Touring Cambodia and my greatest “regret,” Angkor Wat. It was most definitely having entered the world heritage site from the “back door”. Oblivious to its massive power, I ascended and, looking down upon the site, was left only with exasperation. It was like having to watch a good movie from the middle. Please let this be a special warning to other free-spirited travelers who plan to tour ruins by bicycle.

Angkor Wat, towering under a sky of fringed clouds for thousands of years. A corridor lined with statues of decapitated Buddhas with severed arms. Mutilated and destroyed, a pillar lay abandoned on the ground. Forgotten over hundreds of years, this tower must have stoically watched the drifting clouds as it slowly merged with the forest

When it comes to the protection of the ruins, “Are the Banyan trees corroding the ruins?” or “Are they supporting the ruins?” are questions continually under debate by UNESCO and other experts. Stones gently support the hips while the plants quietly extend their hands toward the heavens. Will a day ever come when humans can truly answer those questions?