Angkor, Cambodia

There are supposed to be over a thousand temples that make up Angkor. We started our journey early so we could see as many of them as possible. The added benefit of going extremely early was that we were able to get to many of the temples before there was anyone else around. The emptiness really added to the amazement and grandeur of the temples.

 

Ankgor is thought to be the largest pre-industrial city in the world, supporting up to one million people. The next largest city is Tikal in Guatemala.

 

Each temple is extremely elaborate; the closer you get the more intricate the temples become.

 

The Angkorian period lasted from AD 802 to 1431.

This carving is of a dinosaur, and more specifically a Stegosaurus. The carving has lead to a lot of debate to whether the people had dug up a skeleton or dinosaurs and people co-existed for some time. Either way, it is super fascinating, and leads to a lot of wonder.

The moss engulfs everything at many of the temples.

Ta Prohm is the temple that you have seen in Tomb Raider. It has become famous because of that movie, and as you enter it locals are keen to remind you. It is their claim to fame. 

It was definitely my favorite temple. It was extremely green, with moss growing on every surface, and had huge trees growing out of every wall, rock, and crevasse. Some of the trees were growing straight out of the bricks with no parts of the tree touching soil. It is amazing that both the tree and the walls are still standing.

I went picture crazy as usual, and was in heaven being able to photograph all of the green walls and huge trees.

We arrived at Angkor Wat, the largest temple, when a political demonstration was going on. It was packed! I think the entire population of Siem Reap showed up on scooters wearing white shirts and hats. People must have come from neighboring cities as well. We definitely couldn't get to the temple with this crowd filling the bridge, so we had to come back later.

Angkor Wat was first a Hindu Temple and later became a Buddhist temple, it also is supposedly the largest religious monument in the world.

It was a million degrees outside and I think it got to my brain. I found picture after picture where I am not quite sure what I was doing in them. It didn't help that you were supposed to respect the temples by wearing long dresses and shirts that cover your shoulder. It was way to hot for that.

Seeing the monks sitting outside the temple with absolutely no one around was a photo opportunity that I dream of.

There was also a group of monks sitting outside one the temple and I couldn't help myself; I had to be the tourist and go ask if I could take their picture. I've always loved the colors of the robes. I love the oranges and yellows mixing together. The color combination is used many times in my house and it always reminds me of visiting Tibet and living in Nepal. 

Luckily they were young and loved having their photo taken and asked if they could take a picture of me as well. One of them had a cell phone and took a picture of me with it.

I loved everything about Cambodia, and wished we could have spent more time there!