Angkor Wat
Trip Start
Nov 21, 2008
1
47
84
Trip End
May 29, 2009
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
The mighty Angkor Wat was our first stop and its many intricate wall carvings including the famous "churning of the milk". Angkor Wat was built by the god King Jayavarman the II years before the creation of much of the following works by the last god king, Jayavarman the VII.
The great walled city of Angkor Thom built at the height of the Khmer empires power including within it the structures of Bayon, Bauphon and numerous terraces of stone.
Bayon - The citadel of many faces where 217 giant faces can be seen carved into the stone.
Bauphon - The site of the giant 70m long reclining Buddha, Unfortunately the site was taken apart piece by piece and the intricate instructions of how to reassemble it were lost during the madness of the Khmer Rouge.
Terrace of the Elephants and Terrace of the Leper King with carvings in bas relief of the work of the elephants and a tribute to one of the great god kings that died of leprosy.
Preah Khan the ancient and sprawling monastery and centre for learning.
Ta Phrom - The site of the Tomb Raider film. This site was being heavily restored, thanks to the money raised by allowing the film to be shot in this location
Bantei Kday and Sras Srang the kings vast swimming pool
Everywhere you go you stumble across another ruin or ancient site of significance, you could spend a week in this part of Cambodia and still not see everything but after a whole day in awe of these magnificent structures, Anna and I were both exhausted and content to return to Siem Reap for dinner. After the usual cheaply priced incredible food that had been a constant source of pleasure while in Cambodia, we were lucky to catch some traditional Khmer dancing at one of the places in the vibrant heart of Siem Reap.
