Day 33 - Last day with the Temples of Angkor

We enjoyed our last day with the Temples of Angkor. We visited so many ruins we forgot most of the names! Hard to believe that each king would build their own palaces and temples. Out with the old, in with the new. The locals must have been worked to death. Incredible structures made with elephant and human power. The stone carvers were true artists who's work is evident everywhere you look.  

 

 

 

You can imagine this pool was the Sunday
afternoon hangout 1000 years ago

 
 

Char and Adam enjoying  a break from the heat

 

Victory Gate Angkor Thom

We ate on Pub Street in Siem Reap then went for a fish spa in the night markets!

 

Who needs a pedicure?

Day 32 - Floating Village and Sunset at Angkor

The Floating Village on Tonle Sap Lake was divided into a Vietnamese section and a Khmer section. The village is complete with a school, police station, stores and medical centre. These people fish the dirty waters of Tonle Lake  to make a living and rarely leave the water (don't order the Tonle Lake fish in a restaurant!).

Snakes alive

Students were happy to get a snack

Good thing the water is filtered

Police station

Catholic Church

Tough walk to school!

Anyone want to play hoops?

Contracption to catch crickets

Sunset over Angkor

Day 31 Angkors Aweigh!

Angkor is the largest collection of religious buildings in the world.  A $40 park entrance fee gets you 3 days of playing Indiana Jones. It was well worth it...
"Angkor is one of the most important archaeological sites in South-East Asia. Stretching over some 400 km2, including forested area, Angkor Archaeological Park contains the magnificent remains of the different capitals of the Khmer Empire, from the 9th to the 15th century. They include the famous Temple of Angkor Wat and, at Angkor Thom, the Bayon Temple with its countless sculptural decorations." More http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/668

Angkor Wat is surrounded by a moat which is 100m wide and over a kilometre on each of it's four side. Imagine how long it would have taken the Khmer to dig this moat by hand! The Angkor Wat was started in 1011 and wasn't finished until 1050 - just one of the many temples. Each king would build his own temple and palace. They're scattered all over the region. In it's prime Angkor had over a million people. It was abandoned for about.

From the early fifteenth century, when Angkor was completely abandoned, until the late nineteenth century, Angkor was kept intact by the Theravada Buddhist monks. It was "discovered" by a French traveller in the mid 1800s.
 !

 

Angkor Wat

 

When the Queen was kidnapped, he King called
 in the monkey army to battle for her return.  

The battle depiction went on for 60m!

Two cousins battled for the throne

Again, over 60 m!

 

 

Next we moved on to Angkor Thom. The Bayon temple was the most impressive with 54 towers - each with four  faces looking North, South, East, West. Hard to believe we're allowed to walk on/over these incredible buildings.

54 Towers like this

Adam gave these boys a bouncy ball.

 Now onto the king's palace

 

 

 



Next temple  Ta Phrom or now known as Tomb Raider temple as the movie with Angelina Jolie was filmed here. Trees have over taken the temple. We visited during a light rain which made it feel even more eerie.

 

 

We were all in awe with these magnificent buildings. Can't wait for more temples.

 

Dip in the hotel pool

Adam preferred the hot and cold tubs in the spa

Tea kept warm in a coconut