Pigs in a cage just a foot above the water
Our boat captain couldn't be more that 13 years old
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
January 1: Last day of our honeymoon
We concluded our trip with a tour of the Tonle Sap Lake to see the floating communities. These houses are built about twenty feet in the air because during the summer months the lake floods the lands and expands in size. This is due to the phenomenon of the two rivers that drain into the lake reversing in direction. We got the overall sense that Cambodia was a severely impoverished country and this gave us a true idea of how most people lived. After the boat tour we saw a few smaller temples outside the main city. These temples were all built prior to the Angkor period, mostly made of brick and the beginnings of the use of sandstone.
December 31 - January 1: Happy 2013!!
Happy New Years!!
We went to a fabulous New Years Eve dinner at AHA restaurant in the Hotel de la Paix in Siem Reap. The cuisine was a modern spin on traditional Khmer dishes (Cambodian food). After that we returned back to the hotel just in time to see fireworks and for Sabrina to pass out.
We went to a fabulous New Years Eve dinner at AHA restaurant in the Hotel de la Paix in Siem Reap. The cuisine was a modern spin on traditional Khmer dishes (Cambodian food). After that we returned back to the hotel just in time to see fireworks and for Sabrina to pass out.
Celebration on Pub Street
December 31: Angkor Wat & Angkor Thom
Angkor Wat
Built by King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century, this is a massive temple that translates into 'Temple Mountain', and was dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. The temple complex is surrounded by a moat that is about one mile long on each side. The main building is divided multiple times into 4 different subsections creating axes that point in the cardinal directions. The beehive looking towers were meant to reflect the shape of the lotus flower before it blooms.
Angkor Thom
This was the last temple built during the Khmer empire. It was built in the late 12th century by King Jayavarman VII, and covers the most land of any of the temples of Angkor. The main temple (Bayon Temple) is comprised of many buildings that have King Jayavarman's face smiling down on you. It makes for a truly creepy experience when it feels like someone is constantly looking over your shoulder. Built as a Buddist temple, many of the relics were destroyed by the next king who believed in Hinduism. Some of the other buildings in this complex consisted of the Bapuon Temple, which has a large reclining Buddha built into the rear wall of the building, and Ta Prohm, which you may recognize from the Tomb Raider movie.
Baphuon Temple
Ta Prohm
Built by King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century, this is a massive temple that translates into 'Temple Mountain', and was dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. The temple complex is surrounded by a moat that is about one mile long on each side. The main building is divided multiple times into 4 different subsections creating axes that point in the cardinal directions. The beehive looking towers were meant to reflect the shape of the lotus flower before it blooms.
Angkor Thom
This was the last temple built during the Khmer empire. It was built in the late 12th century by King Jayavarman VII, and covers the most land of any of the temples of Angkor. The main temple (Bayon Temple) is comprised of many buildings that have King Jayavarman's face smiling down on you. It makes for a truly creepy experience when it feels like someone is constantly looking over your shoulder. Built as a Buddist temple, many of the relics were destroyed by the next king who believed in Hinduism. Some of the other buildings in this complex consisted of the Bapuon Temple, which has a large reclining Buddha built into the rear wall of the building, and Ta Prohm, which you may recognize from the Tomb Raider movie.
Wild Monkeys!
The always present faces of King Jayavarman
Baphuon Temple
Can you see the reclining Buddha? (Hint: The face is on the left)
Ta Prohm
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