10 temples 1 man. Today was my first day visiting the celestial city of Angkor. I bought a three day pass for 62 dollars to explore this amazing ancient city. The hostel offers a private guide for 35 USD to give you all the information you need. Obviously I didn't do that! I have a free pocket guide called ChatGPT. I prompted Mr. GPT to be the most profound Angkor scholar of politics, history, architecture, and religion and he did a great job. He told me details of each place and hidden things to look for! You are such a good boy Mr. GPT. It is crazy to see AI replacing jobs in real time! I rented a semi-automatic motorbike, my weapon of choice since the Thakhek loop, for 8 USD/day. I completed the Angkor grand circuit in 2 hours. I guess this is pretty fast. My favorite temples were Bayon, for the many Buddha faces, and Preah Khan for its vastness and intricate sculptures. Some of the temples used to be universities, monasteries, cremation sites, or dedication to family members. Driving through this area you really are taken aback by the vastness of this place. It is so cool driving through a huge ancient city on a modern motorbike. The dichotomy is real. The nature is pretty beautiful as well. There are huge trees and the whole Angkor city is surrounded by jungle. Some temples are being overtaken by trees and nature. I am actually pleased that it was not as busy or touristy as I expected. I did not go to the main temples, Angkor Wat and Ta Prohm because I am saving them for the equinox. I guess that is everything I want to say about the experience. Last night I finally bought The Economist year subscription. Typically it is over 250 dollars a year. I was able to get a 75% off discount through my brother's student email. I read some articles already and it is so crazy how much you can learn about the world. I highly recommend this magazine for anyone interested about the world. There is so much damn info out there!
