Angkor Wat-ITIS

We've all experienced it in some form or another. Whether you've visited one too many cathedrals in the capitols of Europe or pehaps it's occurred while getting your money's worth at the Smithsonian Museums or maybe after touring the National Parks of Utah.
The symptoms are all the same - glazed eyes, sore feet & a particular lack of interest in the amazing sites in front of you. We've seen people exiting the temples who appear to have just attended a funeral - looks of anguish on their face and rubbing red puffy eyes.
Angkor Wat-ITIS is a worse affliction that Cathedral-ITIS, Museum-ITIS
or National Park-ITIS. There are several reasons why it is to be feared.

First of all, there is the heat. Cambodia is a tropical country and even the most acclimated will soon be dripping in sweat. While attempting to savor the intricate carvings at your third or fourth temple, these thousand year old engravings all start to look the same. You begin to think, "I can revisit these in my guidebook", or "How dangerous is heat stroke, really?"

The next factor is the sheer enormity of Angkor Wat - over 25 temples in the area close to town, plus many more in outlying areas. The 'temple loop' is spread over 20 miles and most visitors use the ubiquitous tuk tuk to make the circuit. As the day goes on and enthusiasm wanes, these three-wheeled chariots become more and more comfortable. There are more temples than one could absorb in a month, let alone the two to three days most visitors allow. Unfortunately, the awe of these wonders of the world fades more quickly than one might think.

The third and possibly biggest contributing factor to Angko Wat-ITIS is the incessant singsong wails of "Do you want to drink something", "Do you want to buy a guidebook", "Do you want to buy a postcard" and the swarm of women and children who accost you as you arrive at each temple. I'm still haunted by these eerie little voices. You can be sipping from a bottle of water, thumbing through a guide book and they will try to sell you the exactly what you already have in hand. This is especially dangerous when some of the cutest kids you've ever seen will count to ten in fifteen languages for you or tell you the capitol of your state or the population of each Australian country all to get you to part with a dollar for their postcards or guidebook.

Each of these little entrepreneurs is tyring to sell you the exact same thing and after a few temples, you are out of patience and out of money. It doesn't help that westerners have "ATM" stamped on our foreheads.
Despite the widespread affliction of Angkor Wat-ITIS, we haven't heard of any hospitilizations or deaths from this disease. So, get yourself to Siem Reap, Cambodia and visit these wonders of the world. But, be sure to pace yourself - drink gallons of water, get plenty of foot massages & order a big bottle Angkor beer at the end of every day!