Siem Reap, Cambodia April 21, 2024

I said that today would be more uplifting than the previous day when I discussed the Killing Fields. This will be the case as we are off to visit the infamous Angkor Wat near Siem Reap.

Our original plan was to fly to Siem Reap but the flight was cancelled thus it was a six-hour bus ride. At least there was sufficient space on the bus and our visit wasn't cut short.

Siem Reap is the second largest city in Cambodia with a population of approximately 1.1 million and is home to Angkor Archeological Park, about four miles north of the city centre.

Each of us were provided with a one-day ID card for admission to the park which attracts 2.6 million visitors annually.

Our guide Sam explained that Angkor Wat is spread over 400 acres of land with up to 1,000 buildings in the park. When construction began in the 12th century Angkor Wat was part of the city of Angkor. At that time, the Khmer Empire spread over the present countries of Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and of course Cambodia. It is not truly known why Angkor Wat fell into disrepute, but some historians think it might have been war or even climate change of the era. People left Angkor Wat in 1431, leaving the temple to be reclaimed by nature.

Here are some interesting facts on the complex:

· It's the largest religious monument in the world. When it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992, the hope was it would encourage international help to save the complex. I believe France has stepped up the effort here so far.

· The symbol of Angkor Wat is proudly featured on the Cambodia Flag

· Angkor Wat means the city of temples

· Angkor Wat was shared by two religions - it was originally built as a Hindu Temple and the Vishnu god. By the end of the 12th century Angkor Wat turned into a Buddhist Temple and is still the case today.

· Five million tons of sandstone were used to build Angkor Wat

· Angkor Wat construction is thought to have taken 30 years with 300K workers and 6K elephants used. These are huge numbers.

Our bus dropped us off at the West Gate and will eventually pick us up at the East Gate. It looks like the main temple of Angkor Wat is surrounded by a moat. The walkway lending to the temple appears to be about 200 to 300 meters in length. Photographers are present on the walkway asking whether you would like your picture taken. A secondary bridge was built to lessen the demand of visitors. On either side of the walkway there are the remnants of two libraries.

Our guides, Sam and Chon ask us to walk down to the lake in front of the temple to take pictures and to see the reflection of the temple in the water. It was very impressive.

It is now time to enter the temple. There are many steps and doors to navigate. Sam begins to explain what we see in each room. There are important deities and figures representing both the Hindu and Buddhist religions.

It is amazing how much knowledge Sam has on Angkor Wat. We arrived at 15:00 for our visit which does not seem to be much time for such a historical temple.

The last temple we visited required us to climb a very steep set of stairs. I am OK with the climb up, but it is the climb down that I don't like but I made it with great care. The artifacts within this temple were worth the climb.

As we leave Angkor Wat it is off to visit Ta Phrom Temple found in the jungle. This temple is 7.8 kms from Angkor Wat. The sun is slowly setting so luckily there is enough time.

Like Angkor Wat, this temple was deserted thus the jungle has taken over. As we make our way to the temple you can see trees and other vegetation growing around it. Janice was a little nervous walking through the jungle, but she did good.

Wow, it's amazing what happens when nature is allowed to take over. Large tree roots are molded into the foundation. There are also places where supports have been needed to hold up the temple.

The sun is behind us as we make our way out of the temple creating excellent light with contrasts between the temple and vegetation.

It was a long day as we make our way to the hotel for some down time. Janice and I went in search of the night market with a stop to Pub Street for a meal. We took a tuk tuk there and I had pizza and Janice Mexican food for dinner both excellent choices.

Tomorrow, we fly to Singapore to meet up with the ship.

As we make our way to the airport, Sam discusses the Khmer language and its alphabet. It consists of 33 consonants, 23 vowels, and 12 independent vowels. That is a lot of letters to remember when learning the language.

What a fabulous overland trip.