Temples of Angkor

We've spent the past three days exploring the Temples of Angkor outside Siem Reap, Cambodia. Often collectively referred to abroad as "Angkor Wat," Angkor Wat per se is but one of scores of religious sites in the immediate vicinity. Most date from the 9th - 13th centuries, and are in varying condition.

If anything, Angkor Wat's reputation is less than it deserves. It eats Chichen Itza for breakfast, and its glaring omission from the "New Seven Wonders" clearly illumintes the idiocy of this recent hoopla.

We visited Angkor Wat three times, including once for sunrise:



The entire city is a symbolic representation of the Hindu universe, centered around the five peaks of Mount Meru. The outer wall of the central temple is decorated with 600 meters (2000 feet) of bas reliefs, 2 meters (6 feet) high, that illustrate important Hindu beliefs. The 90-meter illustration of the 30-odd Hindu hells is particularly vivid:



Other sites have even more intricate reliefs, like this pediment from Banteay Srei, 30 km NE of Angkor Wat:



We visited about 2 dozen different sites over three days, in the comfort of this trailer, towed behind a Honda motorbike, by our driver Nan:





Some sites included harrowing climbs to the top:



Many of the temples had "Halls of Dancers" with dancers carved into the walls. We had fun trying to imitate the dancing positions:





The last site we visited had some very unusual carvings, including one that looks strikingly similar to a stegosaurus (how did they know what a stegosaurus looked like 1000 years ago??):



And this fellow, carved in intricate detail:



We saw many amazing sites, too many to share photos but here are a few:







We fueled ourselves with delicious food and drink, like fish amok:



It is the Khmer national dish, consisting of fish, coconut milk, and spices cooked in banana leaf.

We enjoyed freshly squeezed sugarcane juice, perfect for that mid-morning energy kick after a sunrise start:



And when we were done, the good folks here were kind enough to provide us with clear illustrations of how to do our business: