A few days ago we took a trip to Angkor Wat, which is almost obligatory if you're anywhere nearby. Rising from the jungle, the ruins of the Angkor temples are the remnants of a great empire that once spanned Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, and most of the Malaysian peninsula. Angkor Wat is really just one of many, many temples in the area, but perhaps the largest and best preserved. Built over the period from about 800-1300, the different temple complexes (spread over a huge area, some nearly 100km from others) reflect different religions and political power dynamics. First built as Hindu temples (mostly to Shiva) they were repurposed centuries later as Buddhist temples, with according modifications but very little defacement. Not "discovered" by the west until the early 1900s, the French did significant early conservation work, but the dark days of the Khmer Rouge saw the temples looted and abandoned. Restoration work has restarted at some of the grandest temples, but other ruins still lie covered in dark jungle and beg for exploration.
We spent three days exploring the temples, two with our tuk-tuk driver and one on some pretty suspect bicycles (we had to find a local to help repair Erin's bike after the handlebars just about fell off). Some areas, like the town of Siem Reap itself - the base for temple exploring - are nearly overrun with tourists. But other areas are quiet, and the walled city of Bayon and the temple complex of Angkor Wat itself remain impressive and are so big you can easily lose the crowds.
It was a little overwhelming, and by the end we had temple fatigue, but it was also a good reminder of how civilizations rise and ebb. Here is a link to our photo gallery: https://plus.google.com/photos/103829313469224560701/albums/6038068012853737569
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