and so it gives the visitor a much stronger impression that you're actually inside an old volcano. The walls are completely sheer for the most part, and because of geological activity inside the crater, the lake is actually heated by steam from the earth below! The waters are near bathwater temperature, with zero shock factor when you jump into them. So cool! We spent four nights at a nice, quiet little bungalow next to a small beach on the lake relaxing and swimming. Once again it seemed like we were the only tourists in the area, as it was days before we saw any other foreigners. Unfortunately, I was feeling quite sick for most of our days there so I spent a lot of time just lying on my bed wishing my headache/stomach ache would go away.

After our last night we took a private taxi to the airport in neighbouring Padang. The ride there was really nice as it was a beautiful sunny day (we had had quite a lot of rain on our last two days in Maninjau) and the scenery didn't disappoint us, as usual. For a bit we drove along the Indian Ocean and we even had ENGLISH MUSIC (gasp!) played for us by the driver. At the airport we caught our dirt cheap AirAsia flight (twenty bucks for an hour and a half flight) and said our goodbyes to the lovely Sumatra.

We landed in the mega city and Indonesian capital of Jakarta on the island of Java and took a taxi straight to the the train station to book our onward tickets. Then we checked into a fairly nice hotel (decided to splurge a little after being out of civilization for such a long time) and had dinner before going to bed. We won't be on Java for all that long but I'm looking forward to checking out the sites this island has to offer.

Monkey Business

Janelle and I had a great sleep in our little bungalow (complete with free pet geckos, of course) and it was really nice to wake up to sunshine and fresh jungle air. After breakfast we met up with our guides - Ian, and his younger 'brother' whose name I can't remember and began our first of many advetures in the Sumatran rainforest.

Sumatra is a very special island for many reasons. Not only is it the sixth largest island in the world, but it is home to one of the largest tropical rainforests left on the planet. Rapid deforestation has sadly destroyed most of the island's native forests, but a few pockets still remain here and there, and Bukit Lawang, (where we're staying now) is right at the edge of one of these. Gunung Leuser National Park is Indonesia's largest, and this green preserve remains as one of the largest carbon sinks left on the planet, and is home to countless millions of species of both rare and unique flora and fauna - the majority of which has yet to be fully categorized or even discovered. The park is also home to the orangutan - a beautiful animal that is sadly on the world's endangered species list. In fact, the orangutan, thanks to poaching and loss of habitat, is nearly extinct and now lives in only two places in the wild - Borneo, and here on Sumatra. Only a few thousand orangutans are alive outside of zoos today, and it's estimated that approximately 5000 live in the park.

Just outside of Bukit Lawang is a rehabilitation centre for orangutans. Here the centre takes in orangutans that have have either been orphaned or have lost their habitats, or were once pets and have since been abandoned. The aim of the centre is to slowly re-introduce the orangutans to the wild in the hopes that eventually they'll leave the centre on their own, and head up into the jungle to live free. Twice a day the orangutans are fed at a feeding site, and tourists are allowed to accompany the Park Ranger to watch the oragutans being fed their twice-daily diet of bananas and milk. (The orangutans are given the same meal each and every time so that although they are being fed, eventually they get bored of the same food and go off into the jungle to forage for food for themselves.)

Ian and his bro led Janelle and I up the path from the eco lodge to the edge of the park. The 20-minute walk took us through the small town which was devestated by a flash flood nearly two years ago. Despite the fact that so much time has passed already, sadly the majority of the damaged buildings lie rotting in ruins. It looks as if the flood could have happened last week for all the progress that has been made. At the edge of the town we had to get into a dugout canoe and get pulled across the river to the park entrance. Once on the other side we waited for the Ranger to be ready, and then us, with a few other tourists, were led into the park.

I was really excited at this moment because it's been my dream for a long time to visit this centre and see the orangutans in their natural habitat. And now here we were being led into the jungle where they live! Just past the Ranger Station are a couple of cages where a few orangutans - ones that are too old to be reintroduced to the jungle - are taken care of. Here, we also met Jackie and her baby. 'Jackie' is a rather large mother orangutan who has been released within the last few months. She's free to wander wherever she likes, but still prefers to hang around the immediate area and shows up almost every day for the feedings. Being used to human presence, she wasn't frightened at all by the fact that half a dozen tourists gasped at her emerging from the jungle suddenly, and then began to take a bunch of photos. In fact, we were all completely shocked when Jackie chose to follow us up the path to the feeding centre (a good half hour walk!) It was so crazy to be walking through the jungle with an orangutan in our troop! How cool is that!!??

We got the feeding centre and the Ranger laid out some bananas and milk. No more than a few minutes after doing that we could hear some crashing coming through the trees (very 'Lost' like, and I was expecting a monster to suddenly appear) and then suddenly we saw two orangutans swinging through the trees. Orangutans are quite large animals - the largest arboreal creatures in the world, in fact - but they move through the tree tops with such ease and grace it really is amazing. The orangutans dined on the milk and bananas, and later Jackie re-emerged with her baby to have a snack too. Jackie passed right through our group on the way to - and then back from - the food and it was AMAZING to see such a beautiful creature so up close. WOW! Janelle and I were in such awe and it was an experience that I'll never forget.

After the feeding was over we went back to the lodge and then later in the afternoon Ian took Janelle and I to go and see a bat cave. It was only a few kilometres from our lodge and was a pretty cool place, despite the fact that it involved a bit of climbing and was very narrow in a few places. We saw plenty of sleeping bats in the cave, as well as a colony of swallows. After the cave we went back to the lodge, relaxed, had dinner, and then had an early night. We've got a Big Day tomorrow....

We woke up early again and packed up just enough clothes and gear to last us a day and a night, cause that day Nellie and I were being taken on an overnight jungle trek!!! WAY COOL! We met up with Ian and bro after breakfast and began our big journey into the wilds of Gunung Leuser. It was a hot and humid day and it was quite damp in the bush (well, hello! It *is* a rainforest!) Not knowing what our trek was going to be like, Janelle and I just trusted our guides and were led deeper and deeper into the thick forest. It was very quiet and peaceful in that beautiful forest, and I was so excited to be inside a real jungle. The park is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including the before-mentioned orangutans, several species of monkeys, gibbons, hornbills, toucans, elephants, rhinoceroses, tigers, and bears (although the last four are very rare and almost never seen.) By the end of our day we'd have had a few up-close-and-personal experiences with these local residents!

It was less than an hour of trekking and already we saw two different kinds of monkeys in the trees. They made a lot of noise as they bounced around the canopy looking for food, and didn't seem to be too bothered by our presence down below. We kept on trekking through the forest, and at times the terrain was quite steep and slippery. Shortly after this we saw some other orangutans up in some trees, including Mina, an orangutan who's infamous for occasionally being aggressive towards humans. Fortunately, she left us alone!

Despite the heat we had to wear long pants tucked into our socks to keep ourselves protected from the many little creatures that would love to bite or sting us - and especially the ever-persistent leeches that the jungle is known for. Later we had lunch and Janelle and I were swarmed by giant bees who seemed to be attracted to the smell of our sweat. They didn't sting us, but instead just buzzed all around us in ever-increasing numbers. It kinda freaked me out actually (they were damn big bees!)

We had a surprise treat later on after lunch. We came across a very large, male orangutan - one that's completely wild and not from the centre! He was absolutely massive, and sat in a nearby tree staring out over his domain. He stared right at us a few times, but didn't seem to be scared by us. In fact, given his size, I'm positive that we were a lot more scared of him! He was a truly magnificent creature and I felt very lucky to have seen him.

It was after this that we had the highlight of our trek. Ian and his bro had spotted some black gibbons up in the trees, and got really excited cause gibbons are very elusive animals and it's not often that they seem them on treks. They asked Janelle and I if we'd like to see them closer up, to which we eagerly resonded with a 'yes!' Not knowing at that moment how close he meant, my jaw hit the jungle floor as Ian pulled out some bananas and oranges from his pack, made some noises, and then next thing I knew there were four of these creatures descending down through the trees - coming right at us! Holy fuck! They came right down the trunks to right above our heads, and then Ian began tossing them some fruit. Then he gave a few pieces to Janelle and I, told us to hold out our hands and be very still, and suddenly we had WILD GIBBONS EATING OUT OF OUR HANDS! I couldn't believe it! They were RIGHT THERE and one of them had a tiny little baby clinging to her belly that was so adorable. For quite a while we just stood there and fed them our fruit and I totally felt like I was living inside a National Geographic TV special!!! WOW! Here I am, in the rainforest, feeding freaking gibbons pieces of fruit!!! This sure ain't Kansas - errr....Thunder Bay, Toto!!! ;-)

It was exhilirating but I must admit a little scary as well. Although the gibbons are not nearly as large as the orangutans, they're still sizable creatures, and they have these looooooooong alien-like arms that stretch out and snatch the fruit right off your palm. One of them even grabbed a piece of banana that was placed on Janelle's head! Given my past experience with primates in Thailand, I was a little leary, and hey, they are wild animals so you just never know how they'll act. I was about to find out a lot more than I bargained for about gibbons after this...

I never knew this until this particular moment, but gibbons have a thing for plastic. They LOVE IT and just gotta have it. No, I don't mean Visa or Mastercard, I mean anything that's made from plastic. Well we were about to leave cause we had no more food to give the gibbons and they were therefore getting a little bored of us, when suddenly I inadvertently attracted the attention of the mother gibbon. I was in the process of putting my camera away into my case, which goes into a PLASTIC BAG in my backpack. Well Mamma Gibbon saw this bit of plastic and decided that she just had to have it. She quickly made a move for my bag, but I grabbed it and jumped a step or two up the trail before her long alien arms could reach it.

Thinking that this move would be enough to deter her I tried again to put my camera away safely, which was now half in, half out of my pack, along with several other exposed contents from my bag. Oh, you foolish boy, Scotty! Mamma G jumped onto the trail and started to make another pass for my pack and the plastic, and once again I had to grab it and run up the path. Still determined to get that beloved plastic, the gibbon kept following me (this all was going down in a few mere, frantic seconds) until Ian had to scare her away. Apparently Mamma G was giving me a rather scary 'Gimme that plastic, white boy - OR ELSE!' look and so I was rather relieved when she retreated up the trees. I decided to just proceed down the path with my stuff all half out and repack it later when I was sure there were no gibbons sneaking up from behind to grab my plastic! Talk about an adventure!

Later in the afternoon we had a fruit salad snack next to a stream, and then continued hiking again. Janelle and I were pretty tired at this point but we had to make it to our camp before dark. At one point we heard a bear growling in the bushes downhill from us and we had to quickly and quietly leave the area! Ian and his brother had one of those 'Oh fuck we better get out of here looks!' that made me more than a little nervous. Whoa, the jungle can be scary! Our last bit of the trek involved descending down this steep, slippery, very treacherous hillslope to get down to the river. It took quite a while to scale down this muddy mess and we all had to hold onto trees and vines so that we wouldn't fall down into the jungle abyss. (Feel free to call me Tarzan from now on.)

Finally we made it down to the river, and we could see our camp - on the other side. It was quite a large and rushing river, and Janelle and I had no idea how we were going to get across with all of our gear. A few of Ian's buddies had set up the camp for us, and had brought some inflated inner tubes for us as well. Ummm....how is this going to work? I'm still not getting it.... Nellz and I had to change into our bathing suits and then all of our clothes and gear were stuffed into large plastic bags and floated across on the tubes. Then it was our turn to wade through the rushing waters upstream, throw ourselves onto the tubes, and get caught by the other guidesmen who leapt into the waters to grab us before we were lost forever downstream. I think I've had enough excitement for one day, now! :-)

We had quite the reward for waiting for us after we had crossed the River of Death. Just behind our camp was a sparkling waterfall and a clear, clean pool of water that we could swim in. It was just like one of those tropical waterfalls where you expect a shampoo commercial to be filmed in ("I've got the URGE to Herbal!") and it felt soooooo good to finally cool down and relax. After our swim they made dinner for us (yummy vegetable curry with rice and chicken) and then we played card games late into the night before crashing in our tent. We all slept on a rather hard floor in the same tent, sort of but not really protected from all the creatures eager to bite or eat us that live in these bushes!

The next morning we woke up, had breakfast, and then Janelle and I did some more swimming in the waterfall and pool. After that we had to pack up and head back to town. This time we wouldn't be trekking back though, we'd be taking a faster, even more lively route - the river! I looked around for a proper raft, lifejackets, helmets, and oars, as I'm used to seeing on all the other times I've gone river rafting. There were none to be seen. Oh boy...I know what this means!

Ian and his buddies took the three inner tubes and tied them together in a line. They then bagged up all our gear again and we were told to jump on the tube and just hang on. Out into the river we went, no safety gear at all, and the only means they had to control the tubes were some long sticks for steering. Oh sweet heavens! It's going to be Sixty Minutes of Death as we get tossed down The River Wild! Both Janelle and I were really nervous about how all of this was going to go as we pushed out into that rushing rapid-filled river...

Actually, it turned out to be an absolute blast! The rapids weren't that scary at all, and I felt rather secure as I had Janelle's big butt in my lap keeping me inside that tube. The water was refreshing, the scenery green and so beautiful, the sun was out, and it was a hundred laughs a minute as we bounced our way downstream. I commented to Janelle that it felt like we were on The Jungle Cruise at Disneyland, only this time the water, the plants, the animals - and the dangers - are all real! A totally fun version of the ride, but definitely the kind of ride that four out of five moms wouldn't approve of! ;-)

A mere forty-five minutes later we were suddenly drifting back into town. Janelle and I were actually disappointed that it was over so fast. It was so much fun! We cruised up to the bottom of the lodge and then grabbed our wet butts - and thankfully dry gear - up the hill back to our rooms. It was the end to a truly incredible jungle adventure that I know the two of us will remember for the rest of our lives. It was so surreal and magical that at times I felt like I had to pinch myself to prove that I was really truly there in that Sumatran rain forest seeing and doing all those amazing things. It was a fantastic experience, and undoubtedly one of the greatest, most memorable highlights of my entire trip.

Woohoo for Scotty and Janelle - The Jungle Explorers!!! :-)

You Know You're In Sumatra When...

Well folks, I am quite a bit behind on my blog, and I do apologize for that, but then again, I am in Indonesia, and things are just more than a little different than at home! Here's a little collection of some observations for you to keep you happy until I can do a proper update. Enjoy!

The Top Ten Reasons for...

"You Know You're In Sumatra When..."

10) Whenever you leave your guesthouse to go out for a walk, you have to bring every kind of clothing imaginable with you in your little day pack, cause the weather can literally go from bright beautiful clear blue sunny skies to torrential end-of-the-world-waiting-for-Noah-and-his-ark rains to 'Winnie The Pooh and The Blustery Day' windstorm to sudden temperature drop a-la 'Day After Tomorrow' all in a matter of seven minutes. But, like most days, it stays at a consistent 30 degrees C+ with only a mild 90-99% humidity.

9) The bus you're driving on has to stop and wait cause there's something on the road blocking the way. Hmmmm...what is it? Is it a run-of-the-mill tractor? Nope. A school crossing where little kids are happily skipping across the road? Nope. It's a little shepherd boy crossing the highway not with sheep but with a herd of like 30+ giant rhinoceros-size water buffalo!

8) When you're woken up like a hundred times during the night because the mosque four kilometres up the road is blasting prayer chants all through the night louder than a Motley Crue vs. Megadeth rock concert. The volume of the chanting makes the Glastonbury music festival, or the detonation of an atomic bomb, seem like a quiet whisper in the trees in comparsion. And just when it's stopped for a moment and you think, "Ahhhh yes...now I can get some rest!" Mr. Nocturnal Muslim Man brings his little nephew up to the microphone and lets him chant and stretch his nubile vocal chords for a couple of hours. Oh the fun!

7) When you arrive at a new guesthouse/losmen/hotel/bungalow/cottage and you practically jump for joy and break out into choregraphed dance with your sister cause not only does the place have 24-hour electricity, but it also has hot water and a proper flush toilet (ie: NOT a squat toilet!) Your immediate reply to seeing such marvels all together in one place is (in a thick Irish accent) "Oh my sweet glorious heavens! What have we done to earn such an honour? I think I'll thank me Lucky Charms for this blessing that has been bestowed upon us meek and humble backpackers! Now please allow me to celebrate in a festive jig!" (Jig commences.)

6) When at night you have to gather up each and every piece of your belongings, all your sandy towels and wet t-shirts and drying hiking boots and dirty sandals and bring them inside so that they don't get stolen during the night while you're sleeping. By monkeys. And when this becomes an automatic nightly routine because you've gotten used to the fact that thieves in this place come in the form of greedy, curious, wicked little primates, not by scary masked men.

5) When you go out for a hike in the woods you have to wear long pants tucked into your socks, not because it's the latest in jungle fashion trends or simply because you're worried about getting bit by malaria-ridden mosquitoes (Oh! If *only* it was mere malaria-ridden mosquitoes!) but also because you want to prevent yourself from getting bit/stung/pricked/burned/sucked by giant snakes, deadly spiders, flesh-cutting thorny vines, poisonous millipedes, or hungry blood-sucking leeches.

4) When you're on the same bus ride as the above-mentioned one, and you're battling motion-sickness cause the driver has to swerve while flying down the cliff-side road full of hairpin turns at Mach 4 to avoid squishing the...family of monkeys scampering across the road. Only to round the corner and "EGADS! THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!" have to continue the same hyperspeed obstacle course for fear of squishing poor Curious George and family who are trying to enjoy their leisurely afternoon of suntanning on the ashphalt.

3) When you're sitting down for a rest after having hiked through a death-defyingly narrow bat cave and you hear a distinct...humming...in the distance that is quickly nearing. Then you see it coming through the jungle AT YOU. At first you think it's just a rogue miniature toy helicopter gone AWOL...but then it gets closer...and you think it's only a gigantic steroid-pumped hummingbird with a new taste for blood....and then when it's practically on top of you, you discover that it's actually the biggest fucking beetle that you have ever seen in your entire life, inside or outside of a glass case, and it's headed RIGHT FOR YOU! Oh dear god get that monster away from me!!! (Screaming and flailing like a schoolgirl immediately ensures. All sense of inner-masculinity and machismo disappear completely.)

2) When your sister, who appears calm and fearless, but is actually in complete shock, calls you out to look at something on the porch of your little bungalow. Judging by her relatively calm tone (although you can't help but notice that her face has gone white and she has the cold sweats, or it could just be her body reacting badly with the humidity and her 'Strong-Enough-For-Him-but-Ph. Balanced-For-Her deodorant) you think that it must be perhaps a little songbird that has come to perform "A Spoon Full Of Sugar" for the two of us, or that she's managed to *finally* get her hair into that right combination of Katie Holmes pre-Tom Cruise bouncy brunette meets wet and wild conditioned with tree sap, seawater, and tawdry thoughts Brooke Shields in "Return To The Blue Lagoon" look that she's always dreamed of, only to discover that now running away from our porch is a full metre-long IGUANA, not unlike the dinosaurs in "Jurassic Park", and certainly big enough that you could strap a saddle to him and ride him to school. Wow!

1) When you're writing this blog entry, praying that the power doesn't cut out right now, so thankful that you even have internet access even though it's - brace yourself - dial-up, and aren't even fazed by the fact that not only are their CHICKENS a mere two metres away from you, but you're unphased by this fact, and have *almost* gotten used to the idea that all of the above are completely normal and simply every day events here in the wonderful world of Sumatra.

WELCOME TO INDONESIA! :-)

Communal Vomiting

Janelle wasn't arriving until later tonight, so today I decided to just have a low-key 'me' day here in Bangkok. I slept in, watched some TV, had breakfast, and then wandered out into the city. I had a few errands to run, some banking to do, and then I took a long stroll all the way to Siam Centre to go and get my hair cut. I had my hair cut the last time I was here in The Kok, and so I went back to the very same Toni & Guy salon as before. I trust almost no one in Asia to cut my hair, as I've had it butchered more times on this continent than I care to remember, but the stylists at Toni & Guy actually seem to know what they're doing. I spent the rest of the afternoon reading and relaxing in a Starbucks and it was soooooo nice to just chill out in a familiar (although nevertheless still evil) piece of Western civilization.

That evening I took a taxi to Bangkok International Airport and low and behold just as I was strolling into the terminal, there she was emerging from the gate. HOORAY! It was so wonderful, yet completely surreal, to see MY SISTER here at the airport in Bangkok. It's like two worlds colliding head on - the past me from Thunder Bay and the present me here in Asia. Crazy stuff I tell ya!

It only felt weird for about ten minutes to be with my sister again, and then it was just like old times again. We had LOTS of catching up to do, which we put a good dent into over dinner on The Strip. She didn't seem to be too overwhelmed by all the chaos of Khao San, but then again she had just spent the last sixteen hours or so in an airplane so she seemed a little spacey. Mother Nature put on a show with her daily ritual of thunderstorms bringing torrential downpours, and it was fun to watch all the travellers scurry to find protection from the unbelievably heavy rains. The street soon flooded ankle deep - and more - and it was like Khao San had been turned into a canal. Suddenly a group of people started screaming and jumping around, as not only were there giant cockroaches scurrying around, also trying to avoid the waters, but apparently a bunch of rats were pouring out of one of the flooded sewers. COOL!

We had a solid three days in Bangkok to just hang out and catch up, and allow Janelle to get herself acclimatized to the change in time zones, climate, and culture. She seemed to adjust remarkably well and experienced very little jet lag. And she didn't seem too weirded out by all the insanity that is Bangkok, so I have to say I was quite impressed. We did *a lot* of shopping during those three days (mostly clothes and cheap CD's) and also made time to visit Wat Pho (home of the very impressive gold-plated gigantic Reclining Buddha statue) and also the Grand Palace, which has gotta be THE palace of all palaces, as every single building is like covered from top to bottom in gold and jewels. We also went to go and see a movie at the Gold Class theatres, where each guest gets their own large reclining lazy-boy chair, and the chair comes with little socks, a pillow, and your own blanket! Now this is how all movie theatres should be like! Luxury, baby! ;-)

We spent a good deal of our last day in town just hanging out by the pool on the roof. It was actually a warm, sunny, rain-free afternoon so we wanted to take advantage of that. Upstairs we met up with a guy from California named Brendon, who we had met a few days earlier during breakfast. He seemed like a really friendly, laid-back, cool guy so we made plans to go out for some drinks later on. We ended up at a little bar tucked into an alley off of The Strip and had cheap beers while playing a drinking card game that Janelle taught us. I was quickly getting a buzz, and knowing that we had to get up really early the next morning, and being the sometimes-lame-ass-old-man that I am, I checked in early leaving the two youngins to stay up late and party more.

The next morning Janelle and I caught at 7:30am flight that took us from Bangkok down to the lovely island of Penang in Malaysia. Penang is a fairly large island on Malaysia's West Coast, and we were just going to spend a day there as it was really just our launch point for crossing into Indonesia. We got a room in Georgetown, which is the largest city on the island, and is the oldest colonial settlement in this part of Asia. It used to be quite the thriving trading post back in the days when the European countries battled each other for control of Southeast Asia and the trade routes, and although it's a lot less busy now, Georgetown has been left with a legacy of some very nice architecture.

Janelle and I had some more business to take care of (like buying ferry tickets and Indonesian rupiah) and then in the late afternoon got back to playing tourist again. We took a special train that went up Penang Hill, which is the highest point of land on the island. It took about a half hour to climb that steep hill and the sun was just going down over the horizon by the time we got to the top. Georgetown lay far below us like a sparkling Lite-Brite set and it was actually really pretty. Nelly and I took some silly photos (as we're famous for) and went back into town for a truly scrumptious dinner at an Indian restaurant. Penang is famous for it's great food, and after tonight's dinner I can surely see why! Mmmmm....yummies!!!

The next day was quite an adventure, and one that was full of a lot of uncertainties that fortunately all worked out in the end. We were taking the ferry from Georgetown across the Straits of Malacca to the massive island of Sumatra in Indonesia, and then somehow heading to our next destination - Bukit Lawang. The ferry ride turned out to a much-less-than-pleasant ride! Just remembering it now makes my stomach curl up in fear...

The Straits are quite wide, but the ferry is a high-speed one so it only takes a few hours to cross it. However, on the day that we were travelling, the waters were quite choppy, which made for a very bumpy ride. At first I was feeling a-okay, and a little sleepy actually, and wasn't too concerned about the choppiness. But, when they started handing out little black plastic bags (ie: Barf Bags) to all the passengers, I knew that I should be prepared for the worst.

It wasn't until about half-way through the ride that the choppiness of the ride was kicked up another notch, and that's when I started to feel rather queasy, rather quickly. It was mere minutes before I felt my breakfast coming back up again, and then next thing I knew I was making a dash for my barf bag and making full good use of it. Oh, it was so disgusting. And it just didn't stop! The boat was just being pounded, and kept bouncing up and down, up and down, up and down... I kept getting site of the waters and horizon only to have it disappear again in a flash. My stomach was SO NOT enjoying this!

As I lay hunched over ralfing into the little black bag, I couldn't help but notice that I wasn't the only one feeling like my entire stomach was coming up my throat. All around me were echoes and cries of mutual nausea coming from the other passengers. I couldn't really tell, but from my best estimate, it seemed like a good third or so of the other passengers were also too busy blowing chunks into their little baggies to be able to enjoy the sea views, much like myself. They say that misery loves company, and I guess there isn't really anything else in this great world of ours that's more bonding than communal vomiting. Janelle was doing just fine, but all around me I heard plenty of "bleeeeehhhhhh" and "cough choke cough" and "harrruuuuuuu....gurgle gurgle gurgle...splatter splatter splatter..." It was a chorus of retching and puking all around for a couple hours, and at one point I really didn't think that I was going to be able to make the rest of the journey once we got to Sumatra.

Six hours and two plastic baggies full of liquidy orange goodness after leaving Penang we arrived at the port of Belawan in Indonesia. After my partaking in the mass ferry performance of "The Sound Of Vomital Music" I had taken a nap/passed out and woke up feeling much better when we docked. We did our immigration routine again at the port (and I got another nifty full-page sticker for my passport!) and then were ferried onto a bus heading into Medan. Medan is the largest city on Sumatra and was our connection point for catching a bus to where we had hoped to make it to by that night.

I've read that Medan isn't exactly a lovely place (read: it's supposedly fucking disgusting) and upon arrival this description was confirmed. We were driven to a travel agency in the middle of the city, and from the windows of our bus I could see how gross Medan really was. It was loud, dirty, dusty, extremely polluted, and crowded full of bikes, cars, and giant trucks. Blech. Not wanting to be stuck in this urban hell-hole overnight, Nellz and I made quick arrangements to get our asses out of that city. We were driven to the local bus station by the travel agent's buddy (where we had to squeeeeze into the back of his cramped Suzukie Sidekick or whatever it was) and then got on a mini-bus that was heading up to Bukit Lawang.

Feeling very relieved to being on our way out of Medan, Janelle and I settled in for a ride that we really did have no idea how long was going to take. It took just over three hours to get to Bukit Lawang, but it was a long and very bumpy one as the highway heading up there was in absolutely terrible shape. Hell, this stretch of highway could give Cambodia a run for its money! The mini-bus was packed full of locals at times and poor Janelle and I were so cramped in that back seat, but we were just happy to be almost at our destination.

We arrived in Bukit Lawang at a very late hour, feeling very tired and very hungry, and were immediately greeted by a very friendly guide/tout who led us to the nearest hotel. At this point we didn't care where we were gonna stay, we just wanted a bed, a shower, and a restaurant. We were led to the Bukit Lawang Eco Lodge which turned out to be gorgeous! It was a collection of bungalows strung out in these beautiful gardens along the river, and to get there we had to cross over this Indiana Jones-esqe swaying suspension bridge. Wild! The air was cool and fresh and the restaurant looked really clean and inviting too. I get the impression that Janelle and I are really gonna enjoy our stay here.

Welcome To The Circus

Constantly seeking new ways to arrive at/cross borders, I decided to take yet another original form of transportation to get myself to Thailand - the motorbike! No, I would not be driving it myself, but merely as a passenger hanging onto the back, along with all my luggage. My Battambang guide offered me the option of him driving me on his motorbike to the Cambodian/Thai border, and since the only other option was sharing a taxi with other travellers (which would most likely mean me being cramped in the backseat with my knees stuck in my face,) I decided to take him up on his offer. And hey, I'm always up for a new adventure.

It was about three hours or so on the bike from Battambang to the border, and it was an adventure indeed. I lucked out with the weather as it was a beautiful day, and it was great to see the rural Cambodian landscape fly by as we zipped along the highway. The first part of the journey was quite smooth as the highway had been paved in recent times, but once we got past that stretch the conditions changed almost instantly. Cambodia has the notorious reputation of having one of the worst systems of highways in the entire world. Decades of neglect and civil war have left the country with a bare-bones highway network where potholes are so large that they've actually been known to swallow entire vehicles when filled with rainwater! Apparently, Cambodia's highways are right up there with Mozambique's and the Congo's for 'World's Worst Highways!'

The highway all the way to the border became a dusty, chaotic ride as the bike whipped left and right, not only to avoid the giant potholes, but also to pass slower vehicles that were having difficulty navigating through the motorway wasteland. It was easily the bumpiest motorbike ride I've been on yet, and I really did have to hang on tight for fear of hitting a bump and then ending up on my ass in some rice paddy!

Well we were about 30 km. or so from the border when all of a sudden my driver pulled over in this tiny hamlet on the side of the road. He noticed that his key had fallen out of the ignition during all that bumpiness, yet the bike was still running! Unfortunately, we were also almost out of gas and the only way to access the gas tank is to open up the back seat using the now lost key. Oh boy...how are we going to get out of this one?

Luckily, most of the village came round to offer assistance. After unsuccessfully attempting to turn off the bike using other people's keys, eventually someone with a long thin piece of metal was able to turn it off. After that they tried and tried to pry open the back seat, but all to no avail. Someone ythen came round with a tool set, and they literally took apart the bike to not only get to the gas tank (which then was filled up by someone sucking up gas through a hose...ewww!!!) but then also hot-wiring the ignition to get the bike started again. Ahhhh...gotta love transportation in Cambodia, eh? ;-)

I arrived at the Thai border shortly after this drenched in sweat and completely covered in dust. My face especially was just caked in dirt from the dusty roads, and when I tried to wipe it off with my sleeve all I ended up with was a brown t-shirt. I must've looked pretty scary cause a few passing foreigners kept giving me weird looks! It was a breeze to get out of Cambodia, but to get into Thailand involved standing in a very long line in the very hot sun for a very long time. I teamed up with four other backpackers (who finally stopped cringing in fear over my dirty appearance after I vaguely cleaned myself off with my formerly white t-shirt) and we finally made it through immigration. Yah, I'm back in Thailand again!!

The five of us tried to round up enough travellers to hire a mini-bus to take us to Bangkok, but there weren't that many around, so in the end we just took a public bus back into the city. We arrived around 8 o'clock or so at night and I was really tired and STARVING! It was quite exciting to be back in Bangkok again. I've got lots of fond memories of this city - shopping up a storm with Michael and Kristian, chowing down on delicious Thai food in back alleys, and a joyous last-minute reunion with Katie and Kara. Not only that, but arriving back here in Bangkok (or The Kok as I jokingly like to call it!) means that I've just completed the mother of all circles! One giant two-month loop through Northern Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Wow! That's quite the feat!

So the other big news about being back here in The Kok is that tomorrow I get to meet up with my very special surprise guest, my new travelling companion who will be with me for the rest of my trip. Any guesses as to that mystery person is? Drum roll please....

MY SISTER!

Yes, my sister Janelle is flying in all the way from Thunder Bay to spend the next two months with me backpacking and livin' it up Project Wanderlust-style. My 24-year old baby sister has never been to Asia, nor ever been backpacking, and I'm looking forward to being the older, wiser, way-cool big brother who gets to introduce her to this marvellous lifestyle. She's just finished a summer of fighting forest fires in the wilds of Northern Ontario and I'm looking forward to catching up with my newly buff and tough sis after having not seen her in over a year and a half. Watch out, Asia! Here come the Erdman Kids ready to set sail and kick major ass as we head down south! Woohoo!! :-)

Being the super nice big brother that I am, I decided to splurge and get us a nicer hotel room, which will hopefully ease Janelle's transition into the wonderful craziness that is Southeast Asia. A fellow traveller had recommended a hotel on Khao San Road that was supposed to be quite nice, complete with aircon, hot showers, satellite TV, and a pool on the roof. SOLD! I could use a little luxury myself, actually...

Having never been to Khao San Road, but knowing quite well of its notorious reputation, I was a bit leary about the location, but decided that that I was quite curious to check it out. Khao San Road is THE Backpacker Strips of all backpacker strips that exist in the world, and it's a seedy, seething street full of travellers of all types, crazy bars and restaurants, stores selling all kinds of shit, plus all the nice family entertainment that one would expect of Bangkok, including cheap prostitutes and nightly ping-pong pussy shows. Yes, staying on Khao San will definitely prove to be interesting, to say the least!

The taxi dropped me off at the doorstep of Khao San, and it was like walking into the middle of an enormous three-ring circus. It was LOUD, and BUSY, with people everywhere, bright lights illuminating stores and hotels chock-a-block down the strip, and music coming from every which way. It was completley overwhelming in a spine-tingly sorta way, sorta like how a smalltown boy feels when he goes to the big city for the very first time. It's been a while since I've felt that deliciously nervous anticipation about arriving somewhere new in Asia, as having been here on this continent for quite some time now I've become a bit numb to these sorta things, but Khao San Road I definitely am not numb to.

It was sheer choas from top to bottom, and I felt like I was going to be swallowed up by all the people and activity. Stacks of diirt-cheap CD's for sale on my left. Racks and racks of colourful sarongs and t-shirts on my right. Multi-story neon signs towering high above me. Crowds of drunk Aussies pushing me forward from behind. Offerings of pad thai, banana pancakes, tuk-tuk rides, happy hour drink specials, and ping pong shows from 360 degrees. Wow! It felt like I was the one arriving in Asia for the very first time. Man, you gotta love Bangkok, just for its ability to make you feel like this!

After checking into my room (yes, the hotel indeed was very nice,) I showered up (in a shower that was separate from the rest of the bathroom...omg I haven't seen that in months and months!) and then went out for a bite to eat. I spent the rest of the night just wandering up and down the strip, taking it all in, the good, the bad, and the ugly, and just allowing myself to be carried along by the flow of people. What an exhiliration, I tell ya!

And tomorrow I get to pick up my baby sis from the airport...now how cool is that! ;-)

Seeking Angelina

It really was sad to leave the Angkor temples behind, but I feel like I've seen enough for this trip, and I've already promised myself to visit them again one day. Since I enjoyed my last boat trip so much, I decided to go for another marine option here in Cambodia. I caught another boat, this time to the city of Battambang. It was a smaller, slower boat than the last one, but just as scenic as the first ride. And, once again, we were able to sit up on top of the boat to enjoy the passing scenery.

The first part of the journey was literally through a flooded forest. The waters in the lake are so high that only the very tops of the trees were visible above the waters. What a strange, watery world this place is! After travelling across the lake we sailed up a smaller river, and passed many small villages, both floating and land-based. About four or five hours after leaving Siem Reap we arrived in Battambang. On the boat I met a really great girl from France, and so Emilie and I decided to hang out in town.

That night we went out for dinner together, and had quite the cross-town adventure later on. There was this bar listed in The Book called The Riverside Balcony Bar that sounded like a cool place to go for a drink, and so we decided to go and seek it out even though it would involve quite a long walk to get there. Besides having cheap drinks, this bar is famous for its celebrity connection. The Riverside Balcony Bar is, apparently, Angelina Jolie's favourite local hangout.

Now what the hell would Miss Jolie be doing here in Third World Cambodia, you ask? Well supposedly she fell in love with the country while filming 'Tomb Raider' here, and loves Cambodia so much that she visits on a regular basis, is involved in a lot of local charity work, and has even adopted a Cambodian boy. Being such a huge fan of Angelina, I decided that we totally have to go to this bar! I mean, come on, she just might actually be there! There's something about Angelina that I'm just so drawn to...she's got these hypnoticly huge eyes, and those mesmerizing huge lips, and those big, luscious, curving, heaving...ummm....yeah.... ;-)

So our big walk began, but it was dark at this point and a lot of Battambang's streets don't have streetlights. We had the map to guide us, but try as we may, Emilie and I could not find this bar! We walked up and down several streets where it was supposed to be, but the Riverside could not be found. On more than one occasion we stopped a local to ask for directions, and we kept getting pointed in various directions, but when we'd get there, there'd be nothing to be found! Argh! The more we kept getting defeated, the more I was determined to get us there. I mean, at this point I just *knew* that Angelina was there, the life of some giant party in the bar, with tons of beautiful people doing tequila shots off her heavenly mounds, with Brad Pitt in the corner smoking a cigar and laughing it up, and everyone just having a gay old time with Hollywood's newest, sexiest couple. I so most definitely belonged at this party!!

Finally, after what seemed like hours of wandering lost through the streets of Battambang (I think Angelina wants to get her bottom banged...whoa...simmer down Scotty...who you trying to fool? heh heh...) we actually found the place. All locked up and dark. What the hell? Why are all the lights off? Could it be that Angelina was actually hosting an all girls lesbionic pajama party? With plenty of pillow fighting, chasing, and tickling while wearing nothing but the tiniest of tiny bras and pink panties in the dark? It must be true! And yes, of course I'd be allowed in on that kind of fun.

Well I was sadly wrong, on many accounts. We had indeed found the Riverside, but apparently the owners are out of town on vacation! Argh! The rage that rose within me was lethal! How dare the owners let something as frivolous as a *vacation* to stand between me and Angelina and some very much-needed and well-deserved pillow fighting/body shots! Dammit!!!

Emilie and I went back to our hotel for a beer. It was fun, and of course I enjoyed the way-cool Emilie's company, but it just wasn't the same without Angelina teasing my earlobes with her tongue, telling me that "Come on, don't be shy, the three of us can take it slow, and besides, Brad's totally into you!" *sigh* ;-)

The next day Emilie and I had a truly fantastic breakfast, and then went for a motorcyle tour of the local countryside together. We each hopped on the back of a bike and we sped off into the lush, green farmland surrounding Bottombang, err....Battambang. We first came to a famous mountain, where upon climbing up its summit we were rewarded with a truly fantastic view of the pancake-flat jungle sprawling in infinite direction around us. It was a bloody hot day, but we still made the effort to check out the beautiful temple and Buddhist monastery on top.

The top of this mountain is also home to The Killing Cave, where the Khmer Rouge used to drop the bodies of their latest victims into. Some of the prisoners arrived at the cave still alive, and were bludgeoned to death before being dropped into the hole. The cave used to be full of smashed skeletons and pieces of torn, bloody clothing, but all the skeletons have been gathered up and placed in a large box for viewing. Another sombre reminder of Cambodia's bloody history.

After the mountain we went to go and check out some of the local wildlife. To get there we had to take this really primitive ferry where you have to pull the raft across on a rope to get across the river. Really cool! We then were introduced to The Bats, which are a local colony of the biggest freaking bats that I have ever seen in my life. They're fruit bats, and they spend their afternoons hanging out in these trees, fanning themselves in the heat. Seriously they're really, really big ass bats! Their wing span is probably at least two feet across, and their soft furry bodies look little foxes or dogs or something. Almost cute, if it wasn't for the fact that they're big enough to carry away a baby! Luckily they eat only fruit, so they're totally harmless.

After the bats we went for a ride on The Bamboo Train. The Bamboo Train is a little rail car made of - you guessed it - bamboo, that the locals use to cruise up and down the one rail track that runs through this part of the country. Actual trains only use this line like once a week, so the locals are free to run themselves up and down all day long on these precarious bamboo 'rail rafts'. It was a fun ride, but quite scary as well, as the tracks have big gaps inbetween the rails, which makes for a very bumpy, JOLTY, ride! Emilie and I had a lot of laughs on the Bamboo Train.

Later we went back into town to go and have some dinner together, and then have another drink before heading to bed pretty early. We're both leaving town tomorrow AM. She's off to Phnom Penh, and I'm on my way to Thailand again, where a special surprise guest is soon to be meeting me in Bangkok. Battambang's been a blast, even without some personal quality time with Angelina and her...finer assets... Alas, there's always next time, isn't there? ;-)

Angkor What?

After my time in Phnom Penh I woke up early and caught the speed boat up to Siem Reap. The boat was indeed very fast, and you would actually sit up top on the roof with the wind in your hair and the sun on your face, watching the jungle whip on by. The scenery was pristine and beautiful, with the first half of the journey being on the Tonle Sap River and then the second being across Tonle Sap Lake.

Tonle Sap Lake is a natural wonder of the world, and really is quite amazing as there is no other lake in the world like it. Tonle Sap drains into the Mekong, but for about half the year, during the wet season, when the Mekong River floods, the Tonle Sap River actually flows in reverse, and causes the lake to expand. During the dry season the lake is about 2,000 sq. km., but when the flow reverses the lake grows to an enormous 13,000 sq. km! Wow! Thousands of square kilometers of forest around the lake become flooded, and provide ideal homes for spawning fish. It really is quite a unique biosphere in to itself, and a beautiful place to take a boat ride. Being the wet season, the lake is so wide that when sailing across it you can't even see the shore!

Six hours later we cruised up to Siem Reap, and I took a tuk-tuk into town with two other travellers who also happened to be from Vancouver. I checked into Smiley's Guesthouse and relaxed that afternoon. Siem Reap is at the doorstep to Angkor - the world's greatest collection of monuments, and I was thrilled that I was mere hours away from seeing it with my own eyes. I had planned to buy a three-day pass to check out Angkor, and I found out that that included a free sunset the night before, so I decided to take up this offer and check out the temples tonight.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Angkor, prepare to be enlightene, amazed, and mystified. Angkor is the site of the former capital of the Khmer Empire, which at one time ruled a large chunk of Southeast Asia. The empire ruled from around the 6th to the 11th Centuries, and today's Cambodians are the modern-day descendants of this once-powerful kingdom. Former kings, over a long time span of several centuries, constructed enormous, elaborate temples dedicated to the gods, and built massive cities around them that even included advanced drainage and irrigation works to support the population of millions. Angkor Thom is the largest of these ancient cities, and during its height over a million people lived within it, whereas London at this time was home to a mere 50,000 people. Well all empires rise and fall, and in time so too did the Khmer. Angkor was eventually abandoned, and left to the all-powerful jungle to be consumed. 'Lost' to the world for several centuries, Europeans first discovered the temples in the early 20th Century, although there are historical reports of Indian and Chinese traders coming across Angkor long before this date.

Either way, the great temples of Angkor have since been excavated and some of them partially restored, and what you find at the site is simply mind-blowing. The temples are beautiful beyond imagination. They're absolutely enormous, and although there's well over thirty temples scattered throughout Angkor Archaeological Park, each of them is unique in their special way. Some of them have humoungous central pyramids that you can scale up for a dizzying view of the temple complex and sprawling jungle, some have incredibly detailed sculptures and carvings in their rock facades and bas reliefs, and others have towers and wings that sprawl out - and up - for great distances. It's simply indescribable. You will never see anything more incredible in your life. Not even the Egyptian Pyramids, Machu Picchu, or China's Great Wall can compare in sheer scale or beauty. They're just unfuckingbelievable!

My three days spent exploring Angkor are three of the best days of my life. I enjoyed visiting all of the temples, regardless of their particular size or level of grandeur, but I definitely had three favourites - Angkor Wat, the Bayon, and Ta Prohm.

Angkor Wat is the largest and most famous of all the temples, and it's the one that draws in the biggest crowds. It's absolutely massive, and was designed to be an accurate representation of how the Khmers viewed the universe. It has five towers and a gigantic central pyramid, and I visited Angkor Wat several times, both at sunrise and at sunset. The rock changes colour with the rising or falling of the sun, and so visiting this temple at different times of the day presents a kaleidoscope of shades and hues just waiting to be photographed.

The Bayon is part of Angkor Thom, which was a whole entire city at one point. The Bayon is quite large too, but is famous for its monumental stone faces carved into its rock towers. These giant faces stare out at yor with piercing eyes and enigmatic smiles, and regardless of where you're standing inside the Bayon, there's always at least four or five or sometimes up to twenty that are within view. Or rather, you are within view of them. It's like they're alive and watching your every single move with suspicion. Altogether there's 214 of these all-seeing, all-knowing faces in the Bayon, and their creepy surveillance also makes for some pretty amazing photographic opportunities.

Out of all the temples at Angkor, Ta Prohm is my favourite. Unlike all the other temples, which have been cleared of their many-century old jungle debris, Ta Prohm has been left almost exactly as it was when it was first discovered. Ta Prohm is literally being eaten by the tropical jungle, and is strangled with gigantic trees and roots. Botanical tentacles wrap around entire buildings and walls, and in many places have caused parts of the temple to collapse. Wandering around Ta Prohm you truly feel like you've discovered a Lost City in the jungle, and if it wasn't for other visitors you'd swear that you were the first person ever to set foot upon its grounds since being abandoned. I spent a lot of time here, and felt very 'Indiana Jonesey' while clambering up and down over the toppled towers, broken bricks, and ruinous roots. Completely enchanting and amazing. I loved it!

Three days was plenty of time for me to see almost all that I wanted to at Angkor. There's far too many temples to see in one visit, and since I definitely plan on visiting this place several times more in my lifetime, I didn't feel bad at all about leaving some of them behind. I managed to get in two sunrises and two sunsets while here, and left the grounds every single day feeling completely awe-inspired. The outside world is just now waking up to the amazing achievement in architecture that is Angkor, and you really should visit before mass tourism turns Angkor into a virtual Cambodian Disneyland. Their beauty, grace, elegance, intricacy, design, and sheer scale truly are unparalleled on our planet.