La Ville au Bois dormant : $b De Saïgon à Ang-Kor en automobile

A restless traveler arrives on the banks of the Saigon River, where the city glows in white and red against a sea of emerald rice paddies and forests. The narrator’s excitement for the exotic landscape is tempered by a growing worry about the automobile—its long‑ago voyage, the damage it sustained, and the uncertain repairs that must be completed before the journey can begin. Alongside the stoic driver Guérin, he gathers local gossip, bureaucratic warnings, and poetic musings, all of which paint the expedition as both daring and almost reckless.

With the car finally patched together, the party turns its sights toward the legendary ruins of Ang‑Kor, a place whispered about as a “sublime and mysterious city‑dead.” The narrative balances vivid descriptions of the Indochinese countryside with the practical challenges of early motor travel, inviting listeners to share the anticipation, the humor, and the quiet determination that propel the adventure forward.