Siem Reap

The best thing I have seen so far in this set of travels is the Angkor grouping of temples. The Khmer rulers constructed these temples during the height of their power, approximately 1000 years ago. As Hindusim and Buddhism each enjoyed periods of dominance in the Khmer kingdom, some of the temples are dedicated to one religion, some to the other, and some contain imagery from both. The temples are particularly impressive because of they are largely intact and are mounumental in scale. There are dozens of major sites spread across approximately 60 kilometers.

Archaeologists have allowed the elements to take over certain sites. This practice is best known in the ruins featured in the movie Tomb Raider. The archaeologists made this conscious choice in order to show visitors the state of the temples when they were rediscovered in the last century. Silk trees are firmly rooted in the crumbling stone walls.

The best-known of the sites is Angkor Wat. It is the most visited site in Cambodia. You approach Angkor Wat by walking on a causeway over a moat. Beyond the outer entry temple are impressive gardens. Two reflecting pools in front of the inner area offer stunning views of the reflected towers at sunset and sunrise. At 5 am sunrise 500 Brits, Germans, Russians, and Japanese jockey for position in front of the left reflecting pool.

Beyond the pools, a set of stairs leads to the outer four sides of collonaded arcades with incredible relief sculptures from Hindu mytholody. It took me over an hour to make my way through the reliefs. The interior courtyard contains five temples, one at each of the four cardinal points, and one in the middle. This layout represents a complete realization of the geography of Hindu mythology. The stone towers resemble stylized beehives with incredibly detailed, ornate decoration.

My favorite temple was in Angkor Thom. It consisted of several dozen towers, the top of each which featured a six-foot tall human male head on each of the four sides. The heads are not immediately noticeable, but as I approached closer I saw them and became fascinated with them, spending nearly two hours exploring the site.

Along with the human heads I was particularly interested in the elephants, and soldiers in line on bridges before temples, found throughout multiple sites.