From Nathan: We woke up earlyto see the sunrise over Angkor Wat. The sunrise was disappointing because of the many clouds.
From Nathan: Angkor Wat was enormous, and in fact, is the largest religious monument in the world. The ancient Khmer temple has a 12 km wall and moat protecting it from intruders. I liked the five-tower design in the middle of Angkor Wat. This design is on the Cambodian national flag. Normally, you can climb into the main tower, but today, it was closed for cleaning. The best part of the temple was that there was no tour guide! We decided not to have a guide, because we knew most of the information already. (From Shellie: After nearly a month in Nepal, Thailand, and Cambodia, we’ve picked up quite a bit of knowledge about Buddhism and Hinduism.) This made the tour go a lot quicker and was more enjoyable.
Even though Angkor Wat is the temple that everyone comes to see, Neerav, Aidan, and I preferred Ta Prohm (aka the Lara Croft Tomb Raider temple) from a few days ago. But we all agree, we’re done with tour guides.
From Aidan: In the afternoon, we just hung out and swam. We ate dinner at a restaurant that supports and gives jobs to orphaned adults.
Boys waiting for the sun to rise
Sunrise at Angkor Wat
Pre-dawn at Angor Wat
Sunrise at Angkor Wat
Seven-headed snake at the entrance to Angkor Wat for protection
Entrance to temple, built by King Suryavarman II between 1113-1150 A.D.
Nathan, Shellie, and Aidan on causeway to Angkor Wat
Nathan, Shellie, and Aidan on causeway to Angkor Wat
Shellie, Aidan, Neerav, and Nathan at reflecting pool in front of Angkor Wat
Shellie and Neerav at reflecting pool in front of Angkor Wat
Reflecting pool with water lillies
The ancient Khmer must have had really small feet.
Small Buddha shine inside
Three of five towers of Angkor Wat
One of several courtyards
Aidan, Neerav, and Nathan in front of steps to central tower of Angkor Wat
Main tower… closed. Ugh.
There’s one central tower and four surrounding towers, all in the shape of a lotus bud.
Apsara, Khmer angels, worn by weather
Nathan, Aidan, Shellie and a whole lot of stairs
Shellie near central tower of Angkor Wat
Famous bas relief, “Churning of the Sea of Milk.” measures 12 x 159-feet.
Lord Vishnu cajoles demons (asuras) and gods (devas) into working together to produce an elixir of immortality they both covet. They churn the waters of the cosmic ocean using a sacred mountain as a pivot and a supernatural, five-headed snake as a rope.
When the mountain suddenly begins to sink, Lord Vishnu (turtle) keeps it afloat until their churning produces the elixir. Vishnu later nabs the elixir to prevent its misuse.
Another gallery at Angkor Wat
The bas relief is in good condition because the ceiling is still intact.
The bottom panels of this relief have been restored. Top to bottom, it’s a depiction of heaven and hell.
Once restored, the carvings really “pop.”
Depiction of hell
This carving of Shiva meditating is repeated throughout Angkor Wat’s gallery.
After a morning of temples, we needed a cool cafe with WiFi.
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I marvel at the amount of planning it took for this trip. Also how well prepared the boys were to understand what they saw. Last but not least the stamina to see it through. I thoroughly enjoy following along.
Thank you, Joyce. The trip took about two years to plan (on and off, of course). The boys each had a “reading and viewing list” to work on before and during the trip to give them – and frankly me – some perspective.
Amazing photos! I can’t get over the detailed carvings and it makes me wonder how long it took to do that. It’s also great to see these ruins are still standing. Over here, we’d be tearing them down.
How do you feel seeing these temples? Do you look at them for the art, or for a lesson in what the people believe, and why?.
Both. The temples are truly architectural marvels, especially when you consider that they were all construct by hand – many, many hands. Angkor Wat, for example, took 30 years to built. The detail is mind-boggling!
They also are the history of the Khmer empire. Since there was no written language at that time, the stone carvings tell the story of these people – the political structure, religious beliefs, and ultimate demise.
Love this, thank you for taking all of us on vacation with you. What a wonderful experience for the whole family.
Glad you could come along for the ride!