There are two manmade tourist photo ops from space -- I am here at one of them, Angkor Wat.
Just a quick visit this time. Enough time to snatch some good photos, note the big changes since my last visit 10 years ago, eat some great food.
The biggest changes are the way that temple access has been organised. Most temples now have 'way of visit' and 'possibilities of visit' routes that take in the important aspects but constrain the earlier freedom.
I enjoyed the new organisation - quite the opposite to what I usually find attractive - and happily went along with it because, despite the 'routes', there was still the fun and adventure. You can still wander off and break your neck easily enough: they are safe enough but without the paternal claptrap of developed countries' Health & Safety rules.
This is the start of the tourist season and it is possible to get pictures without others in the frame if you want that. For me, the people and their interaction are as interesting as the history of the temples.
This year, there are many Asian tourists, not just beautifully dressed but wonderfully colourful and enjoying their taste of travel with an enthusiasm that restrained 'seen it all before' Western tourists rarely show.
I flew in from Chiang Mai via Bangkok three days ago ... later today, I will take a taxi to the border with Thailand. I need to meet people at Sa Kaeo, about 30km into Thailand, by 10pm.
Dawn at Angkor Wat ... how could anyone miss that?
Sunset over the Angkor plain ... fun, crowded, maybe even a glimpse of sunset
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