leaving a little mess in angkor

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Given the sweltering heat and the need to rest our tired feet, we decided to get a bottle of water and a snack from the gauntlet of vendors set up on the northwestern edge of Angkor Wat. As we approached, several women ran over to greet us with plenty of pant and shirt options as well as tall cold bottles of water. Not wanting to venture far, we purchased water and what appeared to be imitation Pringles from the first vendor. To escape the persistent children selling postcards and magnets, we opted to return to Angkor Wat to eat in relative peace and shade (the heat index was around 100 degrees). Within the first level gallery of the wat, we found a cool breeze-filled corner to enjoy our snack. Refreshed we began to pack up. Well, the cover on the imitation Pringles was not made to ASTM standards and did not fit tightly. The container dropped to the ancient floor scattering small pieces of Cambodian chips everywhere. So here we were scrambling to clean up our mess - picking up crumbles from the uneven rocky surface. Attempting to hide our blunder before others noticed- this was the worst game of 52 pickup ever. We collected what we could and quickly moved on. The next day on our guided tour we walked by the scene of the crime. No evidence remained. We had left nothing behind - crisis averted.

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