2 Days on a Bus/ Thailand and Cambodia Bound!

Like a leming, I'm following the traditional backpackers' ridiculously rough overland route to Ankor Wat! But first, there's 2 days on a bus to Bankok to contend with

This decision came after quite some vacillation over whether to head SE to Kuching in Borneo Malaysia, or NE to Ankor Wat, Cambodia. I decided on the latter.

I was poised to head in any direction based on friends that might be able to join up with me, but nothing definite or viable had presented itself. I felt I was wasting my time and funds in KL, so just chose to head to much cheaper Thailand. This kills 2 birds with one stone... it's cheaper than Malaysia (good during this financially strapped time) and it get's me closer to my dream destination of Ankor Wat should some pending funds come to fruition. Think TOMB RAIDER! The movie's stunning jungle and vine encased temple scenes were shot at Ankor Wat. I want to spend about a week in Siem Reap to visit the incredible temples (probably the highlight and most useful part of my trip for the animation background illustration portfolio.)

I'd really rather fly to Ankor Wat to avoid the notoriously long and rough ride and likely border extortions/scams, but decided to overland it. It's half the price. I'll be spending the next couple of days on busses from KL>Butterworth>Bankok. From there I'll spend time in the cheapest decent hotel I can find and wait for pending funds, so I can continue on to Cambodia.
After shooting hundreds of pictures of Ankor Wat's temples awash in reputed stunning golden rays of the early morning and late afternoon, I'll relax a bit in Battambang, which is supposed to be a wonderful colonial riverside town.

Eventually, I'll head back to Thailand for a long quite stint someplace cheap and peaceful, and focus on the job of working on my 2 projects. In case some of you don't know, I'm working on:

1) Illustration Portfolio of Animation Backgrounds (for movies or interactive media)
2) Children's Book Sample about Balinese Culture (hopefully I can get sponsorship or a contract to finish and do a series of these)

Ultimately, I'm hoping this turns my career in a good direction. I still love, and feel I have a lot to offer as far as a web/interface designer and illustrator/ animator, but I want to kick things up a few notches toward something more uniquely suited to my odd set of skills, and personally compelling.

And now... I must attend to the important tasks of further attending to my bludgeoned toe, and ruthlessly reducing my possessions. I want to leave a large box of items in storage for the remaing 3 months. It adds up to an annoying $30 US, but it's cheaper than mailing it.