Angkor Wat and environs - 8 & 9 November 2008

I don't know when I first heard about Angkor Wat.  It was probably from one of the travel magazines that Jen reads.  All I really knew about it, though, was that it was an incredible temple complex in Cambodia.  What I didn't realize is the height the Khmer civilization reached, 'cause you know it's not really taught in U.S. schools.  More on stuff that's not taught in U.S. schools later.

Since we didn't (and really don't) know much about Siem Reap or the temples surrounding it, we hired a guide and a taxi driver through the hotel.  It was the guide's first day, and while she tried, she was overwhelmed by the experience of the taxi driver.  Jen and I didn't mind, though, since we usually like to do tours on our own anyway.

The taxi driver was outstanding, and if you go to Cambodia I recommend looking him up - he gave me his business card.  His name is Chhom Samithy, and his email is chhomsamithy@yahoo.com.  He knew about the temples we went to, and even bought us treats at different points during the tour.  Mmm, treats...

Built during the 12th century, Angkor Wat began as a Hindu temple and was later converted to a Buddhist temple.  It holds religious significance even today - while we visited a wedding party came to have their pictures taken there.

It's a gigantic structure, basically in the middle of nowhere.  It is filled with bas-relief sculptures depicting Hindu myths and mythical creatures.  One of the most common figures is an Apsara, shown below:

We had an amusing moment when our guide offered to take us to the only sculpture of the Apsara that shows her teeth.  Because of the guide's accent, and because she used "teeths" we were expecting something else entirely.  When she asked if we wanted to see the sculputure where the Apsara shows her teeths I looked nervously at Jennifer and said, "Umm, ok?"

There's more here than Angkor Wat, though.  You could spend months trekking around Siem Reap looking at temples.  One of them was featured in the movie "Tomb Raider," a fact you'll hear several hundred times during your visit.  You'll also hear about Angelina Jolie and how she adopted a Cambodian child.  The temple is named Ta Prohm, and here's a shot of the iconic tree featured in the movie:

We also visited Banteay Srei, the "Temple of Women."  What's striking about this temple is the intricacy of the carvings - plus the fact that they've survived this long:

It's bizarre - when I look at the ruins here my mind says "Incan."  I guess that's because I'm used to associating jungle ruins with the Incas.  We're both glad we came here - it is spectacular.

Oh, and of course here's the picture of Man-Ox and the two of us in front of Angkor Wat: