Originally Posted by
Pausanias
I do understand Big Foot's point of view which applies to just about everywhere in the world. Personally, I regard the three top archaeological sites I've seen are Angkor in Cambodia, Leptis Magna in Libya and Petra in Jordan. I first went to Cambodia in 1992, stayed for 4 days and I reckon there were less than 50 tourists on the entire site. I went to Leptis in 1982 and there were five of us. In Petra, 1981, we walked down the Siq at night and saw the Treasury Building lit up by a full moon. The next two days were spent exploring the site and I reckon there might have been 100 people there.
It's true that Angkor is busy these days, especially for that sunrise shot, and it's great if you can do it on your own. In 1992 you couldn't because of landmines, so we had a guide. Four our most recent visit, If I'm totally honest, I'd have preferred just to have a driver and not the Aman guide who talked and talked and talked until we decided to tell him to shut up. We like to absorb the atmosphere of a place, take some photos, just be there. The guides tend to think you want a Smithsonian-style lecture while standing in the sweltering heat.
I understand this point of view as well. Discovering a place alone can be wonderful. I'll never forget my first visit to the sun temple at Konark, Orissa. We drove for a couple of hours from Bhubaneswar to see it, stopping at a seaside fishing village on the way there, and for a G&T under creaking fans on the verandah of a crumbling railway union guesthouse on the return journey. We chose a guide (an old man who looked like he knew a thing or two about the significance of the carved symbols on the temple) and had a fantastic time.
But on the other hand, if I hadn't had the Aman guides in Bhutan, I probably would never have been able to watch the nuns making intricate altar decorations from dough in a convent outside Thimphu.
In my brash student days I used to think "independent travel" was per se a sign of sophistication. But now, within reason, I don't much mind either way. I still wouldn't get on a tour bus, but the reality is there's a limit to how authentic my experience can be, however I travel. If it makes me think, however it does that, then it has delivered on the promise, as far as I am concerned.
