Ancient Angkor.

We spent three days around Angkor and this wasn't enough. The amount of temples and sheer beauty of them leaves you worn-out after a few hours ( the humidty does not help! ) We hired Krahn to drive us to and around the temples for a few days. A fantastic person and put simply, typical of all people we have met in Cambodia. Angkor is the ancient capital of the Khmer Empire and temples were built from the 9th Century to the 13th Century. Each temple reflects the period in which it was built and the King who was ruling. At this time Hinduism was the major religon, reflected in the bas-reliefs on the temple walls. Buddhism was later introduced. The Khmers are proud of Angkor and are pleased to see it gain so much international attention, instead of being a country known for its recent brutal history. Angkor is a remarkable achievement and it is breathtaking to walk around these temples and understand why the Khmers ( cambodian people ) are so justly proud.


Sunrise at Angkor Wat. The largest religious building in the world.


Entrance into Angkor Wat.


Angkor Wat is a large expression of religious symbolism. It is supposed to be a representation of the Hindu Universe and the towers you see in the picture above, represent the mountains which surround Mount Meru, home of the gods.




One of the many bas-reliefs in Angkor Wat.


Inscription on the wall at Angkor Wat, written in either Sanskrit or Khmer. I have no idea which!


Walking around Bayon. This is part of Angkor Thom, once one of the largest cities and thought to have been the capital until the 17th Century.




Faces of the gods.




A monk at the temple. Most men in Cambodia must serve at least two weeks as a monk. We have seen few older monks. This is possibly due to the mass murder inflicted on them during the brutal rule of Pol Pot between 1976-1979.


A nun at the temple. This woman made our day...look at that smile and it is easy to see why! She showed us how to pray to the Buddah and repeated 'Good Luck' in Khmer, which we can now say! An absolute delight and one of the many reasons why we love Cambodia.


A nun at a shrine.


Sitting beneath the roots of an old silk-cotton tree. These trees are slowly destroying the temples.


We witnessed a lot of restoration during our time at Angkor. This man is restoring the temple at Chao Say Tevoda. A lot of the restoration is supported by foreign groups. Angkor is not owned by the government but a Vietnamese business man who also owns a lot of the big hotels near to Angkor. This means that the Cambodian people do not own their own heritage.


A woman smiles for Stephen...she sold us some tasty bananas!


Profile of a lady who sold us tasty mango and pineapple!






Ta Prohm. This has deliberately been left in a (monitored) state of disrepair after the French 'discovered' Angkor in the late 19th Century. Despite Europeans believing it had remained undiscovered for hundreds of years, the Khmers always knew it was there. This temple has a mystery about it due to its state of apparent neglect.


Stephen stands beside the roots of a silk-cotton tree which is slowly swallowing the temple.


Cycling past a gateway into Angkor Thom. Many people live around Angkor and many travel around by bike.


Sunrise at Srah Srang. This small baray has retained its water for more than nine centuries.


Children at Srah Srang having a rare quiet moment. There are children everywhere selling a variety of things. They are very persistent. At times it can become tiring when trying to enjoying the serenity of the temples but we have to remember that these children are only doing what they can to support their families. Many of them do attend school and then work around these hours. This was taken at around 5am on a Sunday morning! School is not free and families must pay half the fees. As a result many families can not afford to give their children an education.


This little boy sold us water. A very persuasive salesman. How do you say no to that smile?


Rebecca, Krahn and Stephen. Krahn took us around the temples for three days and kept smiling despite the 4:30am starts for sunrise.