Day 16 Siem Reap

A bit of history : the Khmer kingdom from 802 to 1432 AD was one of the great powers of SE Asia. There were a series of powerful kings, the first being Jayavarman II who proclaimed himself a god-king, the earthly representative of the Hindu god Shiva. He built a ‘temple mountain’ which set a precedent for the following kings who all tried to outdo each other and build a bigger and better temple dedicated to their preferred Hindu god or Buddha or both. Angkor Wat is the best known but there are many others. Henri Mouhot, in 1868 brought the decaying and overgrown temples to the public’s attention. A few were still in use.

We visited Angkor Wat first – quite breathtaking. Angkor Wat is the best preserved because it was never abandoned. It is a huge building which seems to go on and on. There are many carvings of apsaras ( heavenly nymphs) on the stonework. Angkor Wat, like others is surrounded by a moat.

Then we went to Ta Prohm , originally a Buddhist temple, now in ruins. It is quite atmospheric– large trees growing through ruins, complicated root systems seem to hold up buildings, light comes through trees in strange ways, dark shadows of crumbling decaying moss covered buildings

Angkor Thom is huge walled city. We visited 2 of its gates, a few buildings and the central monument Banyon.

It sounds like lots of buildings and things – which it was but they all were a bit different.

Dinner at yet another delicious place. Our hotel is about 2kn from the centre of town - $2 for a tuktuk. Beats walking in the heat.