People are Crazy!

People are crazy. (Yes, thats the end of the damned statement) People are suicidal. (Greenhouse gases, stupid wars, crazy world leaders leading us to stupid wars, soap operas, hell I am sure people want to kill themselves). People are weird (Do I need to explain that?)
People will be People. Therefore, we are crazy, suicidal and weird among other things.
Why are we like this. We have just one planet, we have probably 70 years on it if you are lucky, out of that, the first 5 are lost with memory developement, the next 5 in tryin to understand the basics of living in this planet, 10-15 on grasping the advanced knowledge on cohabiting with other people, 15-20 trying to build a foundation so you can handle the next 50 years, 20-25 being in love or trying to be in love or hoping to get laid, 25-30 working to build your resume so you can get a better job after 30, 30-35 getting married and juggling a job, 35-40 looking after the first born and hoping that the job you did on your resume will bear fruit (you are a damn fruit CAKE, you ll know that when you lie on your death bed), 40-45 mid life crisis time and you are wondering if you are in the right job doing the right thing, 45-50 finally getting a grip of reality and working in a real hurry to get that retirement fund growing as fast as possible, 50-55 ruminating about all those things you could have done and didnt do when you were 20-25, 55-60 planning yourson/daughters/whateveryouwanttocallyouroffspring's wedding (this is an Indian tradition, if theres someonelse reading this, then you can substitute it with "superannuation planning or "reflection on yourself" time"), 60-65 finally noticing you have someone called a wife or husband whom you have neglected over the past 30 years and trying to make up for all the lost time by travelling to places in the world that you should have actually done when you were 30, 65-70 the idea of death enters the scheme of things you have planned and you are just waiting for it.
People are fucking weird.

Polar Dreams

The Antarctic seems so tempting. So very tempting.

Angkor What?

T'is been a long time. Where did the AM disappear? For starters he broke his hand in an accident and couldnt be bothered typing with one hand. Then he travelled to whacky places where internet is still in its infancy. But more on that later, first a few pictures of Cambodia.

The Angkor Wat. Considered to be one of the seven wonders of the world, this structure dedicated to Vishnu is the largest hindu temple in the world.



A young monk poses for a photograph at the Bayon temple located in the ancient city of Angkor Thom. Built in the 9th Century by King Suryavarman.



A view of the mighty Mekong river from my room. Fish and rice are the staple diet of the Khymer(thats what the Cambodians are called) and the Mekong plays a major part in every aspect of their life.



Another view of the Bayon temple.


A monk with a mobile at the Angkor Wat!


One of the Towers in Angkor Wat.


The Ta Prohm temple. Better known as the Tomb raider temple. The Movie that goes by that name used this temple as a back drop for most parts.


The Ta Prohm.


The Apsara dance is one of the more graceful danceforms in the world. Till a few decades ago, this dance would have been performed only for the royalty. Tourism and the dollars that follow have ensured that mere mortals like me can also get to experience this amazing display of grace and beauty.


Fried crickets and locusts are common snacks for the locals. For around 10 cents you can get a paper bag filled with this crunchy snack. Rich in protiens and inexpensive. On the shock value scale this ranks pretty low. I saw a 20 litre plastic tank filled with the local Mekong whisky and a 10 feet dead cobra soaking in it. They let the cobra soak for around nine months and remove the cobra before drinking the whisky. Supposed to be a great aphrodisiac! Whew!