A heads-up on how to respect local cultural customs for first time western visitors to Angkor Wat, and Cambodia in general.

How to Be a Conscious Traveler in Siem Reap, Cambodia
19 Sept 2017
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how ... 6732cbc972

I find I tend to miss a lot of stuff if I'm unconscious while traveling.

Funny how she manages to get some tips wrong in such a short article. Point with the palm of your hand?! I'm trying to wrap my head around how exactly one were to do this, but that's not how locals "point" (unless he means fingers down and palm open?). Either way, everyone knows Khmers point with their lips. What other gestures do Canadians use all the time that would be considered rude here? Another parachute-in expert... I'm scratching my head. Came for a week, saw the temples, wrote a little article, left Cambodia... Thanks for your insight Courtney.

As articles go, far from the worst.

The ideal article on Cambodia should include:

Ancient ruins
A mad dictator and auto-genocide
American bombing and its consequences
Unexploded ordnance everywhere
Landmine amputees pitiably begging
Child-brothel slavery (preferably including terrified children howling in despair and chained to their beds)
Packs of Western perverts roaming the plains
Drugs galore and drug-crazed foreigners banged up behind bars
Sweated labor in the garment industry
A repressive and horrid government
People eating fried bugs because they can't afford real food

Paul Theroux managed to look out of the window of a vehicle traveling from Poipet to Siem Reap and see blue lights "in the jungle" - that's the
sort of imaginative writing needed!

Cruisemonkey wrote: ↑Wed Sep 20, 2017 6:50 am I find I tend to miss a lot of stuff if I'm unconscious while traveling.

That's what I was thinking I was going to say if you want to be a conscious traveler, make sure you wear a helmet

Siem Reap is an undeniably cool town.

She truly is a seasoned travel writer with an uncanny ability to paint a visual picture in one's mind. Fascinating stuff.

Nothing better than a self-absorbed American liberal who doesn't even realize she's a half-wit.