Temples, temples and more temples

Trip Start Sep 09, 2005
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Trip End Dec 23, 2005


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Monday, November 21, 2005

This was an incredibly long and hot day. We started exploring the Angkor Thom complex (Angkor translates to "holy city"), which is where each of the temples shown in the pictures are located. It was an ancient city for worship, built between the 9th and 12th centuries, aged and looted during the many Cambodian wars. It is a 3km walled and moated city that was the last capital of the Angkorian empire. The details in each temple represented the daily life and workings of the community, along with beliefs for the after life. Some of the temples were built for Buddist worship and others Hindu inspired. The large carved faces located in the Bayon Temple are a classic example of the Khmer art.

After a long morning, we stopped for lunch - the two hottest hours of the day - and mom and I hit the pool. Meeting back up in the afternoon, we continued "templing" with our local guide explaining the history along the way.

The town, Siem Reap, was much different than anything we had seen in Thailand. The distinction between the wealthy/middle-class and poverty was enormous. The people on the street were a little more pushy, desperate to earn a buck. The surrounding city was a little run down, but the center, had two streets lined with a few bars and restaurants looking for the tourist dollar. As of recently, quite a few brand new hotels have gone up as Cambodia is trying to grow its reputation as a destination for travelers. It's a difficult mix, straw shacks teetering on stilts over water - next to a 5 star hotel. It doesn't seem right.
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