Cambodia: Siem Reap/Angkor Wat...

Cambodia ended up being one of the most remarkable experiences of our collective lives. For that reason I'm going to take a step back from the smart aleck/juvenile humor theme that I normally weave throughout these entries as I try to portray this incredible country. We took way too many pictures, so the entries covering this subject will probably be a little photo heavy. I think we'll split this into two entries for this reason. This first entry will describe a few of the myriad of ancient temples that are near to the current Cambodian city of Siem Reap (including the aforementioned Angkor Wat).

As a back story the temples pictured here were built by a dynasty of Angkorian emperors who ruled the region for a period of 500 years beginning in the 9th century AD. Each succeeding ruler tried to outdue the one before leaving behind these amazing structures, most of which are now well over 1000 years old. Despite the enormity of these buildings many of them were covered entirely in intricate stone carvings. We were left marveling at what mankind can accomplish. Without further ado, some representative pics:

Fun on the plane ride

Sunrise at Angkor Wat (note the pj's on Maisy)

The Bayon, another huge temple in the area

As time has passed the jungle has tried to reclaim the area that was cleared to build the temples.
Apparently old gnarly trees like this one actually help support the old walls

Representative carving

Maisy pausing for a little R&R after a busy morning at the temples

Native preparing flowers to sell to tourists

Two Cambodian monks at the Bayon pausing to humor us and our hyperactive camera

This particular temple (the Bayon) has over 200 carved faces like this one which were meant to watch every corner of this vast empire. 90% cool, 10% creepy

There is something about this region of the world that provides unique impetus for thought.

Dianna pausing to enjoy some of the local wildlife.

Now enjoying the local wildlife a little less...

Maisy and a huge rock...that is all

Hanging out with the locals.

That may look like chocolate or choco pie, but it's actually dirt,
of which there is a plentiful supply in Cambodia.


Flowers, puppies, toddlers, cute local children, my beautiful wife. This scene was begging for photos to be snapped


Our last day in Siem Reap we hiked several kilometers through the jungle to a spot where ancient artists had carved scenes into the riverbed. It was amazing to be out of the city and hiking again.


One such carving. I think our guidebook said there were around 500 of these in the area. This particular carving is in a dry part of the river during this season, but will be covered once the monsoon season returns.


Maisy's new friend. He will make a repeat appearance in a future posting I have planned with more video content.

My attention span for uploading pictures is exhausted, so I think I will split the posts here. The next segment will show Cambodia's capitol (Phnom Penh) as well as our voyage to meet the famed Cambodian river people.