I took over 400 pictures at the Wats (aka temples) surrounding the Siem Reap area. So these are just a select few! There are dozens of Wats there, the most famous of course being Angkor Wat. The whole thing is pretty damn stunning. The shear size and scale of the buildings are massive, and the amount of work it must have taken to construct them is nearly unimaginable. Angkor Wat is the largest religious building in the world, and many of these structures are over a 1000 years old. The Khemr people loved their gods, and it shows! One of the most interesting parts is that that during the past 1000+ years the local populations have switched back and forth between Hindu and Buddhism several times, and each time many of the statues and carvings would be remade (or just destroyed!) to reflect the current religion in favor. Equally amazing is that people STILL worship here, in and among the tourist are people kneeling and praying!
Currently in Vientiane, Laos, which is a quick stop over on the way to Luang Prabang, which will hopefully lead to a river boat ride up the Mekong to Northern Thailand. Saw the Mekong for the first time in my life today- quite a thrill!! And one hell of river!
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2 comments:
Mom showed me the link to your blog, I love reading of your travels so far! Thanks for sharing, I have always wanted to travel but I think I have about 18 years ahead of me before I can do that! I will instead live vicariously through your travels!
Beth
The Wats look like many of the historic sites in Nepal in that they have not had any maintenance for a long time. In Nepal (at least) this is because there is no money to do the work. In one of the sites I visited in Nepal the German government had stepped in with restoration money so the site would not be lost forever.
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