Angkor Wat 1

This was a day I had dreamt about for 17 years!

I had this AMAZING geography teacher at Fresno City College who had been everywhere!  Every continent and almost every country he would teach us about he would also have a personal slide show and incredible tales of the exotic and wonderful things he had experienced.  The most memorable of his slide shows (for me anyways) was his trip to Angkor Wat in Cambodia.  At the time I had never even heard of Cambodia let alone a place called Angkor Wat.  It seemed so foreign, yet so magical.  I left class that day determined to see Angkor Wat for myself.  It may have taken me 17 years to get there but it did NOT disappoint!!!!!  It was absolutely incredible!

We awoke very early to be the first people at the most famous temple within the complex, Ta Prohm.  Most of you have seen Ta Prohm before in the movie Tomb Raider.  Imagine being surrounded by jungle in an ancient temple built in 1186 AD with only a small handful of people.

Words can't describe. 

Kari and I at the entrance to Ta Prohm.  It's stinkin hot but I have goose bumps.

Our temple guide explaining the stories that are carved on the temple walls.

Inside Angkor Wat.

Buddhist shrine inside the temple.

We had a monk creep into our photo!

The large moat surrounding the temple.

Angkor Wat

One of the gates.

A temple regular.



The Bayon

The Bayon

My delicious lunch inside the temple complex.

Veggie Amuk served in a coconut.  Yumm-o!

They have a pretty good version of this with chicken at the Cambodian restaurant in Fresno.

Ta Prohm

Apsara figures.

Wishing I was an Apsara!

The jungle slow taking over Ta Prohm.

Can you see the face hiding inside the roots??

Kari and I with Bun, our Cambodian guide.

The Angkor Wat temple complex is the largest Hindu temple complex and the largest religious monument in the world.  The temple was built by a king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century.  The name Angkor Wat means "city of temples".

 

I decided to break up these photos into 2 separate posts.  I have soooo many photos because there are so many amazing temple structures.  So hang in there friends!