Eyes wide open

One of the heads guarding the gate into Angkor Thom, the last capital city of the Khmer empire.

"As I go through all kinds of feelings and experiences in my journey through life -- delight, surprise, chagrin, dismay -- I hold this question as a guiding light: "What do I really need right now to be happy?" What I come to over and over again is that only qualities as vast and deep as love, connection and kindness will really make me happy in any sort of enduring way." - Sharon Salzberg

Tomorrow I begin my teacher training program at Centered Yoga in Koh Samui. As such, I need to keep this update short. Additionally, this will likely be my last blog update until I finish the program. The coming weeks for me are about practice, study, and surrender. This is my first step in a life dedicated to the practice and study of yoga.

The last month has been a roller coaster and surely one of the most significant experiences in my life. I'm at a lost for words and finding it difficult to express how I feel. There are times when I find myself in awe of this life and it's beauty and smiling back at the universe. We are so blessed to be alive - it is a gift. There are also times when I find myself crying. While I've seen and experienced love, beauty, and kindness in all countries I've visited, I've also seen a lot suffering, hardship, and unfortunate circumstances. Everyday presents a new adventure and challenge.

Thank you for those who have been reading my blog, reaching out, and showing your support. I love and miss my family and friends so much.

-Hoang

Murals etched into the walls of the Bayon temple. The level of detail in all of these temples is mind blowing. I kept asking myself, "How did they accomplish all of this?" Apparently a lot of people and decades of hard work.

Bayon Temple @ Angkor Thom.

Angkor Thom.

Cambodian child. There are many of them at the temples with their families, begging for money.

Ta Prohm temple. Primary location for the movie Tomb Raider.

Primates chillin on our motorbike. These guys were super friendly and obviously very used to human interaction. They would come up and grab bananas from your hand.

Amok fish in curry. This is a Khmer favorite and more similar to Thai curry than Indian. Delicious.

Same same, but different. Fried and fresh spring rolls in the market in Siem Riep. Again, I found the best tasting and cheapest foods in the market place.

The lake is currently in high season and you see a lot of this - someone's home halfway submerged in water.

Enjoying a beer on Tonle Sap lake.

The floating village on Tonle Sap lake. Only way to get here is via boat. Interesting enough, the majority of the inhabitants of this village on the lake are Vietnamese, not Cambodian.

Me with the Director of the Vietnamese school on the floating village. 

Lunch time for the kids at the school.

Angkor Wat - simply amazing. Tough to describe the magnitude and beauty of the largest temple in the world. Was originally a Hindu temple but was converted to Buddhism I believe in the 14th century.

The moat surrounding Angkor Wat.

Lord Vishnu statue inside Angkor Wat.

Incredible. Angkor Wat is one of those places you visit and scratch your head. 37 years it took to complete.

One of the pools inside Angkor Wat. These were reserved for women only. 

Main tower of Angkor Wat.

One of the boys at ACODO orphanage performing in his Hanuman costume.

Cambodian boys from the street happily eating leftovers from my dinner.

Fish massage in Cambodia. These guys eat the dead skin from your feet. As strange as it is, it actually really works. The skin on my feet was much smoother after a 30 minute session. $1 USD for 30 minutes. They have these in Thailand too, but the cost is like $10 for 30 minutes. Koh Samui, Thailand has been 2-4x more expensive than Vietnam and Cambodia. There's also many more tourists, correlation?

Chaweng beach on Koh Samui, Thailand. This is the island I am on for the next 4 weeks. No complaints!