Astonishing (really!) Angkor

     Our visit last week to Siem Reap, Cambodia, and exploration of the Angkor temples was hands-down the most satisfying trip we've taken since moving to Singapore. The architectural legacy left behind by the Angkorian civilization (802-1432) is truly astonishing and the hospitality of the people living there today is utterly genuine, at times disarmingly so. One night after dinner at a local eatery, there wasn't a taxi in sight. One of the of the waiters jumped on his motorcycle, rode into the center of town and fetched a tuk-tuk for us. Then he paid our fare back to the hotel!

One of the hundreds of faces keeping an eye on you at Bayon Temple in Ankgor Thom.

     If you've heard of anything about Angkor it would be Angkor Wat, the world's largest religious monument. But there are dozens of other major wats (temples) in the area and hundreds of smaller ones. For me, Bayon stole the show. All the faces portray one man, King Jayavarman VII (1125-1200), possibly the greatest of all the Angkor kings and surely the most industrious. These guys were Hindus back in the day, but Buddhism made solid headway. Our guide said today's Cambodians view them as one religion. It seemed the same way in Thailand.

Main entrance to Bayon Temple.

     Bayon is located in the center or Angkor Thom, which was the main palace or castle for Jayavarman VII. Some claim that during his reign Angkor became the world's largest pre-industrial city. From the size of this place, you've got to think that most Angkorian's were employed building temples. The others undoubtedly concentrated on farming or fighting the of Chams of today's southern Vietnam or the Siamese from today's Thailand. Fun fact: Siem Reap translates roughly into "defeat of Siam."
     Still, you can't go to the Angkor Archaeological Park and not come back with a boat-load of Angkor Wat photos. I will show you three. 

The less crowded and less photographed south side of Angkor Wat, built by Suryavarman II (1112-1152).

View from the top of the center tower at Angkor Wat -- the one in the middle above. You can see the main

entrance in the distance. It was only about 104 degrees that day. 

Now you have to climb back down.

     So, gentle reader, I'm going to declare it too hot to go on today. Check back tomorrow and over the course of the next few days for dazzling Hindu artwork, fascinating Siem Reap street scenes and the ultimate warning to clean out your home's gutters at least once a year. I promise to keep them short. You can decide if they're sweet.

One last benign glare from Jayavarman VII for the road.