Bayon

Bayon, one of the more famous temples in the Angkor Thom complex, is known for the many faces carved into it's walls and towers.

Angkor Thom

This is the south gate at the entrance to Angkor Thom, a large complex of temples and royal grounds.

Angkor Wat

Ending a memorable morning at Angkor Wat.

Inside Angkor Wat

One picture is an example of the destruction caused by the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s. During their reign of terror, they entered the temple and cut the heads off hundreds of Buddha statues.

The other picture is of Whitney reading aloud the story of a fierce battle being told in the carvings on the wall of one of the many galleries in the temple.

Inside Angkor Wat

Once the sun came up, we ventured inside the enormous temple of Angkor Wat. Since it was so early in the morning and the grounds are so big, you could usually avoid big crowds of tourists.

*Look closely at the bottom of the picture of the tower to see Mike climbing the wall.

Sunrise at Angkor Wat

Sunrise at Angkor Wat

As the sky brightens, the reflecting ponds at the base of the temple come alive and the details of the temple start to show.

Sunrise at Angkor Wat

This morning, we woke up at 4:30am to see the sunrise over Cambodia's largest and most revered temple, Angkor Wat. As you can see, we were not alone.

Cambodian funeral

While touring the temples, we came across a funeral procession. Our driver/guide said they were taking the body to be cremated and it was okay for us to observe. The photos are of the procession, the coffin being placed in the crematorium, the door being sealed and the smoke rising. Although we felt out of place, none of the hundred or so family members of the deceased seemed to mind our presence.

Bakong

Bekong is the largest temple in the Roluos group. This temple has an active Buddhist monastery on the site and is enclosed by a rather large moat.

Preah Ko

Preah Ko is one of three temples collectively called the Roluos Temples, which are among the earliest, large, permanent temples built by the Khmers and marks the dawn of Khmer classical art. This temple was constructed in the late 9th century and is said to have some of the best surviving examples of plasterwork seen at Angkor.

Beng Maelea

Think Indiana Jones. This temple, built in the 12th century, has been subsumed by the jungle, so much so that they had to trim it back a few years ago. The state provides you with a guide to walk the grounds, we believe for safety reasons. The whole temple complex was eerie and mysterious. Bang Maelea was about a hour and a half drive from Siem Reap and as a result there were only a few other tourists roaming the grounds.

Banteay Srei

Considered to be a jewel in the crown of Angkorian art, construction of this temple began in 967 AD. It is one of the smallest sites at Angkor, but is known for it's detailed, three dimensional carvings.

A note about the temples

Two things about the temples we are visiting:

1) The pictures do not do justice to exactly how detailed, grand and historical these ruins are.

2) This is the high season and tourists (like us) are out in the thousands, so it's hard to take pictures of the temples without other people in them.

Cambodian Landmine Museum

Today, on our way to visit some temples in the countryside, we stopped at a small landmine museum. The museum was founded by a former child solider of the Khmer Rouge named Aki Ra. His specialty was planting mines. He believes he planted around fifty thousand in his own country. After his days as a solider, he has dedicated his life to removing as many mines as he can from Cambodian soil. The museum takes in adults and children who have been maimed by landmines. Here are a couple links for more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aki_Ra
http://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/28/world/siem-reap-journal-a-time-to-plant-mines-a-time-to-make-amends.html

Hello Cambodia

We've landed in Siem Reap, Cambodia - home to some of the most amazing temple ruins in the world. We will spend the next three days touring as many temples as we can. We will hopefully post each day...

Goodbye Laos

It's our last day in Laos. We've had a great time here and are sad to leave. The weather has been refreshingly cool - in the 70s and 80s just about every day. The people we've met (both tourists and locals alike) and the surrounding beauty have made Laos an unforgettable stop.

Today we catch a flight to Cambodia...

Dinner with a New Yorker

We had dinner with guy named Chuck Stickney last night - a New Yorker we met at the restaurant. He was a Brooklyn Dodger fan when he grew up and is still heartbroken by the move west. Mike assured him they are in good hands in LA.

Fish eyeballs

Mike ate both out of his barbecued fish last night. One eyeball popped out and got away for a second. It looks like a little white marble. It was recovered.