October 22, 2008

Travel Report 11: where is peter?

Austria, I love ya, but I had to leave. I am sure you can forgive.

These are my excellent Courchsurfig Hosts in Bangkok, Penylene and Margot. Hugs to both you of, and thank you for having me. Margot I hope the soil erosion rain simulation experiment was everything you hoped for :) Penylene, don't let those mean kids in French international school get you under. You are bigger and badder than them!

Me and Margot up on Golden Mount. Bangkok has changed hugely since I was here when I was younger (forget it, I am not dating myself). In ten years (oops) skyscrapers everywhere, a crazy skytrain, that snakes through it so high that if it would be in Finland it would be the new preferred method of suicide. Honestly, its like a hot and humid Bladerunner. And there were way too many white people. But Golden Mount was really nice. The last time I was there, it was closed off and under indefinite renovation. They did such a nice job, and Thai people actually were doing there religious thing there. It would be like seeing a bunch of Austrians praying at St Stephens cathedral.

For all their protectiveness of animals, vegetarianism and peace and love mentality they really hate on the Buddhist nuns. These 40 are apparently doing a proper job of devotion.

Cambodia. I just can not express how amazing it is to be walking across the friendshrip bridge from Thailand to Cambodia. I know I am a lucky chap (been hanging out with Brits), and I wish all you special people could share this.


Steve and Marion, this awesome British couple, I hear they are married, but I was never sure. We met on the bus from Bangkok to border with Cambodia, and then shared the crossing and the ride to Siem Reap. They will haaaaate me for all these pictures from the second day, because they did not have time, because they had to fly back to to India, because after 7 month of traveling they still have to go to Nepal trecking. I know, poor things. Such a pleasure to meet you guys, and if you read this before you leave Cambodia, do come back here on your way back, because it really is mindbogglingly worth it.
I think they were laughing at some tourists. Could be I misinterpreted it. I hear... nevermind, you will read that later.


Show me a national monument, world heritage site, seriously overloaded with 1000 year temples, and I will show you... well never mind, if you tell me, I will just go there. Because when you ride through the jungles of Cambodia, loosing the tourist masses because they are all on the same preset tour, and you get to the Death Gate, because 1000 years ago, they brought their dead out through this gate, to be eaten by carrion birds, you know you are god damn well travelling.

This is a moat. Whatever little ditches European Knights built around their little toy castles are well, silly when you look at a man-made moat the size of the Mississippi.


250-something faces. To say that this guy was in love with himself would be an understatement. You cant turn around without looking at him. Or him looking at you, which I am told by the lonely planet was the real reason. Projecting force and such, like Sarah Palin when she is looking across the Behring Strait to do her foreign policy thang with Pootin.


I thought Tenochtitlan, Chitzen Itza or even Schönbrunn was large. I was wrong.

If you would only know how I took this picture.

Even photo op dancing girls need a break every once in a while.

For some reason these guys really wanted to hang out with me, and tell me that my stick figure drawing of the 4th library at Angkor (yes, on the 2nd day we are on 1st name basis) and then looked all serious when I took a picture. They laughed at the picture though. But I did hear that people around these parts have as many smiles as Inuit have names for snow.

Aint gonna lie. Second day is a lot better than first.

Because suddenly one has time and energy to find things out of the way.

And cute little people who seem to like Bananas a lot, and smile more and say thank you and good buy a million times for the Bananas you just gave them. While you pretend to crash your rented bicycle into a tree to amuse them even more.

Gotta run guys, dinner is waiting.

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