ReidaBlog

Once again I’m more than 12 months late updating. So let’s finish this trip report. In the last 3 sections I used pictures from Ralf’s camera. Let’s now do the whole trip from mine (don’t worry I’ll try to avoid duplicate stories).

I arrive at the Detroit airport around 5am for a 6am flight to Newark where I’ll have about 2 hours to catch my connecting flight to Beijing. When I get to the gate there are people lined up at the desk getting reassigned to other flights and the board says cancelled. Apparently the pilot’s wife just went into labor so he rushed off. Everyone was getting assigned new flights. When it was my turn the gate agent said best they could do was the next flight leaving in about 1.5 hours that might make it in time. 15 minutes later I’m the last one sitting at the gate when a lady in a Continental uniform walks up and asks why the flight is cancelled. When she hears there is no pilot she says, “I can fly the plane.” A couple of calls later and we start boarding…with 1 passenger.

My first private flight

I spend the first week in Beijing looking for new signs:

Seeing old friends who proceed to drink so much at lunch that they fall asleep at work later that day

Finding what has become of Nanjie

And then taking off with Ralf to Xinjiang. You guys know this story already so just throwing in a few pictures from my camera.

What the hell is a ‘head stage’?

You know how on the small commuter flights they caution that when exiting the plane to never step behind the wing? Notice that there are 2 exits…

A mini-bus full of newly minted teachers heading up to the pass. They’d eventually be able to make it since the borders were still open to the Chinese.

Looking down from the hill I climbed.

Ralf on zoom

Self portrait 1

Close-up of the rockfall that wasn’t there on the way up.

Where do I start?

This would have been my favorite picture if I had gotten the perspective right. Any guess what this is? If you guessed a shit stalagmite you are correct.

It was really impressive, probably about 4′ tall. No shit.

I saw these before we actually knew there was lake at the desert. I had no idea what was going on.

I should have learned from Egypt that I didn’t like camels. Notice how I threw in a little of the local language in that last sentence?

Bit of a surreal moment as we ride out into the desert at sunset, far from civilization, and then the guide answers his cell phone.

I call this piece: Graveyard in a sandstorm. Because it is.

Don’t worry I didn’t.

Great gift shop idea: textiles or auto parts

Sun at noon

Don’t worry I did.

If you just want one bag do they provide you with something to carry it in? One of the great questions of our age. Or maybe the real question is who is buying the bags that say “Plastic Bag Shop”?

The touristy Sunday market in Kashgar. Nothing special really. But it was big.

New construction technique, water it and it builds itself.

These guys were not happy to have their picture taken. Abdul had to rush over and save me. I’m still not sure if it was that I was taking a picture in a graveyard or that the grave was fake.

Anyway, after the trip I returned to Beijing and promptly washed my passport. This would cause all sorts of problems but is a story for another time since I don’t have any pictures. I had made this trip to attend Astrid’s 2nd 21st birthday party but plans change and I found myself about to take a ferry to Koh Chang Thailand.

Its seaworthiness did not inspire confidence.

I did make it safely to my remote CFA study lodge.

Not a lot of modern conveniences on Koh Chang but we did get great sporting events on TV.

A couple days later I was heading back when I saw an angel. Thai fashion rocks.

But it has nothing on the mullet of this guy heading to Phnom Penh.

This is one of my favorites. Internet cafe in Cambodia.

Phnom Penh was a great time, partly because you noticed that rules didn’t matter at all.

But I did wonder who travels all the way to Siem Riep to take driving lessons? In other words does this sign really need an english translation? What makes it even weirder was that there were tons of these places, sort of like dentist shops in Kashgar.

On my way to Angkor Wat during the rainy season.

Advice to people who head to Angkor Wat: The tickets are good for 1 day but if you buy your ticket after 5pm you can use it that night and the next day. This allows you to see sunset at one of the temples. I chose to do it at the main Angkor Wat temple.

The main temple is on an island formed by a really big moat seen here with some late afternoon bathers.

Now for my favorite 2-part sign since the ‘unobstructed access’ ramp at Wudaokou

Part 1

Part 2

Entrance to Angkor Wat in the evening. Don’t let the clouds fool you, they are just the typical afternoon rain showers. Most of the day is hot, humid, and sunny.

Crowds leaving for the day and this poor kid who’s parents made him stop and take pictures every few minutes. Who’s been there?

Me and Angkor

In the next two photos the authorities are trying to get everyone to leave in order to turn the lights on. I’ve been trying to get some pictures without any other people in them so end up being the very last to exit. They were pretty tired of telling me to leave but still happy willing to snap some pictures of me.

Since when does Buddha have six arms?

This is where it would have been nice to have a good camera like Ralf’s, Angkor lit up at night.

The next morning I got up early and went back to the temples. Angkor is actually a large complex of different temples so I decided to visit the ones that sounded most interesting to me. As I write this though I can’t remember the names…sorry.

First one is a pyramid at the top of a pretty good sized hill. Apparently a good place to watch the sunset so gets crowded in the evening. However, in the early morning I was the only person around.

Must be the mountain where Moses got his tablets.

They weren’t kidding either.

Each step was about a foot high and 3 inches wide. More like a series of stone ladders. But I’m still appreciative that in the West you wouldn’t have been allowed up and here there wasn’t anyone in the neighborhood to tell me what was/wasn’t allowed.

Narrow steps

View from the top was worth the climb.

“Reid at temple” from my self portrait series

The camera’s timer function gets a lot of use when I travel alone.

Restoration of the 500 year old coin operated binoculars was just getting underway.

In the evening tourists who don’t want to climb up a hill through the jungle to reach the temple can ride an elephant. But in the morning all that is left is a nice pool of urine.

Apparently the elephants drink day-glo lime kool-aid

Timer picture that involved a short sprint and many tries.

I made it farther in this iteration…gives you a glimpse of all the work that goes into making this blog a reality. Each picture is obviously the result of many ‘takes’.

All around the temple there were these little rock piles.

So I built my own.

Time to head to the next temple. This one is famous ( I think it’s called Banyon, the one with all the big faces) and was packed with tourists.

Anchient khymer sculpture technique could obviously use some work, for a statue about as tall as me his feet were huge.

See?

Thais had cockfighting on TV, the cambodians have it on temple walls.

Just providing you all some culture.

This is why the tourists come, to see the big stone faces.

Reid and rocky

Chinese Superman Cowboys!

They were everywhere.

Apparently the girl on the right saw my posing earlier and was inspired. I’m better though.

Inside the temple there was an empty carving. Hmmm…what could go here?

Apparently I’m buddha! Who knew?!?

Giant face temple

More Chinese superman cowboys! They’re spreading.

And on the move.

First glimpse of the ‘Tomb Raider’ temple. The somewhat sad part is this is how it is referred to as the tomb raider temple by everyone. The part that makes me proud is apparently American* cultural hegemony is strong enough to rename a temple in the jungles of Cambodia.

*Technically this would be British cultural hegemony since the original game was created by Eidos a UK game company. But let’s be real it took Hollywood, that quintessential American institution, to embed it into the global cultural lexicon**.

**I had a sudden urge to write this sentence and use big words, not sure why.

Doing a little exploring.

I’m pretty sure they meant that rocks could fall on my head but in the back of my mind I’m thinking landmines.

More of what you’ve all been waiting for…pictures of me.

And because the line to get a picture taken here was really long thanks to…any guesses…oh right, tomb raider, I decide that instead of a picture of myself I’d much rather have one more of the Chinese cowboy superman.

Same tree from the other side.

Well my trip is almost done. All that was left was to take a ride to the Cambodian/Thai border. But this made for a great trip…anyone ever driven down a road while they were building it?

This one is for Meg

Hand painted traffic signs

Must admit I paid a bit extra so I didn’t have to ride on the bus.

One of many ‘Beware Landmine’ signs telling you not to step off the road. Seriously.

Giant roller heading towards us

More ongoing road construction

We got a flat tire so while it was being fixed I decided to walk around and take some pictures.

Gas station

No spare, so flat needs to get fixed at a little tire shop.

Shop had the cutest kid ever and his puppy.

And that is it. I’m tired of writing so I’ll end with a picture of pretty cool archtecture I found in Eric’s driveway when I finally got back to the states.