The Jewel of Asia

"What are you dense?" I was some what surprised by his remark, I mean I knew it was good and had no doubts it would meet my expectations but I just couldn't fit it in my plans, I mean I can't go everywhere. "If you are to go anywhere in South East Asia, this should be it, it's the Jewel of Asia" We were in Laung Prapang in Northern Laos and I had just met this guy on my trek, I had already been in Laos for over two weeks now and felt I had to move on to my next scheduled destination, Vietnam, but I couldn't help but think about what this dreaklocked, ganja smoking brick layer was saying, for someone to say it's the ONE thing you should see in Asia I assumed would make it incredible. I haven't even thought about going that way, I couldn't, I had a schedule to meet to get the most out of my trip so I left for my bus back to Vientiane ready to go east to Vietnam. The trip was awful but also expected, seven hours of potholes and horn blowing but I couldn't stop thinking about this Jewel, this Treasure. We're finally in Vientiane and it's incredibly hot, I've been told close to 40 and I just want to find a guesthouse for the night and crash till the morning, I'm physically walking to a Tuk Tuk when my gutt starts to churn, not in a sick way but a way that completely blanks your mind and just tells you something, like it's in your blood or something. The next thing I know, I'm buying a twelve hour ticket to Southern Laos for that night despite my exhaustion and hunger and it felt so right. This is the thing about travelling solo, you can do what ever the hell you want, even make a 1000km detour to Cambodia.
It's the morning, and I took the initiative of pre booking a mini bus from the Southern town of Pakse in Laos, which funny enough sounds like a disease that you feel like you have when you arrive. So That morning I was already heading for the unknown lands or the Khmer's. One thing you notice the second you hit Cambodia is that everyone is trying to get something out of you. It is said to have one of the highest rates of corruption in the world which I think is kind of stupid, how can someone measure corruption but you really do get the negative impression that they perceive you as walking dollar signs. Like in the Visa office, which is quite literally a wooden hut, I am charged for the Visa, $20usd, fair enough but then you get the $5usd weekend charge and of course the $2usd stampage fee. This didn't matter though, I was on such a high, something in my gutt just felt so right, I was on my way to see my treasure. We were well into it now, the mini bus had broken down twice, the driver has stopped numerous times to stop and chat to his local friends and It felt liked the sun had just moved a little closer as a nasty joke. I can only describe Cambodia's land like a giant golf course. It is incredibly flat with very little trees, they have a major problem with logging but it has a serene beauty about it. Every few square meters there is huge palm trees that look strategically placed to make the fairway look fancy and groomed, the air conditioner was of course broken so the windows were down and it was so beautiful, the Khmer wind just feels thicker and stronger then ordinary wind, it just foiled around my face like a warm blanket, also, the Khmer's themselves look different to their other South East Asian counterparts, their cheek bones are very high and prominent and have very narrow con caved jaws, it actually makes them look fierce and warrior like and came to no surprise that the Khmer's were once the Major power of South East Asia. At this point I was so content until we got to Kompong Cham and we were placed with another Cambodian Scam, count 4.
I was excited for the next day because this was the day I would come to my treasure and the whole reason for coming to this mysterious land. Siem Reap, which actually means 'Siam Defeated', Siam of course was the home to the Siamese and is modern day Thailand, this land used to be the capital to the famous and powerful Angkor era, Cambodia's golden age which of course is home to the Jewel of SEA, Angkor Wat. These are the ancient ruins of the Angkor's and even today shows the true splendor and grandeur of these people, it is AMAZING, I have seen nothing like it, this place sprawls out over kilometers of beautiful grass land and rivers. I will talk very little about it because words alone cannot describe how amazing this place is. I had gotten my treasure and it had exceeded all my expectations!!!
I couldn't stay too long in Cambodia so after four days touring Angkor I make my way to the modern Capital of Phenom Penh, it's crazy, mean and fast but I really liked it. Highlight was definitely S-21, and old school that Pol Pot had transformed into an interrogations prison, it still had blood stains on the wall from the horrific torture the Khmer Rouge set upon the locals, horrific and very silencing.
I am now in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh and now a whole new adventure awaits.