Oh, Mother

Now, I don't want to scare anyone when I say this. I really don't. But, I spent pretty much the entire month of March traveling...with my mother. Ok, ok. Calm down, no need to get all riled up. This was planned. Now I've really got you scratching your head.
Mama Bear decided it was as good a time as any to see a new part of the world, especially with an experienced tour/food guide to lead her around. I agreed, knowing my budget was in for a change and liking the idea of having a tiny (if any) bit of control over my maternal figure. We ended up having a very good time. Thankfully, she and I have the same sort of "travel style," which translates to both of us like to walk, eat, and take a midday rest. The heat may have put a damper on conversation between the hours of 12 and 4 PM unless we were in air-conditioning, but other than that we were out walking, talking, and discovering.
Our first stop, after only one full day in Bangkok (just long enough for some street food and shopping at the famously huge weekend market) was Siem Reap, Cambodia. We came for the same reason as everyone else: to see the famous Temples of Angkor, a nominee as one of the eight World Wonders of the modern world. The little town of Siem Reap was nothing more than an average tourist ghetto, loaded with bars, international restaurants (I think there was even a Mexican place), internet cafes, and shops selling junky souvenirs. The temples were a fifteen-minute drive outside the town and worth every minute of travel. They were all built somewhere around 1000 AD. My first thoughts were, of course, "wow, look at what intricate carvings and symbolic art these people created." The stone buildings are covered with religious scenes, Hindu gods, and Buddha sculptures. They are truly fascinating. I eventually found the temples strange and eerie, though. The kings and rulers who had these built in their name or to please a god never thought their powerful kingdoms would become what they are today. Now, they are tourist attractions crowded with foreigners sporting Angkor Wat t-shirts (I am one of these!) and funny hats interested in seeing the ancient buildings, then moving on. Could this be any hint to our present society? Any hint, at all?
Cambodia itself was fascinating. People describe it as being what Thailand was fifteen years ago. Outside of the town, it is rural villages and farmland until the next town. The Temples are just beginning to push tourist money into Siem Reap. In ten years, I hope I can tell it apart from Disney World.
Our next stop was Luang Prabang, Laos. Yes, I have been here before, but I liked the quaint town so much, I was eager to go back. On one of the first few nights, we had a fish barbecue dinner at the same little restaurant where I did the Adventure Eating dinner. We stuffed fish that had been grilled in banana leaves, various chopped herbs, peanut sauce, and fresh rice noodles in a lettuce leaf and popped the whole thing in our mouths. That, and the sticky rice with dipping sauce appetizer, made for a fabulous meal. We even had sweet coconut sticky rice for dessert. A highlight meal! We spent our days doing much of the same thing that I had done there before: wandering through narrow streets, in and out of shops, and soaking up the relaxed atmosphere. One night, we stayed at a fairly remote resort in the jungle. Across the river is an elephant camp where we took a ride on one. I sat on the neck, while Mom tried balancing numerous water bottles, and her sanity, on the bench behind me.
Later that day, we took a hike to the only thing close to the resort: a small village that happened to be having a dance party in the mid-afternoon heat, complete with karaoke (a must, even in the jungle). It was only a twenty-minute walk, but by the time we got there, Mom and I looked like we had been through the desert and barely made it out alive. And to think those Lao women were dancing the day away in long skirts! It's too hot to even think about...