Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat is magnificent. Most of it was built in the 10th-11th centuries, making it older than many (most?) of the major architectural achievements we are more familiar with in Europe. China, with it's long history, has so many old temples and buildings; but because so many of them were made of wood, they've been destroyed and rebuilt over time, so many of the things that we've seen are new (and faithful) reproductions. The temples (Angkor Wat is only one--we saw many) rise from what was jungle and loom over the landscape with a mysterious and exotic air. Despite the number of people, the sites have an air of serenity. The complex itself is massive. Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom have a loop of about 20 km so walking around is really not an option. People can rent bicycles, or tuk-tuks...we had rented a car and driver, which was very useful when we headed out of town, but I would have liked to have used something closer to the ground a lot of the time. The scale of everything was difficult to comprehend. Like Egypt, the kings built these temples and monuments to the gods (so they would be pleased with them)--and like Egypt, the materials come from some distance. The engineering and artistry caught us by surprise over and over.

Bayon originally had 219 giant faces carved or built into the temple. At first it was hard to see them, but they slowly appear like an optical puzzle.

One of the amazing things about the temples, especially Angkor Wat, is the lines. After 900 years, the lines and angles remain completely straight and perfect. The ground hasn't settled, the stones haven't warped, which gives some beautiful scenes...

Most of the temples are being reconstructed, using the actual stones where they can be identified and used, or other stones from that period, or new stones if nothing else can be used. I didn't expect to capture the big green tarp in my iconic photo...


Thanks to Cameron, who bothered to actually master our new camera and has a nice eye.

Bantey Srei is an unusual temple. Unlike the other gray temples, it was carved from pink sandstone. It was very small, and the carving so intricate that it's believed to have been done by woman. Some the detailing appears almost three-dimensional.


The temples were assembled and then carved. The height and angles (and the heat) must have made the job so very difficult!