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4 Minutes at Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat, Near Siem Reap, Cambodia, is considered by many to be a wonder of the world. This temple was built in the 12th century by King Suryavarman II, first as a Hindu temple, which has since been converted to Buddhist.
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Journey through the Cambodian Countryside
After three days of scrambling over the ruins of Angkor’s ancient temples we set off on the next leg of our journey through Cambodia. We decided to continue our journey through Cambodia by land, despite having a rather rough entry into the country at the Aranyaprathet/Poipet border crossing. Land borders always make the best travel stories. Too often, people take the easy route by flying and in the process, they miss so much of the countries they are traveling through. When Moira suggested we rent a car for the next leg of our journey I leaped at the chance. We felt we would get a real sense of Cambodia by…
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The Banyans of Ta Prohm: A Memoir
A short story about the Banyans of Ta Prohm and ancient ruins of Ta Prohm in Angkok Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia. Taken from my travel memoirs in 2007.
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And On The First Day….
There are several ways to see Angkor Wat. Some people start small and work their way up to the colossal grand-daddy of them all, the megalithic structures of enigmatic Angkor Wat. Others start big and work their way down through the smaller and no less beautiful and mysterious smaller temples in the giant park. We opted to visit the ancient sandstone structures of Angkor Wat early on the morning of our first day. We hit a major temple site at daybreak and sunset and tried to cover the smaller temples and grounds throughout the rest of the day. Here’s how we did it. ON THE FIRST DAY 1. Angkor Wat…
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Reflections of Angkor
With my three day pass to Angkor Wat. It’s almost impossible to post pictures of Angkor Wat. There are millions of images of Angkor available on the web and none of them really do it any justice. Angkor is indescribable…but I’m going to give it a try. The best part of the day to visit is definitely early morning. By 9am, we were roasting in the heat, so we got up at 5am each morning and took a tuk-tuk to Angkor Wat to catch the sunrise and to get scrambling over ruins before the crowds arrived. We were never able to get a great sunrise picture. The sun never…
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Photo Moment: Strange and Hellish Pagoda in Cambodia
This seemingly charming pagoda is located in the middle of the village of Kompong Khleang in rural Cambodia. The ornately carved roof tiles and spires glistened in the sun as we climbed the cracked stone steps leading up to the front entrance, which is brightly painted with depictions of Heaven and disturbing and horrible images of Hell. Take particular notice of the naked women climbing wickedly barbed trees and the large tub of boiling water, which contains the severed heads of sinners and bodies of men being boiled alive. We were told this mural warns of the dangers of living promiscuous lives. A gruesome reminder indeed.
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A Prelude To Angkor Wat in Miniature
One of the local attractions in Siem Reap is the Angkor Wat Miniature Garden. Scupltor Dy Preung has created miniature replicas of Angkor Wat, Banteay Srei, Bayon and several other Angkorian temples and sculptures out of cement. In addition to these magnificent creations, there are also other figures in stonework. Angkor Wat. For $1 American, you can go and enjoy the quiet solitude of his garden sanctuary. We were lucky enough to have the garden to ourselves and the artist was ‘in’. He came out to show us his work and brought out a trophy that was given to him by the former King of Cambodia. There’s also a deck…
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Cambodia Photo Journal: Riding Elephants at Phnom Bakheng
Phnom Bakheng was built on a natural rise of 230 feet sometime during the 9th century. Also known as “Strong Hill,” is accessible by a steep stairway and by the Elephant path, which starts off on the left of the stairway. The stairway has been reduced to rubble, hence most visitors opt to visit the temple on the hill by elephant. Elephant path snakes and meanders up the hill. The fifteen minute journey to the temple by elephant costs 45 riel. Find out more about Cambodia’s Asian Elephants Elephants and their ‘mahouts’ waiting patiently for their next passenger. The primary deity of Phnom Bakheng is Shiva. The entire temple was…
