Many children follow you around at the Angkor temples and try to sell bottled water, postcards, or homemade souvenirs. In 1999, some of them were very rude and aggressive, but in 2002 they were more patient and polished. Or maybe it's me that changed; probably some of both.

This little girl followed us around at Ta Som in 2002, smiling the entire time and gracefully posing for photos in several different spots. She spoke only a few words of English, but I would simply point a finger and she would stand or sit where I pointed and them smile her smile. She was trying to sell three wooden flutes, and after our walk around the temple I agreed to buy them for her full asking price: $1 total.