Angkor Wat

Did you know that Cambodia is 1.5x the size of England? Well that's what the Rough Guide says anyway. It turns out that 1/3rd of the population was wiped out under Khmer Rouge rule between the 70's and 80's and especially during the Killing Fields genocides.

Well, I know I promised to write about Angkor Wat so here it goes. Angkor Wat is actually the name of only one of the many religious temples that make up the complex, albeit the one that appears in most books and ...most people know the whole thing as Angkor Wat but there are tens and tens of temples built between 800's and 1200's during the glorious Angkor era. This, my friends, is indeed one of the Marvels of the World....much like the Egyptian Pyramids of Egypt, the Indian Taj Mahal, or the Aztec and Mayan ruins in America. When I came up close to see the sheer magnitude of size and intricate carvings that these temples boast hundreds of years later and understanding they were built with sweat and blood (and no cranes or cement) I am baffled! They say Angkor Wat itself took over 30 years to build. The interesting thing about all these temples is the Indian influence in the design, architecture, carvings/bas reliefs and overall feel. At this time there was a lot of trade and exchange with India. Angkor is a tribute to Shiva and is surrounded by a massive moat. More than once I managed to loose Chris inside the temple itself, to which we had to return on the 4th day because it is so big! What impressed me most at Angkor were the steep steps that led up to the main temple which believe you me, were no easy task to accomplish. I for one kept removing my flip flops just to ensure that like a monkey, I had a good grip on the rocky surface and could climb up the uneven set of more than 30 steps to the top. The views over the city and the forest are breathtaking.