Week 7

It has been so long since I have written! This sounds crazy, but I have been too busy! Lol. But really, since I last wrote, we traveled up to Siem Reap, Cambodia to see the Angkor ruins. This city in ruins is sometimes called the 8th wonder of the world, and is the largest site of its kind. We spent just 2 days seeing some of the biggest and best temples, but you could easily do it for many more days. The short of the long is that it was amazing! I LOVE walking in the places where such a different world used to exist so long ago, and still seeing the remains from that time. It made me remember my times in Rome and Pompei, and the Aztec ruins in Mexico. At Angkor, I could just imagine the people flocking to temple, the elephants dragging the stones, the spiritual meaning that that very spot held for them! We saw the actual “Tomb Raider Tree” from the movie, walked through and to the top of the Angkor Wat, tried to interpret the carvings on the walls, and climbed like monkeys to the tops of high ruins and trees. The design and architecture of the Angkor Wat dazzled me, because we tend to think that our knowledge and technology are so sophisticated, and that we have grown smarter as humans over the years… but at Angkor, I felt exactly the opposite! The Khmer architects knew what they were doing, and got it done in ways that we cannot ponder… without fancy equipment!! The temple was designed after the solar system, showing their knowledge, even then of the vastness out there. Nowadays, we are merely getting dumber… a few people are smart, and inventing things to make life easier for the rest of us, who think we are so superior to “cavemen”!! Ironic! However, the most fascinating thing to me was how the forest and the ruins had become one. After all this time, the creation of man still stood, but nature had grown through and around it, basically taking back its space, but embracing the buildings as well. My favorite was this one hallway of sorts, where the roof had collapsed, but in one place there were 3-4 huge bricks still holding as the roof, but because that was where a tree had grown, and was now supporting it. Very symbolic of human interaction with nature!?!?

After Cambodia, we had the worst, hottest, and most cramped over night mini bus ride across the border and then spent one night in Bangkok. There, we picked up a travel friend, Alicia, and us 3 ladies headed to the Thai island of Ko Phangan in time for the world-renowned full moon party. The monthly parties attract between 6,000 and 30,000 people to party on the beach all night long! It is said to be like the 8th biggest party in the world during high season. It’s kinda one of those things “you just gotta do in Thailand”. The area of beach where the party is held has just as many clinics as convenience stores, and they are well used during the crazy nights. There is even a designated sleeping area for people that pass out or can’t make it home, and we saw them carrying one dude out on a stretcher around 8 am. We spent 4 nights on the island, and the parties did not let us down! Neon body paint, buckets full of alcohol and mixers, fire jump rope, bumpin’ music of every different genre, and wild, out of their mind, people everywhere!!! Alicia, Leah, and I made it past sunrise the next day without acting too much a fool’ (at least in comparison to the other people around!) I have literally never ever laughed that much in a given 8 hour period as I did that night! Like cry laughing to the point where you don’t even bother to wipe the tears! It was AMAZING and one of the best nights of my life. We sadly had to part from Alicia that day, but it was soooo much fun having her with us, and can’t wait to see her again someday, somewhere in the world!!! <3 We meet a lot of people along the travel road, and say goodbye to them all, but it is so good to have one of those people who is not just a friend in passing!!

Currently Leah and I just left the island of Ko Tao, where we took a 4 day long open water PADI scuba certification course. Best part of the course (out of water) was learning the mechanics of the body under water, and the physiological effects to plan a dive to avoid decompression sickness. We can now flash our cards internationally, for the rest of our lives to see the world underwater. As a traveler, this kind of exploration just makes sense. There is more undiscovered area under water than on land, and to only travel and see the land, would be cheating nature and my passion for seeing the entirety of the world! So, underwater exploration, here I come. The splendor beneath the surface has already amazed me, plus, it’s just plain awesome to be floating and seemingly weightless down there!!!