Naomi Kelsey: Tomb Raider

The Rundown:

Back story: On May 1, I was laid off (with a month's notice, so I was on the payroll until June 10). So I had about a month or so to figure out what to do next. After some thinking, I decided to do the following:

1. Search for jobs here in the Philippines and the U.S. 
2. Take my severance pay (part of it) and go on a trip in Asia, then make my way leisurely back to the U.S. 
3. In the U.S, first I would stay with my sister in Denver, Co, checking out the job scene and getting a feeling for if it would be a fit. If nothing happened in about 3 months, I would move on to Rochester, N.Y. where I would sort of permanently settle looking for work with my mom's house as home base. (Bonus: close to friends and fam there).

Well, I settled into a housesitting gig (best stroke of luck ever!) and from there  (using their generous offer of a laptop and their internet connection) I was able to apply for, interview for, and get a job in Denver, doing the same thing I was doing here in the Philippines: working for a call center designing training materials. However, this bumped up my timeline considerably and the 5 country odyssey I had planned had to shrink to just one country: Cambodia.

There was no other horse even close: Angkor Wat has been a dream of mine since I was about 20. I don't remember where I first saw it or quite why it grabbed me and didn't let go, but I knew if I ever had the chance: and now I have the chance.

So I just spent a week there, in Phnom Pehn and Siem Reip, visiting Angkor Wat and other sites.

It was amazing. Words and even pictures really fall short of the truly enchanting spirit and scenery in Cambodia. It is called "Kingdom of Wonder" and I think that's very apt.

Saffron robed monks in the street.

Buddhist temples mixed with street life.

Hidden gardens with pools and chaise lounges with low hanging trees dropping their petals on your bare shoulders.

Nothing can really prepare you for the size and scope of Angkor Wat proper-- it's huge, and you do worry you're going to get lost in it. There are no security guards, signs, or safety maps, or anything. Just a few wooden beams nailed over the most shaky parts and your own common sense to guide you.

I got there at 4 AM to watch the sunrise and to beat the heat, and the beauty of Angkor Wat in the near dawn inky skies is something I will never forget. I almost don't want to sully it by trying to describe it, except to say that it feels like you're being held lightly in the palm of history's hand.

The overwhelming beauty and the surreality of the scene makes me feel privileged to be alive.  One can imagine the feeling back in 1860's when explorers found these monuments--- words fail me.

I also went to "Big Buddha Head" temple: Angkor Thom, and "Tomb Raider" temple, where they shot Tomb Raider- and it's ALL REAL! Tomb Raider is a composite of a few sites, but the temple where the huge tree roots grow out of the temple: real.

And butterflies flit around in the deep green, while the birds wheel overhead, perching on Buddha's face, then taking off again.

One of the most amazing trips I've ever taken. The beauty and fragile strength of this country and its treasures will stay with me forever.