Plans Going Forward (Part 1): Highs, Lows and Slideshows

Now begins the process of recollection and reflection. Recollection, done through photos and superlatives; reflection, materialized through the writing of a book. Reflection and the book writing will be addressed at a later time. Recollection is the focus of this post.

Over the next 2-3 weeks I will be carefully looking through the thousands of pictures I took over the past year. I will be comparing and adding to my journal notes at the same time. One goal of this process is to compile a list of "trip superlatives." Funniest or scariest moment, for example.

The other goal of this process is to create a collection of slideshow videos, one highlighting the trip overall and the others highlighting either a region or a specific country.

Home Sweet Home

I am now back home, safe and sound, in Ashburn, Virginia. Though I arrived back in the U.S. over a week ago, a few domestic stops and short trips were made before permanently reaching home. It feels great to be back!  More to come soon on feelings of being back and plans going forward.

Lost in the Jungle

After the fall of the Khmer empire in the 15th century, the temples of Angkor were abandoned and neglected for centuries. As time past, the surrounding forest moved in. When efforts to conserve and restore the temples finally began in the early 20th century, many of the temples were in a full jungle stranglehold. For most of these temples, the overgrowth has now been removed.  One temple, however, was left largely as it had been found, with trees growing out of the temple's roofs and their roots and vines wrapped around doorways and columns. Check out the pictures of Ta Prohm to see a temple that is truly, lost in the jungle!

Temples Top it Off

The last week of my trip will be spent visiting Angkor Archaeological Park. Stretching over 400 square kilometers, including forested areas, the Park contains the remains of several capitals of the Khmer Empire of the 9th to 13th centuries, including the legendary Temple of Angkor Wat. Get ready for a lot of pictures and, hopefully, some interesting blog posts too!

Watch Your Step

My usual trekking, exploring and camping routine had to be slightly altered in Cambodia. Three decades of war and civil conflict have left Cambodia one of the most heavily mined areas in the world. Estimates range from 4 to 6 million, with the location of the majority completely unknown. Two days of carefully camping around and independently exploring some of the pre-Angkorian temples in central Cambodia is as far as I pushed my luck, and I am now strictly back on the tourist circuit, going on guided tours and staying in guesthouses.