The struggle

When people think back to locations they've visited they remember the sights, the food, and the people. Siem Reap, Cambodia has granted me many indelible memories, but I will definitely remember the heat.

Cambodia is a humid country and Siem Reap was a seat of the Khmer empire. Now, following many years of difficult times, it's a grand tourist destination.

The landscape is a jungle. A literal jungle surrounds many of the several temples and the roads, when I went, were a little rough. Traffic laws were more like guidelines as well.

Now the beauty of the land and temples and the hospitality of the people will remain with me. The other thing that I will take to my grave is the oppressive heat and the overbearing humidity. 

To say I wasn't prepared for just how hot it was is an understatement. It was as if someone took an entire city and put it in the oven. I've never expelled sweat at the degree I was there. When I went into a building, my clothes were practically able to be wrung out. 

Of course, it was a grand experience, but with the country turning into an ice cube in some places, I figured you'd like a little bit of heat.