“I don’t consider myself a politician or a hero. I’m a messenger. If Cambodia is to survive, she needs many voices.”
-Dith Pran
Cambodia was one of my “first list items”. The first countries I knew I wanted to see when I started planning this trip. Angkor Wat had, like Petra, been on my bucket list for as long as I could remember. I decided to start out in Phnom Penh though, because the plane tickets there were cheaper than to Siem Reap. I’m practical at least half the time…
“I love the fact that after being here, we are both going home to google exactly what it is we are looking at right now…”
– Fabi & I not doing the necessary research before going to the caves
If you’ve ever googled Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur or, if you are particular in your tastes, the philosopher-warrior god of Hinduism (Kartikeya/Murugan), then you’ve probably seen a photo of the humongous, golden statue outside the Batu Caves of Kuala Lumpur.
“So what do I do if he jumps off the balcony?”
“Don’t worry. We will know it’s not your fault. He’s done that before…”
– Maya giving last minute instructions
If you love animals doing a housesit is an amazing idea. Especially if you travel alone and would like some company that doesn’t talk back. Unless you petsit Ewok. He talks. A lot.
“I don’t know if you’re familiar with Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. You step outside the hotel and you’re soaking wet within 10 minutes.”
-Craig Fairbass
I just left Malaysia behind and arrived in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. I didn’t write nearly enough about my time there, mostly because I was feeling totally out of it and was generally done with pretty much everything and anything for a good part of the time there.
“I always say, keep a diary and someday it will keep you.”
– Mae West
Still struggling a bit and it only feels worse when I feel like I’m lagging behind on the blog, because I know how much I’m going to rely on this later when I’ve forgotten the small things.
“Travel far enough, you meet yourself”
– Cloud Atlas
Turns out Malaysia was the country for me. The country where my first massive slump happened. I don’t really want to call it a meltdown because to me that implies a dramatic reaction. Like yelling or throwing stuff, at least there should be some crying involved… I had none of that, but I noticed something was seriously off a couple of days after landing in Kuala Lumpur.
“I never imagined I could make it to the top of Mount Everest at age 80. This is the world’s best feeling, although I’m totally exhausted. Even at 80, I can still do quite well.”
– Yuichiro Miura
“Butt-clenching time!”
– Rob
“Better to see something once than to hear about it a thousand times.”
– Asian Proverb
“If weighed, the total amount of concrete used in the construction of Burj Khalifa would equal the approx. weight of 100.000 elephants.”
