"The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."
- St. Augustine
When I was around nine years old I decided I wanted to be a world famous explorer - that or the coolest female pirate the world had ever seen. I'm not sure what spurred this fascination, although I have a feeling it had something to do with my unhealthy obsession with the "Indiana Jones" trilogy. My dream was quickly shattered when someone had the audacity to tell me everything worth knowing about had already been discovered. So I decided to change my career aspirations to become a world famous secret agent instead (I've been told I had a very overactive imagination as a kid - who am I kidding, I still do).
Not much has changed since I was nine. Although I have settled for a more reasonable and practical career path in journalism, I have still maintained a curiosity and drive to explore the entire world one country at a time. That's why I hope to be a world famous traveling writer some day and share with everyone how crazy and fun the world is along with all the secrets there are still left to uncover.
When the opportunity arose for me to go to Siem Reap, Cambodia, and see the ancient temples of Angkor, I bought a plane ticket in a heart beat. I had been diligently studying in Bangkok for a month and was excited to visit its neighbor known as "land of smiles."
Siem Reap is a small, sleepy town that has seen major development in the last five years. The town has nearly doubled in size (from about 7,000 to 18,000) and new hotels are springing up at a steady pace as interest in Angkor grows (the first "Tomb Raider" was filmed in the temple of Ta Prohm). Despite these developments, the town is still very rustic in character and you feel a sense of unknown adventure the second you step off the plane. The roads are crudely paved and the country has yet to adopt ATM machines - it was perfect, and my four friends and I couldn't wait to begin our exploration.
We were not disappointed.
Climbing through the overgrown ruins of Ta Prohm and Preah Khan and taking countless pictures in the majestic Angkor Wat, the five of us were like kids in a candy shop. For three days we got up at the crack of dawn and didn't stop until our bodies forced us to take a break. On the last night, we celebrated our weekend by bar hopping along the main street in town. We started at The Red Piano (where Angelina Jolie and her crew hung out during "Raider" filming) and ended up at a bar called Angkor What? where we met, of all people, two guys from Ocean Beach.
The next morning, hung over and reluctant to leave, we packed our bags and headed toward the small airport and back to "semi" reality. As I looked out the petite, square airplane window and watched the endless fields of rice pass me by, I was once again that nine-year-old little girl in awe of all the world had to give. And I realized the person who informed me there was nothing left to discover was wrong - there has always been a whole planet for me to discover.
- Maggie Grainger is the assistant tempo editor, has been studying in Bangkok, Thailand and "exploring" Southeast Asia for the past six weeks.
- This column does not necessarily reflect the views of The Daily Aztec.
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