Angkor-whelming

I've spent the last two days ruin-hopping around Angkor Wat with one more day to go tomorrow. I have a little of the inevitable "it all looks the same, I just want to go back to my room and sleep" feeling, but to a much larger extent, I'm in a perpetual state of awe. Angkor Wat was of course ridiculous. Not the highest temple ever, but the footprint is gigantic, and the entire perimeter of one of the interior walls is covered in non-stop, detail carving: I think about 1 kilometer! But more than that is just that fact that Angkor Wat is really just one of many. Many many many. Ever new temple just adds to the overall effect. Why can't we have infrastructure projects like that? I think the new Bay Bridge would be sweet if it had seven-headed sea-serpents along the whole length of the bridge. It is pretty strange though seeing all this stuff in a country that is so underdeveloped and poor. While Cambodia is clearly developing fast (almost certainly too fast), one has the sense that visitors and locals both see this as a land whose greatest days occurred 1000 years ago. And in a much more dramatic way that Greece or Rome, just because of the current state of things here.

Notes:

• I'm sick again with a cold. Sucks, but if I end this trip with nothing worse than 2 colds, I will certainly count myself lucky.
• Being sick, I had Khmer chicken soup today for lunch and it was great! There was a bug in the soup though and realizing that it would be somewhat awkward complaining about a bug in my soup in a place that bugs are commonly eaten on purpose, I just fished it out and kept eating...
• The temples here are completely overrun, not only by encroaching forests, but by encroaching touts. Most are very cute little girls (between 7-12 years old?) selling t-shirts, bracelets, scarfs, water bottles, pineapple, etc. They are relentless. I'm actually the worst type of tourist for this, because I am teaching them that some people will say "no" 5000 times and then still buy something from them. (Don't get too excited Katie: I mainly just bought water...)
• These kids all ask were I'm from and when I say America, they say "which state" and when I say California, they say, "the capital is Sacramento! Now will you buy something from me!?" Then i say no again. Some times they tell me that Arnold is my governor. Sometimes they tell me the population of the US. Sometimes they name other capitals. Sometimes they count to 10 in several different languages.
  
• Tomorrow I will have counter-measures for the kids: Candy! "I will give you this is you leave me alone..."
  
• Finally getting my first real bout of home-sickness and road-weariness. The cold probably helps. Back in just 2 weeks from tomorrow. It really does go fast. Before I know it I will be at home weed-whacking the yard, just like I was never gone.
  
• Speaking of weed whacking, they literally weed-whack here. Lawns are moved by men on the knees swinging machetes. I will try to stop complaining when I do our lawn (but I'm sure I'll complain anyway...)
• Massage update: Something that I've always dreamed about finally happened yesterday during a massage. No, not that. Yesterday I had a "4-hands massage". 2 masseuses at once for an hour. At times it was confusing and at times it seemed like one of the ladies was just killing time on the legs because she couldn't get anywhere else, but there were moments of true inspiration. They were like synchronized swimmers: when they were in sync, they were more beautiful than they possibly could be alone, but when they were out of sync it was obvious and awkward. Anyway, for $10/hr (only $2.50/hr per hand!) it is definitely something I'm going back for...
  

OK, much more, but I'm tired. Hmm, 4 hands...

-erik