Anticipation
The most difficult part of air travel for me, is the anticipatory period when everything is booked and ready, and all you have to do it wait. I have work to keep me busy, and little things always pop up that need last-minute intervention, but I just want to be on the move!
On the road 2017
This flight to Cambodia is no exception. I have a raised stress level that comes from having to wait? for a flight, in order to get where I want to be. Overland travel is so much better?I can hop on my bike and leave when I am ready, and not have to wait for a specific date or time. I suppose if I had the financial resources I could just book a flight on a whim, but price-conscious flyers are much like those playing the stock market, you have to get it while the getting?s good.
I received notice of delivery of the laptops to the post office in Calais Maine, that Brad?s helpful friend Jay packaged and mailed from the West Coast. I?ll be Sherpaing them (yes, it?s a real word), along with Green Chile straps for fastening the laptops to our rented bikes in Cambodia. My mother has agreed to drive with me to Calais for a day trip from the Saint John area. I have no idea how the border officers will deal with me bringing used laptops without operating systems across the border, but I am confident that declaring them, along with the Green Chile straps, and explaining that they are donated for a good cause, they will either wave me along, or charge a minimal tax on them. We shall see. I did the research but can find no precedence for this particular situation.
After I pick up the computers I?ll be heading to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where I?ll fly to Toronto, then one big long flight to China, before hopping over to Siem Reap in Cambodia. I leave on a Sunday and arrive on a Tuesday morning. The hotel has emailed twice to make sure they have my information correct for an airport pickup service, and the room costs about $14 USD per night. They offer a glass of wine on arrival?although I think I?ll pass and head straight to bed after the long flights if I don?t get distracted in the meantime.
I?ll have a full month in Siem Reap to finish up a great contract I have with an eLearning company in Ireland, while I explore the expanse of ruins known as Angkor Wat. I?ll be working at a ?Co-working Space? where they provide high-quality fast internet and a workspace for a small fee. My intention is to offer some training to locals and ex-pats alike in whatever eLearning related tasks they like, as part of a co-working community exchange.
From Wikipedia with edits: Angkor Wat is a temple complex in Cambodia and the largest religious monument in the world, on a site measuring 162.6 hectares (400 acres). As the best-preserved temple at the site, It was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century in Ya?odharapura, the capital of the Khmer Empire, as his state temple and eventual mausoleum. Breaking from the Shaiva tradition of previous kings, Angkor Wat was instead dedicated to Vishnu (God of Protection, Preservation of Good, Dharma restoration, Moksha). It is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation.
La Phrom by Brad Ringstmeier
Angkor Wat complex is a huge tourist attraction, so if I am going to get some good photos, I?ll need many visits at different times of the day. The busiest months are November to April so I?m hoping I?ll get a few visits without too many folks in the way. I can get a seven-day pass for about $7 USD a day.
I?ll be practicing the ?Power of Now? to contain my desire to be gone already.
I?ll let you know how the border trip goes? stay tuned, and think good thoughts!