Angkor Wat

I did finally manage to have a successful date in Phnom Penh, a feat more difficult than it sounds. But the following morning, lazing around in bed, I was oblivious to the fact that I was supposed to check out of the hotel and make my way to Cambodia’s second city, Siem Reap, with the goal of seeing the amazing Angkor Wat temple complex. Well, suffice it to say that with fifteen minutes to spare, there was an instant, amusing, and hurried flurry of activity. No breakfast of course, and, more icky given the previous night, no shower. But I piled myself onto the bus in the nick of time and made my way northward.

Cambodia is poor. The parts I’ve seen aren’t quite a destitute as, say, Hampi, but things are pretty basic. As the country was pretty much totally destroyed, even from a low starting point, by instability, genocide, and ongoing civil war, remarkably and admirably, the world community stepped up to the plate and has taken a keen interest in the development and construction of the nation. The international aid and NGO community is here in greater force than perhaps even Aceh. So, during the bus ride, there wasn’t really a lot to see out the window, other than some pleasant bucolic scenery.

It had becoming harder for me to keep my mind on what I’m doing here. The job search is going a lot slower than I’d like, and I find myself giving self-directed pep talks and soliciting more from whoever I think will be convincing. I really am ready to move to San Francisco, on all sorts of levels. First of all, I want to be closer to my blood relatives. Second of all, I want to right the disastrous experience of the last time I live in the US, if only to prove to myself that I can. It helps that the jobs in my area of expertise are almost all located in Silicon Valley. And I really think that to reach for the stars career-wise, that is the most logical place to be. OK, so the weather isn’t perfect, but it’s not so bad, either. Kind of like an eternal cool spring. I can deal with that.

I suppose it was naïve to think that I could step of the plane, basically as a new immigrant (US passport notwithstanding) and sit right down in the Director’s chair. New countries require a minimum of a year to get established. The upcoming recession doesn’t help my case, either. But the more I think about it (and I have plenty of time to do just that) the more I realize that this really is the path to take. None of the alternatives will get me where I ultimately want and need to go.

With all this on my mind, it was a welcome respite to get to some and real exercise walking around the huge Angkor and nearby temple complexes. I covered all the territory, took the requisite photographs, had a nice lunch, and then went back to Angkor Wat itself in the afternoon for a more leisurely discovery session. Even though there were tourists all over the place, I managed to find an enclave where the Angkor kings used to be placed to lie in state before there funerals. I had it all to myself, with a striking view of the grounds, and was able to meditate, in a most suitable environment. The conclusion I came to is that the slower the job search process goes, the greater choice I will eventually have. So, calm down, chill out, and enjoy what remains of this incredible journey. I ended the day by taking some pretty spectacular sunset photos with Angkor Wat as the backdrop.

Check out the recent photos:
• Around Phnom Penh City
• Oudong
• Wats around Angkor
• And of course Angkor Wat – the Real McCoy