Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

While this side trip was by no means planned, it worked out perfectly for us. Instead of traveling by land and incurring hefty boarder crossing fees, we saved a few bucks by taking a flight to Malaysia and spending a day layover in seemingly the most diverse city in the world. Everything about KL (except for the language and the "wrong" side of the road driving) was familiar: high scale malls, Skyscrapers, Wendy's, nice cars.. And despite the Malay-inscribed advertisements,everyone spoke English. Our one full day was enough to enjoy Malay food (fantastic seafood), climb the KL tower to look at the Patroneus towers (the 4th and 3rd tallest buildings in the world, respectively), and even get a taste of home with a Wendy's lunch and Outback Steakhouse typhoon bloom. After our brief visit, we found ourselves flying in seaside to Surat Thani, Thailand for a couple weeks of island life.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital, was a very sobering visit. Aside from blatant examples of sex trafficking and prostitution, Phnom Penh is also the site of the Killing Fields; one of several hundred locations in Cambodia where tens of thousands innocent civilians were brutally beaten to death by members of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge. These acts of genocide were carried out during 1975-1979... During which nearly 5 million Cambodians were systematically erased off the planet. After the Khmer Rouge were finally overthrown by Vietnamese troops in 1979, the Khmer Rouge retained presence and funding support for 10 years from countries such as Great Britain and the United States. A majority of the leadership of Khmer Rouge remain free, while a few select leaders still await trial, charged with crimes against humanity and genocide. I strongly encourage anyone reading this to inform themselves about what happened in Cambodia in the late 1970s. Some of the things I learned about in the Toul Sleung Prison and the Killing Fields tour would even make Adolf Hitler flinch.

While the somber nature of this city in repair brought about long faces and early bedtimes, we still got plenty of lighter moments, such as playing chess in a smoothie shop or watching the Buddhist monks' tunics flow elegantly from the Mekong river breeze.

Ankor Wat, Cambodia

A few more pics from the 12th century mystical temples of Ankor Wat, the largest remaining religious ruins site in the world... Or something like that. Either way, these temples were of magnificent scale. While tramping around these ancient temples it seemed we were only missing khaki safari hats and a British accent to get the full on 18th century explorer experience. Prior to leaving Seam Reap (town near the Ankor Wat site), I also enjoyed a bit of the local "snack" specialty (see last two pictures).

Siem Reap, Cambodia

Hello friends, family, colleagues and all the good people on The List,

I am obviously back at that backpacking thing. I will be mobile for the next two months and blog posts are hard to complete with such fun new experiences constantly surrounding me. Therefor.. I will be uploading only the most important items to my blog for the next month... Just pictures. Remember though... If you send a personal note my way I promise to reply.

Enjoy the images!